Kiera survey the place cautiously. Though it looked somewhat familiar to what she was used to Uruha had strange objects everywhere. Kiera caught herself smiling amused at the clutter around the house. A pile of freshly laundered clothes occupied one chair. Circular shiny disks and flat boxes littered the floor near a low table, directly in front of a large black object hanging on the wall that strongly reminded her of a painting.
Takeru sprang up on top of a plush cushioned couch, curiously studying an instrument that lay on it. Kiera was sure it was a musical instrument of some sort for it had strings like that of a harp...only this thing was shaped rather oddly and had knobs. Before he could touch it, Uruha took it away cradling it gently, leaving Takeru to pout.
"I am tired." Takeru announced sullenly, "I wish to retire to bed."
Deciding that it was safe, Kiera unbuckled her swords placing them carefully on the low glass topped table. Then she turned to address Uruha. He gave her an awkward smile, scratching the back of his neck.
"I'm afraid we would have to intrude upon your hospitality. Under the circumstances, I dare not wonder off to seek shelter elsewhere. Will you accommodate us under your roof?"
"Of course!" Uruha replied swiftly, "Make yourselves at home!"
He walked to the guest room and motioned towards Takeru. "You can sleep here," he said nervously, wondering if the demon's still mad at him. That was the reason he didn't offer his own bed. Who knows what Takeru will do to it.
Takeru wordlessly entered the room, scrutinizing everything curiously before giving in and curling up on the bed.
Still slightly reluctantly, Uruha closed the door and returned to Kiera.
"So... um..." he started, twisting his hands together anxiously, aware that they were both alone, "You must be tired too. You can... take a shower or something if you want and rest."
Ruki's earlier transparent innuendo concerning him and Kiera came rushing back into his head and he blushed, turning away his head and adding on hurriedly, "I don't mean anything by that! I mean, I find a nice bath very relaxing... so I thought it might be relaxing for you too! I don't have any ulterior motives. I won't be taking advantage of you or anything, so no worries about that!"
Kiera just stared at him strangely. Uruha began to wonder if boundaries or situations like this one mean the same thing in her world.
What was he babbling about? Kiera had not thought anything strange when he offered a bath...at least not until he started babbling. It only made her suspicious. Kiera had to admit, the thought of a long bath was indeed welcoming. She had not slept a wink since the day before and the anxiety of their sudden arrival at Uruha's world had only added to her exhaustion.
"I would appreciate a bath, thank you."
Then it occurred to her that she had no spare clothes, "On second thought, perhaps a place to sleep is best. I have no other clothing with me." She said tentatively.
"Oh! You can wear my clothes!" Uruha said, hurrying to his bedroom to retrieve some. Most of his clothes are uncomfortable and complicated outfits for shows. She won't be wearing any of those. His eyes then settled on a pair of pajamas. Oh these would do... and Kiera would look adorable in them too. Uruha smiled to himself and brought them out.
"Here you go," he said happily, handing her the clothes. He liked that Kiera was going to wear his clothes for some reason. "Then afterwards you can sleep in my room. No worries."
Apprehensively, Kiera took the clothes Uruha gave her. She was not comfortable wearing a man's clothing, in fact it was frowned upon if a lady were to be seen in a man's attire. Her own clothes, though not the most ladylike or feminine were specifically made to suit her military status. Kiera sighed, she didn't have much of a choice now did she. Hopefully after a good rest, she can think of a way to get back.
Uruha showed her to his room where he left her to change. As soon as the door closed behind him, Kiera stripped off all her clothing quickly donning Uruha's. The large mirror that stood on the opposite wall showed her just how ridiculous she looked. She was not a small person but still Uruha's clothes were big on her. Silently cursing his long limbs, she had to roll the pants several times around the hem and proceeded to do the same to the shirt sleeves. She could do nothing about the wide neck of the shirt that bared more skin on her shoulders than she was comfortable with. It didn't help matters at all that the pants had yellow ducks painted all over it. Why did he even own such pants? No man she knew would be caught in them.
Kiera knew she was blushing when she opened the door. Uruha stood on the other side. When she appeared, a grin lit up his beautiful face.
Uruha couldn't believe how adorable she looked. He admitted he had visioned Kiera wearing modern-day clothes but she was even cuter than in his imagination. "You're so cute!" Uruha said, smiling from ear to ear. Kiera just returned a slightly puzzled look. Oh right! Cute must be a relatively modern word... Uruha corrected himself, "I mean you look very... um... delightful." Uruha turned his head away in embarrassment. Delightful? It made him sound like an old aunt or something, talking about food not describing a lady!
But Kiera didn't seem to mind. She smiled back. Her words from earlier today echoed in his head... the word 'girlfriend' coming out of her mouth was enough to make Uruha's heart stop beating in pure joy. What did she mean by that? Uruha felt like if he doesn't get the answer to this, he's going to have to live the rest of his life in continuous excitement.
"Um Kiera," Uruha started nervously, "I want to ask you something and... you have to give me an honest answer..."
He motioned for her to sit beside him on the couch and she obliged, curiously waiting for his question. Uruha took a deep breath, and calmed himself down. He expected a very high pitched voice to come out if he didn't relax and that would just be humiliating.
"Wh-what did you mean earlier today?" Uruha said slowly and shakily, "When you introduced yourself as my girlfriend to my friends..."
Had she misheard him? From his mannerism Kiera had thought he would ask something of importance. Kiera let it go, after all he had been a good host to her and Takeru. It would not do to be impolite to him.
"Forgive me if it was not how I should have answered your friend's question. As it were, I do consider you a friend and though I did not fully understand why he would need to define my gender I simply assumed it was the right way to address myself in this place." Kiera explained.
