Oh My Gosh! I'm so sorry about how late this piece is, everything sort of piled up and before I knew it, this had been shoved to the back of my mind! However, I've sort of run low on the ideas front, I know where this is going, but I can't seem to get it there. If anyone has any ideas, I'll welcome them. Now I shall leave you to get on with the story.

The Day After – Chapter 2

Shiki's point of view

Now that's something I expected, yet it still hurts. I groaned and face palmed, why couldn't Ichijo be more confident? Things would be so much easier... no actually things would be far more boring, I just have to be more cunning, last night's memory is too good for me to think about not pursuing Ichijo, the way he moaned as I was... I shook my head madly from side to side to displace the memory.

Deciding to do something about my problem I pulled myself out of Ichijo's bed and got dressed. Mentally I listed the things I needed to do, I needed to get a change of clothes, a 'drink', and then I was free to pursue Ichijo to my heart's content. He'll never know what hit him.

Exiting Ichijo's room I crashed into a rather flustered Ruka. She was in the process of knocking when I opened the door so she had frozen rather comically with her fist in the air, trying desperately to compose herself she said, "Urm... hi Shiki!"

"Good evening Ruka." I was secretly grinning my head off at her. It's not every day do you see her composure so ruffled, something terrible must have happened to her last night. I briefly remembered her and Kain appearing on the balcony. "Is there something you want to discuss?" I asked perfectly neutrally.

With those words she burst into tears and threw her arms around me, sobbing her heart out. I sighed and resigned myself to play the role of comforter to the distraught girl. I lifted her up and carried her to my room, mumbling soothing nothings to her.

After a good two hours of Ruka pouring her heart out to me I had discovered some very interesting things about certain people, and who would I be if I didn't use them to my full advantage? Ruka should get upset more often, I'd certainly get an awful lot more information...

Wait! Something just hit me. "Ruka?" I asked, "I know this might not seem the nicest of questions, but I want you to think hard about this, can you do that?" She looked distressed by nodded all the same. "Where is Kain?"

She blinked and said, "How's that hard to answer? He's probably bending over backwards for Adio. He always does that."

I smiled and continued building towards the info I wanted, "You're able to read people well aren't you Ruka," I whispered gently, lying through my teeth, "You would be able to tell were anyone is in this place, wouldn't you?"

"Of course." She whispered, falling under my spell, "Anyone."

"Tell me Ruka, where would Ichijo be?"

"Normally reading in his room," Ruka murmured to me. "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh... No proper reason." I waved my hand around acting vague, "I think I would like to just check up on him, he wasn't in the most sound of states last night."

Ruka smiled sadly when I said that. "How I wish I had a friend like you Shiki. You know," she quickly went on as I opened my mouth to question how I couldn't be her friend, after all I did just consol her through a minor break down, "someone who would look out for me whatever state I was in, and not take advantage of me in any situation." Maybe it's best if I don't mention that while yes Ichijo was drunk drunk, he was also drunk on blood and pleasure because of me... Oh well, what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

"Don't worry Ruka, I'm sure you'll find that person soon." I comforted, after all it's the least I could do in regards to the information she had just unknowingly bestowed on me. "If you don't mind, I need to go and find Ichijo."

"Yes go." She smiled again. As I was about to leave she called out to me, "He needs you, you know? He might not have realised, but he does."

As I headed out through the door I tossed back at her "Oh I'm certain of that," with a wicked grin. After all Ruka didn't know all the ways Ichijo will need me in.