Disclaimer: Yeah, for some unknown reason, I put these in every chapter. If you actually read them, I'm impressed. So, as always, the characters of Gravitation do not in anyway shape or form belong to me.

X

Yuki ran, his boots thundering through the hallways. He shuddered inwardly at the fact that he no longer had to guess where he was going, realizing that during his months in the palace, he had grown to know the place like the back of his hand.

'It is beautiful here, though...' He thought, running. Taking a sharp turn around a corner, Shuichi's voice floated back to him: 'Kaname must've had so much fun as a kid...'

Narrowly avoiding running into a group of women, Yuki paused for a second. 'I wonder what his childhood was like...' He thought 'I never really bothered to find...' Shaking his head, he cleared his mind of his nostalgic thoughts. He was on a mission. He had a task to complete, and standing around, thinking about his father wasn't going to accomplish anything. He had to find them. Had to find her.

Taking the dungeon stairs two and three at a time, he came to a sudden halt at the bottom, finding a well polished spear aimed at his throat. Two fully armed guards stood in front of him, weapons at the ready.

"Well... this is unexpected." Yuki spoke, lifting his arms in the air in a sign of surrender. "Seriously though," He continued "Put them down."

The guards glanced at each other briefly, and a second later, Yuki found another spear aimed at his throat.

"What's... going on?" He asked, curiously.

"We're under strict orders from Demon Lord Kaname." He replied "To not let anyone into this dungeon--."

"Well, I'm the Demon Lord's son, Eiri... so I'm..."

"And Demon Lord Kaname specifically stated that you, Lord Eiri, were not to be allowed. Under any circumstances."

Letting out a long sigh, Yuki ran his fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp.

"Hm. So what did the Demon Lord Say to do if I say... tried to force my way in?"

"To stop you." One of the guards replied "Under any means necessary."

"Uh huh..." Yuki nodded gently, lowering his hands. "Well, I guess there's only one thing for me to do then." He turned around, walking back towards the stairs.

The guards turned to laugh at each other. Only to be stopped with Yuki's right foot slammed into one of their faces.

X

Shuichi lay on his back, his fingers toying with the satin of the bed sheets. He'd decided to wait patiently for Eiri to return, hoping that they could pick up where they left off.

A scarlet blush spread across his cheeks as he remembered the events of earlier that night.

'He always does that...' Shuichi thought 'Teases me... tell me he wants me and then... leaves to fight.' He rolled over onto his side, pressing his face against the cool side of the pillow. 'He always wants to fight alone...' He sighed, his eyes falling closed. 'Wants to fight without me...'

X

"You know, he's just going to defy you."

"I know."

"And you don't try and stop him?"

"What good would it do?"

Hina sighed, turning and looking at Kaname over the lace of her fan.

"I don't know, perhaps... save your life?"

Kaname sighed, letting out a frustrated growl and slumping so far in his throne that his backside hung off of it. Hina chuckled.

"You know." She spoke "This is the first time I've ever seen you like this."

"That's because you never see me." Kaname said, not meeting her face "For good reason."

Rolling her eyes, Hina continued. "No. It's because you never show any signs of weakness, unless it's for him." She stated, moving closer to him. "You're never worried, never stressed... unless it's something you love."

Kaname scoffed, still not looking at her.

"I love him?"

"Do you?"

Kaname turned to her, to find Hina's eyes staring blankly back at him. "Do you?" she asked again, leaning over him, her face inches from his.

Kaname fell silent. Unanswering.

"Then maybe..."

"You should mind your own business." He interrupted "My actions, my motives are my own."

"So then..." But before she could speak, she felt Kaname's hand reach up, and wrap around her throat. With seemingly no movement, he pulled her down towards him.

"My actions, my motivations, are my own, Mistress Hina." Kaname repeated. "Do I make myself clear?"

Gasping for air, she nodded. The throne room doors opened, and Mizu entered, carrying an armfull of paperwork.

"Lord Kaname," He began, glancing at Hina before shrugging and continuing. "You have matters to attend to."

"What is it?"

"The tariffs of the..." Mizu began "Kingdom and..." He paused, shooting another glance at Hina "The funding for the war guild. You have to read and sign off on the doctrines you proposed the other day."

"Have you looked over them?" Kaname asked

"Me, personally?"

"Yes. You personally Mizu. Have you?"

Mizu nodded.

"Did you see any problems?"

Mizu shook his head.

"Then hand me a pen."

Reaching into the coat of his pocket, Mizu placed the papers on Kaname's stomach, flat from the near horizontal position he was in.

"You know that you're..."

"Yes, I know that I'm still choking Hina, Mizu." Kaname spoke, extending his hand for the pen.

And then he immediately paused, tossing Hina away from him, she landed in a coughing, shuddering heap on the floor. He smoothly stood up, his long coat swaying with him, the papers that were resting neatly on his belly a scattered heap around him. Mizu let out a long sigh in depression at the mess he'd have to clean up. Before he could offer any complaints, Kaname spoke:

"She's here."

X

Yuki sighed, dusting off his coat and stepping over the bodies of the dungeon guards.

"Really?" He asked aloud to the unconscious demons "Is that the best you can do?"

Continuing to walk, he moved past rooms of various torture devices, being sure to grab the iron keys that hung on the wall near the guards desk as he moved deeper into the dungeon.

'I wonder how big this place is...' He thought 'How should I go about...'

"Yuna. You're such a bitch, you know that?"

'Finding them...'

Sighing softly and preparing himself for the worst, Yuki turned the upcoming corner, and reluctantly to the end of the hall.

"Just give me your bread, Hiro."

"I gave it to you yesterday!" He yelled back

The fangirl cocked her head to the side, crossing her arms.

"Hmph, and you call yourself a gentleman." She rolled her eyes "Ryu-chan..."

"No."

"But..."

"Go away before I burn you."

Swiftly, Yuna cowered to the other end of the cell.

"Now now." Yuki spoke, moving down the hall, trying to hide the annoyance on his face "Let's not bicker." As he approached the group, he realized that the cell he was being hidden in looked like any normal jail. 'But knowing Kaname, of course it's not.'

"Eiri!" Yuna cried, rushing to the bars "You've come to save us."

"Or have you come to gloat?" Ryuichi asked, not rising from his lounging spot on the ground.

"Neither." Yuki replied, running his fingers over the bars "Why are you all still here?"

"What do you mean?" Hiro asked, his eyes meeting Yuki.

"Well, I figure you would've either broken out of here by now... or been executed."

An awkward silence fell.

"We tried." Fuji spoke after a long while "The bars... this cage... there's something magic proof about it."

Yuki cocked his head. "Magic proof?"

"None of our attacks have any effect, and Yuna can't summon portals here..."

"So you're stuck?" Yuki asked.

"And again, you've come to gloat." Ryuichi muttered

"No." Yuki said, squatting down so that he was at eye level with him. "I came because I have a proposition."

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A.N. Yes, yes. You must hate me. I understand. It did take me almost 2 months to get this chapter up...acutally I think it might have been more than that. Opps! Well, I've been busy with college (first year!) and whatnot, but on a whim, I stayed up until 4 in the morning when I have to work at nine, fun fun, and hammered this out. More to come soon, I promise!