Uruha's face fell at her words. Had she said something wrong?
Uruha felt like someone had just smashed his chest. A heavy sinking feeling washed over him and he slumped back on the sofa mechanically. He didn't know how to respond to her answer. In a little corner of his mind, he had expected her to give this type of response but he had ignored this idea and let false hope bloom instead.
It was then that he'd realized what he should have realized so long ago. Why he was so uptight when she was so close to Reita... why he was so anxious about Reita finding out his thoughts... why he was so distressed whenever she seemed irritated by him... The obvious truth had been staring at him right in the face but he was too blind to notice. He had feelings for Kiera. He was in love with her. How ironically brutal for his awareness of his emotions and her clear identification of him as her friend to be in sync. Suddenly just looking at her felt painful.
But he had to give her a response. He can't just sit there looking like he had a stroke. Uruha cleared his throat, as if that would disguise his evident misery. "Oh I see," he said simply, his voice trembling and soft, barely a whisper. He mustered a smile. "Well," he continued, "You must be exhausted. I'll let you take your rest now."
He led her into his room, although his knees were like jelly and it was difficult to just stand up. "Go ahead," he pointed to his bed, still feigning a grin, "Make yourself comfortable. I'll just stay outside."
Kiera was not falling for his brave act. Something was not quite right. She watched him intently as he led the way to his bed chamber. For the life of her, Kiera could not fathom what had happened; had he not been smiling a mere few minutes ago? Now a gloomy aura rode off him in waves.
Kiera took a hold of his arm, forcibly turning him to face her. She could feel his resistance. Even when he did face her, he would not look at her. The action irked her and at the same time intensified her worry.
"Have I caused you distress, Uruha?" she asked, "If I did, I apologize. Know that it was not my intention."
Kiera's hand on his arm felt like a stinging burn on his skin. Uruha thought he's about to die with all the instability of his heart rate. One minute it's beating like crazy, the next it's slowly dwindling down to a stop, and at times it just literally stops for a second. And now it's beating like crazy once more. Being with Kiera like this is definitely not healthy for him. And yet he still wants to be with her.
"I-I'm alright, don't worry about me," Uruha managed to say quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly. Kiera wasn't convinced. She still held on and stared at him intently. Her concern for him made him happy and sad at the same time. For one, he was happy that she cared for him... but that care was just natural since she considered him a friend and that made him sad.
"You didn't do anything Kiera," Uruha said, "I'm also kind of tired... so maybe that's why I appear upset. But really, I'm fine." He jerked his arm away from her, with a lot more force than he had intended to and he saw more worry dawn on her face. "Sorry," he sighed, not knowing what he's apologizing for.
He smiled at her again before leaving the room but Kiera stopped him once more.
"Clearly you are not ready to tell me the cause of your distress. You have that right and I will not force you." Kiera told him, "You need the comfort of your own bed. Perhaps it shall make you feel better when the morrow comes."
Kiera quickly exited the room before Uruha could object. Worry over him still clouding her mind, she settled on the couch. Just as she began to relax her body, Uruha reappeared. His sombre aura had not changed though. For a moment Kiera wondered if he was going to argue about sleeping there.
Uruha didn't feel like talking to her anymore. It would just make her voice out her worry for him more and sadden him more. She had just went off to the living room by herself and lied down on the sofa. He can't let her sleep on there, that'd be rude and wrong. Also, deviantly, Uruha wanted her to sleep on his bed. His grounds for this desire was unjustified but he's going to ignore them.
Without a word, Uruha pulled Kiera up from the couch roughly and dragged her towards his bedroom. Back in her world, this sort of action would have assured hundreds of spears and swords shoved in his face for manhandling a Marshal, but this was his house in his world. He could hear Kiera confusedly start to complain but he wasn't listening. Uruha picked up the spare blanket and a pillow from the bed and prodded Kiera to sit on the bed.
"You're going to sleep in my room," Uruha announced with dominion, "End of discussion."
With that, he shut the door with a slight bang and strode towards the couch. He needs to sleep too. With all that had happened, his mind is an immense jungle. Also, he felt like he's on the verge of tears if he thinks about Kiera's inadvertent rejection of him.
Kiera stared at the closed door, her stomach feeling like it was full of fluttering butterflies. No man had ever manhandled her, the way Uruha just did. Not even Reita or the King. Admittedly, she would not have let anyone behave that way to her. Shrugging off the unbidden thoughts of Uruha's sudden assertiveness rousing her attraction, Kiera sank between the many pillows of Uruha's bed.
Uruha's scent lingered on the pillow. Unconsciously, Kiera buried herself deeper into it breathing in the intoxicating scent. Despite the event of the day, Kiera fell into slumber with a smile on her lips.
The sounding of a bell roused Kiera from her sleep. Acting on impulse, she reached for her swords only to realize, she had left them on the table in the sitting room. A swift glance told her it was yet early in the morning. Quietly padding across the room, Kiera opened the door. The first thing, her eyes landed on was a sleeping Uruha. His long limbs dangling from the edge of the couch.
A series of knocks came from the main entrance door followed by another ringing of the bell. Uruha only groaned and slept on. Kiera was tempted to wake him but decided to let him sleep. If it was an intruder, it would be utter idiocy to announce their arrival. The only reason a bell is ever rung is when there is impending trouble. Out of caution, Kiera armed herself with her swords. With her sword poised to attack, Kiera wrenched open the door, the action followed by feminine shrieks and a body falling to the ground.
"Woah! Way to greet a person, Kiera." Ruki said from his position on the floor. Recognizing Aoi and Ruki, Kiera lowered her blades.
"I had thought you were intruders. Forgive me." She said, extending her arm to help Ruki off the floor. He took her hand with a smile. Aoi on the other hand was staring at her weapons.
