The train swayed around a corner.

The force pushed me a little further into Ichii's side, though just by a small glance, I could tell he hadn't noticed. His eyes were content, half closed as his head drooped onto my shoulder. His grip loosened, though I managed to grab the hardback novel before it had completely slipped from his hand. I sure am glad we managed to grab seats this time. Smiling softly, I nudged him with my elbow. When I received no response, I repeated the action, only slightly firmer.

"Ichii?"

He mumbled incoherently and shifted into a more comfortable position. I gave him a third little nudge. "Wake up, sleepyhead." Ichii blinked exactly three times, before he shook his hair back, though the grateful smile I was rewarded with was more than enough to compensate for ruining the adorable sight. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

His eyes, looking more than a little sleepy, melted in the golden rays spilling through the window, circling in a warm eclipse of the most pleasant hues, as his lips curved in a smile lethal enough to stop a girl's heart. "Hm...?Was I resting on you?" At my nod, Ichii carefully straightened himself back up, movements still slower than usual, showing the barest hint of sluggishness. "Sorry. Trains always seem to make me tired. It doesn't help that I get motion sickness when I sleep." He yawned and swiped absently at the stray droplets persistently clinging to his dark lashes like glittering diamonds.

"Are we almost there?"

"No." I said, cheerfully, craning my neck to catch another glimpse of a lake as we hurtled past. The sparkling azure water was so appealing, I just wanted to dive right in. "We've still got a while to go."

He hummed in response, lightly setting the novel back on his lap, thumbing through until he flipped to the correct page. I eagerly shifted closer, settling heavily against him to read over his shoulder. Ichii didn't complain. After all, we had been sharing the book for the entire journey.

Chuckling softly, the boy instead merely pinched my cheek between his thumb and forefinger, an endearingly teasing glint held in his eyes as I squirmed in an attempt to release myself. "You're looking pretty comfortable there." In reply, I just smirked as wickedly as I could and flopped against him, a complete deadweight. "Oh, here we go. You know, two can play at that game."

"You're way too mature." I challenged, and poked my tongue out at him. Ichii raised an eyebrow in a perfect arch and simply raised his arm, causing me to sprawl ungracefully across his lap.

"Hey!"

The movement was so sudden that the pressure of his finger against my lips shocked me into complete silence. "Shhh," My mock glare dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared. "You don't want to wake him, do you?"

My gaze shifted towards Zero, who was also exactly how he had been for most of the journey. Slumped across the entire seat, his head nestled on his folded arms as he used the arm rest for a pillow. Eyes closed, lashes dark against his pale skin and lips splayed in a small, peaceful smile, he looked positively angelic. I had to bite my lip to stifle the huge smile that threatened to spread across my face.

I still hadn't managed to fully comprehend how beautiful the villa was. It seemed as though I would be perpetually trapped in this awestruck state. Huge, pristine and exquisitely furnished, I couldn't help but think that it looked fit to house royalty.

Unfortunately, everyone else had different priorities. Take Zero for example; being nothing but a bottomless stomach, he had prompted the preparations for lunch. Initially, it had been just myself, Rokka and San cooking, but with the latter two being all but useless and myself struggling to organise things even with my competence in the kitchen, I was more than a little grateful when Forte decided to wade in and lend a welcomed hand.

"Hikari," I swivelled around mid-way through retrieving an, admittedly fairly heavy, bag of rice from the shelf. "Can you come and peel the rest of these? I'll get the rice." Evidently, Forte had noticed just how much I was struggling, even after raising myself up on tip-toes. I suppose the intelligent solution would've been to take the initiative and drag a stool over, instead of showing a total lack of grace as I stubbornly forced myself to stretch further than humanely possible.

After easily dodging San as she danced around with the long peel Forte had supplied her with, which served it's purpose of distracting the girl from the excessively pointy knives she could've otherwise have injured herself on, I made light work of peeling the remaining apples and fleetingly traded a secret smile with Ichii as he passed, Rokka obediently following closely behind as he gently ordered her to stay away from the fire.

"Do you know where the salt is?"

