Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara

-Thank you all for the reviews : D

-The Yamabuki's won't be featured much in this chapter : D

-This chapter might be a bit focused more on Nagihiko and Amu.

-Miki, Utau and Kukai will make bigger appearances on the next chapter.

-Next chapter will be the continuation of this one.

-I hope you enjoy this chapter : ) Please Review

The Town Of Corinth

It was a bright and sunny day, all was well. Amu was already wide awake by this time and she planned on staying fully awake up until the Yamabuki's would leave their home. Saaya and her mother had plans to leave and attend a party at another nearby town today. It was the perfect chance for Amu to go to town and visit Kukai and Daichi. Nagihiko had planned to tag along to visit his sister Temeri and to talk to Kukai while Miki would act as Amu's escort to make sure she doesn't overdo herself.

Rima and all the others plan to stay at home and do all the household chores, as to make sure that nothing gets too suspicious. Nagihiko's leave was never permitted that's why they have to make sure everything's all done, and that Nagihiko, Miki and Amu have returned safely before the Yamabukis arrive back home.

All of them were currently doing housework while Saaya and Lady Yamabuki prepared for their leave for the day. Dia, Rima and Amu were cleaning the main halls and Rima was exhausted. She was cleaning the floors, Dia was dusting the furniture and Amu sweeping the are near the staircase. Amu was also exhausted, her wounds were making her cringe and the amount of movement that she was making was adding twice the pain. Rima woke up late, which resulted to her not eating breakfast. That was the new rule added to them since the incident. Their wake up call would be 5am, you wake up later than that you don't eat, plain and simple.

"Darn her, just because of what happened we don't get to eat." Said Rima. She didn't have any energy to move around and she was too tired. "A wake up call by five is crazy. We used to wake up by 6am or 6:30 at most."

"We can't complain any more Rima-chan. If we do, one of us is bound to get hurt. You know her rules, we have to follow it now." Said Dia. She herself didn't like any of these rules but she'd rather keep quiet than complain, for the consequences could be worse.

"Right, all these made up rules are driving me insane. Amu's getting hurt because of something she didn't do and now all of us are paying for it too." Said Rima

"Minna, let's just do what we have to do. The sooner we get things done the sooner we get to rest." Said Amu. She was trying to think positive about all this even if things could be worse.

"Yeah, that's if we ever finish all this. This is about the third time I had to scrub the floors!" said Rima. She was right, if Lady Yamabuki didn't like the result of their work, they'd have to do it all over again. And for Rima, this was her third. Saaya said that the floors weren't spotless yet and they have to be.

"Amu-chan, are you feeling alright? If you want, I can do those for you. We can swap for a while so you won't have a hard time." Pleaded Dia. Yes, she was pleading Amu to say yes. She wanted to help Amu with what she was doing but Amu just wouldn't let her no matter how hard she tried.

"Daijobu Dia, I'm fine. Please don't worry too much about me." Said Amu with a smile

"Amu, you have to stop being so darn nice. You're not even supposed to be working your head off like this. It was bad enough that you overworked before, don't do it when your sick too." Said Rima looking at Amu

Amu opened her mouth and was about to reply when a yell was heard. "Enough talking! If you're talking, you aren't working! And you three better be working!" this voice belonged to none other than Lady Yamabuki

"Blasted she-witch…" muttered Rima

Amu and Dia just sighed, now they weren't allowed to talk too? They couldn't wait until they had to leave this house so even if it's just for a few hours, they could have some decent peace and quiet around the place.

Soon enough, their wishes were granted. It was time for the Yamabuki's to leave so they could catch the carriage ride to the next town. As Saaya descended down the stair steps, her mother was already speaking to Dia. Since Dia was like the head, she was the one who was given the orders around the house.

"Remember to clean all the rooms, I don't want a single spec of dust in them do you understand?" ordered Lady Yamabuki "Make sure that Amu completes all of the groceries and that she comes back in time. We might be a little late, but if I catch one of you missing when I arrive be prepared." She warned

"Of course Yamabuki-sama." replied Dia

"Good, I've made myself quite clear then. Finally, make sure that the garden is fully rid of all thorns and that it's well taken care of while we're gone." Said Lady Yamabuki

"Hai, Yamabuki-sama." Said Dia as she bowed

"You seem to know your place then. We'll take our leave now." Lady Yamabuki called for a coach to take them off. Her and Saaya entered the carriage and were soon out of sight.

