Author's Note: everything shall be explained in all due time… and when I say all due time, I mean in my endnote at the end of the chapter as always, daft as it is. :D

Title: A Tale of Timeless Love

Disclaimer: Pfft. Yeah right. You know what this part is about anyway so howsabout I just skip it? ^.^

-OoO-

Chapter 6 Walking Forward

"I knew this would happen." Amu muttered ominously under her breath as she moved hastily along the dew-filled grass. Her breath came in short intakes but her legs continued to stride forward.

She had to find her.

She had hoped that Utau had found a sufficient hiding refuge for the time being. In truth, Amu had underestimated Sanjo Yukari's influence in the Palace. She had been sleeping soundly in her futon only a few moments ago, until Sanjo Yukari had barged into it and alerted her of Utau's escape.

So now here she was, scouring the area for her, hoping she would be the first one to locate the fugitive princess, not to turn her in – but to help her. It may seem strange but Amu felt more of a sense of duty towards Utau than to Sanjo Yukari.

Just as she was about to turn a corner, she heard a rustling from nearby, making her stop in her tracks. She waited and a familiar green head popped out from behind one of the bushes. He raised his head and paused in mid-step as he spotted her a few meters away.

He blinked and so did Amu – then simultaneously, both of them composed themselves as if nothing had happened. Kairi moved forward, out of the bushes and delicately brushed off the leaves that stuck to his robes. Amu noticed that his robes had much more wet blotches in contrast to her own.

She gave him a questioning look, not feeling the need to add unnecessary words and as she expected, Kairi had perfected understood her silent question.

"The Prince has gone missing once again." He explained briefly, a wry look crossing his calm features.

"Ah," said Amu. Once again, there really wasn't any more needed to be said and it seems Kairi hadn't expected anymore than that.

In fact he did not look as worried as he should have, Amu expected that most people would have gone into a frenzied panic searching for the missing Prince – but Kairi seemed perfectly composed… actually, it was as if he was already quite used to it. Well, Amu did suppose that Ikuto disappearing was a very common occurrence in Kairi's job.

He shrugged in reply and gave her the same questioning look she had used. Amu thought carefully on how to reply and decided on simply saying, "I'm on an errand… for Sanjo-san." Amu said, purposely adding Kairi's older sister's name to prevent anymore broaching of her reply. Just as she had predicted, he gave a small grimace then rearranged his features into that characteristic poker face of his, the same way she did with her own.

"I see," was all he said before he added, "I'm sorry to disturb you on your undertaking Hinamori-san. Please, carry on." He said politely, gesturing for Amu to go if she wished.

"I am not in any hurry but I assume you are, Kairi-san, so I must insist for you to go ahead of me. I have matters to attend to here." Amu replied amicably. Yes, she had still not searched the complete vicinity for Utau and she did not want to waste time coming back here to search again.

Kairi examined her for a minute, then nodded and bid her goodbye.

"Then I shall see you again Hinamori-san."

When he had disappeared into the distance, Amu took a deep breath and focused herself. She had to find the Princess as soon as possible; there was no more time for dilly-dallying. She closed her eyes and imagined the Palace map she had memorized only last night. After a minute she already had a mental list of possible places where she would hide.

She further narrowed her list, asking herself, 'If I were a fleeing Princess, where would I go?'

Ah, that's right. She would hide someplace high where she had a wide peripheral view of her surroundings; that way, she could lessen the probability of an ambush and hide herself from her pursuers. It was a very plausible plan, but Amu couldn't be sure if it would cross Utau's mind in her current mental state.

There was one place though, that suited that plan perfectly, and simply by chance it was also the first place that popped into Amu's mind.

The Goddess Aerial Garden.

Coincidentally, the Garden was at the edge of the Palace borders. It would take a while to reach it, but if she quickened her pace she could probably arrive there in more or less 20 minutes. Once she had made a suitable plan of action, Amu set on it immediately. She strode forward steadily, determined to perform her duty as Princess Utau's aide.