"Are those real? They look very real." He asked nervously. Kiera followed his gaze to her weapons with a frown.
"Indeed they are real. Why would I carry false weaponry?" Kiera replied, slightly confused. Stepping aside, Kiera gestured for them to enter. Both Ruki and Aoi walked in carefully keeping a distance from her swords.
"Really into the character eh" Ruki commented. Kiera ignored it for she had no idea what he meant.
When the three of them reached Uruha's sleeping form, Kiera heard the two gasp. Takeru perched on the back of the couch, his face hovering mere inches away from Uruha's. Though, only a little of Takeru's face could be seen, there was no mistaking the mischievous twist to the broad smile painted across his lips.
"Would you like a kiss to awake you from your dreams?" Takeru said quietly. Kiera frowned; Takeru had adopted a strangely feminine voice. She noticed Ruki shoot an odd amused look at her. Aoi slapped his hand across his mouth keeping down his mirth.
Uruha sat up with a jolt from the sudden voice near his ears, hitting Takeru's forehead with his own. The demon groaned and fell off the couch, clutching his head in pain. Uruha did the same and glared at Takeru. He was slightly glad that it was Takeru though. From the feminine voice, he'd thought it was Kiera. Hitting Kiera's forehead this way would definitely decrease his chances of actually having her as his girlfriend.
"Uruha..." Aoi interrupted playfully, glancing at Kiera in Uruha's pajamas, "So you had THAT kind of night eh?"
"Maybe it wasn't just the two of you after all though," Ruki sighed, eying Takeru, "I didn't know you swing that way..."
"WHAT!" Uruha stood up, waving his hands frantically, "You've got it all wrong. We all just fell asleep. NOTHING happened. And I obviously don't swing that way." He was getting tired of people thinking he's gay.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Uruha sighed, sitting back on the couch. It's morning and he's already exhausted.
Takeru leapt up onto the couch again, this time close to where Kiera stood.
"Why are sleeping on the couch anyway. Did you kick him out, Kiera?" Ruki asked, eying Uruha suspiciously, "He did something weird didn't he?"
Kiera cocked her head, utterly confused. Before she could even think of an appropriate answer, Aoi placed his arm over her shoulders.
"Ya know...if you get bored of Uruha, I'm right here for you." Aoi said, suggestively. This situation was getting awkward, Kiera thought.
Politely extricating herself from Aoi's arm, Kiera stepped away. Not that Aoi was unattractive, but Kiera felt slightly uncomfortable at his closeness. She had grown used to Reita's friendly affectionate gestures, it no longer bothered her. Aoi; she had only met the day before.
Kiera vaguely noticed the look of outrage on Uruha's face. Then, she remembered his behaviour the previous night. She was tempted to ask if he was feeling any better but tactfully decided to wait till out of the others' ear shot.
"I feel hunger gnawing my insides." Takeru announced.
"Hunger gnawing your insides?" laughed Aoi, "Man, this guy's a pretty hardcore otaku too. Uruha, you got some kind of fetish?"
"Shut up," Uruha moaned, "I told you it's not like that." He was getting quite vexed with Aoi. It probably has something to do with his suggestion about him being available to Kiera.
"Your name is Takeru right? There's food in the fridge," Ruki said to the little demon, pointing to the kitchen casually, as if this was his home.
"Fridge? What might that be?" Takeru asked, looking completely confused.
"Seriously?" Ruki asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.
"I'll take you to the kitchen!" Uruha volunteered before Takeru can reply. For some reason, Uruha was avoiding eye contact with Kiera. He didn't even understand why himself. Uruha strode towards the fridge and took out some chocolate. He had seen Kiera give Takeru candies back in their world, he must like sweet things. Takeru stared in awe at the fridge and when Uruha handed him the chocolate, he eyed it in wonder.
"What wondrous magic!" he uttered, "Does this box exist solely for the purpose of generating sustenance?"
Uruha was confused by his question. "Um... if you mean does it always have food in it...then yeah."
Uruha took some more chocolates and gave them to Kiera, blushing as he did so. "Y-you can have some too if you want," he mumbled.
Kiera was not keen on breaking fast with sweets but seeing Uruha's flustered state, she accepted. Aoi and Ruki followed them, both looking amused.
"Don't you-" Aoi began. He was rudely interrupted by loud banging on the entrance door.
"I know you're in there, Uruha! Open this door right now! Or I swear to god I'll break it down!" Reita's voice yelled from the other side. Upon hearing the familiar voice, relief washed over Kiera then it turned into to anxiety. If Reita was here...who is left to watch of Tora and Rika? Kai was with Ishitaka. Silently Kiera despaired.
"Is it just me or does that sound like our noseless bassist?" Aoi asked. Ruki glanced at Uruha who was apparently rooted to the spot his mouth open.
Shaking his head at his friend's evident lack of response, Ruki went to relieve Reita's pounding on the door. As soon as the door opened, Reita rushed in scanning the place as though looking for something. He did not even acknowledge Ruki.
"Kiera!" he exclaimed. The next thing Kiera knew her face was placed against Reita's sturdy chest then as swiftly he was gone.
"Do you have any idea what I went through looking for you! Next time you want to kidnap the bloody Marshal of the Kingdom, leave a fricking note! How the hell am I supposed to explain to the king you'd whisk his precious Marshal away to another world! And choose a better time too! We were in the middle of a crisis with Kai abducted by that god damn demon!" He yelled at Uruha, his finger jabbing into the other's chest with every sentence.
Uruha backed away nervously with every jab Reita made at him. He was right to be mad, but it wasn't Uruha's fault at all. "I'm sorry!" Uruha said, honestly, "I didn't intend it. It just sort of happened. I was trying to see if I could bring Kai back-"
"Obviously you've overestimated yourself," Reita hissed back, fires of rage burning in his eyes.
