Chapter two

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……He's not here!!! Her mind cried in panic. Arashi immediately whirled around and hurried back down the hallway, her mind racing. If he's not in his room than what does that mean!?! Where else could he be!?! He HAS to be here! Reaching the stairs, Arashi made her way stealthily down to the first level of the mansion, trying to be mindful of those were without a doubt still asleep. Nearly reaching the last step, a spicy smell drew her attention over to the kitchen door. A shaft of light from it being left slightly open illuminated some of the darkness that surrounded her, beckoning her to enter.

Worry, fear and exhaustion made it difficult to catch her breath as she reached for the door and slowly pushed it open. The sight that greeted her on the opposite side caused her throat to knot up yet again.

There he was. The tall, broad shouldered star of Koya stood at the stove, quietly humming to himself as he slowly whisked a wooden spoon through a pan full of something Arashi couldn't quite make out. Completely content and apparently oblivious to what was going on around him.

He's alive! He's ok! she thought as she released a huge breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Just the sight of him, happy and safe made her grip the doorframe in relief. As though sensing her presence, he turned slightly and glanced in her direction.

"Oh Nee-chan!" he hurriedly apologized in surprise, turning fully towards her. "I'm so sorry! I must have woken you! I must have been louder than I thought but I didn't think anyone would …." he stopped in mid sentence as he watched several emotions play across her beautiful delicate features.

He held his breath as she suddenly made her way towards him and stretched out her hand, touching it tentatively to his cheek. The need to touch him, to be sure he was real was so overpowering that Arashi could not resist reaching out to dispel any doubts, to hopefully banish the gruesome images that still lingered from her dream. No, nightmare her mind corrected.

Sorata resisted the urge to jerk back from her shockingly cold hand and instinctually brought his own hand up to place it over hers, pressing it more securely to his cheek, hoping to bring her warmth. What was she doing? She was rarely the first to approach him and usually shied away from ANY physical contact. Could she be sleep walking!? He wondered.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that her face was unusually pale, her brow glistened with a fine sheen of sweat. Her breathing was somewhat shaky and rushed, as though she had been working out. But what caught and held his attention were her eyes. They were wide and impossibly deep. So many emotions fighting for control. What had happened!?! She looked as though she'd seen a ghost.

At the touch of Sorata's hand, Arashi almost immediately seemed to snap out of her dazed need to touch him and quickly tried to draw her hand back, but Sorata's hand kept it in place.

"What's wrong Nee-chan?" he asked so tenderly it caused her heart to skip a beat. "What is it that's made you so upset? Tell me how I can make it ok."

Arashi couldn't fight the blush that crept up her cheeks, nor the anger that came from the embarrassment and humiliation she felt for acting so childishly in front of him. Why did he make her feel this way?

Putting more effort into it, she once again tried to yank her hand away from Sorata's face, this time succeeding.

"Im fine!" she snapped at him, much more harshly than she had intended. The confused and somewhat hurt look that crossed over the young monks face made her immediately regret her tone and actions.

He must think I've completely lost my mind! She thought miserably. Not that I should care but It's not his fault that I can't get a grip. I had no right to snap at him when he was only trying to help. Why do I always act this way around him!?! All Arashi wanted to do now was hide.

The new flush on her pale cheeks was a red flag to Sorata that she was embarrassed, but why? She hadn't done anything wrong. She's so beautiful when she blushes. He thought dreamily, but immediately pushed that thought aside. Later. Later I'll think more of her beauty, right now I need to get to the bottom of this.

Lost in his thoughts, He almost missed the fact that Arashi had turned to leave and was half way out the door before coming to his senses.

"Wait Nee-chan!" he blurted loudly. Arashi spun around and brought her finger up to her lips to shush him.

"Are you trying to wake everyone!?!" She whispered heatedly.

Smiling at the fact that he'd gotten her attention, he sheepishly shrugged. "Sorry." He whispered back. "Why are you up Nee-chan? Its nearly four in the morning."

"I could ask you the same question!" She retorted somewhat defensively.

"Oh that's easy." He whispered excitedly as he turned back to the stove. "I was hungry and needed a late night snack! See?"

Arashi took a few hesitant steps forward and looked into the pan he was holding up to her. Indeed there were noodles drenched in a spicy red sauce. Only Sorata would be up cooking and eating food at four in the morning. She thought sagely. They smelled good but the sight of the sauce made her blanch. Red. Like blood. Blood that she saw in her dream. His blood. And immediately those grizzly images from her dream were in the forefront of her mind again.

Seeing the look on her face, he swiftly put the pan back on the stove and stood in front of it to block it from her view. What's bothering you Nee-chan? He worried. Trying to keep things light he placed a carefree smile on his face.

"Okay Nee-chan, I told you why IM up. Now, why are you not asleep in your bed? Not that a flawless beauty like Nee-chan needs more beauty sleep." He joked, hoping the distraction would work.

Arashi stared up at him, suddenly feeling completely exhausted. "I….I couldn't sleep, that's all." She said quickly, avoiding direct eye contact with him.

Nodding, Sorata couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that she wouldn't open up more, and tell him the truth. And yet, she had touched him tonight of her own free will and choice for whatever reason and this gave him hope. Unable to resist the urge to push his luck he pressed on.

"Couldn't sleep eh? Hmm," He asked carefully "Sometimes when I can't sleep, its because of bad dreams. Perhaps, Nee-chan had a bad dream?"

Arashi turned her head to look back into his eyes so quickly it nearly gave her whiplash. The shocked expression on her face told him that he had guessed right.

