A/N: So this chapter is so late in coming, I said a week, I'm, what a week over that deadline? :P GRRR I need to supervise myself better... prioritize my life. Organize my time. Yadda yadda yadda.

Oh, I guess Sunday was Easter, and though I don't like holidays I guess I'll say that cheesy line: Hoppy Easter~! -_- I shouldn't have tried that.

Also, today's my little brother's birthday! Everyone say it with me: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTTHHEEERRR! ^_^ Congrats for escaping the womb 11 years ago!

Before I forget, I shall answer a question. I was asked if I've ever thought about writing an actual book. In all honesty, since I was little, I've been writing stories and ideas for novels. I have an actual closet full of used notebooks. And my flashdrive and google docs are filled to the brim.

I'd have to say that I have... farrrr over a hundred unfinished novels. Unfinished because as soon as I get a new idea (which happens a lot because it's too easy to get inspired) I stop with one story and move onto the next. -_- I frustrate myself. If I ever get an editor, they will be so pissed at me because I'll probably never have my story finished for the day it's due to publish. Because I'll be writing a completely different story and forgetting about the original one I was already half-way done with.*sigh* I'm a work in progress.

But yeah I'd love to be an actual author, it is but one of my biggest dreams.

"Time goes on crutches till love have all his rites."
―William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

interpretation: Time will move slowly until our love receives the rightful attention it needs

Chapter Twenty-Eight. Time Goes On Crutches Till Love Have All His Rites

"Thank you for your business with us, sir."

Tora turned towards the middle-aged man behind him. He bowed respectfully, and his smile stuck to his face was fake, but that fact went perfectly unknown to the elder man. After all, he was a very good actor, maybe even the best in the country. Not that that talent would ever be recognized.

"I also should thank you, Mr. Iwahashi. Once again, your participation with the Igarashi Foundation will be quite beneficial for I hope everyone involved." He sounded so very unlike his true self, so gentlemanly and socially perfect.

No doubt, if Akari was here, she would have the best, disapproving scowl on her face. Tora's smile became a little more genuine as he thought about that.

"Of course, of course. Oh, I was wondering, you're looking like more of a man every time I see you. Why haven't you married yet? Surely yours and the Sakurai family have planned the date for the wedding-"

"If you could please leave that to be discussed another time," Tora cut in smoothly, bowing once again so that the man couldn't see the miniature wave of annoyance passing over his face. "I have somewhere else I need to be. I am a busy man, so I hope you'll pardon the fact that I can't stay and chat with you for longer."

The other man blinked a few times, watching as Tora straightened up again and offered up another warm smile. Then, he nodded, smiling himself. "Yes, yes. No, you are quite alright sir, until next time then."

With a polite nod, Tora spun on his heel and exited the room.

When he stepped into the elevator and was alone, he instantly frowned, pulling out his phone and dialing the number that will initiate his big plan.

Like always, she answered almost right away.

"Hello Tora-san." Came her soft voice.

"Chiyo." He sighed at the use of her honorifics, but he's already told her to drop the -san and so he supposed he shouldn't bring it up again when it's simply useless. And if he were to be honest, he didn't really care what she called him. "It's been a long time it seems. How are you?"

"It's so nice to get a call from you. I am doing well- I was actually going to call you myself but... I felt that I shouldn't. I didn't think it was right to bother you so much when you always have so many things to take care of that you're busy with."

"You haven't changed I see." The elevator suddenly dropped to the final floor, and as it dinged the doors opened and he stepped out. "As usual, your words are quite frank."

"I apologize if it bothers you, Tora-san." Her voice dropped to little more than a polite whisper now.

Tora shook his head as he walked towards the building's exit. She was as sensitive as ever.

"There is no need for an apology, I am not offended by it." He paused, before adding. "Might I ask where you've been all this time? I don't think I've seen you in school."

"I may have mentioned it to you before I left," She said shyly. "I have been staying in America for the month, I accompanied my family here. Father has a wide variety of business to do out here, and decided I should come along as well. I will be back in a few days now, actually."

Tora didn't feel guilty in the slightest for forgetting about that. In fact, he never really knew she told him about it before now. But since he didn't exactly dislike the woman, he decided to apologize regardless. "I'm sorry for forgetting that. You must find me unbearable at times."