Dia closed the door and sighed, then as soon as the doors were closed Ran and the others emerged and were gathered in the halls. "Is she gone?" asked Ran as she approached Dia

Dia nodded and spoke "Yes, she's gone."

"Finally! Freedom." Said Rima, as Rima turned, she saw Miki approaching them.

"Minna, Su wants to meet us at the garden." Said Miki as she approached the others. They all nodded and agreed to meet Su immediately.

They all went to the garden and saw Su there. There was food prepared atop the small table that they always gathered in and the chairs were well arranged. "Sugoi Su, did you make all of this?" asked Ran as she approached the table

"Hai, I did it for all of us~desu. Most of us weren't able to eat breakfast today and that's not a good habbit~desu." Replied Su with a smile

"Just expected from Su. They look delicious." Said Rima as she gave Su a smile

"Arigatou~desu, let's eat." Said Su with a smile

"Gomene Su, demo we'll have to leave early today." Said Nagihiko who suddenly appeared in the garden with Amu.

"Eh? Why~desu?" asked Su

"Souma-kun's place should still be empty by now. That would give us some private time together with him." Said Nagihiko "We'll purchase food on the way. I apologize for leaving you all to do my work for me today."

"Stop apologizing and get going, just make sure that nothing happens to Amu…or else…." Threatened Rima

Nagihiko smiled nervously and spoke "Don't worry I'll make sure she stays perfectly safe."

"Good, and you better be sure of that." Said Rima sternly

"Let's go Miki, gomene minna but we have to go. I'm sorry for leaving you all here, I'll make it up to you." Said Amu apologetically

Dia approached her and spoke "Amu-chan, you shouldn't be apologizing for you did nothing wrong. Just enjoy your tip and we'll be fine. And smile, show them you shine Amu-chan."

"Hai!" replied Amu and she smiled at her friends who nodded in agreement and smiled back at her.

All the others escorted Amu, Nagihiko and Miki to the front doors of the mansion. Amu wore a coat over her so that no one would notice who she was. She always kept herself hidden as the others thought this would be a good idea of hiding her identity, and so she wouldn't be noticed whenever there were chances for her to sneak out of the mansion without anyone knowing.

As Amu and the others walked away from the mansion, with the others watching them as they leave, Amu only thought of getting there as fast as she could. She wanted to talk to Kukai right now and she needed it, she could even get the chance to visit Ami. As for Nagihiko he wanted to speak with his sister and Kukai privately and secretly, there were things he wanted to clear out with them alone…

The three of them got to the town sooner than they thought they would. It was lively as usual. This side of the kingdom was named the Town of Corinth, it was filled with lively and friendly people that greatly respected the royal family and it was the town nearest to the palace.

Kukai was currently tending to his shop near the Far East side of town. He was busy doing all of the shop arrangements that he didn't notice Daichi come inside. He soon heard his brother's voice call to him. "Oi, Kukai! Kukai!" called Daichi

Kukai looked away from what he was sorting, looked at his brother and asked "Eh? Daichi? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be minding the restaurant? We're about to open soon." Said Kukai

"Forget about the restaurant Kukai! I don't think you'll even bother to open it today. Amu's here." Said Daichi

"Hinamori?!? Here? Now?" asked Kukai a bit surprised "What's she doing here? Is she alone? Does that mean the Yamabuki's aren't here cause I doubt they'd be able to get out if they were."

"Yes, yes, yes, I don't know, no and yes!" said Daichi, answering all of Kukai questions at once.

"So…it is Hinamori, she's here…and you have no idea why?" asked Kukai as to clear up the confusion he's having.

"Yes! Now you have to come see for yourself! She doesn't look too good Kukai. In fact, she looks horrible." Said Daichi

Kukai's eyes turned cold at this. He suddenly remembered what had happened two nights before. Kukai dashed out of the butcher shop while Daichi locked it and he soon followed Kukai to the restaurant.

Kukai got to the restaurant in less that seconds, he saw that it was still empty and then he soon saw Amu there with Nagihiko and Miki seated beside her. Kukai's eyes widened. Daichi was right, she looked terrible. Her face was filled with scratches and so were her hands and feet, she could barely get up and some of her cuts were still slightly bleeding. Kukai looked at Daichi and Daichi nodded knowing what to do. He left the restaurant and went to the room.