"Hmm... Let me see..." Forte was busy scouring the shelves, so I took to detecting around in the more obvious places. Fairly quickly, I caught sight of a little glass bottle on the counter. "Huh? I wonder if this is it..." It proved to be a little more difficult than I had anticipated to remove the lid, and due to the excessive amount of force I used to do so, the contents spilled directly into the simmering pot.

I froze in horror. Okay... That definitely wasn't salt. I gave the remaining contents an experimental sniff, hoping that I would be able to somehow deduce the liquid from it's scent. I failed. Spectacularly.

"I found the salt."

"Oh, you did?" I forced a bright smile onto my face and discretely nudged the bottle back on to the counter, pretending to watch intently as Forte worked.

Maybe it's alright? Browns furrowing, I gave the curry a dubious look. Well... It doesn't seem to be any different. It hasn't blown up yet either, which is surely a good sign...

I'm probably just being paranoid.

"HIKARI!"

I flinched. In my defence, the shout was unexpected and the violent crash that resonated after the door thrown open, practically with enough force to make it fly off its hinges, would have startled anyone. Expect for Ichii, who apparently was made of steel. The cause of this commotion was Rokka, who hurtled over with all the viscous energy of a tornado. "Why is this almost empty?"

She displayed the little glass bottle from earlier.

And by displayed I mean she shoved right in my face. Luckily, she didn't damage anything. For example, my face. Or, more importantly, her precious nails. On second thought, my face should probably take priority.

Probably.

"Oh, that." I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck and offered her an awkward half-smile. Rokka looked absolutely furious. If we were in a cartoon, I was sure that, by now, steam would be shooting out from her ears. "Was it yours? I'm really sorry, I thought it was salt and accidentally poured it in the curry. Maybe I can buy you a replacement..."

But Rokka, the rude child, wasn't even listening to me any more. She had practically dived straight on to Ichii's back and slammed her hands over his mouth with much more force than was exactly necessary, preventing him from taking even a single bite. Which, I couldn't help but feel was marginally melodramatic. It isn't as though I'd laced it with poison. The remaining occupants, however, didn't seem to receive the same treatment. They were perfectly free to dig into the curry, which they had already done and were now completely frozen, staring directly at me with identical unreadable expressions. Which, of course, wasn't unsettling in the least.

"Oh... Did it really taste that bad?" I was beginning to doubt myself. Maybe it was poison, after all.

"Hikari." I regarded Forte with a hint of wariness. His tone was... strange as he approached me.

Holding my hands up in a weak surrender sign, I mustered up an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Forte. You were a really great help earlier and now what have I done to repay you? I ruined the food you worked so hard to make. I really am sorry. But, it wasn't intentional, I swear. If I had know then I never would've-"

I stopped dead. Forte was grasping my hands in his own, eyes shining with an alien emotion as he, much to my surprise, declared, "I love you!" Ichii's head snapped around to clock the conversation, his face twisted in a confused expression that, in any other situation, would've been hilarious. "Please go steady with me!"

"W-wh-what are you saying, Forte? You can't be serious-"

"No, I'm serious! I'm really... in love with you."

The word speechless didn't really do my reaction justice. I gaped helplessly for a brief moment, and couldn't even fully comprehend what exactly his intentions were until he was so close I could feel his warm breath tickling my cheek. He's going to kiss me! Despite knowing that fact, I completely panicked, and froze up. Which, of course, was ever so helpful. Luckily, I didn't actually have to do anything to stop him, for Gou became my unexpected saviour, quickly appearing in my field of vision and easily ejecting him from my immediate surroundings.

I wasn't given even a brief respite as Gou had already twined our fingers together and was leaning far closer to my face than I would've liked, his gaze serious as he focused cool, unwavering eyes on my own. "Miss Hikari, choose me to court you."

I blinked exactly three times before his words fully registered in my brain, causing a wild blush to rise on my cheeks. I pulled my hands back and tucked them close to my chest as I retreated to a safe distance. "What's wrong with you two?"

"I love you, too!"

The unexpected glomp carried enough momentum to have me falling straight onto my knees. I could feel relieved that I at least hadn't scraped the skin off. Surprisingly, San's grip didn't even lessen for a moment. "San? Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Not you, too." I shot a pleading look over my shoulder. "What's going on here, Ichii?"

