Hi, sorry for the wait! The chap's up earlier coz I realised that I had gotten my exam dates wrong. They're over for now! Next time in spring! Now I have a whole week with nothing to do so I might as well try to continue with this story x)

A massive thank you for so many reviews: Ayjah, ayaka chi, Koatan, SaharaOchimachi, peep (oh, a fellow victim of school! Let's both try our best to survive! Thank you so much for your kind words!), SaRaLilIan (thank you for telling me honestly what you think! I'll try to put in more effort with romance ^.^), Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin, Amanto (oh, don't feel guilty for not reviewing once, you silly thing! And even if you threaten me with the gun (which, btw, you could put down for now, please) I'm not sharing the secret of the Tree for now!), Alice P e a c h e s, Shinichi's Lover, mehmehjiaooxp! Love you guys 3

Now, we're finally back to the main storyline, and the real drama will begin! This is merely a prelude for things to come, so don't give up on me yet!

Enjoy, my lovely readers~

An approaching storm is rarely good news

A few more days passed and not once had Kagura called Sougo by his name after that night. Actually, she hadn't really talked to him that much since then. Most of the time she avoided him like the plague, even going as far as to run away from him upon eye-contact, and since Sougo was currently very busy with work he seldom took the trouble to chase her down. Even then they would always end up in a fight and Kagura would flee. The palace personnel was on one hand happy that nothing was broken for once and on the other hand worried for the couple.

The one who felt the worst was ultimately Mitsuba, though, since it appeared as though her plan to get the two closer had seriously backfired. At the moment she was enjoying the peace and quiet of her husband's company in one of their comfortable sitting rooms.

"Toushirou-san, have I made a fatal mistake?" Mitsuba asked as she leaned on him on the sofa, reading a book with him.

Hijikata flipped the page. "I wouldn't know. Maybe it was too soon to do anything?" he guessed. "Both of them seem to be the type to like their own pace, so your little meddling might have disturbed the natural flow of events."

"Should I talk to them?" she wondered worriedly.

"It's better if you don't. You'd probably make things worse."

"Toushirou-san!"

"Let her come to you when she's ready, same for Sougo. I know you're getting impatient, but this is their relationship, not yours. As much as you want little princes and princesses running around the castle, try to keep your meddling to a minimum, okay?"

Mitsuba sighed. "You're right, as always. Still, you could've said it more nicely..."

Before Hijikata got the chance to respond, Kagura knocked on the doorframe and stepped inside. "Umm, Mitsuba-san? Could I have a moment?" she asked, nervously glancing at the tall male. Mitsuba got the hint and nudged her husband.

"Toushirou-san, would you mind leaving us alone for a while?"

Hijikata nodded, kissed his wife's temple and left swiftly. Kagura glanced at his retreating back before sitting on the floor in front of the sofa Mitsuba was sitting on.

"What is it you wanted to talk about, Kagura-chan?" Mitsuba asked, hoping with all her might that it would be about her little brother.

"I-it's...I know I'm being really childish and this is stupid of me and there's nothing to be scared of but-"

"Kagura-chan, you're rambling," Mitsuba pointed out patiently.

Kagura blushed and looked down at her hands that had been playing with the high slit on the side of her dress for a while already. "S-sorry, I'm just, I don't know how to say it so it doesn't sound stupid..."

"It doesn't matter if it sounds stupid, I promise I won't laugh," Mitsuba said and smiled gently.

Kagura nodded and kept her gaze on her hands. "I...I called him by his name for the first time," she mumbled, but Mitsuba heard her loud and clear.

'Yessssss!' "And?" Mitsuba gently encouraged her, keeping her cheer in.

"Well, I feel really weird and can't meet his eyes, and I feel like running away whenever I see him. He's up late doing paperwork so falling asleep hasn't been a problem, but...I don't know how I should be with him anymore, it feels really awkward, like I did something wrong..."

"Kagura-chan," Mitsuba started, "you did nothing wrong. You felt like being nice to him, right? Calling him by his name, I bet Sou-chan was happy you did."

"Really?" Kagura asked and looked up at her now, her eyes doubting and cheeks flushed.

Mitsuba reached to stroke Kagura's hair. "Really. He just doesn't know how to show it. I think you should keep calling him by his name, maybe he'll return the favour at some point."

Kagura nodded slightly, her eyes showing a new glint. Mitsuba could only hope that it was what she wanted it to be.

"Was there something else you needed to talk about?" Mitsuba asked, convinced that she hadn't meddled too much.

"Uhh, well, my birthday is coming up, so -"

"When?" Mitsuba excitedly interrupted.

"Well, two weeks from now, on the 17th..."

Mitsuba took Kagura's hands in her own, her eyes shining. "This is a great opportunity! I shall arrange a birthday ball for you here at the castle! We have to get you a new dress, a dance instructor, shoes, a hairdresser, send out invitations – oh, don't show such a worried expression, I'll handle everything, you don't need to do anything at all!"

Mitsuba went on babbling excitedly about the ball and Kagura just stared at her, completely lost. 'All I wanted was permission to go and celebrate my birthday with my family at the manor...'

Kagura sat in the dojo again, chatting with Gin as they waited for Sougo to come back from the changing room. She entertained herself with destroying training dummies with her bare hands. "I need practice too," she had reasoned with Gin.