-OoO-

Utau was gasping for air as she continued to drag her feet forward – away from the meeting and away from the person she never wanted to meet. Her legs ached and her lungs burned but still, she continued to move forward. Her willpower and the adrenaline rushing through her veins were the two things that were keeping her moving so vigorously.

Just then, she turned a sharp corner and inevitably crashed into another person. Both of them fell to the ground with an audible thud, the wet grass cushioning their fall.

"Watch where you're –" she began to say as she looked up, but the words had died in her mouth as she realized just who she had bumped into.

In front of her, kneeling on one leg and rubbing his collar bone with one hand, was Ikuto – still in his sleeping robes with his hair in slight disarray.

Utau felt like her heart had suddenly risen to her throat. Mild surprise registered on his face as their eyes met and quietly, he stood up and held out one hand towards her. Utau's eyes widened and she looked at him dubiously, not really sure what to say. In truth, even if she did know, she wasn't sure if she would be able to say it to him after what had happed between the two of them a while back.

He gave an audible sigh, "Come on." He insisted, still holding out his hand. Utau cautiously placed her hand over his and he pulled her to her feet before she could say another word. She was about to thank him when he turned away from her sharply.

"You should head back. It's discourteous to let your fiancé wait." He advised with a dull, uninterested voice before he took a step forward.

But that was as far as he got because Utau had run after him and clung to his robes with trembling hands. Ikuto didn't pull away from her; he remained silent, waiting for her to break the silence.

"Please," Utau began frantically. "Help me. I do not wish to be found. Please, help me Brother." She pleaded miserably, calling him Brother without really meaning to. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes when he remained silent still but suddenly he exhaled sharply and looked down at her.

He had an expression of slight exasperation before he shifted his gaze back to the path before them. The next thing she knew, Ikuto had grabbed her wrist and began tugging her along in a particular direction.

"I-Ikuto?" she asked uncertainly, letting herself be pulled along by him and feeling her face flush with the with the physical contact.

"You asked for my help right? Follow me." He said simply and as she looked at him from behind, she didn't see him as the man she was in love with – but the brother she had always wished he wasn't. It was strange, but her throat felt tight and her chest swelled with something she put a name to.

As the tears streamed down her face silently, it was the first time she appreciated his being her older brother. She began to think that maybe… it wasn't such an awful thing after all.

-OoO-

Utau leaned her back against the white marble bench and sneaked a glance up at Ikuto. He was spread horizontally on his back, taking up the whole span of the flat rectangular bench. His eyes were closed and the wind continued to ruffle his unkempt hair. He seemed at perfect ease, the exact opposite of what Utau was feeling.

She raised her legs and wrapped her arms around them comfortably. She took a deep breath and the fresh scent of the garden filled her senses. Her jittery nerves slowly began to relax and loosen up. Her legs ached but Utau paid no heed to them and she rested her chin on her knees.

She hadn't been here in such a long time; the last time was when she, Ikuto, her mother and her father had a picnic together and it was one of the few good memories they had as a real family. She had mostly avoided places like these though, after her father had disappeared – places that reminded her of her him. She just, didn't want to think about him as much as possible.

She opened her mouth to speak then closed it, thinking better of it. Ikuto had already helped her; she didn't want to deprive him of his sleep too. Instead, her thoughts wandered to a certain red-head and his little sidekick.

She wondered if he ever came to this place. She imagined Kukai, in his strange attire walking leisurely in the Garden, bickering with Daiichi and oddly enough, the image made a laugh escape her lips.

"Pardon? I seemed to have missed the joke." Ikuto said dryly from behind her.

Utau started and glanced up to find Ikuto looking at her through the corner of his single open eye. "It – it is nothing." She replied, looking away and feeling embarrassed. Her nerves that she had soothed were in chaos once again when she had heard Ikuto's voice.

He never really understood how big of an effect he had on her.

