I'm back! Quick reminder, I don't own anyone except my own character, Lankana/Holly.

The next morning, May-Rin knocked on my door, and then entered.

"Good morning, Holly! It's lovely and warm out today! If we go for a swim after lunch, the water should be wonderful, it should!"

"Good morning to you too, May-Rin." I sat up out of bed, still in my sexy undergarments. It was Saturday already, our day off to fuck about and maybe play with Sebby's heart strings…

"What color suit are you going to wear for swimming today, May-Rin?" I asked. She just stared at what I was wearing. I responded to her gawking by whispering;

"These are just for teasing Sebastian. It worked so well the other night!" And then I gave her a huge smile. She laughed and then sighed before I continued.

"You know, May-Rin, I think Bard really likes you…"

She blushed a deep crimson. "Really? You think so?" Her voice went low and shy. "I've always liked him, maybe he'll ask me out, he will…"

And that's how the conversation went all the way through my getting dressed and our eating a quick breakfast. Well, I didn't eat anything, just pretended to. Force of habit, I suppose. I didn't need to eat, but was keeping up the charade. May-Rin and I relaxed for a while, chatting and preparing a nice lunch for the four of us servants and put it in two large baskets to take outside. We set a small table outside, still talking all the way through about noon.

I clapped my hands together, satisfied by our work. "I'll go tell Finny and Bard that lunch will be in a half-hour, followed by swimming, so to wear their suits. You go put yours on and wait for me in my room."

"Right then!" She answered, still giggling at the joke we had shared a minute ago.

"Oh, and May-Rin?"

"Yes?"

I pitched my voice down. "Don't touch anything in my room, some stuff in there isn't human friendly…"

She nodded cheerfully, as if this news didn't surprise her. "Oh, thanks for the warning!" And she skipped inside.

I gracefully walked inside and up into the master's study. He was sipping tea and being served lunch by Sebastian. I stepped in and curtseyed in my skimpy blue summer dress.

"Good afternoon, master. I just wanted to inform you that we should be swimming by one-o'clock." He nodded.

"Thank you, Ane." He smiled and winked at me, without Sebastian seeing.

"My pleasure, Ototo." And I left, taking note of Sebastian's confused face on my way out. I found Bard sunbathing in the front yard, smoking, as usual.

I felt jovial and waved my arms at the dozing American. Well, I suppose we were all Americans now. "Hey, you!" I yelled. "Yes, you! The lazy, handsome one!" He didn't sit up, just smiled around his cigarette. "Go get your suit on so we can eat and swim!" He stood and stretched. As he lazed over to me with a nod of comprehension, we both saw Sebastian through the open front door. So Bard lifted me off my toes by grabbing my hips and kissed my cheek. Catching on, I hugged him, kissed his cheek and said just loud enough for Sebastian to hear; "You're so sweet."

I then shooed him inside and waited a moment before following, closing the door behind me. I walked right up to Sebastian, who was still standing there and addressed him, not making eye contact, not smiling, just staring straight ahead. "I forgive you. For everything, I guess." He seemed stumped and didn't respond. I began to walk away.

"You have confused me, milady." I stopped, turned around, and looked him right in the eye as my eyes began to mist.

"You'll understand later. Just don't be late." That, I think, was the point when he began to put the pieces together. I stalked off, putting a little more sway in my step for his sake.

I walked into the parlor, where I found Finny reading. "Hey, lad. Go put your suit on and meet us out back for lunch, okay?"

"Sure thing!" He smiled and ran towards his quarters. *Sigh* He was so easy to please. I practically teleported to my room and found May-Rin trying not to touch anything… or breathe, apparently.

"I didn't mean everything, May-Rin. Everything in here is safe, except for a couple of things in a purse on the shelf of the closet." I walked over to the closet and pulled out the purse to show her that and my sexy suit. It was a two-piece. May-Rin wore a one piece, white suit. It was lovely on her. It had spaghetti straps and crisscrossed across her back. Mine had blue shorty-shorts and a top that tied behind my neck. After May-Rin helped me put mine on and commented on how pretty I looked, I gave her something.

"What's this?" She asked.

"It's something the master asked me to give you, they're the new style. And I made something to go with them, so they wouldn't fall off in the water. And they're enchanted not to break."