Of course, like always she defended him with her usual nonsense. "No, you are a very caring and reliable kind of man. I am lucky to have such a gentleman as my fiancée."

Tora approached his white limousine, avoiding making a slight 'tch' sound into the phone. She was as innocent and respectful as ever.

How she could be such a smart girl, so diligent in her studies and even intuitive to the point of knowing that he had liked someone else back when he was interested in Misaki, and yet not be able to see past his mask, the one of kindness and gentleness and gentlemanly courtesy, had always made him incredulous at times.

"You are too kind, again saying all of that to me." He stepped into the car and simply sat talking to her still, not yet telling the driver where to go. "Well, now I'd like to get to my reason for calling you, if you don't mind."

She politely responded her okay.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like for you to come see me as soon as you return to Japan." He said simply.

There was actually a pause on the other end of the line after he said this, which made him blink slightly as he waited. Though it did not take too much time for her to answer again.

"Seeing you as soon as I got back would be wonderful."

"Alright." Tora leaned back in his seat, getting more comfortable. "Until then, Chiyo."

"Yes, I look forward to it, Tora-san."

Tora hung up then, and sighed in relief. Now he just had to worry about, well, everything else now, actually. This plan of his was going to take some work.

Just as long as Orochi kept his hands off Akari until Tora had everything set up, things would run smoothly, he was sure.

It was his plan, after all. His plans always worked out for him in the end.

Akari sat in the library, attempting to read a book.

She had originally planned to come here to catch up on her school work, but since she wasn't allowed out of the mansion, she couldn't exactly go to her own estate and get her school bag. She also couldn't go to the school itself, either.

She sighed, turning the page mindlessly, her eyes not really paying attention to the page she was 'reading'. She hated this. No, not just this- what she was doing now- but this as in, well, everything.

Three days ago, she had been proposed to by a man she didn't love, and nor did the guy love her. It was simply an arranged marriage that somehow also played a roll in a revenge plan of some sort.

She still didn't fully understand why the payback would be so perfectly delivered with her involved. It's not like Tora loved her. But she knew he was interested in her in some way or another.

Speak of the devil, she hadn't seen him in quite some time. These three days staying back at the Igarashi estate again had been pleasantly uneventful, which was nice because she needed the break from her family and Orochi and his revenge, and even from Miyabigaoka. But still, not seeing Tora was- weird, she supposed. Before, when she had first moved in here, he had been always so consistent in his perverted plans and would all too often be around to bother her. And that one time, in this very room she was sitting in now, he had even had the nerve to steal her bra and...

She shuddered, remembering when her hand had been unexpectedly pressed against his... bulge, in his pants, on that day when she had toppled into his lap.

Maybe she was missing not just him, but the- the whole seductive, risque part of having a relationship with him. The... the sex. She might miss that a bit. They had only done it once so far, but really, it was... well, he obviously had had a lot or practice before her.

Again, she shuddered, and this time she slammed the book she wasn't focusing on at all, down on the table in front of her. Thinking about all his other 'practice' bugged her. It annoyed her a lot.

She sighed, heavily. "I have way too much time on my hands... my thoughts are beginning to take me places I don't want to venture."

Standing up, she decided she was suddenly hungry. Some food would do her good, right? If it was tasty enough, it could distract her for a good amount of time. She really needed to get her attention off of Tora and her feelings for him for a while.

Tora had arrived home and immediately gone to his room. He knew if he saw Akari, he would get through none of the work and planning that he needed to get done and would instead try to pin her to a wall and ravish her until she would be sore for days.

Yes, he was having trouble with his urges lately. That's why he'd busied himself away from Akari these past three days- he really did need to focus on watching out for Orochi and initiating his own plan, and doing his actual work for both school and his family's business. It was pathetic really though, that he was so flustered all of the time by the need for a woman's touch on him. For the majority of his teenage life he'd have sex whenever he wanted it (which was a lot of the time) so now that he was withholding from it... things were getting complicated and weirdly uncomfortable for him. It was almost like he was having withdraws. He never knew he relied on sex so much in order to function properly.

A few light knocks filled the room suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.