"I see." He replied with an eyebrow raised and when Utau ventured another glimpse, he had his eyes closed again. She wished he would speak, not just because she wanted to hear his voice – but also because she wanted him to distract her. To distract her from the fact that she had a fiancé waiting for her back at the Reception Room.

"So tell me," he suddenly began just as these thoughts crossed her mind. This time she waited for him to speak again, trying to make sure she hadn't imagined it. She resisted the urge to flick her ears and make sure they were still working properly.

"How long do you intend to keep running away from everything Utau?" he asked frankly and Utau felt herself freeze in her spot. All thought of wanting him to speak to her dissipated swiftly from her mind.

If it was any other time, she would have been happy hearing her name come from his lips – but this time was different. The way he included her name with the question gave it a heavier meaning and it somewhat frightened Utau to answer.

She bit her lip and said uncertainly, "I… do not know what you speak of, Ikuto."

"Do not feign ignorance, Utau." He said tartly and Utau tightened her arms around her legs.

She didn't want to hear this from him, especially not from Ikuto.

"I – I'm not running away!" she denied vehemently. She kept her head low, averting her eyes from him.

"Then why are you still here?" he asked pointedly.

"Because I refuse to comply with Kazuomi and Mother's wishes!"

"So you chose to just run away, hide somewhere and hope that your fiancé is going to disappear so that everything will be over with? A bit of a tactless act for the Royal Princess of Seiyo, I must say." He said callously, no reserve whatsoever.

Ikuto's words felt like salt being rubbed onto her wounds and Utau could not think of any words to retaliate. She wanted to block out his words, block out everything and just run away – but she couldn't, Ikuto's words continued to penetrate to her core.

"Well?" he said harshly, "Is there anything you have to say for yourself?"

"There…is nothing," Utau said quietly, wishing she could run away from Ikuto as well.

"Then are you going to allow yourself to act so pathetically? You are the Royal Princess if I'm not mistaken, you must stop degrading yourself with clumsy decisions like this." He said severely and Utau flinched at his tone. He had never used this tone with her before and she felt herself close to tears again.

Suddenly, indignation rose inside Utau's chest and her anger began to boil like molten lava.

"Why must I act like a perfect Princess just for Kazuomi's sake? I despise that man and I have no intention of polishing his image as a wonderful Emperor!" Utau shouted back crossly, her voice increased several octaves. She stood up gruffly and glared at Ikuto.

Ikuto on the other hand, did not even bat an eyelash and he remained his in his previous position. Instead he calmly replied with his eyes still closed, "So you are rebelling simply for the sake of rebelling. You simply wish to cause trouble for Uncle is it?"

"Yes. That's exactly it." She replied briskly, crossing her arms.

"That is exactly why you are so weak, Utau." he said with a sigh, "In the end, running away is all you are capable of. It is a cowardly act that I cannot forgive anyone for." He said, not bothering to hide his distaste.

"I –" Utau was about to say I am not a coward but she was stopped by the sudden sound of footsteps approaching the two of them. Ikuto sat up and met Utau's eyes before both she and Ikuto swivelled their gazes to the top of the stairs across the bench they were situated at.

At the edge of the staircase, a girl in emerged, panting, with her mass of pink hair slightly windswept. As Utau registered the drained expression of her aide, her muscles tensed up, ready to take action against her. She stole a glance at Ikuto and was slightly surprised at the amusement diffused across his face. She became wary as Amu strode across the concourse and stood before her.

"Princess, I am pleased to have found you at last." She greeted a bit breathlessly.

Utau eyed Amu critically. Her hair was in slight disarray from the pin that held it up, her clothes had damp patches and her hands seemed to have sprouted numerous small cuts that she was trying to hide. She turned to Ikuto and bowed gracefully.

"A pleasant morning to you too, Your Highness." she greeted politely.

Utau looked at Ikuto through the corner of her eye and still, he had that same amused expression as he looked at Amu. Utau was sure there was something strange – but she couldn't put her finger around it. Hinamori Amu and Ikuto had probably never even spoken to each other until now, so what was this strange atmosphere between them?

