Author's Note: Hey guys, hopefully this will make up for the weeks I've been gone and will be gone :)...i can't promise another chapter being uploaded next weekend but i'll try! Well on to the story!

Chapter 6

Jiro watched as Mimiko ran from the room his chest clenching from both the pain of her sudden push and from the way she looked when he called Alice's' name. Thumping his head down on the ground he groaned. Why was everything getting so complicated? His devotion was to the Sage, his body only for the Sage, his love only for Alice….so why did it hurt him to see Mimiko run from him, the scent of her tears trailing in her wake and the sounds of her sobs echoing in the vast room. He sighed sitting up and placing one arm on his knee as he looked down at the ground, trying to breathe through the heart wrenching pain.

Glancing up he saw Kotaro standing at the bottom of the stairs, he looked at Jiro with a sudden wisdom in his eyes, almost as if the Sage was in front of him. "Jiro? Why was Mimiko crying?" Kotaro asked in his normal child's voice.

He winced and looked away. "I said something to her that I shouldn't have." He replied as he moved to stand.

"You should go apologize to her." Kotaro said in a deep voice, reminiscent of the Sages' when she gave an order. Jiro started and froze, looking at Kotaro who stood there looking back with that same wisdom in his eyes that made Jiro think Alice was controlling the way he spoke.

"I will," he said standing, "once she has cooled off I promise I'll apologize."

Kotaro nodded and suddenly reverted back into his child-like demeanor. "Hey can we go see Sei while Mimi takes a shower?" he asked.

"We need to call first, but I'm sure Sei would be glad to see you." Jiro replied walking towards Kotaro and starting up the stairs.

"Yay!" Kotaro cheered and ran up the stairs. Jiro watched him, a little uneasy at how he had acted earlier, shrugging it off he climbed the stairs and made his way into the kitchen. After calling Sei and getting the okay to come down he wrote a short note to Mimiko letting her know where they had gone and set off towards Lord Dragons' home.

As they stepped onto the street Jiro looked back towards the house, his chest clenching again, turning back towards Kotaro he could only hope that things would return to normal and that Mimiko would forgive him for the incident before. Sighing again he pulled out his umbrella and followed after Kotaro in the bright mid-day sun.

Mimiko took deep calming breaths, trying to get herself under control. After calming down a bit she looked up and stiffened. Surrounding her like some sort of ring were the tears she had cried. They just hovered there as if there were no gravity to pull them down, little blobs of water. Reaching her hand out she poked at one of the blobs and it broke apart into four separate blobs floating towards the others before settling back into the ring. She moved to stand and suddenly the drops fell to the ground. As they splashed she shivered, a little freaked out about the incident. Shrugging it off she turned to the shower and turned on the water, while the water heated she quickly undressed and threw the clothes in the hamper.

Sighing she stepped under the heated water and luxuriated in the heat soothing her muscles. Running her hands through her hair she soaked it getting ready to start the shower ritual when she stopped thinking back to the ring of tears surrounding her. Maybe it's not nothing, she thought, maybe I have powers like Zelman and Sei.

Stepping away from the water she held up her hand and tried to imagine the water coming towards her and forming into a ball. Concentrating hard on the picture she stared at the water, but nothing happened. Sighing in frustration she dropped her hand and looked away trying to figure out what had caused her tears to surround her before. Realizing her emotions must have had something to do with it, she looked back at the water and remembered the pain that she felt when Jiro called her Alice and how she wished she was blocked away from the world. Suddenly the water from the shower head shot towards her and surrounded her in a clear bubble of liquid. She stared, shocked, and reached her hand towards the water surrounding her; she ran her hand down the side and pulled it away seeing the waters residue on her fingers. Looking back at the water shield she had created she felt elated! She had done this!

Giving a 'Whoop!' she gave a little hop the water bursting outwards away from her and drenching the floor, walls, and ceiling. "Whoops!" she said looking at the dripping ceiling still smiling. Quickly finishing up her shower she toweled off and got dressed, running downstairs to tell Jiro and Kotaro.

"Jiro, you'll never believe what just hap…pened." She said to the empty house. "Jiro?" she called searching the rooms until she came to the kitchen. Finding the note she read it and sighed. She wasn't very good at waiting to share news.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and she walked towards it to see who it was. Peering through the peephole she saw a shocking piece of red hair, smiling she realized Zelman could help her with her new ability and opened the door. "Zelman-san, to what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked grandly stepping aside to let him in.

"Mimiko, you're so formal, and the pleasure is all mine." He replied stepping over the threshold, "Is the Silverblade here?" he asked.

"Unfortunately you just missed him, he and Kotaro when to Lord Dragons' home."

"Unfortunate indeed, tell me Mimiko, why are you not with them?"