How DOES he do that!?! She wondered in awe. It's like he can see right through me at times. That thought made her draw her robe more tightly around herself. Sensing that he had made her uncomfortable, he quickly tried to make things light again.

"Of course, whenever I have a bad dream, all I have to do is think of you Nee-chan and then everything else just seems to fade away. In fact," he said jovially "If you were always in my dreams Nee-chan, I would never want to wake up!"

Arashi glared at Sorata but realized that his eyes, though they gleamed with mischief, found that they were completely full of sincerity. Once again she felt her cheeks begin to burn in a blush that she couldn't stop.

Finally deciding that he'd gotten as far as he could go with her, he opened his arms in an open and inviting gesture.

"Well, since you and I are both awake, would Nee-chan care to join me on the couch for some 'way past mid-night munchies'? You don't have to eat, I made some yummy Hojicha tea that you could drink! It's perfect for those nights where you just can't seem to get to sleep!" He said with a wink.

Arashi felt torn. If she stayed with Sorata then she would probably have to suffer through any number of flirtatious comments flung her way and who knew what else, but on the other hand, the idea of going back to her dark bedroom alone to possibly endure yet another vivid nightmare wasn't exactly appealing either. In fact, the former when compared with the later seemed just a bit more tempting.

I hope I don't regret this. She thought as she gave Sorata a small nod in acknowledgement to his invitation.

Sorata couldn't stop the huge grin that spread across his face. "GREAT!" he said as loudly as he could in a whisper. "You are gonna LOVE this tea Nee-chan, I just know it!" With a quick flick of a light switch he slowly ushered her to the now lit living room across from the kitchen and gestured for her to sit on the couch.

Taking a seat, she watched in amusement as he dashed off in the direction of the kitchen and flinched as she heard the opening and shutting of a few cupboard doors. We might as well invite the rest of the people in the mansion to come join us for a cup of tea since we're making enough noise to wake the dead! She thought somewhat affectionately of the enthusiastic monk. Closing her eyes against the bright light of the living room lamps she tried to relax but was assaulted yet again by those horrific images of her nightmare yet again.

Instantly she opened her eyes, her heart starting to flutter anxiously. She felt cold and she suddenly felt very angry. I am a dragon of heaven and the hidden shrine maiden of Ise! My sworn destiny is to protect Kamui and defend the people of earth, a simple nightmare should have NO affect on me! She nearly jumped off the couch when Sorata suddenly appeared from the kitchen door, a couple of cups and saucers perfectly balanced in his hands.

Trying to calm herself she watched him come towards her, half expecting him to spill the tea in his excitement but was somewhat taken aback by the calmness he was emitting as he carefully yet steadily made his way towards her. A soft smile played at his lips as he could guess what had her so surprised.

Arriving in front of her he presented her with a hot cup of sweet smelling tea. She took it with a whispered thanks and stared quietly at the steam coming from the cup. She looked up with a start as Sorata draped a warm blanket from the other couch around her shoulders, letting it spread to cover her legs and feet.

"This will warm you up Nee-chan." He said affectionately as he took a seat next to her on the sofa. She couldn't stop her eyes from misting slightly. He is so kind and gentle at times. She mused to herself as she watched him settle back into the couch and place his sock covered feet up on the coffee table. Normally that would be an act that would bother her, but at the sound of his soft contented sigh she found the carefree action somewhat endearing.

Turning to see her watching him, Sorata smiled as Arashi quickly averted her gaze back to her tea. She still seems a little troubled, but the tea should help to calm her poor nerves. He mused. His thoughts were interrupted at the soft sound of her voice.

"Your noodles are going to get cold if you don't eat them soon."

"Oh don't worry about that, I put them in the refrigerator to eat later." He said nonchalantly.

"You're not going to eat them now?! After going to all the trouble of making them?" She gaped in surprise.

"I guess I just lost my appetite." He said with a small laugh. The truth was, he didn't want to eat them in front of her when he could tell that something about them had upset her earlier. No. For her sake, he would eat them later. Everything he did at this moment would be done to soothe and ease his beautiful companion.

Watching him take a small sip of his tea, she settled back and took a sip of her own. "Wow! Sorata-san, this is tea is amazing!"

"Sorata," he warmly corrected "and thank you. A lot of work goes into Hojicha tea. It's a special tea that many people drink just before going to bed because its so sweet and mild. The way its made is quite the process…."

Arashi leaned her head back on the couch and listened quietly to the hypnotic sound of Sorata's voice. She found that the tea really did work as her body seemed to be completely relaxed. So much so, that her eyes began to feel so heavy it was impossible to keep them open. And to her extreme delight, when she closed them, she saw nothing of the frightening images of her nightmare. Perhaps Sorata's presence had somehow driven out the remaining fragments of her violent dream.

Sorata stopped talking as he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder. Looking down, his heart tightened in his chest as he saw that Arashi had finally slipped into a fitful slumber and that her head had slid from the backrest of the couch and onto his shoulder. Unable to resist, he reached over with his other hand to stroke a few strands of her beautiful hair. So soft he thought in silent wonder. A sudden sharp and fierce desire to protect her caused his throat to tighten.

"Don't worry Arashi," He whispered vehemently "I'll always protect you. Whether its from the horrors of reality, or the demons in your dreams, I'll protect you with my life."

On the very brink of unconsciousness, Arashi could just make out the unwavering promise made to her. "I know Sorata. I know. That's what Im afraid of…" she thought just before she surrendered to blissful nothingness.

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Should I continue? Please read and review! Thank You!!!