Amu turned to Utau once more and addressed her, "Princess, do you require my assistance?" she asked amiably.

It was an easy question. But Utau felt herself being taken aback because it was a question she had not expected from her.

"You are not imploring me to return?" she asked carefully.

"Why should I implore you to return when it is obviously contrary to your wishes? Unless, you wish to return now, your Highness?" Amu asked in a curious tone, tilting her head to one side.

"You will not… force me to return?" Utau asked very slowly, trying to pull herself together after such a blow to her conscience.

Utau felt like the ground she stood on had suddenly disappeared by what was happening. Was Hinamori Amu, her aide, the girl who seemed to follow orders at any cost – offering to help her escape from her meeting with her fiancé?

"I will not. If her Highness does not wish it, what right do I have to force you? Sanjo Yukari may have some control over me as your aide but she cannot force me to disobey your wishes Princess." She replied decisively, no trace of hesitation or deception.

There was only plain loyalty – loyalty to her as her personal aide.

Amu looked at Utau as if there was nothing wrong with running away. She didn't even seem disturbed at helping her do something which Ikuto had dubbed as a clumsy decision. But – there was something about the way Amu looked at her that made her think that she could see just how ugly she was within. How hateful and weak she really was.

Ikuto had hit the mark perfectly when he had called her a coward. Yes, she was indeed a coward who could only escape from everything she wanted nothing to do with.

But.

It was that coward that Hinamori Amu was being loyal to, not the Royal Princess of Seiyo, but the pathetic and fragile Utau she really was. She didn't deserve such loyalty –not as the person she was currently.

"She will proceed to the meeting now." Ikuto said out of the blue and Utau shifted her gaze to him sharply. He was finally looking at her directly for the first time in a long time – not looking away or averting his eyes but meeting her own head-on. He stood up from the bench and gazed at Hinamori Amu with a calm expression.

Amu had her eyes only on Utau, purposely averting them from Ikuto. "Do you wish to return Princess?"

Utau kept her eyes on Ikuto and their eyes met once more. Before she could say anything, he mouthed words that made a tremor burst inside her chest.

Make me proud, Utau.

Utau flushed a bright red, turning away from him to not let him see her face. When she had composed herself, she turned to Amu and spoke, "I will return to the Reception Room. Please, accompany me Hinamori Amu." She said unfalteringly and Amu nodded.

"As you wish." She replied dutifully.

As she strode forward and passed Amu, maybe she had only imagined it – but she heard the words thank you whispered into the wind.

-OoO-

Utau stared at her soon-to-be fiancé seated in front of her. He was a handsome dark-haired man who looked a little older than her. His bright green eyes were intelligent and curiously scrutinizing her. Kazuomi, who was seated beside Utau and across from the Minister of the Left, was appraising the young man inconspicuously.

She kept her eyes glued in that direction. But, it wasn't the dark-haired boy that caught her attention – it was the boy seated behind him to the left. To be specific, it was Kukai that was seated there, and she could guess that his expression mirrored her own. His emerald eyes so similar to the man beside him were far from calm and composed.

In fact, it seemed like he was completely mystified by their situation. Utau could sympathize with him; she herself had not expected meeting him once more under such circumstances.

He wasn't in his black hakama anymore, rather, he wore robes similar to the ones, Hinamori Amu wore, except they were pale green rather than crimson red. The clothes he wore felt somewhat strange on him and Utau couldn't quite picture him in her mind wearing such attire. It was always the black hakama and red prayer beads that formed in her mind – those clothes suited him much more than extravagant robes.

At last, Kazuomi decided to end the silence with introductions. When she had first arrived, he was relieved to see her and what she would give to wipe that satisfied smile on his face as he spoke. She refrained from letting her annoyance show on her face and kept her face neutral the same way Hinamori Amu always did.