"I-I'm really sorry," Uruha repeated, glancing at Kiera for help. He felt like Reita was about to chew his head off.
"Um... Reita?" it was Aoi who interrupted, looking at him with suspicion and worry, "Hello?"
Reita calmed himself down, apparently just realizing that Ruki and Aoi were in the room with them. "So where exactly is Kai?" Ruki asked, "Abducted by a demon?"
"Geez, you all fucking disappear and come back with random people dressed like they just walked out of a fantasy movie set. And you're also acting like you escaped from a fucking mental hospital run by a roleplaying nerd," said Aoi, shaking his head, "I think you guys need help."
Reita promptly ignored Aoi's remark, making his way back to Kiera. He leaned heavily against her. In an effort to calm him, Kiera offered him Uruha's chocolates. With an appreciative noise, he accepted them.
"It's a very long twisted story that hasn't ended yet. Uruha will tell you all about it when it's over. Or maybe even our Leader-sama." Reita said, unwrapping the chocolate.
Ruki made a disgruntled noise, "Someone better explain in detail, or I'll murder everyone of you."
"Even our oh so responsible Leader-sama ditched us. We had to apologize to the fans! And why the hell are you all cosy over there with Kiera?" Aoi's fixed them with a questioning look.
The question gave Kiera a start. She had been thinking of Tora and Rika, she had the feeling they would not patiently wait for them to return. Tora perhaps... but definitely not Rika.
Reita shrugged, "Why not?"
"Because she's with Uruha? Dude come on, you can't pull that kind of crap on your friends." said Ruki, pointing at Uruha.
Kiera frowned. What did he mean she was with Uruha? Her eyes landed on Uruha; he did not look pleased. Perhaps what Ruki said had offended him.
Uruha glared at Reita. It's bad enough that he's yelling at Uruha for something out of his control and he has to go and get all friendly with Kiera! The possibility that Kiera might be more interested in developing an intimate relationship with Reita before Uruha made him jealous and annoyed beyond reason. He is, after all, LORD Rei... the almighty oh-so-powerful magical-orb-wielding master that saved her frickin cat!
Reita laughed, "What? Ruki, what do you mean Kiera is Uruha's?"
Ruki shrugged. "They're dating."
Reita put his arm around Kiera's shoulder, raising his eyebrows at Uruha. "Yeah that'll happen the day Hell freezes over. If anything, she's mad at him for kidnapping her and bringing her here against her will. Cuz that's what Uruha does now apparently. Just abduct other people's Marshals without permission and do whatever the hell he wants."
Uruha forcefully kicked the coffee table in front him inadvertently in his sudden and inexplicable rage; it flipped over, the sound of the glass shattering echoing across the now silent room.
"What's your problem?" Reita asked in disbelief.
"It wasn't my fault," Uruha retorted through gritted teeth, his hands clenching into fists by themselves, "I said I'm sorry. What more do you want from me?"
"Sorry? Yeah, that's the only word you know huh? Going off doing whatever you want without considering its effect on other people," Reita continued arrogantly. He purposely swiped the back of his hand against Kiera's cheek. "Why don't you apologize to Kiki too?"
That's it. Uruha strode towards Reita, grabbing him by the collar, ready to wipe that conceited smirk off his face.
Before things could get more out of control, Kiera thought it was about time she interfered. Aoi and Ruki seemed too shocked by the sudden fight. Takeru was clearly enjoying the discord to be of much help.
"Enough." Kiera pulled Uruha away from Reita, placing herself between them. Rage burned in Uruha's eyes. Why she would think the anger made him look more beautiful was beyond her reasoning. No, this is not the time for such thoughts, she berated herself.
Kiera sensed Reita move behind her, she was quicker than him though. He had barely taken a step forward, hands balled into fists when Kiera pushed him back.
"I said, enough." Kiera said firmly, "What can you think to accomplish by picking a fight with each other."
"He started it!" Reita protested. Kiera forced herself to be patient. She felt as if she was dealing with naughty children.
"It is the least of our worries, Lord Rei." Then turning back to Uruha, Kiera softened her voice to soothe him, "Can you not rein in your temper? At least for now."
Uruha backed away, even though his anger hasn't subsided. He was just going to put it on hold for Kiera's sake.
"Did she just call Reita Lord-" Uruha heard Aoi whisper to Ruki who shushed him before he could continue, evidently very interested in the rough turn of events.
"You're coming with me Kiera," Reita said, making a point to ignore Uruha's very existence, "We can't waste time here."
Uruha felt like he didn't want to go back to that medieval and complicated world. This was his house, his country, his world. He didn't belong anywhere else. Besides, at this point he can't imagine spending time with Kiera when Reita has a better chance of being with her.
"Fine you guys can go," Uruha said dejectedly, "I'm staying here."
Kiera had been about to agree to Reita's suggestion when Uruha spoke. Suddenly, it was her anger that needed reining in.
"You cannot abandon the quest! After the ruckus you caused to bring me along on the journey, you cannot presume to think I would let you stay behind." Kiera had difficulty controlling her voice. It was almost unreasonable that his rejection would incite that much anger.
Uruha sulked, not making eye contact with Kiera. He didn't like to see her being angry but he just wasn't in the mood to go back.
"I'm sure you can find someone else to do the quest," Uruha said, folding his arms and staring at the ground.
Kiera was seething. The man was impossibly stubborn. She turned to Reita demanding him to help.
"He can be stubborn as mule when he wishes to be." Reita said with a shrug.
Kiera decided to switch to a different tactic. Glaring at the others, "Leave us be." They did not need to be told twice. Ruki backed away his eyes darting between Kiera and Uruha.