He was busy inspecting the bottle Rokka had abandoned on the table. The girl in question had disappeared from sight, which wasn't incriminating in the least. "Th-this is... A love potion!?" Evidently, he was surprised, if the fact that he almost dropped the bottle entirely was anything to go by. Replacing it without incident, Ichii's lips were drawn in a tight, grim line. "It's the curry, Hikari. It must have been in the curry."

"In the curry?" I echoed as an overwhelming thought suddenly dawned on me. "Then that means-" I snapped my head around and our gazes instantly locked. That alone seemed to confirm my suspicions. Zero hadn't appeared to have moved even an inch, but his eyes hadn't left me, even for a moment.

He can't be...!

"H-Hikari..." Zero edged his way towards me, cautious, like one would approach a frightened puppy. Head cocked slightly to the side, I couldn't help but feel how Zero-like his expression was, but, jarringly, how his movements didn't at all match. Awkward and disjointed, he lacked the effortless swagger that usually seemed to flow throughout his entire body. It was more than alarming. "Hikari, I can't believe I haven't realised it until now... But, you see, I've always... always... loved y-"

Hands clamped tightly over my ears, I squeezed my eyes shut, attempting to block out the whole world. "Kyah! No, Zero, don't say it!" I... I can't take this! And I couldn't. I really couldn't. Who would be able to handle one of their best friends being unable to act of their own free will? It was awful, seeing him in this zombie-like state.

So, I did the only reasonable thing that occurred to me.

I ran.

Very quickly, San appeared at my side. She was grinning childishly, as though this mad chase was just a simple game. "I've go you now!"

When I stumbled back to avoid her reaching hand, I felt a familiar presence behind, easily steadying me with a gentle pressure on my shoulder. "No you don't!" In an instant, I was swept off my feet. Remaining silent, Ichii's only response was the slow upwards curve of his lips, which displayed the barest hint of a smile, and the slight tightening of the arm around my back, as I settled into his embrace. Closing my eyes, I allowed my head to rest comfortably against his chest, content with listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"Ichii?"

"I didn't eat the curry. So it's alright, the potion hasn't affected me. Just relax. I'll protect you."

I wasn't entirely certain how long he had been running for. I just knew that, for a brief moment, everything was okay. Because Ichii was here. Because he had promised to protect me. And I trusted him. Because if anyone could figure out a plan, it was him. So I waited. And listened to the rhythmic beating. And as I listened, I felt my muscles relax. My fists unfurled, toes uncurled and the tension that had gripped tightly slowly dissipated. Constant and calming, it was the perfect lullaby, one that I was sure I wasn't the only one grateful that it lured me into a much more serene state.

Eventually, we came to a slow halt and I allowed my eyes to flutter open, but only after a little bit of prompting, in the form of Ichii carefully nudging my cheek. The said boy was smiling the same warm, reassuring smile he always seemed to wear as he gently lowered me back down to the ground. "I think we're safe now." I merely nodded. I didn't trust myself to speak just yet. "Now, I know you're there, Rokka! Don't hide. Come on out! You know how to reverse this spell, right?"

"I won't tell you!" Despite the fact that she was out of sight, I could still hear the pout in her voice. "Let everyone harass Hikari for once!"

Ichii contemplated her words for a moment. I could see a hint of exasperation in his eyes. "Hikari. Come over here for a second." His voice was so gentle. Low, rich, it held so much sweetness, like he was inviting me to share some precious secret with him. It was the same one that had won me over in the first place. My step had regained most of it's usual skip, though at the pressure of Ichii's hand on the small of my back, softly but insistently guiding me closer, it began to fade once more. "Let's kiss~"

"Eh? K-kiss? Wh-Why?"

His touch was electric, searing against my skin as he slowly lifted my chin up, causing my cheeks to flush deep red. "Because you're cute." That, in my opinion, didn't equate to a valid answer. But, I guess I was in no condition to complain. I was far too embarrassed to think straight.

A startled gasp escaped my lips. "C-cute?" Stammering uncontrollably, I could barely force the word out. "But wait a minute...!"

In the dying afternoon light, his eyes really did look like sunsets for their own.