"Please feel free to summon me if you require any assistance." Amu had said dutifully before she had let Utau enter the room. It was somewhat of a comfort now that Utau thought about it but she wanted to accomplish this on her own properly this time – she wouldn't run away anymore.

"Forgive my daughter's delay in arriving Souma-dono." He said politely and the Minister gave a hearty laugh in return.

"There's no need to apologize your Majesty. A woman of her age would need time to take it all in, of course. It's perfectly understandable." He replied well-naturedly.

Kazuomi gave a genuine smile in return. "Thank you for understanding."

"Now then, would you do the honors?" the Minister inquired, looking straight at Utau but it was Kazuomi who answered the question.

"Of course," he said with a flourish of his hand. "This," he began, gesturing to Utau, "is my lovely daughter, Hoshina Utau."

The Minister gave Utau a beaming smile and Utau did her best to reciprocate.

"Utau, this," he moved his hand and directed it to the dark-haired boy in across them "– is Souma Reiji. He is going to be your fiancé." He introduced ceremonially with a smile.

Utau and Reiji's eyes met but Utau couldn't help stealing a glance at Kukai who was staring at the floor, muttering something to himself.

Utau wasn't a very good lip reader but she caught bits of what he murmured. It was something like, "I didn't…Fate…forceful…meet again…situation." There wasn't enough for Utau to conjure up a coherent sentence and she settled with looking back at Souma Reiji.

"Princess Utau, it is my greatest honor to meet you in person." Reiji said cheerfully with a dazzling smile that rebounded off Utau.

Charming acts like that had no effect on her because even back then, she was already taught to differentiate genuine smiles from fake smiles – but she had also learned not to attach herself to anything or anyone so easily.

"The pleasure is all mine, Reiji-sama." Utau replied in her most civil tone, adding the best smile she could manage.

"Then, that is all we are need here for. Should we leave them to themselves your Majesty?" Souma-dono suggested with a kind smile.

"I believe that is a wonderful idea Souma-dono. Shall we have some tea in the Dining Hall?" Kazuomi invited with a smile.

"Ah, what a privilege! To be invited to have tea by the Emperor himself." Souma-dono said emphatically and Kazuomi gave a chuckle.

"If you say so, Souma-dono."

And once again, the two of them shared a look that made Utau feel somewhat uncomfortable. She knew Kazuomi had a plan, but it was a different story if the Minister of the Left was in on it. The two of them stood up simultaneously and gave similar parting smiles. Utau watched as Kukai stood up too and readied himself to leave but Souma-dono stopped him with a gesture of his hand.

"Kukai, you shall remain here together with Reiji. You shall accompany him home later. Will that be acceptable Reiji?" Souma-dono said, addressing Kukai a little coldly. Kukai on the other hand, remained straight-faced and simply nodded at Souma-dono's orders, taking his previous seat with grace she had not expected from him.

"Yes, father." Reiji replied automatically, not even looking at him. Utau couldn't help but notice that there was a hint of displeasure in the way Reiji pressed his lips together.

In the next moment, both Kazuomi and the Minister had quitted the room and only the three of them were left. Then suddenly, Reiji reached out and yanked Kukai's robes, making him fall to the space right beside him.

"Reiji!" Kukai hissed. He tried to move away but Reiji had a hand clutching the collar of his robes. As Reiji kept him in place, Utau realized that Kukai wasn't looking at her directly. When he realized he couldn't win, he settled with staring at the table, defeated.

"I must introduce him to you, Princess." He said determinedly, "This little rascal is Kukai." He said with a laidback grin.

"Kukai –?" she asked curiously, the same way she had asked Kukai the first time.

"Just…Kukai." He replied, his smile faltering a bit but returning immediately. That was odd; he had also answered the same way Kukai had when she had asked him before. Kukai's gaze remained fixed on the table and he looked as if he wanted to leave.

"Oi, little boy. Show some respect and greet her Highness." Reiji chastised him, nudging him with his shoulder. Kukai slowly raised his eyes to her and she pretended not to know him just as he had.