"Come on." Reita mumbled, dragging Aoi out as well. When they were alone, save for Takeru, Kiera closed in on a nervous Uruha.
"The King bestowed the quest upon you and I will not allow you to abandon it," she said her voice dangerously low, "Do not test me, Uruha. Do not force me to drag you back screaming and fighting. Have no doubt that I will if you resist."
Their bodies were so close; she could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Kiera resisted placing her hand on his heart. His eyes were wide, staring at her. She left him then, storming away to change back into her own clothes. As she exited the room, Aoi and Ruki jumped away looking guilty. Kiera rolled her eyes. It was obvious they had been eavesdropping. Reita stood near them leaning against the wall.
"Did the pretty boy agree?"
Uruha felt like his heart was about to explode at their close proximity. Even after she left him, the nervousness lingered in his brain for a long time before he could recover from it. This type of thing is another reason he didn't want to go back after all.
Kiera's only asking him to go back because of the quest and because her King asked her to. It has nothing to do with him. Why must he go back anyway? He never chose to travel to a strange land and go on a dangerous mission for strangers! He never chose to fall for Kiera either. And yet he has. Kiera was from a different world. She's never going to return his feelings. Now that he thought about it, the only reason he managed to make it through that weird world was because of Kiera. Now that he knows she only thinks about him as a friend, it's painful to go back and watch her be happy with some other man in the future after their mission is completed.
In his misery, Uruha didn't notice Takeru staring at him slyly. He looked like he wanted to say something. "What?" Uruha barked at him, in no mood for the demon's usual mischief.
"It seems I will have to comfort our dear Marshal when we return without you. Oh how she loves you so. She is saddened by your refusal."
Uruha's eyes jerked open. He grabbed Takeru roughly by the shoulders and stared into the demon's eyes, searching for any kind of deception. "What do you mean she loves me?" he asked, his heart beginning to beat faster again. Great, he'd JUST calmed himself down from Kiera's earlier closeness.
"Why do you think she was so angry? She thinks you wish to abandon her. Break her heart you will."
Uruha let go of Takeru, his head now filled with vivid imaginations of Kiera and him... kissing and hugging and going shopping hand in hand... maybe get a pet cat or dog together... live together... walking down the aisle at their wedding. He shook his head to clear it out, his face probably the colour of a tomato now.
He couldn't even describe how happy he felt right now. Suddenly everything around him seemed to be brighter and more colourful. He repressed the urge to jump around whooping and singing songs.
He glanced back at Takeru who didn't seem to be lying. But this little demon was known for his mischief. What if he IS lying? Can Uruha really take that chance?
"Uruha-chan! I made you a bento! Look, I arranged it so it's heart shaped!" Kiera, wearing a frilly and cute outfit said in his mind, "I cooked it myself! Say ahh~! "
Uruha collapsed on the couch, a weird smile on his face. Oh yeah, he can take that chance.
When Kiera re-entered the sitting room, Uruha's mood seemed to have taken a complete turn. Takeru grinned up at her from his perch beside Uruha. Kiera eyed them suspiciously. Had something happened in her absence? Reita apparently was being put under interrogation by Aoi and Ruki.
"Kiki!" he cried in relief. He jumped up to her side, away from the two.
"Let me get this straight...You're not with Uruha or Reita, does that mean you're single?" Aoi asked, a cheeky smile plastered on his pretty face.
"If by that you mean I am unmarried, then yes." Kiera said uncertainly. Kiera squirmed under his gaze. At first when she felt an arm circle around her shoulders, she assumed it was Reita. Kiera frowned, the weight of the said arm was unfamiliar, and it was not heavy like Reita's.
Kiera barely managed to swallow her gasp, when she realized it was Uruha. Why was he touching her? Kiera made no move to reject him though. He beamed at her, stunning her with his sudden change of mood. Someone cleared their throat making her look away from the bright smile.
"Rei chan won't talk about who took Kai. He is ok...right?" Ruki asked.
"I shall do all that I possibly can to bring him back. Have no fear, Takeru assures me that he is safe." Kiera smiled at him. Uruha's happiness was infectious.
Uruha's head was spinning when he arrived back near the cave. It seems that Travelling depends very much on the main traveler's mood and Reita was in a very bad mood and it reflected on everyone else. Kiera looked like she was nauseated too.
Uruha just wanted to hold her in his arms and pat her head like a little cat. He grinned broadly, Takeru's words echoing in his head. If not for those words, he would never have set foot in this world again. His eyes fell on Kiera once more as she maintained her balance, and looking around, obviously happy she was back in a familiar place. Ah, she looked adorable in any form. It was amazing how just a few hours ago, Uruha felt her very existence hurt him in every way... and now it was like the world was a brighter place with her in it. It was a clichéd and cheesy idea, but he couldn't help it.
He felt quite sorry for Ruki and Aoi though, who were left behind with nothing but perplexed faces and a vague promise of answers when they get back. They were good friends. Uruha smiled to himself, somewhat glad that they weren't there with him. He wouldn't want their personalities to change and become like Shou or Ishitaka. It'd be a lot sadder if it was them.
Kiera and Reita were now walking in front of them in their own little world, looking like they were discussing something. Uruha narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling it was him. He didn't care much for their topic of discussion but he did care that they were a bit too close to each other. Hurriedly, he dashed towards them, separating them by barging right into the middle.
"What are you guys talking about?" he asked merrily, glancing at both of their faces. Reita looked immensely annoyed and turned away, ignoring him, so Uruha beamed at Kiera. "What are you talking about?" he repeated innocently.