"Hey, Gin-chan?" Kagura suddenly asked and flopped down on the floor.

"Hm?" Gin grunted, lying on his back lazily.

"Why on earth would Mitsuba want to arrange a ball for me? That doesn't really make any sense to me."

Gin opened one eye to look at her. "You do know what a ball is, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's round and you throw or kick it around."

Gin sighed tiredly. He felt like he was about to answer one of the big questions of life to a five-year-old. "A ball is also a formal dance party. You've never been to one?"

Kagura shook her head. "What's it like?" she asked curiously and crawled over to Gin.

"There's a bunch of important people dressed in their finest, most pompous-looking clothes chatting and dancing for hours. There's some snacks and drinks, too. All in all, it's absolutely boring. I can't believe you've never been to one, you're a lady from an ancient noble line, aren't you?"

"That's because I wasn't allowed to! Everyone would go on and on and on about preserving the Yato traditions and keeping me pure or something. But now that I'm engaged I guess it's okay for me to attend. Oh, I can't wait! Mitsuba-san promised to take care of everything, so I don't have to worry about a thing!"

Gin sat up. "Wait a second. If you've never been to a ball, have you even danced before this? You do know at least basic waltz, right?"

"No."

"You're awfully close to the royal fiancée, danna," Sougo dryly commented as he walked in.

Gin ignored the prince's accusation and walked over to him with his head bent down. He placed his hands on Sougo's shoulders solemnly.

"What is it, danna?"

"May your legs rest in peace..."

"Danna, I'm not the one teaching her to dance. I'm the S, not the M," Sougo answered with his usual passive tone.

Kagura shot up from her sitting position and glared at him. "WHY ARE YOU COMPARING MY DANCE LESSONS TO SM PLAY, YOU SICKO?"

Meanwhile, at the Yato estate, Umibouzu was preparing to set out on a mission again. He felt like he was getting out of shape after a month of bed rest and paperwork, and since his new arm felt good to go, he saw no reason to stay put.

Just as Umibouzu was about to open the main door to step out, someone opened it from the outside. 'Who on earth could it be? No one's scheduled to come back yet and Kagura would've called before coming...'

A young man with a mane of ravenblack hair and dark blue eyes grinned at him from the doorway. "Uncle Umibouzu! Long time no see!"

Umibouzu's eyes widened upon recognition. "Kyo? Is that really you?"

The youth laughed loudly. "I haven't changed that much, have I?"

"You were reported to have gone MIA four years ago! We all thought you had died somewhere! If you were alive and well you should've notified us!" Umibouzu scolded angrily before sighing deeply. "Welcome home, nephew."

"Did I make you guys worry? Sorry about that," Kyo sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Then his eyes lit up and he smiled excitedly. "By the way, how's Kagura? I'd love to see her, is she in? She probably grew up to be a real beauty."

Umibouzu turned his gaze away from his dark nephew. "I see, so you still have feelings for my daughter."

Kyo's smile widened. "Of course! I never forgot her!"

"Then...this might be a little shocking, but..."

Kyo's smile dropped instantly. "What? Did something happen to Kagura?"

"Yes, but -"

"Don't tell me she's dead!"

"Who do you think my daughter is? She wouldn't die that easily!" Umibouzu roared.

"Then what is going on with Kagura?" Kyo yelled back frustratedly.

Umibouzu took in a deep breath to calm himself. "She's engaged, Kyo, that's what's going on."

Kyo looked absolutely horrified. He grabbed Umibouzu by the collar and desperately shook him. "Please tell me you're lying, uncle! This must be a cruel joke! There's no way Kagura would -"

Umibouzu freed himself from Kyo's grip. "Kagura got engaged with the crown prince three months ago. I know there was an arrangement for you two, but you should be aware of the three year rule. You were pronounced dead last year, Kyo, so the deal was naturally called off. There's nothing you can do but forget her."

Kyo grit his teeth as Umibouzu walked past him. "Make yourself at home. There's food in the basement, take what you want. There are some people home, too, so you should go and greet them," Umibouzu said before closing the door behind himself.

Kyo growled and smashed his fist into the wall, creating a new hole in it. All those years he had dreamed of the little girl he had left behind, what she would look like all grown up, how she would be waiting for him to return and how she would finally become his, only to find out that she was already taken by someone else. But that would change, there was no way Kyo would let Kagura suffer in the hands of some puny prince. He would become her knight and save her.

And then, she will finally be his.

Someone whistled at the top of the grand stairway. "You've been home for less than ten minutes and you've already damaged a wall."

Kyo snapped his gaze up and came face to face with his oldest cousin's irritating grin.

Kamui waved from where he stood leaning on the railing. "Welcome back~," he sang.

"Kamui," Kyo seethed. "Why didn't you stop her? As a Yato, you should care about the purity of our noble blood!"

Kamui tilted his head, looking very amused. "Oh, I don't give a shit about something like that. And you should think twice before you do anything stupid," he warned and opened his eyes, showing a feral glint in the pools of azure. "I'm the one who chose him, after all."

Kyo looked shocked, but recovered quickly. He merely shot a dirty look at Kamui before stomping off.

Kamui looked at his cousin's figure before he disappeared from sight. His eyes gleamed with childish delight. "I can't wait to see you in action, Okita Sougo..."

...I can already see my readers coming after my life if I don't update soon...

LOVE AND PEACE!

~poakkis