"I'm not supposed to have the privilege of having the Royal Princess know my name – but, it's…such an honor to meet you." He said earnestly, his eyes conveying the hidden message in his words. He broke Reiji's hold on him and looked away from her once more.

Utau couldn't keep her eyes off of him as Reiji ruffled his hair with an approving smile.

"Good boy." He praised him and Kukai gave a small frown which Utau noticed.

"It," Utau began to say but Kukai kept his eyes averted. "Is my pleasure to know the aide of a Minister's son." She said straight-faced and Reiji gave a low chuckle in reply to it.

"Oh, you are very much mistaken Princess. Kukai is not my aide; he is my bodyguard – as outrageous as it sounds. I do have a personal aide though, but she wasn't permitted by father to come with me. It is such a shame; I would have loved to introduce her to you. Well, maybe next time." He said with a patronizing smile at Kukai.

"Are the two of them important to you, Reiji-sama?" Utau asked curiously. She wasn't interested in Reiji exactly, but the character of the man who seemed to be able to mess with Kukai as he pleased.

Reiji looked at her directly and gave that same enchanting smile as before – Utau was beginning to be wary of it. She felt like it was slowly penetrating through her defences that took years of creating.

"Yes. They are very important to me. They are like younger siblings to me. You are aware that I am the youngest child, are you not? Well, being the youngest was quite a lonesome task, I must say. And then the two of them were born and given to me. I've come to love both of them as family, despite how much my father dislikes it." he said with small crease in his somewhat perfect face.

"Reiji simply has the nature of a big brother. That's why the only thing that can fulfil him is taking care of others." Kukai explained offhandedly, Utau supposed, in an attempt to put Reiji in a better light. Now why would he do such a thing? Utau wondered to herself.

"Then, Kukai-san. Do you think highly of Reiji-sama?" Utau cautiously addressed him, making sure to add an honorific to his name. It gave its desired effect and it really did seem as if the two of them had never met – well, maybe it really was their first meeting in this case.

The first meeting of Princess Utau and the Bodyguard Kukai.

Kukai looked at her straight in the eye for the second time since he appeared in front of her.

"Yes. He is a great person whom I respect very much." He answered firmly.

Reiji ruined his seriousness though by speaking out loud. "How come you can never tell me things like that directly?" he said inquisitively, cocking one of his brows at Kukai.

"I'm embarrassed, that's why." Kukai answered with a blush on cheeks, his eyes cast downward.

"Oh, yes. I forgot you had such a cute side." Reiji teased as soon as the chance appeared. As Utau watched the two of them bicker affectionately, she unconsciously let out a small laugh. Both of them suddenly stopped talking and turned to look at her questioningly.

"Ah," she said feeling the weight of both of their gazes on her, "forgive my interruption, and please carry on." She said, unable to hide the smile on her face.

"You laughed." Reiji pointed out in bewilderment. He seemed to contemplate something before he said while shaking his head, "Well, rumors will always just be just that – rumors."

Kukai on the other hand, looked away once more. It was starting to get on Utau's nerves. She wanted him to look at her but he always seemed to look away. She couldn't just force him to look at her either because of Reiji, so she settled with biting her cheek in irritation.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ah, you see there are rumors flying about how much of a cold-hearted person you are Princess. But, you just proved every single one wrong when you smiled and laughed." He said honestly, with that disarming smile of his.

That's not it at all, Utau thought to herself, it's the two of you, you cannot help but make people smile with that honest and simple bond between the two of you. Indeed, to Utau, the two of them were like a play that you could watch over and over again without ever getting tired of it.

"I see," was all Utau said in reply though, "I suppose people would have that impression of me." She added thoughfully.

"So it's true?" Reiji asked uncertainly.

"I admit that I may have some trouble expressing myself openly in front of others." She said with a careless shrug. "But, well. The two of you are just so interesting to watch. Are you aware of it?" she said, tilting her head to one side with another smile on her face.