Slightly taken aback by the sudden intrusion, Kiera composed her features. She was beginning to think Uruha was a tad bit unstable. At least he seemed in high spirits, Kiera preferred that to the gloomy aura of the night before.
"Politics." Kiera said simply. It was not a complete lie.
The subject of their discussion had been Uruha. Kiera had voiced her suspicions about the extent of Uruha's power. Everyone knew there was not one person in existence that could transport more than one person through worlds without any aid from portal stones. And the fact that Uruha dragged 3 people out...it raised a thousand questions.
As they walked on the mountainside back to the cave, Kiera felt as though they were being watched. Reita had said he had seen movements before he left to search for Uruha and Kiera. Just as they reached the mouth of the cave, a familiar voice cried from their backs.
"Guys! Hey!" Kai called loudly, suddenly feeling relieved when he spotted his friends. It had taken Ishitaka a lot of convincing promises and outright lying to make him bring Kai back to the others.
At first he had been totally freaked out, Ishitaka looked like he was about to rape him. As it turns out, the demon was just messing with his head. The said demon skipped cheerfully beside him. Kai wanted to be with slightly saner people. He was grateful Ishitaka had brought him back although he could live without the method. Ishitaka called it Travelling. He wished they had cars in this world, or even planes would have been better.
Kai ran up to the others, hugging Uruha and Reita happily. In his relief he made to hug Kiera as well, and then thought otherwise. She probably wouldn't appreciate being hugged. Reita stood stiffly glaring daggers at Ishitaka's direction.
"Why is he here?" Reita spat angrily.
"He brought me back, Reita." Kai replied, giving him a disapproving look.
"Oh then I should celebrating that he's here. How silly of me to think of ripping his head off. He was the one who kidnapped you in the first place!"
Uruha was so glad to see Kai safe and sound. He somehow knew that he would be alright, he was their leader after all. Kai may look like an innocent smiling child but he was a lot more mature than them. But still, it was a different world so he couldn't help but think the worst of things.
"Pardon me!" Ishitaka said to Reita, "I did not kidnap him! I simply took him away against his will by force."
"That's KIDNAPPING!" Reita hissed back. Uruha thought he was about to charge at Ishitaka and literally tear him to pieces and by what he's heard of the demon, this task does not seem to be easy. He thought he should step in before things took a turn for the worse.
"Well!" Uruha said chuckling and patting Reita, "Kai's back now, safe and sound! And he doesn't seem to be hurt at all. So why don't we leave it at that."
"Listen to that lady, Lord Rei," Ishitaka said pompously, nodding.
"Um... I'm a man," Uruha replied, a vein in his forehead popping a little from irritation. He can understand why Reita's angry.
"EH!" Ishitaka gasped looking surprised, "Are you certain?"
"Yes I'm certain of my own gender!" Uruha retorted through gritted teeth. The demon didn't look that masculine either, who was he to talk! Uruha glanced at Kiera who seemed quite amused at the situation. He threw a glare at Ishitaka. Damn him, making Uruha look unmanly in front of Kiera!
"I have to leave now," yawned Ishitaka, seeming to have forgotten about Uruha completely.
His nonchalant expression then suddenly changed to mischief. Uruha was reminded of Takeru... but a much more dangerous and insane version of Takeru. "You are going to run into some form of fun later on," he said, a smile spreading across his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Reita spat.
Ishitaka shrugged, "I don't know. You'll see." And with that, a very strong gust of wind blew abruptly, forcing Uruha's eyes to close. When he reopened them, Ishitaka had disappeared.
Kiera stiffened at Ishitaka's warning, all amusement forgotten. The demon had seemed too happy to be lying about it. Kiera glanced at Takeru who was hiding behind them.
"We are being watched." Takeru confirmed quietly, retreated into the cave. The rebels.
"We must make haste and leave. It is no longer safe here." Kiera said, ushering them inside as well.
Tora was already mounted on his horse, waiting for them as soon as Kiera came in. Just as she had suspected, Rika was nowhere in sight. That did not stop the anger from rising.
"Where is she?" Kiera hissed, glaring at Tora who she felt had been responsible for Rika's escape.
Tora lifted his head idly at the obviously angry Kiera. He didn't know where Kiera had disappeared to for so long and he didn't care about where Rika went off to either. "Oh she escaped," Tora said carelessly, shrugging.
"Really? I thought she was merely invisible!" Kiera retorted dripping sarcasm. Tora just gave her another shrug. He did not look remorseful either, only driving Kiera further into rage.
"Kiki darling, you can kill him later. We have to leave now." Reita stepped in, gently pushing her towards Nyx. Kiera swore silently that she just might take up on that and Rika too.
Kiera mounted Nyx, almost forgetting that Uruha was not behind her as he should be. Seeing him stare up at her from beside Nyx's head, did she realize she had forgotten him. Tendrils of guilt twisted in her chest. To compensate for it, she offered him her hand to pull him up to the saddle, adding in a smile.
It was cloudy as they climbed up the mountain path. Kiera felt as if her suit of skin was crawling with insects. They were being watched. She could feel the eyes on them, many pairs of eyes hidden in the shades of the trees on either side. Uruha did not seem to sense the impending danger. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the smile he wore on his lips, his head placed comfortably on her shoulder. Kiera could not understand the cause of his happiness at such a time.
"Uruha, pull up your hood." Kiera whispered.
Kiera had no doubt, those that watched them were rebels and if Tora was right, they were after Uruha. She could not let that happen.
Uruha had a strange sense of foreboding nudging him in the corner of his mind. The demon Ishitaka's words had left a little dent in his good mood. But at the moment, with his head lying on Kiera's shoulder, he couldn't care less. A giant tsunami could randomly come out of nowhere and sweep them all away and he still wouldn't care. He just wanted to be close to her without a worry in the world.