Amu's coat was off now and she relaxed at the atmosphere in Kukai's home. She saw Kukai approaching her and she smiled. Kukai pulled out a vacant chair and sat down across her. Amu was about to stand and give him a hug when he stopped her. "Don't even bother to stand in that condition." Said Kukai seriously

Amu sat back down on her seat and asked "Kukai? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's you who isn't doing well at all." He told her, his voice was getting a bit cold "Can you tell me what they did to you this time?" he asked

"H-hai…" replied Amu

Kukai looked over at Miki and Nagihiko and they immediately got what he wanted them to do. "I better go. I'll do the shopping Amu-chan, you stay here and talk with Kukai for now. Su's already given me the list anyway."

"Demo, Miki…" Amu was about to object when Nagihiko butted in

"Amu-chan, Miki's right. You aren't in any condition to leave right now. You should stay here. Gomenasai, but I have things I must do for now. I have to go to Temari-oneesan and speak with her." Said Nagihiko then he remembered something else and asked "Is there anything you'd like to tell Ami-chan?"

Amu's face saddened at the mention of her little sister. She knew she was in no fit condition to move around. She also doubted that Kukai would let her leave any time soon. She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Nagihiko. It was something Amu had prepared before to give to Ami if ever she failed to see her again. She smiled sadly and spoke "Nagi, can you give this to Ami for me? All the things I want to tell her are in that note. She'll understand if you make her read that." Said Amu

"Alright, I understand." Nodded Nagihiko and then he looked at Kukai and spoke "Souma-kun, please take care of her while she's with you. I'll be leaving Amu-chan in your care for now."

Kukai nodded and spoke "Sure thing, leave it to me. She and I have a lot of things that we need to talk about, we wont be finished any time soon." Said Kukai

"Thank you." Replied Nagi. As he was walking out the door with Miki, Miki turned around and spoke "Amu-chan, don't do anything your body can't handle okay? I'll be back as soon as I finish all the grocery shopping, I hope you don't mind waiting. It might take a while, Su gave me a long list."

"Hai, don't worry about it Miki. I'll be right here, I doubt I'd be able to go anywhere with this kind of condition." Said Amu sadly. She was glad that her friends were all helping her, but she felt bad that she was letting them do all of the work while she just sat there and did nothing.

Miki smiled and then, she and Nagihiko walked out of the restaurant doors and left. Kukai and Amu were left alone to talk, so Kukai looked at Amu and asked "So? Where do you ant to start?"

Amu simply took a deep intake of breath and soon she started to tell Kukai in full and clear detail what had happened that night that caused all the bruises and scratches on her body….

Nagihiko walked over a few blocks away from Kukai's and there he saw a small dance academy right beside a medium sized house. He looked over at the place and smiled. "Ah, home sweet home…." He thought to himself. He didn't even remember the last time he's been home. It's bee so long since he was able to get out of the mansion ever since. When the Yamabuki's took over they rarely got any freedom to begin with and he hasn't seen his older sister for months.

Nagihiko walked over to the house and rung the small bell beside the door. He waited for a couple of minutes when suddenly, the door opened revealing a girl. She was older than Nagihiko, she was a very kind, and caring person, she was none other than Fujisaki Temari, Nagihiko's older sister. At the sight of Nagihiko at the door, Temari put her hands on her mouth and gasped. "N-Nagi? Nagi is that you?" she asked. Temari was near tears, she didn't remember the kast time she's seen Nagi and she missed him so much.

"Ohaiyo, Temari-oneesan." Greeted Nagihiko as he gave her a warm smile

Temari dropped her hands and ran to her brother. She gave him a big hug and spoke "Nagi, I haven't seen you in months and it's like it's been ages around here. What have you been up to?" she asked him "When was the last time you've even been here and visited? I don't remember anymore."

"Gomene Onee-chan, demo….I've been busy…." Replied Nagi plainly. He didn't want to talk to her about any major details yet especially while they were out here in the open. He was happy to see his sister smile at him again, and now was not the time to make her worry, but he had so much to talk to her about that he didn't even know where to start.

Temari could already tell that something was wrong. She let go of Nagihiko and spoke silently "I know that you're hiding something from me Nagi, but I won't force you to tell me just yet. I can wait for the right time when you want to talk about it. Demo, I do want answers, even if there were just a few, I'd like you to tell me about them."

Nagihiko sighed, he knew his sister would find out something was wrong anyway so what's the point of hiding it now? He looked at Temari and spoke "I'd like to speak with you in private. Not here, let's go somewhere we can talk. Don't you have any students today?" he asked, he was hoping his sister was free today.

