Amber Memories, Forgotten

-Crying, laughing, lonely-

Stars may appear next to each other, so close such that they even appear inseparable.

You may see only one on certain days but that is because the other is in hiding or simply did not wish to be seen.

Yet in actual fact, stars are very far apart, so much so that you may require a few light years to reach there.

That would be like an eternity since it would be hundreds of Earth years.

Hence, it is only when one of them falls down that the pair could really be closer to each other, even for that brief passing moment.

That was what I had always known, but refused to believe in, Aki.

The loud clashing of balls striking each other could be heard as the young man walked in. Removing his coat in which he passed onto a servant by the door, the debonair shifted his waistcoat and adjusted his gloves, before picking a cue stick that suited his preference.

His feature frowned when he noticed that the people in this room were particularly oblivion to his presence. Something else seemed to have attracted their attention, he concluded from the way the group clustered together. Moving towards the crowd, anger consumed him when he saw what that was presented starkly in front of him.

She was there, Lady Kaeda Amber, holding onto the cue stick masterfully as she made use of the spider to get in yet another red ball in. Not only it was rare and sometimes frowned upon for a girl to be appearing in a billiard room, the fact that she was good at it was bound to create some fuss in society. Cheers followed the ball as it dropped into the net.

Tyki was about to call out to her when he noticed a particular man hovering around her. It was the same Duke who had danced with her, he realized, and swallowed something uncomfortable in his throat.

"That's a really good point, Lady Kaeda, now if you try this angle, you would get a better chance of scoring," tutored the other man as he positioned the lady's cue stick.

Trying to consume his anger and not let it erupt, Lord Tyki Mikk made a swift movement to get into the crowd. The gentleman cocked his head at an angle and greeted the pair with as much patience as he could. The sight of the other man holding on to her hand sent his nerves boiling.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Kaeda," said Tyki as he smiled warmly at the latter, noting how her smile froze with annoyance when he referred to her with such endearment. From the corner of his eyes, he made it a point too, to smirk at how the Duke was twitching with discomfort at the sight of him. "And oh our Duke is here too," he said sarcastically.

"Please to meet you here, Lord Mikk," said the lady acidly as she put down her cue stick. The Duke only gave a smile and some polite words back to the gentleman. Then a confident grin flashed on his pale features as he looked up at the younger man.

"Lord Mikk, I have long heard of your skills. Why don't we have a round or two to…you know… show your talents in billiard?"

Tyki hid his smirk as he dazzled his trademark smile back, making sure that Kaeda would back off from the game. "I guess I have no choice but to humbly accept your invitation then, Sire."

The balls soon began to drop in the nets when Tyki picked up his stick, first breaking the formation before attacking the balls. It was simple, the latter knew, to defeat this Duke who was so eager to beat him in something. Though his nobility rank was much higher, it was no hidden fact that Lord Mikk was much more fearsome than anyone else present here. And certainly, to compete with him over anything would be akin to digging his own grave.

"It had been luck," said Tyki humbly when the last ball dropped in. It took the latter much effort to hid his victorious grin as he observed how the Duke's face had changed drastically. "It has really been a long day. I shall take my leave then."

Yet he was about to call for his young lady when he realized that she had long slipped away during the game. He understood how she had felt about the game and felt even more triumphant at the thought that the he had beaten one more obstacle.

I've told you I will always get what I want.

"Something lovely must blown you here, Countess Amber," greeted the gentleman as he entered the room and waved for the maid attending to his visitor to take her leave. "I must say that I was indeed a little surprised by your visit."

The older Amber lady laughed. Taking a sip of black tea held in fine ivory, she smiled at the young man and nodded her head. "Not as much as it surprised me with your decision, Lord Mikk."

The waiting room the two were in was quiet except for the two talking and the occasional chinking of cups against saucers. Nonchalantly, Tyki glanced up at the paintings that framed the walls in this room, stopping his attention when it reached to a particular one. Like her younger sister, Countess Amber was good with playing with her words, making sure that their true intended meaning was well-concealed behind each and every word. They were almost like a pair of carbon printing, except for that particular set of blue eyes that set her apart from Kaeda's black ones.

"Are you unhappy with it, my Ladyship?" asked the debonair, making his voice low and deliberately worried. He was prepared to fight his way through again. He had won the other Amber girl anyway, or so he thought. "I'm certain that much thought and emotions had been put through this."

Countess Amber nodded her head once again. She took a sip of her tea again, tasted how it sweetened her tongue, and swallowed the hot beverage before sighing softly. "I am, actually, happy with it."

Tyki cocked up his brows in surprised and held back his urge to whistle at the support. His lips parted, intending to say something to thank her, but stopped when he noticed that the latter had something to say.