Uruha wondered if Takeru was really telling the truth. Perhaps when this is all over, he'll tell her how he feels and ask if she feels the same way too. The thought of this made Uruha blush and he buried his head into Kiera's hair and it made him blush even more. He felt like he had nowhere to hide. Everything he does with her around was blush-worthy.
Kiera loosened her swords in their sheaths. The trees on either side rustled. They were moving. Letting one hand go of the reins, Kiera stealthily signalled to Reita. She did not need to look back to know he had received her silent message. Kiera summoned the calm void she usually employed during times of battle.
"Whatever happens, stay close to me or Lord Rei. Do not let them catch you." Kiera spoke quietly. Perhaps he had finally sensed the danger, Uruha nodded into her shoulder. For a moment, she thought she felt his lips on her neck. The sensation so faint, she brushed it off as her imagination. It was too intimate a gesture...even for Uruha. It was unlikely.
A lone figure sprang up from the trees, half his features shadowed by the hood he wore. Kiera smirked; even from several feet away, she could make out the shape of his lips. Did he think he could fool her so easily? She could remember every part of his beautiful face in vivid detail; Shou.
The next moment, dark figures broke away from the trees with wild cries. Keira heard Kai's surprised yelp. Forcing Uruha to hold Nyx's reins, Kiera drew her swords. The first to reach Nyx fell with gaping would on his chest. Shou had not moved from his spot, merely watching his men flood around the four horses.
Kiera heard Uruha's pained moan in her ear. Looking down she saw a hand gripping on his ankle almost twisting it. Anger rose unbidden in her veins. She hacked the hand viciously. The man fell back, the stump of his arm spurting out thick red blood. Taking the reins from Uruha, Kiera forced Nyx to break away from the attackers, charging towards the figure ahead.
Kiera halted Nyx just before they trampled over Shou who had not moved from his stand. He looked up at her; eyes filled with such rage and hatred.
"Call them off." She said, pointing her sword at his throat.
"You conspire with demons." He spat.
"Think what you will. Do us all a favour and call off your men; I shall be nice enough to let you walk free this day." Kiera replied calmly. Shou's eyes drifted to Uruha and he smirked.
"Count yourself lucky this time. It won't happen again."
Shou quickly retreat, yelling something Kiera couldn't understand. A slight movement beyond the trees caught her attention. Kiera's felt as though someone had wrenched out her guts. For a moment, a face had been looking on from that shadows. Prominent features of the most noble race; the Nerieh.
Uruha gripped his chest, his heart rate still beating at a speed he never knew was possible. He scanned the area, trying to see if any of his companions were hurt. So far, he was only able to spot Shou's men sprawled on the ground, bloody and revolting. Everything had happened so fast Uruha wasn't sure what went on but the aftermath was a familiar scene. Reita must have unleashed his magic again.
"Is everyone ok?" Uruha voiced out, ignoring the slight pain from his ankle and looking around. Kiera seemed distracted by something, her face serious and what Uruha guessed was slight disbelief. He wondered what's bothering her. He leaned forward towards her and asked softly, "Are you alright, Kiera?"
Kiere managed a nod and a slight mechanical smile. Had it really been one of the Nerieh? Could it be that there was a traitor among them? Bringing herself out of the shock of seeing that face, Kiera whirled Nyx around surveying the aftermath of the ambush. Takeru had been unseated from his saddle but apart from looking slightly dishevelled he was unharmed. He grinned at her, wiping his bloody hands on the nearest dead man's clothes.
Tora was unfazed, he looked almost bored.
"You should've seen that man coming!" Kai yelled at Reita, clutching his leg.
Kiera saw he was bleeding from his thigh. Riding Nyx close to him, she inspected his wound; it was not a deep cut.
"I only have 2 eyes in my head you know and they were busy." Reita retorted though he did seem to feel bad.
Kai looked like he wanted to say more but thought better of it after glancing at Kiera. Kiera wordlessly, reached for Kai's leg, ripping a piece of cloth from his torn pants, she secured it around his wound.
"It will have to hold for now. We cannot linger around here; the bloodshed could attract other beings." She told them. As soon as Takeru had mounted his horse, Kiera prodded Nyx into a run. The sooner they left this place, the better. And Kiera needed to speak with Reita about what she had seen.
Uruha stared idly at the fire burning in front of them. After the ambush, they had covered some more distance before camping. Everyone was exhausted and still quite shaken. The casual, relaxed attitude from earlier had vanished and caution was on everyone's minds.
Out of the corner of his eye, Uruha caught Kiera's figure leaning against a tree, gazing at nothing in particular. She still seemed to be thinking about some kind of problem but he knew that even if he asked, she wouldn't tell him anyway. Despite the events of earlier today, Uruha realized this was an ironically peaceful and tender atmosphere. The wind blew gently, the fire crackled beautifully, everyone resting calmly each in their own thoughts...
If Uruha had walked up to Kiera now and confessed his feelings... perhaps it would be the right thing to do. His heart began to beat faster and louder. In the silence, he felt like he could hear it booming. His hands got clammy and Uruha swallowed, calming himself down. Wait, he thought, it's too soon to assume anything. For all he knows, Takeru could be joking about Kiera's feelings towards him. He is a demon, he's joked about so many things before. Why should this be any different? Uruha turned his glance away from Kiera in distress. He can't do decide this by himself... maybe he can ask for advice...
Takeru and Reita are out of the question. Takeru would probably just give him horrible advice that would lead to his imminent death... and Reita... well he wasn't very fond of Reita at the moment and let's just leave it at that. That leaves Tora and Kai... Tora was a rather communicative and social person back in Japan... but in this world, he seemed to have a taciturn and rigid attitude towards Uruha, almost as if he's afraid to talk to him - like if he spoke one more word than necessary, his mouth would fall off his face or something. Uruha scowled. He liked chatty Tora. That guy was fun.