Turning around, still in the middle of getting dressed into more comfortable attire, Tora walked towards the sound and unlocked his bedroom door, opening it in the small hopes of seeing a certain girl on the other side. He had some free time right now- maybe he would just give in finally and get Akari under him in his bed. It could be quick.

Well, it was a girl behind the door. A maid, to be exact. One of the ones with a rather large chest, at that.

He glanced at her, fingers continuing their lazy stroll up his shirt as he buttoned it properly. He said nothing, and the young woman seemed to shiver under his stare.

"I- was told to- to come to your room, Sir. I need to clean it."

Tora leaned one arm against the doorway, still studying her with an emotionless look. Now, he didn't know the maids by name, of course not. But he did take note of the ones who could... show him a good time, per say.

And this woman was one of those, who had never disappointed. She had a nice figure, a face that was pretty enough, and knew how to please a man alright, despite her shy demeanor.

He pondered for a moment as he considered his options.

"Then come in." He drawled at last, moving aside for her.

The woman hurried in, as if anticipating something. Whether she was hoping for something to happen or wishing something wouldn't, one could not be quite sure. But she kept fiddling with her dress in all her nervousness.

The door then closed behind her, a rather abrupt and loud noise that made her cringe. When the maid turned back around to face the attractive young man, she blinked in surprise at the fact she was now alone.

Out in the hall, Tora turned away from the door and walked in long strides down the corridor, wearing a stony expression. Abruptly, he stopped when he was further away down the hall, and sighed deeply, crossing one foot over the other as he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes to think for a moment.

What the hell was that? He shook his head at himself. I could have done whatever I liked back there, but it seems the only woman I want tempting me anymore is...

His brow creased as he lifted a hand to run through his hair. "Damn, it's really been too long. This is starting to get too annoying now."

"Tora?"

Golden eyes snapped open immediately and his gaze swiftly scanned the hallway and landed on the girl a few feet away.

"Akari." He stated her name simply, maybe with a hint of surprise as well. Her name seemed so delicate on his tongue and he wondered why that was- it was probably something that, again, he didn't understand. Something deep and on an emotional level that didn't compute with him.

"Why are you just standing in the middle of the hallway?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. Well she was acting... rather normal today. Too normal, considering all that had been going on. Or not going on, as of recently.

Today would be the third day she's been staying with him at his own estate again, and so far... no complaints have come from her family, or Orochi's. It has been relatively quiet since the day that revenge-obsessed idiot proposed to her, right in the entrance hall of Tora's own home.

Because of the quiet, Tora had been able to focus more on his work now that had piled up, and Akari had been either avoiding him, or simply taking time to herself to finally relax. Which he was fine with for now, because like he said earlier, he should be focusing on his work and initiating his perfect plans.

But at the moment, as he looked over at her, it was almost like everything that had been happening, all the drama and confusion that had occurred, didn't matter as for now, and she had reverted back to the way she used to be, when they first started living under the same roof.

He didn't know what this meant for the two of them, but nevertheless, he would like to go back to the way things were at first as well. And then some...

Well, since today was the first day he'd actually talked with her again, he would be taking advantage of this opportunity.

"Eh? Am I not allowed to do as I like in my own home?" He sneered.

The girl shifted on her feet. She looked as if she was about to leave him be, but his hint of an attitude is most likely what made her stay put. "Don't be so idiotic. Anyway, I would like to finally leave the house tonight and actually do something with my life again. So I am going to go get dinner with my friends."

Tora straightened up from leaning against the wall, and regarded her with an intimidating gaze. Though she blinked a few times, she did not seem to back down. She did look rather determined to do as she liked.

"No." Was his plain and simple answer. "You know why you need to stay here. Orochi basically threatened you before-"

"He said that I could get hurt because of my refusal to his proposal. Could, as in, it's a possibility. I don't know what he was hinting at, but I'm sure that he was just talking nonsense, trying to act all scary to throw me off. You need to stop trying to control me so much." She finished with a harsh tone on the end.

"You know," He started, walking towards her with careful steps as he regarded her. "I've done you a kindness every day up until this point, so you really should listen to me."

Though his voice was rather persuasive and charming, Akari scowled, obviously not believing his words. Crossing her arms, she watched him with narrowed eyes. "I don't recall whatever 'kindnesses' you are talking about."

