Music of Choice: Lost Along The Way - John Nordstrom. This is seeming to be a popular song for this fanfic. :/ God I feel like I made them OOC this chapter. Please don't flame me.

Chapter 8 - Memories Of The Heart

Kia turned a corner and hid, her heart racing what felt like a million miles in her chest. She struggled to breathe, panting in and out gulps of air.

'Oh damn!' her mind panicked at her situation. 'Oh crap oh crap oh shit son of a bitch oh crap shit shit SHIT!' She had absolutely no clue why she ran, but she knew she couldn't stick around. Reaching into her pocket, she gripped something that Tansen gave her. She wasn't allowed to use it unless it was an emergency, but this seemed like the case.

"Kia!" a voice shouted for her. Clapping her hands over her mouth and nose, she tried to steady her breath and heartbeat, and she stepped back into the shadows. The sun was starting to leave for the day, and the evening light was starting to fade.

Keeping an eye out around her, she could hear something like sandals or shoes running on pavement, and Vice stepped out into the street. "Kia!" he called for her again. His golden eyes searched frantically, maybe looking for her? Was he really intent to find her again?

Readying to take that step out onto the street, she felt her common sense take over. 'Stop that,' she scolded herself. 'You're acting like he really cares for you! Look at him, you remember what Dante said! "Doujis are pure embodiments of pure traits without conflicting human emotions"! He's the Ultimate Evil, is he really looking for you because you think he loves you?'

'No, he wasn't. He can't, and that's all there is'. Kia looked to the ground, and quietly slipped back into the shadows. 'The only reason he's looking for me is for K's sake,' her mind told her. 'He doesn't care, and I won't hurt K again.'

Locking away any and all thoughts of finally being reunited with those she cared for into the deepest part of her heart, Kia began the walk back to Tansen's.

-Vice POV-

"Kia!" Vice shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Kia, where are you? Kia!" He could feel her presence, the very feeling of her being so close and yet unable to reach her. "K-"

The sound of something stumbling and running. Twisting his body, he looked toward the darkness of an alleyway. Vice wouldn't put it past her to hide there. "Kia," he shouted, running towards the shadows. "You in here?"

Nothing. Just an empty alleyway.

Vice could feel emotions starting to bubbling, and he punched the brick wall. "Kia, answer me!" he howled. As expected, no answer came to him. Nothing but emptiness. Leaning himself up against the wall, the green Douji allowed himself a moments' rest.

"She won't appear, you know," he heard Jealousy tell him.

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" Jealousy asked, and Vice could feel the irritation in his voice. Despite that fact, Vice didn't dwell on it. "We'll bring Edile here and he can try to find her scent," the pink and blue Douji stated. "If he can find food over ten miles away, he should be able to find her."

"Yeah." Pushing himself to his feet, Vice followed the envious Douji back toward Rune's house.

"Come, Vice, come on!" Vice felt a small child tugging on his sleeve. "Kia-chan is going to tell a story, come on!"

"Whatever," he grunted, pushing the small child away from him. Right now, the green Douji wanted nothing more than to relax and sleep in the shade of the tree.

"Fine, I'll tell her you don't want to come," the little boy said, his hands on his hips.

Ears perked at his sentence. Cracking one eye open, he looked at the child. "She asked me to come?"

"Duh! Now hurry up or you will miss the story!" And with those last words, the little boy took off towards the small village. Opening his golden eyes, Vice looked at the village, the people busying about their day. There were weavers, farmers, cattle boys, and many more that Vice new.

A girl, maybe fifeteen years, carried a bundle of white cloth and a basket of dyed strings of many colors while followed by many of the village's small children. The cloth looked familiar to Vice, and it must have been a furisode*. Was one of the village girls getting married?

After the girl and her parade of children left, he saw his "master", the ex-mikado Kotsutsubono, carrying a bucket of what looked like water after them.

Heaving himself to his feet, Vice placed his sword inside his sash and followed them. Why he carried around a sword, he didn't know. Walking towards the small place where the girl worked, he could see the circle of children around her. She was indeed working on a furisode, so he knew that a marriage was going to happen soon.

The girl herself wore a knee-length, light cream-colored kimono adorned with brightly colored koi fish. Her black hair had been pulled out of her face and tied into a looped ponytail. Around her waist was a simple red sash tied at the hip instead of the regular back or front. Her hazel eyes glittered with excitement.

"Well, what shall it be today?" she asked the children, smiling. All at once, the children started talking about what the story should be about. One little boy, who looked no more than three, waved his hand but didn't make a noise. Placing her hands up to quite the young ones, she looked at him. "Tsuna, what shall it be today?"

Getting to his little legs, the small boy walked over to her and whispered in her ear. "That one again? You must really like it." Returning to his place, Tsuna had a bright smile upon his face. "Alright then." Slowly she reached into the bundle of string and pulled out a vibrant crimson ball. Slipping it through a needle, she began to work on the white furisode while speaking.

"The story of the Demon, the King, and the Maiden."

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