"I love them!" She placed her new, smaller, thinner, classier glasses on her face along with the crystal chain I had made for them, so they would stay on in the water. She hugged me and smiled. I patted her head kindly, as if she were a small child.

I held up my handbag. "Now, this is the purse you mustn't touch unless I tell you. It is made of demonic threads, so it's dangerous and holds precious items."

"Ooh, it's very nice, isn't it?"

I sighed at her utter lack of fear, "Concentrate. Yes, and it's very precious to me. Look." I opened it and let her look in. "This watch was given to me by a powerful demon friend of mine. When you touch it, it washes away all enchantments and such. When I touch it, my hand straightens back to its normal shape and my nails turn black." I demonstrated as my hand lengthened and my nails darkened. I went on. "You must never touch this, because of the time distortion that has been placed on you. If you did, your hand would shrivel to that of a dead woman's and blow away, and that, my dear, is irreversible." She backed up a little. I placed the watch back in the bottom.

"You couldn't even touch the purse unless I directly gave you permission to. Otherwise, you would be burned. Which is why it is such a prized item. These papers," I said, pulling out the papers, "Are my contracts and other important demonic documents. The ones that cause these."

I replaced the papers and pulled up my shorty-shorts a bit and pulled down my top a bit. She saw the symbols carved into my skin. She gasped.

"Don't that hurt, Holly?!"

"Sometimes, my friend, sometimes. Now, let's not keep those boys waiting."

She got up and hugged me. "I'm so glad to have a friend like you now!"

I smiled softly and hugged her back. "You're so sweet, May-Rin. Here, wear this until we get into the pool." I handed her a silk pool robe. Hers was white with purple flowers that matched her hair. I put mine on, which was jet black with light blue swirls and very skimpy. Basically, a strapless dress that ended right below the bottom of my trunks. It only slimmed my figure more.

I thought about what she had said as she babbled on our way to the pool. I still felt anger towards Sebastian. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit. Why couldn't he have just told me all of these things straight up? I'm sure I would've listened…

We arrived outside to see the guys had already begun eating. I also saw Ototo sitting in a looser set of clothes than what he usually wore, over by the gazebo, ordering Sebastian about. He was wearing a Spanish style, loose, white frilled shirt, which was tucked into his navy dress pants and ended with Italian loafers. Hmm, fancy. He noticed me, smiled and nodded, while Sebastian toiled away with the roses. The butler also stopped momentarily to smile that delicious smile of his towards me. I batted my eyelids and made some snap decisions.

I walked to where lunch was set. I grabbed an apple and a cookie. Finny smiled his brightest smile, with a mouth full of sandwich, eww. Bard smacked him in the head.

"Finny, where are your manners, man! No one wanted to see that…"

Finny swallowed and turned to me. "Sorry. You sure look pretty! Don't you think so, Bard?" Bard wasn't even looking at me. He only had eyes for May-Rin. How adorable! Finny regained Bard's and May-Rin's attention just long enough for me to talk.

"I'm going to go talk to the master, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Bard smiled. The others nodded in agreement. I grabbed a strong cup of iced sweet tea as well, and an extra cookie, both on a plate.

I walked towards the gazebo, the plate with the tea cup and cookie in one hand, other cookie and apple in the other. I sat next to the young master and smiled lovingly. "Good afternoon, Ototo."

"Ane." he smiled like that child I had only seen last night. I handed him the plate.

"What's this?" He scolded. "Didn't I give you the day off?" He bit out of the cookie as he argued. "Why aren't you relaxing? Shouldn't you be eating these delicious cookies you made?" His eyes then widened in excitement as his taste buds registered the sweetness."And most importantly, WHY CAN'T SEBATIAN MAKE FOOD LIKE THIS!? SEBASTIAN!" Oh, how I loved Ototo. He turned back to me while Sebastian put down his tools and headed towards us. "I love these. I want them forever, Ane." I simply smiled at my amazing culinary skill set.

Sebastian appeared in front of us, his usual tailcoat off due to the garden work. He looked very nice in his vest, undershirt, trousers, and gloves. Yet, again, he looked nice in everything. The master glared right into Sebastian's face.

"You are incompetent, Sebastian. How unacceptable. What am I to do with you?" He sighed, joking… mostly… I think…

Sebastian smiled graciously and bowed. "Deepest apologies, master."