He still continued to approach her with that long, self-assured stride that was his very own- the walk of a lethal predator that no one else had. "You really don't know?" He questioned, now only a few steps away.

As he watched Akari shake her head in answer, he closed the distance between them, standing up to her and looking down into her eyes. Then, he smiled. Grinned, really. And it was a dark grin that meant his mood had changed from calm and casual, to perverted and primal.

His eyes flashed as he watched her glare up at him, still so defiant. Then, he reached down and gripped both her shoulders with his hands, pushing her backwards harshly until she stumbled into a wall.

"Hey," She winced while he held her in place against the wall. "Igarash-"

"The kindness I've done you," Tora stared at her intently as he spoke. "is the fact that I've not fucked you completely senseless yet."

Akari blinked up at him, and he smirked at the angry red coloring coming into her cheeks. "What the hell are you-"

"I think it's far too kind of me," Tora interrupted once more. "to hold back all of my urges. Wouldn't you agree?"

Icy blue eyes tried so very hard to pierce him. "Shut up, stop saying such weird things. Quit messing around!" She tried to push against him, shaking her head furiously.

He smirked, pressing her harshly back into the wall. "You assume I'm lying? Don't you think that there are things I want to do to you? Naughty, unthinkable things like-"

"Tora!" She hissed, eyes shifting to see if anyone else was around. "I said to quit-"

"I'm not messing around. If I were simply teasing you, the situation would be much different." He leaned in closer again, blowing lightly into her ear, his next words said in a much lower tone.

"Let me have sex with you again, and you won't regret it."

The blush she had attained by now then spread across her whole body it seemed, and Tora felt her shudder in his grasp.

"Baaaaaaka!" He watched, his eyes widened slightly, as she ripped out of his grasp somehow, but then tripped over his foot and fell flat on her face, to the floor.

Tora stifled a laugh, smiling into his hand. His face slipped into that evil, knowing grin that always so obviously meant trouble, his eyes scanning the girl as she lay there.

"Am I really so idiotic?" He crouched down beside her while she groaned into the carpet. "I like to think I'm a little better than that. Actually, far better."

Akari scowled as she began to push herself up. "You and your awful personality are really starting to bother me, you know?"

"Awful personality?" The amusement was clear in his eyes as he looked down at her, struggling to prop herself up on her elbows.

"Yeah..." She turned onto her side, still lying on the ground but facing him now. "And that's not the only thing that's wrong with you. You have a whole mountain of problems."

He leaned forward slightly over her, his gaze unwavering and pressuring. "Oh? Like what?"

"Well, you have absolutely no regard for something called personal space-" She muttered darkly, noticing how he hovered over her body almost, even in his crouched position.

"And?" He grinned, clearly enjoying himself.

"And you just love to take advantage of everything, every situation, every person, that you ca- eh?!"

She broke off in surprise when he abruptly reached out and shoved her back against the floor, this time on her back. He ignored how she pushed against him and moved so that he was on top of her, smirking down at her.

Tora's eyes were bright with a challenge in them as he met her irritated gaze. "What else?" He asked, his casual tone not quite fitting, considering the position they were now in.

"Well you're always trying to make people uncomfortable-" She growled, obviously unhappy at their sudden awkward, intimate positioning- Tora was leaning over her, his hands on either side of her head keeping him held up, one of his knees settled in between her legs and the other on the outside of her thigh.

Tora met her eyes, just staring while he leaned over her, his gaze watchful and intense. He saw her scowl fall as she too watched him, and her face began to change into more conflicted features, but the annoyed fire was still lit in her silvery eyes as she continued to talk and accuse.

"-and vulnerable. And you act superior to everyone else, and you're manipulative and pushy, and all around, just-"

"Is that all?" He taunted, acting unimpressed by her words as he arched a single, perfect eyebrow.

He noticed her gulp and avert her eyes from his gaze, biting her lip as she tried to concentrate properly. "Hah, not even. There's a lot more."

"Then by all means, keep going." He said it teasingly, which had her glaring back up at him once again.

Akari was staring defiantly into his eyes, and he liked that. It actually really turned him on. He liked how she was seemed a bit intimidated, but tried to hide it by acting so stubborn. She was afraid, worried, he knew, of losing this 'battle', this 'game' that he had started. But really, there was never a possibility of her winning in the first place.