"Stop!" The command came from Rokka, as she leapt straight out of the tree, evidently with the full intent of pushing us apart. Ichii merely grinned, looking as child-like as I had ever seen him, and wasted no time in trapping her in an expertly timed charm capsule. "Let me out!"

Ichii ignored the order and angled his back to the young girl for good measure. "Stay there for a time out!"

My hand fluttered to my chest as I allowed a tentative smile to creep at the corners of my lips. "Oh, I see. So the kiss was just an excuse to lure Rokka out." That definitely helped to steady my erratic heartbeat.

Ichii glanced over, a decisively wicked smile in placed as he shot me a wink that, in certain cases, would surely be more than enough to make some girls melt from several meters. "I wouldn't have minded if we kissed." I couldn't help but curse his teasing. He merely chuckled as I blushed brighter than humanely possible.

"There's only one way to undo the spell. Hikari needs to kiss someone who drank the potion." Rokka had her arms folded. That deadly scowl was definitely directed solely at me. "Many people accidentally took the potion, but you don't have to kiss all of the them. You only need one to help you out."

Ichii looked extremely relieved. "So, that's it?" He received a small confirming nod in reply.

I, on the other hand, frowned intently, and drew my arms a little tighter around myself. N-No way... Even if it's for breaking the spell, I can't kiss someone on the...

On the lips.

Ichii regarded me with a concerned expression. I returned a half-hearted smile.

But... If I have to pick any of them... Who would it be? Well... I barely know Gou at all... He's always been a mystery to me, and I seriously doubt that fact will ever change. He's very mature, even more so than Ichii, and that's saying something. Then there's Forte, and it's not like I'm on any better terms with him. Though, when he's not trying to kill me, I guess he can be pretty friendly. And San? I don't even know where to start with her.

That leaves...

Zero.

We're close. That much should be blindingly obvious. And while Zero could be brash and loud, and maybe a little insensitive at times, I knew he was also sweet and that he could be oddly protective when it came to certain matters (one of which I couldn't deny was myself). Despite that closeness, I guess we do fight with each other, more often than with Ichii. Sometimes he can be too hotheaded; matched with my meekness and sensitivity, the results often caused sparks to fly. But, aside from the occasional spats, we always seem to be able to convey just how much we truly care for each other.

So maybe...

Maybe I could kiss him...

But-

Would it change anything between us?

"I think... I'll pick San."

Ichii still had that tight-lipped expression, and, by now, the shadow of concern was unmistakable. It was comforting to know that he cared. "I guess we'll started heading there, then."

"Ichii-sama, I'm going, too!" Rokka exclaimed, her pitch higher than usual and tone distressed as she bounced anxiously around inside the little bubble. "You wouldn't leave a five-year-old out her alone, would you?"

After trading a short look with me, in which I merely shrugged, Ichii sighed and lifted her up into his arms. Rokka seemed to be positively elated at that. I suppose Ichii must have noticed my slight wariness, for he said, in a severe voice, "Don't try anything."

"Of course I won't." I, for one, didn't believe her even for a second. Even smiling sweetly up at Ichii didn't seem to convince him otherwise, either. When she began to chuckle softly, though, my eyebrows disappeared into my hairline and Ichii looked just as confused as I felt. "She doesn't really need a person to kiss her on the mouth to break the spell, but I won't tell her."

"I get it now."

Rokka flinched. Visibly. Which wasn't incriminating at all. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yep. Loud and clear." The boy confirmed, giving me a gentle tug on the wrist. "Change of plan, Hikari. Instead of looking for them, we're heading straight back to the villa." It wasn't easy to miss the low growl that rose in Rokka's throat as I obediently began to follow. Neither was it particularly hard to notice how much Ichii was struggling to containing the, evidently furious, girl.

"Everyone!" She yelled, louder than I thought she could manage with her tiny child lungs. "Hikari's over here!"

I gasped as they all came hurtling out from the undergrowth and stampeded over, all calling for me in strange, distorted voices. For a brief moment, I stumbled back, wide-eyed with horror. Then, I whipped around and bolted. I ran at a speed that would have otherwise earned me an Olympic Gold medal, just catching the end of Ichii's cry as it was lost in the midst of the commotion.