"I have a challenge for you Holly, even though it is your day off." He continued, ignoring his butler. "Go take Sebastian and distract him from his duties for a bit, I've grown bored of just watching him prune plants."

I replied, "Yes, master." He smiled at me then held up his hand, signaling me to wait.

"Hold on, let me try the tea first…" He took a long sip of my specially blended tea and frowned. Sebastian spoke joyously.

"Well, it would appear that I am still better at preparing one thing." He smiled, prideful.

"Quite the opposite, fool." Ototo retorted. "You apparently can't even get tea right. Now go." I smiled and curtseyed. Sebastian led me away from the gazebo, deeper into the garden.

We stopped at the dead end of the path he had been leading me down. We ended up in this beautiful clearing where I was surrounded by raised gardens filled with flowers, all shades of blue. The sun shined brightly upon this little haven.

"Gorgeous." I whispered.

"A seat, milady?" He waved me into the nicest lying down garden chair I had ever seen. Before I sat, I turned towards him.

I began to undo my dress from the back. Now, keep in mind that to him it appeared that all I was wearing was the short black dress. I almost had the dress off, with him grinning like an idiot, thinking he had finally seduced me.

"Now, milady, this is hardly an appropriate place for that." He continued smiling.

"For what?" I said innocently, looking confused. I let the dress drop, and with it, the anticipation in his eyes. I committed the ridiculous look on his face to memory.

He attempted to regain his composure, while I played ignorant. I stopped after his eyes filled with renewed passion at the sight of my bathing suit. "Oh. That's what you thought I was doing. A bit full of yourself, aren't you. Arrogance is the way of a fool, or a bored demon…"

I smiled and laid on by back on the chair. He sat in the one next to me, and moved it closer. I stretched, showing off my sexy suit. I swear he almost drooled.

"Mmm." I sighed pleasantly. "This is so nice!" I smiled. "But do you know what would make it better, Sebastian?"

"No, Milady." He grinned.

I internally chuckled at how formal he was being. Ototo had probably ordered him to do so. "It would be marvelous if I had some oil for my back… and someone to help me put it on…" I frowned, feigning disappointment.

His smile twitched. "How fortunate, Miss! I happen to have some lavender oil right here…" He pulled a little bottle out from inside his vest. I looked up at him, alluringly. He smiled, and pulled off his glove with his teeth.

He reached over to me and flipped me over, gracefully. He put some of the oil on my back, then recapped the bottle and threw it into the bushes.

I was feeling like a tease. "How are you going to rub my back from way over there?" I asked sweetly.

"I was just thinking the same thing, milady." He got up and straddled my hips, on his knees. He traced a pattern in the oil with his finger on my back. He laid his hands on my back and began spreading the oil and kneading out the knots.

"So, milady, what is the secret to your cookies?" He asked, trying to gather information.

"Love, hard work, not following the recipe, and lots and lots of practice. I'll work on it with you if you'd like. Are we playing the questions game?"

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that game."

"I ask a question, then you ask a question, and we continue like that indefinitely."

I could tell he was smiling, without even looking at him. It was that little lilt in his voice. "I suppose. That would make it your turn."

"Hmm, indeed. Let's see, do you think you've figured out who I am?"

"I have a good hypothesis."

I smirked internally. "Really? Who am I?"

"Ah, ah, ah. I do believe it's my turn, milady."

"Very well." He was still rubbing my back slowly and carefully, though I could tell his hands seemed to be slipping lower and lower, towards my shorts.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I was contracted to someone here by a Lord." I yawned and stretched a little, rubbing my nice ass against his legs. He stifled a groan and continued.

"Who were you contracted to?"

I tisked. "It is my turn, but I'll let you get away with this one. I'm afraid I am not at liberty to say. So sorry."

"That's quite alright, milady. I didn't expect you to tell me anyway."

"My turn." I had a good one planned. "Do you still love her?"

He stopped rubbing for only a millisecond before deciding to play dumb.

"Who, milady?"

"Sebastian, I have known her longer than you have. She's told me everything. I doubt you forgot about her, you two had a spark with each other. Now, please, for her and my sake, answer my question." A fought back a tear. He stopped rubbing my back and got off of me, though.

"I believe you've had enough pampering for now, milady."