"You're a liar and a pervert!" She grit her teeth as he simply continued to smirk and rubbed one of his hands just below her breasts, as if to prove that fact. She reached up and grabbed that hand of his, huffing angrily when his face neared hers. She saw him settle his gaze on her lips, so she turned her head immediately away from him. "You disregard what others feel or want and simply do as you please- gaah!"

She broke off with the tiniest of gasps, automatically reaching up to grip the sleeves of his shirt as his mouth found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, and he allowed himself a nip, and then a very sensual lick, at her skin- doing so with a sly smile on his face.

Her eyes flashed to his as she tried to pull her head back, and the gold of his gaze actually overpowered her platinum-blue orbs, for once. He wanted something, that much was obvious. "You don't really listen to what people say, too!" She practically spat the words at him.

"You know," He drawled, his look changing to accompany a lazy grin. He was completely ignoring her words now that he had her where he wanted her, and all riled up, too. "It's almost too easy to distract you with conversation."

She gaped at him, realizing that her temper and strong will had ended up helping him out somehow with his secret plans.

Tora, meanwhile, allowed her absolutely no time to make a comeback- for he had been far too horny since the start of the morning, and it really had gotten annoying how he simply couldn't, wouldn't, go back to his usual womanizing antics in order to please himself. He needed only one girl now it seemed, and only her, only Akari would suffice. And that was that.

Also, she was his, after all. So what he was about to do shouldn't be a problem.

Lowering his head again towards her, he kissed her roughly on the mouth right there in the middle of that hallway, out in the open where he lay hovering his excited body over the top of her smaller frame.

An Igarashi got what they wanted, didn't they always?

He smirked into the kiss, pinning her arms up above her head when she tried to push him off her, and then he pressed his mouth even more firmly to hers.

Sure, other women were nice, and there were more than enough for him to take. Also, that maid from earlier, in his room, did have a massive chest... which he rather enjoyed.

But he wanted this woman.

So much for getting my attention off of Tora...

Really, that was an impossibility, what with the way things were going now. How had she even gotten into this sort of situation by simply walking down the hallway?!

While Akari's mumblings got caught on his lips and her protesting fell on deaf ears, she realized something as she kept her eyes open and stared up at Tora while he was pressing his lips to hers and holding her down.

He looked dead serious about whatever he was about to do with her. It was like he couldn't stop himself.

He was not going to let things be apparently, until he got whatever it was he wanted. It was almost as if a primal instinct had taken over him, causing him to act on thoughtless impulse.

Really, how mindless could you get? They were in the middle of the hallway! GOD DAMMIT, THIS WAS EMBARRASSING!

...though she couldn't really wholeheartedly object to this...

Her heart skipped around in her chest sporadically as his lips left her mouth and his nose grazed down her neck. His breath was hot and he was panting lightly against her skin. Crap, was she... about to have... about to... well, wasn't that what he wanted?

Cautiously, she stole another glance up at his face. Bad idea. Almost instantly he was looking down at her, a terrible sheen in his golden eyes and his lips spread into a malicious smile, showing the menacing glint of his sharp, white, pointed canines as they peaked out from inside his mouth.

Yes, it was definitely what he was going for.

She looked away, blushing and, rightfully, a bit unsettled. "Perverted tiger... you should have said something before this..."

He stopped abruptly, pulled back slightly to gaze at her with widened, surprised eyes. Akari refocused on his face, and huffed.

"I mean, it's not good to hold back your feelings, even if they're- as disgustingly perverse as yours. Because that just leads to impatience, which leads to... well, situations like these." She spoke with a lot of logic in her words, which was unexpected considering the fact that she had the heir to the Igarashi Foundation thrown on top of her, pinning her down, and kissing her. "So you should have at least said something. Then the problem could have been fixed sooner and we could have-" She stopped suddenly, realizing what she was saying and how it all sounded.

She kind of wanted this too, a part of her admitted. Well, she did have feelings for the guy! So was it so bad for her to want to have sex with him again?

Tora then leaned back, staring at her, amused. He licked his lips slowly. "Is that supposed to be an invitation? You're... saying you want me."