"Hikari, wait!" That voice, however, was much closer. And very familiar. Zero! Evidently, Zero had channelled is inner Roadrunner, as I had barely made it ten more steps before his arms captured me and pulled me flush against his chest. "I've got you." His voice was soft, and despite lacking the perpetually cocky undertone, it was still his voice. And despite being no more than a puppet to the potion, it was still him.

Still Zero.

And yet, not Zero at all.

"Hikari..." My heart, still erratic from the mad sprint, thumped painfully against my chest. No... It's not him... Zero is under the- "I love you." Feeling more than a little flustered, I attempted to regain my senses, which had all but vanished due to his disarming declaration. In a trace-like state, I found myself facing him, lost in those deep pools of blue, with no memory of ever turning around. Am I... going to kiss Zero now? Time almost seemed to stop. It was just me and him, his hand on the small of my back, eyes so close they looked like pure, precious sapphires. I can't...But this is to help break the spell... Isn't it? His hand cupped my cheek. Warm, alive, his butterfly touch barely registered against my tingling skin. I've no choice...This is to... Help... Him...

Still...

Would it change anything?

"I can't!" My hands were braced against his chest, pushing him away gently, but insistently. "Zero.. I just can't..."

Please understand.

"Hikari!" Ichii had a light grip on my upper arm and was gently tugging me towards him. I felt my face break out into a relieved smile just at the mere sight of him.

"Ichii-"

"I'm sorry." The words shocked me into silence. I had only just realised how close he was. "It won't take long." My cheeks flushed deep red as he lifted my chin higher. "Hold still." Mind blank, I squeezed my eyes closed. It wasn't an appropriate solution, but it was the only one I had to defend against the light pressure on my lips.

Ichii...?

A dog barked.

Loudly.

Startled, my eyes shot open.

And they met with orbs of the brightest green I had ever seen. Not ones of melted chocolate, or the clearest ocean. Ones that displayed a wide, luscious forest, bursting with life. And those eyes belonged to a small dog that I previously failed to notice had been accompanying Ichii but was now nestled safely in my arms.

"Hey, what were we doing?"

"I don't remember."

Ichii sighed. "Just in time."

For a moment, I caught Zero's eye. He looked dazed, but unhurt, and just as confused as the others. The awful constricting pain in my chest instantly lessened, and my heart swelled with relief. "Hey," I said, gently tugging on the brunette's sleeve. "Everyone's back to normal. Why? Did something happen?"

Ichii grinned. That smile caused a tell-tale gleam to return to his eyes. Finally, he was relaxed. "It didn't really need to be a person to kiss with, so I borrowed the neighbours dog and gave it the potion."

So... that was it... For a second there... I thought that... Ichii had kissed me...

"Is something wrong?"

I was momentarily startled. Ever observant, Ichii had easily spotted the change in my mood. I, on the other hand, was not observant and hadn't noticed him stooping low to anxiously assess my expression. "Oh, no. Nothing's wrong." I rewarded him with an uncertain, half-smile. "I'm okay. I guess... I'm still a little shaken, that's all."

He seemed satisfied with that.

Though, my torture wasn't to end there. Rokka, in a fit of rage, decided to channel her emotions in the first way she thought of. Binge-eating the curry. Which, wasn't healthy in normal circumstances. Ichii helpfully reminded me that right now, in this current situation, it was an extra dose of insanity with his concerned shout. "Hey! Rokka, that curry is-"

Two seconds later, the girl was clinging to my middle, declaring her undying love to me.

"Waaaaaaah, Ichii, help!"

A/N: *Gasp* Can it be? A single chapter? Yeah. Manga chapters are a lot more difficult to write than I expected~

Despite that, I hope you enjoyed it. I think I'm getting the hang of cutting back on my long winded descriptions, which I'm pretty glad about. I edited a few of the very beginning chapters as well, so I'm feeling fairly good about that.

Also, I really need to pull myself together. I hadn't realised it'd been almost a month since I updated! Hugely sorry about that.

LoveInuyasha22: Thank you! I'm really glad you liked that last chapter. And finally, one of the manga only chapters I told you about! I hope this lives up to your expectations.