"It was a game, my dear Sebastian. All for the answer to that question." He turned away from me and stood there. I saw a hit fist clench and his aura darken for a moment. When male demons become emotionally stressed, they darken, very frighteningly. He turned back to me with that powerful, strong, and scarier-than-fuck look on his face, and he said with complete confidence:

"I never stopped." He headed back down the path. I could only stand, stunned.

He never stopped loving me. I refused to…But what if he was being honest? NO! I wouldn't trust him! I sat and allowed a single tear to fall.

"Holly! Where are yooooou?" May-Rin yelled from the distance. I rose and dashed all the way to the entrance of the path Sebastian had led me down, and stopped a few feet out of their sight, so they wouldn't see my demon speed.

"Over here, May-Rin!" I waved towards her and I did my best to smile. I had put my dress on while I was running, as to not raise any questions. I caught up to them and smiled. Sebastian was back over with the Master.

"Ready to swim?" I asked her and the others.

"Absolutely!" Finny squealed suddenly. Bard snuck up behind him and picked him up.

"Nooooo! Not again!" Finny shouted, right before Bard threw him in the pool. Finny landed on the water with a splat. When he surfaced, he spit water from his mouth and frowned.

"You're mean Bard! May-Rin! Do something!" May-Rin laughed and winked towards Finny.

May-Rin came up behind Bard and gave him a good roundhouse kick to his back, with her mad ninja skills, that knocked him in. He balanced on the edge for a moment screaming, and wind-milling his arms. He then fell face first and Finny laughed at him as they splashed water at each other and had a mini-battle.

I looked at May-Rin and she looked at me. I quickly looked over my shoulder at Ototo and gave him a quick signal. He ordered Sebastian to do something that brought him much closer to the pool. I then nodded again at May-Rin.

"Oh boys!" We sang together.

The boys stopped fighting and looked at us. We both unhooked our dresses from the back, and then quickly whipped them off, revealing our fine bathing suits. The boys marveled.

"Well," Bard chimed. "What're you waiting for?" May-Rin squealed and jumped right into the shallow area with the boys.

The pool was quite large and had a very deep deep-end. It went at least 12 feet down. May-Rin and the others were in the 3-foot area. I walked slowly toward the diving board and climbed on it. I walked to the edge of it and stopped. Everyone, Ototo and Sebastian included, stopped and watched for what I would do. I pulled a hair band off of my wrist and put my hair in a side ponytail. The air had gone still and everyone's eyes rested on me. I looked down at the glorious water that shifted and shined. I anticipated how good it would feel to be in my element again. I decided, since my audience was on the edge of their seats already, it was time for a little demonstration.

I concentrated on the water below and raised my right hand. With my palm facing upward, I flicked my index finger upwards twice… A glob of water the size of a watermelon floated up to me and rested in the air. I put my hands into it to test the temperature.

"Ooh, the water's so nice…" I commented. I flicked my finger again and allowed the water glob to gently resume its place, conjoined with the rest of the water.

I looked up at my audience to see them all shocked. Sebastian stared with a blank expression on his face. Ototo simply smiled, proud. The others all stared, in shock.

"What?" I asked them. "So I control water, I didn't think it would be that shocking."

"Wow! She's amazing, she is!" May-Rin gushed. Bard returned to a normal expression as May-Rin did. Finny still stared.

I turned my hand over and flicked all of my fingers, making the water obey my commands. The water moved and splashed Finny in the face. He began laughing hysterically. I remembered why I was on the diving board again. I put myself on the edge and did a little bounce on the board, then sprung up high. When my toes touched the board again, I flung myself up and out into the air. I was seven feet above the board, soaring, I did a quick flip, and angled myself downwards, gracefully. I fell towards the pool, my arms extended.

I slid under the blanket of water and curved my body upwards, so I wouldn't hit the bottom and so my momentum would carry me back to the surface. I broke the surface all the way in the shallow end and popped up from the water.

Bard, May-Rin and Finny cheered. I swam gracefully to the edge and waved at Ototo and Sebastian. Ototo was smiling, impressed. Sebastian had a look of comprehension on his face. It seemed his limbs had stopped working. I laughed at the way he slowly smiled towards me. Ototo gave me a puzzled look and I nodded towards Sebastian. Ototo looked at his comprehensive butler and began laughing.

And, end chapter.