"No I don't, most of my classes ended early. Yaya-chan and Ami-chan are the only one's here." Said Temari

"I see…then it will do. I have something I need to talk about between you and Yaya and I have to give something to Ami-chan as well…" said Nagihiko

Temari nodded "Then let's go inside shall we?" she led Nagihiko back inside and as the door closed, Nagihiko knew that he had a lot of explaining to do, to both his sister and Yaya as well…

Meanwhile, Amu was telling Kukai of everything that occurred the other night. As the story progressed, Kukai was having a harder time in hiding and retaining all his anger within him. As he heard of what the Yamabuki's did, he didn't know what to think of them anymore. Daichi was there too. He went inside the room earlier to go grab a wet washcloth that could be used to clean some of Amu's bleeding wounds at the time. When Daichi heard what had happened he just stood there with his mouth hung wide open an even he didn't know what to say.

Amu was in the middle part of her story and she was having a hard time now for she was on the verge of tears. "Kukai….she hit her…She hit Miki…" said Amu

"Hit Miki?" questioned Kukai

"Hai, with a whip. Su and I were just standing there watching while….Miki was getting hurt…" said Amu she was starting to break down now.

"What did you do about it then?" asked Kukai, he doubted that that was all that happened that night, because if it was then Amu shouldn't be this badly wounded, it should have been Miki. That's why he knew that Amu must have done something.

"I….I couldn't stand it. Miki was getting hurt for something I did….something that was my fault. I should have been the one who was hurt and no one else." Amu now had tears in her eyes falling freely and she could no longer contain them.

Kukai didn't know if he wanted to talk some sense into her or keep listening. The fact that she claimed it was her fault alone was a big mistake. He knew she felt responsible because the Yamabuki's wanted to make her feel as if she was the reason behind everyone's pain.

"Hinamori….so what did you do about it? If they were hurting Miki, what made the, divert all their attention to you?" Kukai asked again, this time in a softer tone. He wasn't angry at her that was for sure and he surely didn't like seeing her cry.

"I…I stepped in…." replied Amu

"Stepped in?" questioned Kukai "What do you mean by that?"

"I-I got in front of Miki when she was about to get hit the third time….and…and…" Amu couldn't bring herself to continue, but right now she didn't really need to. Kukai already got the picture.

Kukai sighed and spoke "Don't cry. You know I hate it when you do that, makes me feel more guilty and useless that I couldn't do anything to help." Took out a small towel that Daichi handed to him and used it to wipe Amu's falling tears.

"Kukai I'm sorry…." Said Amu, she never wanted to make him worry…

"It's fine, you know you're welcome here any time right? And why are you apologizing. What happened to the strong willed Hinamori I've met before? Come on you can get through his and we'll be here to help you." Said Kukai with a smile while placed his hands on her shoulder.

Amu stopped the crying and she knew that Kukai was right. There was no way that she could just sit here and continue the mourning and acting weak. She was able to muster the courage to smile again and then she spoke "Arigatou Kukai, you're right I shouldn't be down right now. I can't let them see me like this and let them have the pleasure of seeing me in pain so I'm going to fight it!" She told him confidently. She was a bit too confident because she went as far as trying to stand up, but failed miserably as the pain of her wounds and body took over her. "Ouch…" she muttered

Kukai laughed a bit at her sudden action and he helped Amu sit back down on the chair. "Whoa there Hinamori, calm down. I told you to be strong and fight the pain but I never told you that you were strong enough to do that." Said Kukai

"Gomene Kukai, I guess I got a bi carried away…." Said Amu with a small laugh as she sat back down on the chair and rested with Kukai's help.

"Yeah you did." Said Kukai with a smile "But you know, it's good to see that you're returning to your normal and lively self like before."

"I'm happy about that too, thanks a lot Kukai." Said Amu, she knew that she made a right decision in seeing him today.

"That doesn't mean that I approve of anything that's happened to you though…" muttered Kukai.

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" asked Amu with a confused look

"It's just that….if you can't take it anymore, you should go live with someone else here in the village. I could offer since we have a spare room and you cold go to the Fujisaki's too. That way you could avoid getting hurt like this and you could even see Ami again." Suggested Kukai "Anywhere else seems better than that place you live in now. I wouldn't even bother calling it a home."