"The society has been making it a talking point after your little feud with the Duke," said the lady, her voice underlying with much concern. "It has made things pretty obvious, Lord Mikk. Please, keep to your words and not hurt my sister."

A smirk sliced opened Tyki's lips despite her words but he hid it away from her. "I will-"

"Make sure that you truly love her, young man," cut off Countess Amber as she took yet another sip of her tea and paused a little to observe the painting that she had noticed the young man had been staring at. While she was only a few years older than Kaeda and perhaps of the same age as Tyki, she could not help but treat the latter as someone who was much younger and perhaps more reckless. "She's the only sister I have."

Tyki nodded his head nonchalantly and smiled. "I'll be sure to-"

"Do not hurt my sister if you do not love her so," warned the lady as her blue eyes glared over, ignoring the Noah's words. "She has lived a loveless life enough. I don't wish to hurt her any further and would not allow anyone to do so."

"It will be my duty to-"

"You will make sure that she is loved, Lord Mikk," interrupted the Countess once again. "Kaeda, my sweet little sister, has been… My father… he found her resemblance to our mother too similar. So since her death, Kaeda has been neglected…and scorned upon by our father, She..."

The lady paused a while before swallowing something hard in her throat even though she had already placed her tea down, looking apologetic at the broken words she had said. "Just- just make sure that you'd take care of her, Tyki."

The young man diverted his gaze from the painting to Kaeda's sister immediately. That was unexpected, really, seeing how much Earl Amber had treated his daughter that day. That family was weird, he concluded. Like Sheryl, the lady had a problem of cutting into people's words, but unlike the Noah, she had much more feelings even though both of them love their family deeply.

"Take my words, Countess Amber, that I will make sure she's taken care of," assured the gentleman as he took the lady's hand and kissed it.

Countess Amber blushed and sighed as he did so. Standing up to take her leave now that she was comforted, she curtsied a little and made her way out before stopping briefly at the door. "She's after all, my only sister," muttered the noble lady, her face presenting a firm sign of faith as she looked into the young man's golden eyes. Can fire ever really be contained and tamed?

Tyki nodded his head even though he was certain that the lady would not be able to see. Of course you are, he thought nonchalantly, as he looked at the small figure that began to fade gradually. Then he diverted his attention to the painting. He had never realized it for all these years he had lived here, yet it was now when he set his eyes on it that he realized what it meant to feel connected to a particular painting.

It was, after all, an oil painting depicting the bloody scene of the Aztecs human sacrificing ceremony- when a heart was stolen from another unwillingly to be presented to the Gods to pray for peace.

Kaeda felt the strong surge of annoyance overwhelming her as she stepped into the famous mansion of the Earl family. Or the Noah family, she reminded herself, as she took in her surroundings. It was not here first time here and certainly, her house was just as glamorous and lavish as compared to this. Yet it was contained much more love and warmth, a little subconscious voice told her, as one of the mansion's butler led her into the waiting-room.

The aristocrat family had invited her for tea and her father had made sure she was to accept them. Reluctantly, she agreed but knew well that it was all just an act to get closer. Yet her thought could not help but creep back to barely a week ago where the incident had happened in the billiard room. It was obvious, really, that the proud man was openly challenging the Duke. Even so, how was one to know if his billiard skills were not assisted by his Noah power?

"Thank you," said the young lady politely as she accepted the door held open for her. As she scanned the room, she could not help but noticed the amount of well-known paintings that hanged on to the walls of this room like tears to one's cheeks. The artwork consisted mainly of impressionist pieces that depicted nature and scenery, but there was one piece that stood out from the rest. Curious, Kaeda was about to make her way closer to it when a loud voice interrupted her thoughts.

"This must be the famous Kaeda, isn't it?" chirped the voice as a young girl of about twelve years old stood at the door and beamed at her. Her eyes, like Lord Mikk's, had a certain sort of gaze over it that seemed so cold. Yet as fleeting as her thoughts, the gaze soon cleared, and Kaeda found herself staring right back at a pair of beautiful eyes.

"I guess I'm," laughed the young lady as she smiled politely at the girl. "And you are?"

The girl beamed a smile as she bent down with a cheeky, satisfied look. "Rhode Camelot, Tyki's niece. That guy has been talking a lot about you, you know."

Kaeda allowed her lips to curl awkwardly. Did she carry the genes too? Noticing the pile of paper and books Rhode has wrapped her thin arms around, the lady pointed to them and gave a questioning look to the young girl.

"Mathematics homework," said Rhode as a yawn soon came up and muffled her words "Can you help me with it, pretty please?"

A/N: Emphasises on conversation btw Kaeda's sister and Tyki which will provide hints on some exorcists stuff and what happened in the previous chapter