Mimiko stiffened and sighed. "I can see something has upset you, come, tell me what's wrong." Zelman said as he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, gesturing to the seat next to him. Mimiko sat down and leaned back running her hand through her hair before leaning her head back against the back of the couch, trying to figure out where to start. So she blurted out the first thing she could think of.

"I'm having urges again." She sighed and knew instantly that she shouldn't have started with that as Zelman's demeanor changed instantly and he shifted towards her, his eyes lowering into a seductive gaze.

"Oh really, you know all you have to do is ask." He purred. She rolled her eyes and gave a half laugh.

"Sorry, but no thanks." She replied, "It's actually only a piece of the problem. You know I've like Jiro for a long time now," she started and he nodded slowly, "and so today when we were practicing…"

"Your urges came upon you." He finished for her and she nodded.

"I just couldn't help myself and started acting like some sort of tramp, rubbing myself against him and he was actually enjoying it, I thought, until…" she stopped the pain clogging her throat.

"Until?" he asked his voice laced with concern and a smidge of sympathy.

She shifted and looked towards him, his arm outstretched along the back of the couch looked comforting and she just wanted to feel comforted at that moment. Leaning into him she whispered, "Until he called me Alice." She choked on the last part and felt a new wave of tears flood her eyes as she tried not to sob.

"Oh Mimiko," he shushed her and pulled her into his arms, brushing her hair back and wipe the tears away as the fell down her cheeks. He rocked her closer to him and she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest, inhaling his smoky cinnamon scent. She sniffed and pulled away rubbing her eyes fiercely.

"This is ridiculous, I knew he would never be mine," she cried, "but the way he's been acting lately, like he might have feelings for me just made me think it was ok, that maybe we could be together and everything would be fine."

Zelman nodded to show he was listening as she poured her emotions into her words, "That's not even the end of how messed up everything is right now, now I have this new ability, that I'm not sure how to control, and I can't even show it to Jiro because he's not here!"

"You have a new ability?" he asked looking at her with interest.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I can kind of control water." She said looking over at him to see his reaction.

Zelman busted out laughing and she stared at him confusion all over her face. "What's so funny?" she asked eyebrow raised and hands crossed over her chest. He just shook his head as he tried to stifle his laughter behind his hand.

"Oh it's nothing, just a passing thought." He grinned a small tear bubbled at the corner of his eye.

Mimiko stared at him before shrugging her shoulders and looking away.

"You know I can help you," Zelman said casually, "since I'm a controller of fire I know how to control these magical abilities some of us vampires acquire. I can also provide good targets for practice."

"You'll help me? Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course, but I'm afraid it will have to wait until tomorrow, I just wanted to stop by today to see if you were well." Zelman replied.

"Oh, that's fine, I don't have anything planned."

"Good, but I will leave you with some advice for you to practice with until tomorrow. For now just use your emotions, while sadness and anger are good defensive mechanisms for your ability, happiness and other feelings like it, make it easier to harness the raw power." He said standing up from the couch and reaching a hand out to her.

She nodded as she took his hand and stood. "Thank you Zelman, I'll practice while you're gone. Where should we meet, and what time?" she asked.

"I'll come pick you up around seven tomorrow night, while walking in sunlight does not bother me, I feel much better at night."

"Seven, ok, I'll see you then." She replied opening the door and letting him out.

Zelman looked back at the door when he heard it click shut and smiled. "Opposites attract indeed." He chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets he headed towards his home, anticipating tomorrow night.

Jiro sighed with relief as he and Kotaro walked through the door. His younger brother had been so excited to see and play with Sei that he had basically ordered Jiro to join in the fun, Sei too felt the need to have Cain be included and soon they were all playing a game of vampire tag. Cain of course turned it into the ultimate challenge and ended up taking it too far when he was 'it', racing after Jiro with deadly intent. He was finally glad when Kotaro deemed he was tired and was ready to go home.

Beginning to walk towards the stairs he noticed another scent besides his, Kotaro's, and Mimiko's mingling in the air. Zelman was here. He thought eyes sharpening into slits and glancing around at everything around on the bottom floor. Nothing seemed amiss. Proceeding with caution he turned to Kotaro and told him they needed to be quiet seeing as it was late and Mimiko might be asleep. Kotaro nodded and they made their way upstairs. Opening the door to their room he saw Mimiko already in bed her back to the door.

Kotaro quickly undressed and grabbed his pajamas, sliding into bed beside Mimiko and giving her a peck on the cheek before saying good night to both of them. Jiro watched as Kotaro instantly fell asleep. Walking around to the other side of the bed he peered down at Mimiko, watching her sleep and her brow furrow with her dreams. Sitting on his haunches he brushed back her bangs. "Good night Mimiko," he said softly, "I'm sorry for hurting you." Softly brushing a kiss upon her brow he turned away to make ready for bed, not seeing her eyes open and regard his silhouette sadly in the moonlight before closing and letting her dreams overtake her.