Amu smiled sadly at Kukai and spoke "As tempting as that suggestion is, I can't do that right now." She liked the idea of being free and away from the Yamabuki's as much as anyone else would. Now that she thought about it: who wouldn't? However, there could be tougher consequences if ever she leaves. Sure, the Yamabuki's would have no idea where to look for her and they'd probably give up on her eventually. But still…. "Kukai, if I leave, the others would be alone there without me. I might not get hurt, but they sure will. All the anger would be taken out on them. Others would end up taking my suffering and I wouldn't want that for anyone. I don't think I can be happy if the others can't." she told him seriously

Kukai sighed once again, he knew she'd end up saying something like that. He didn't blame her, he would probably do the same thing if he was in her shoes. He just wished there was some way to get the Yamabuki family out of their lives. "I know that, but you have to admit. Even I get frustrated seeing as I can't do anything about this. But remember that I'm not the one getting hurt here, you are. That's the reason this is just as hard for me. I'm no jerk, I don't enjoy seeing people get hurt." Said Kukai

Amu sighed. She wanted to see Ami again, wanted to be free, and wanted to step away from that house. But, in these cases….how?

Nagihiko entered the Fujisaki household and he smiled at the sight of it. He's missed this place so much that he wanted to stay and never go back to the mansion. He knew deep down that he couldn't, at least not yet. Amu still needed him and they all needed each other. He walked with his sister into a large room, an open area and he knew where they were, it was the dance academy. Nagihiko felt a twinge of nostalgia, he used to come here all the time to practice dance when he was still a 'girl'.

As Nadeshiko, he had to practice all kinds of dances as part of their family tradition. He smiled at the memory of being able to dance. Nagihiko wanted to dance again and to learn and improve. He enjoyed dancing, but at these times, he no longer had the time since he was always being told to do something inside the mansion.

Temari led him to a small room right ext to the dance academy room. As they went inside, Nagihiko saw Yaya and Ami playing together with some of Ami's toys. He smiled being able to see the two again, but his expression saddened as he remembered that Amu wasn't even here to see her little sister. Soon enough Yaya noticed Temari and she was shocked to see Nagihiko with her. She got up from the floor and yelled "Nagi!!!!" she went and hugged Nagihiko with excitement. Ami soon saw him too "Nagi-oniisan!!!" she called and gave him a big hug.

"Ah, Yaya-chan, Ami-chan…it's nice to see you two as well." said Nagihiko with a smile as he gave them a hug back.

Temari smiled at what she was seeing. She missed Nagihiko so much that she forgot all about his smiles and laughter that she hasn't seen or heard in a long time. She excused herself for a moment and spoke. "Excuse me, I'll go make us some tea." Then she left for a while to make some tea for them to drink.

Nagihiko nodded and then he looked over at Yaya and Ami "Yaya-chan, Ami-chan why don't we go sit down over at the table and wait for Temari-oneesan to bring in the tea shall we?" he asked

Yaya and Ami nodded and went to sit in the chairs of the table. Yaya looked at Nagihiko ad asked "Mou Nagi, you don't visit anymore and it's getting lonely. Kukai doesn't visit much to because of his job." Said Yaya

Nagihiko smiled and replied "Gomene Yaya-chan, demo I've had things to do…." He simply told her

"But don't you have any more time to come here and play?" asked Yaya

"I'm afraid I couldn't for the past few months and I apologize for that." Said Nagihiko

Yaya was about to say something else when Temari suddenly came inside the room again. "Sorry for the wait." She said with a smile as she placed the tea on the table

"Daijobu, it was actually quite quick oneesan. Thank you for the tea." Said Nagihiko with a smile

Temari sat beside Nagihiko and as she took a sip of her tea she looked at him and asked "Nagi, wasn't there something you wanted to talk about with me?" asked Temari, hoping that he'd tell her now.

"Ah, Hai there is. But before that…" Nagihiko stopped for a second and looked at Ami. "Ami-chan, I need to speak with Temari-oneesan and Yaya-chan for a while. Is that okay?" asked Nagihiko

Ami nodded and spoke "Okay. I'll go play with my toys again." She smiled and went down from her chair with the help of Yaya and went to play with her toys.

As soon as Nagi was sure Ami wouldn't hear she looked over and faced Temari and Yaya. Yaya was curious and asked "Eh Nagi, what's going on?"

"I have to tell you something important. The reason I went here is to talk to you and see you again. But I didn't want Ami-chan to hear us because this has a lot to do with Amu-chan." Started Nagihiko

"Amu-chi? Did something happened to her?" asked Yaya in a worried tone

"Nagi….what happened to Amu-chan?" asked Temari. She already knew it wasn't a good thing. Temari was well informed and she knew what Amu and the others were going through. She knew they were having a tough time in the mansion, but she didn't know how tough.