Reiji blinked a few times with a puzzled expression before he finally understood.

"I hope you do not mind him acting this way, Princess. This is how he usually acts when nobody is around to criticize him." Kukai said apologetically with a question in his green eyes. She felt like he was asking her to accept Reiji the way he is and Utau realized that it wasn't such a bad idea.

She did not feel any particular dislike for Reiji and supposed that if he was going to be her future husband, it would be alright – but, Utau could not help but think that the only reason she had developed any interest towards Reiji was simply because he was tied to Kukai. Kukai who had caught her complete attention since the first time they met.

"Princess. I don't have any intention of pretending in front of you. Especially, whenever I think of the fact that you may be the woman I spend the rest of my life with." He said seriously, his gaze steady and unwavering. "So this is it, this is me without any dignity, honor, pride, and pretension. I have only Kukai, my aide, Yaya and myself to offer you. Will it be enough?" he asked and his eyes were as honest as his tone.

Utau risked another look at Kukai and found that he was looking at her questioningly too. Both of their green eyes were so similar that she felt like she was going to lose herself within their emerald depths. She got a grip on herself and focused on their enquiring faces.

"It is more than enough, Reiji-sama." She said sincerely.

In truth, no one had ever offered her so much. It would have been enough for him to offer her himself but he had also offered her two of the most important people to him. People, she was sure, that he needed the most.

She caught Kukai's eye and saw that he had a relieved expression and suddenly he mouthed the words, Do you wish to see me privately? To which she immediately nodded surreptitiously and he gave the same smile he had given her before. She wasn't sure why but it made the world spin a little faster.

She shifted her gaze to Reiji and saw him scrutinizing her closely.

"You," he began "really are as breathtakingly beautiful as they say." He commented with a smile.

Not as beautiful as the two of you, she thought as she replied, "You are too kind."

She wanted to know more, wanted to see more, wanted to learn more about the two of them. And maybe deep inside, as much as she wanted to deny it, she felt that having Reiji as her fiancé wasn't such a horrible thing after all. Because both he and Kukai were so pure, it was almost blinding – and yet, she still could not take her eyes off them.

-OoO-

Endnote: The troublesome exam that is going to decide my future is finally over! I still have others waiting in September and October but they're not my main choice anyway so I'm wagging reviewing for them and continuing my stories instead. So now, I am officially BACK and ready to please you all once again. :D

Anyway, thank so so much to those who reviewed while I was away doing some intense studying. I love you guys and I'm really regretting making all of you wait so long so here's the next chapter for you. By next week, I might have the next one up if school work and Kio don't overwhelm me. Let's hope for the best ne? ^.^

The next chapter will feature the alpha couple once more since I just felt like having a sort of beta couple (Kutau) chapter this time. Haha, I hope I didn't overdo it. Anyway, REVIEW okay? Even just to scold me for being so late in updating. :D

Special Notes:

QueenyLeAcH – you pretty much got me, but not quite. :D I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Oh, yeah. Thanks for the cheesecake ;) Rio adores you now. How do like the chapter?

kittyallstars – nah. I had a feeling I made it obvious to a degree to mislead you, haha. QueenyLeAcH and you ALMOST got it. But anyway, I just twisted it around to suit my tastes better and that's what you got. Did you expect what I did up there? *points upward*

AmutoForever – as ever, I am eternally grateful that I have you as a reviewer. I always wait for your reviews and they are always so wonderful! I just love people like you who critique my work. :))

Foxgrl18 - thanks so much for reviewing as usual and answering my weird questions! :) care to tell me what you think of this chapter? i just want to know if i haven't lost my touch from those months of studying.

Also, thanks so much to everybody else, for reviewing the every other chapter. I love you lots :3. Anyway, care to offer Rio a cheesecake? :) I implore you to do so. Haha. :3

Well, this should be all. Haha. Quite long and weird as always.

So, Ja ne! :))

Rio's cheesecake count: 01 (I just felt like putting this in for the heck of it. :DD)