So Kai... Uruha took a deep breath and crawled towards where Kai was resting, his leg propped against a rock. "H-how's your leg Kai?" Uruha started, not wanting to seem like he only came here to ask for advice, "Does it hurt a lot?"
Kai simply smiled and shook his head. "Ok..." Uruha continued, sitting himself beside Kai and peering around for eavesdroppers. Everyone seemed to be a good distance away.
"I need to tell you something," Uruha said softly, his face reddening instantly at the thought of Kiera. He breathed heavily, not knowing how to say this now that he's here. Ah whatever! He thought and blurted it out in one breath, "I think I'm in love with Kiera and I don't know what to do help me!"
Kai smiled indulgently. From Uruha's red face one would have thought he had no experience in the romance department. Maybe he doesn't...Kai had never heard of a girlfriend. Strange. Kai suddenly felt like a man full of wisdom and experience. He had the mad urge to laugh like one of those wise men in movies. Kai mentally slapped himself. What was wrong with him? Maybe it was spending too much time in Ishitaka's company or maybe it was the wound on his leg.
"I knew you had the hots for her. How do you want me to help?" he replied to his distressed friend.
Uruha's eyes flew open. "Wait what?" he asked, "You knew I liked her? When? How? Why? Where? When?"
Kai just stared at him like he's lost his mind. Uruha cleared his throat shyly. "How did you know I like her?" he decided his adverb.
Kai raised his brows, "How about this," he began, making a wide eyed star struck face, "Familiar? You're like one our fan girls. Oh and your voice gets sorta high pitched too when you call her."
Kai went through the list, thinking if he missed anything out.
Uruha glared at his friend. "I came here asking for advice," he mumbled, "I don't need your mockery!"
Kai just laughed back. "So anyway," Uruha continued, "I... want to tell her how I feel. Should I?"
Before Kai could reply, he'd proceeded, panic rising from the pit of his stomach, "What if she rejects me? I've never seriously liked anyone this much before! I don't think I can take that kind of rejection! I'll probably end up being depressed for the rest of my life... And what if she accepts me but I can't make her happy! What if... we end up in a loveless relationship and she gets so fed up she ends it with me and then I'll never be able to love again!" Uruha moaned, hugging his legs and buried his head between his arms.
"Aww come on you're thinking way ahead." Kai said, patting Uruha's head. Kai decided he would be nice to this helpless little bunny. It was quite adorable how Uruha was acting. In all honesty, he was happy for his friend.
"Its kinda hard to tell if she likes you back or not. But ya know...she does let you get away with stuff."
"So... how do I make her like me?" Uruha asked, "I mean, since she lets me get away with stuff... I have a chance right?" Hope was growing bigger and bigger in him.
Kai sank into a thoughtful silence. Wracking his brain to remember just how one goes about getting girls in those medieval movies and dramas. He was pretty sure they don't do the whole dating stuff. He couldn't think of anything except writing poems. He really should watch more historical stuff. Kai studied Uruha who looked back at him hopefully. No, his friend maybe a genius with a guitar in his hands but poems...no that would be a complete disaster. Kiera would probably laugh in his face or worse get so embarrassed she would stick her swords in him. Gazette still needed their lead guitarist, as leader Kai can't let Uruha get murdered by a girl.
"Is your leg feeling any better?" Reita's voice interrupted Kai's musings. Reita gave him a sheepish smile, completely ignoring Uruha's existence. Kai had sensed that tension between his band mates. As Reita seated himself beside Kai, checking the wound, Kai decided to solve that mystery.
"What's up with you two? You were fine before Ishitaka took me."
Uruha huffed dramatically, turning his face away from Reita's direction. Kai giggled, remembering Ishitaka calling Uruha a lady. Well he sure was acting like one right now.
"Leave it, Kai. You don't know what happened." Reita answered, fiddling with his nails.
"How smart of you Lord Rei! Of course I don't know what happened! Why do you think I'm asking in the first place?" Kai was using his leader voice, he added in a frown just for effect.
"He kidnapped my Kiki! I'm pretty sure he did weird stuff to her too."
Uruha looked like he wanted to murder Reita. He opened his mouth indignantly, ready to shoot Reita dead with words.
"I don't think he did any weird stuff to her. He just realized he's in love with her and he's too chicken to even confess." At his words, Uruha glared at him but Kai ignored it. He was only saying the truth. Then an idea suddenly hit Kai.
"You! You should help us!" Kai claimed excitedly. "Yeah you're the closest to her out of all of us. Well except Takeru and it's a total suicide to ask him for help. Reita you're helping us."
"No way in hell that's happening." Reita shook his head, pushing off the ground to get up. Kai gripped his wrist dragging him back. "Hey!"
"You owe us." Kai quickly searched for a reason.
"Like hell I do. I saved both your asses twice!" Reita retorted.
"Once and Kiera saved his ass today while you got me this really painful wound." Kai knew he had won. Reita glanced at the said wound guiltily. Uruha's eyes were gleaming hopefully. Kai wasn't done though; he loaded in more guilt, kind of like stuffing a turkey to the fullest to give it more flavour.
"Do you know how important the legs are to a drummer? Just think, if that man had used more force my whole leg would have been chopped off. Since I won't have a leg anymore, I can't play drums properly and would have to quit the band and because without me no one would be able to do amount of work I do for you guys, the whole band is going to fall apart. No more Gazette. No more Kai..." he ended sadly.
Reita sighed in defeat, "Fine. I'll help."
Kai grinned broadly, while Uruha hugged them both all giggles and smiles.