"She was punished…again…" said Nagihiko with a sad expression on his face

"Punished? I don't understand? Why would Amu-chan be punished?" asked Temari. When nagihiko offered to work in the mansion in exchange for Ami's freedom, he never told his sister how much they were suffering for he didn't want her to worry. He told her they were having a hard time, but he left out all the details.

"Temari-oneesan, when I started working for the Yamabuki's, things didn't really go well. Their rules were strict and we had to follow all of it, or we'd get punished. I apologize for not telling you but I didn't want you to worry." Said Nagihiko

"Are you hurt anywhere Nagi?" asked Temari as she was beginning to panic.

"No, I'm fine. You see there are things that the Yamabuki's have been hiding for a while now. They claim that Amu-chan's gone and she sold Ami-chan to another family for money and she just disappeared and they never found her again." Said Nagihiko and he saw Yaya and Temari's eyes widen.

"But that's not true! Amu-chi's been with them the whole time." Protested Yaya

"Yes, we all know that. They've been very strict with Amu-chan the most. She'd get punished a lot even of things weren't her fault to begin with. The Yamabuki's made up those lies to hide Amu-chan's real identity and make it look as if none of the members of the Hinamori family were still here. They claimed the inheritance and made up a bunch of lies to cover it all up. Souma-kun heard it just the other day, and so did Mashiro-san." Explained Nagihiko

"Rima-tan too?" asked Yaya and Nagihiko nodded

"But no one would ever believe such lies. Amu-chan is fully alive and well." Said Temari

"Alive yes, but I wouldn't agree much on the well…" sighed Nagihiko. Temarishot hima questioning look and he began to explain. "As I've mentioned, they're especially strict with Amu-chan right? A few day's ago, Amu-cha was celebrating her 17th birthday. Yamabuki-sama got a call from the royal family. They said that they were coming for a visit, to visit Tsugumu-sans's eldest daughter, meaning Amu-chan. We were given strict orders not to show ourselves or interact with the royals and we obeyed, but then when Su was giving them a tour of the mansion. One of the royals must have seen Amu-chan in the garden with Miki and Souma-kun so they turned back."

"Then that would mean that they were able to see Amu-chi." Said Yaya

"That's right. The royals didn't know that Amu-chan was part of the Hinamori family because of all the lies that they were told. Nothing got out, or at least we thought. Souma-kun told us that in the middle of it all, Saaya suddenly came and saw what had happed. She told her mother about it and once again Amu-chan was deeply punished for a simple accident as such." Said Nagihiko

"Wh-what did she do to Amu-chi?" asked Yaya

"Amu-chan got punished along with Miki and Su. But the one who hurt the most was Amu-chan. She…she got whipped…she took all the hits that were supposed to go to Miki and Su and she got whipped…." Said Nagihiko

Temari gasped and so did Yaya. They never expected Amu to get hurt that much. Temari looked at Nagihiko and asked, "Is there something else you want to tell us…?"

"Actually, a lot….and I have a feeling you want to know all about it right?" asked Nagi

As he saw both Yaya and Temari nod he then began to tell them about all the things that have happened in the past few months that he wasn't able to visit. Yaya and Temari patiently sat there listening to Nagihiko's every word.

At the Palace….

It was almost time for Utau to leave for town with Yoru and Sir Daniel. She didn't really care much about price what's his name, she liked it better thinking that Yoru was coming with her. As they were about to leave, she saw Yoru coming and handed her something.

"Here's that cloak you wanted me to got for you~nya. But why do you need a cloak~nya?" asked Yoru "No one's telling you to wear one."

"Yes, but I have a few plans up my sleeve. You don't honestly think I'd spend an entire day with him do you?" asked Utau pointing to Sir Daniel

Yoru looked at her confused and asked, "What do you have in min~nya?"

"You'll find out when we get there, and don't worry because whatever I'm planning, I assure you that you're going to be in it anyhow…." Said Utau with a smile on her face. Soon, her father called her and Yoru and told them it was time to leave, so she walked away.

"Eh? What's she mean by that~nya?" Yoru asked himself, but he soon shrugged off the thought. He followed after Utau as they boarded the horses to leave for the town.

As they left the palace, Utau was thinking of ways to avoid the prince, but what she didn't know that she might just find something more than a bit of freedom once she gets there….

Authors Note: I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks again for all the reviews you guys : ) Miki will show up more on the next chapter, it'll be the continuation of this one. Please Review and tell me what you think : D