Her eyes widened, and she shifted uncomfortably beneath him. It had been a while since they... ugh, what was she thinking?! Was she horny right now?! What was he doing to her... and she shouldn't forget- they were in the middle of the hallway!

"Get off of me." She said, grinding her teeth together while he smirked at her once again, his hands still pinning her wrists to the floor. "Igarashi, come on already! This- isn't a good idea. Enough."

"Who's to say I've had enough yet?" His voice was a low purr, and then he began to lean forward again.

Akari, acting quickly before he did anything again, moved her face to the side. "Are you serious?! Someone will see us out here!" She hissed insistently.

He pulled back again, regarding her for a moment. And then, he smirked, pressing her wrists now even more firmly into the ground.

"I don't care."

She blinked up at him in shock while he lowered himself down again, licking his lips once more right before he pressed them to hers in a kiss-

Embarrassingly enough, the sound of her stomach growling is what interrupted them then.

Tora withdrew his lips in surprise, staring at her while her eyes widened slightly and embarrassment could be seen in their silvery depths.

He sat back on his heels then, pulling away from her. "Hm." He narrowed his eyes in disappointment and irritation. "What a way to ruin the mood." He mumbled.

Swiftly he was on a feet again, and having already collected himself and allowed his thirst for her to die down, he turned to her and arched an eyebrow.

"Well?" He said. Akari watched him as he extended a hand to her, looking bored and impatient now that his fun was over. "Come on."

Reaching up, she took hold of his hand and he smoothly pulled her to her feet beside him. As the embarrassment faded, she tried to get the blush to fade from her cheeks as well. He was looking at her expectantly, so she carefully met his gaze.

"What?"

Tora spun on his heel, not bothering to see if she would follow him as he began walking back down the hallway. "It has become apparent that you are hungry. And I assume you'd like to get out of the house after being stuck inside of it for three days." He drawled in a bored tone.

Akari ignored his vague chatting and stared in slight curiosity. "Where are you going?" She asked, simply standing back and watching as he walked away.

He sighed, turning around again to stare at her with his sharp, irritated golden gaze. "Dinner. Are you coming or not?"

The plan was to have sex with her again. And he will. Oh, you could bet the entirety of his family's riches that he will. But... in due time.

Tora stared at his prize in amusement, cheek propped on his hand while he leaned his elbow forward on the table and watched her.

"I wish I had known sooner that the easiest way to get your approval is through food." He mused quietly, golden eyes wavering on her lips while she licked them clean of cream.

Akari payed him no heed, simply enjoying the expensive dessert he had bought her after their equally-as-expensive meal. Tora, not one for sweet things, simply had his water still placed in front of him. He took sips from it occasionally, but he had taken more of a liking to watching her indulge in her dessert than doing anything else.

Dinner had been nice- they had gone to a restaurant that Tora recommended, since Akari (despite growing up in a rich family) didn't know of many high-class eatery's. He had simply ordered soup, something not too filling, since he wasn't as hungry as she was. On the other hand, she had ordered one of the Specials on the menu- the Petrale Sole Dore.

In the end though, it didn't really matter what they ordered, because he had faith that everything would be absolutely delicious. After all, he had picked the place for that very reason.

"That's not completely true."

Tora blinked in surprise, not realizing that she had been paying him any attention. She dabbed at her mouth with her napkin before meeting his eyes and continuing.

"The way to my heart is not through my stomach! I simply appreciate quality, well-cooked food."

The tiger smirked, now placing both his elbows on the table and splaying his hands so that he could rest his chin on the top of them. "Oh? Well then, I've never seen a woman appreciate her food quite like you do."

Akari would have scowled at him, had she not just refilled her mouth with more of her Creme Brulee. So instead, she kicked his leg underneath the table.

Tora jolted, not expecting the contact, and pulled away from the table abruptly. When he saw the look on her face- that small smile- his own smirk deepened.

"Hm... so you want to play?" He said slyly under his breath, careful not to warn her by letting her hear him. Watching her for a reaction, he slid his foot forward, and then casually set it beside her own.

Their shoes had simply bumped, so Akari payed no attention to it and used her spoon to attack more of her unbelievably tasty dessert.

Smirking, eyes still focused directly on her, he slid his foot forward a bit more, then upwards- allowing the edge of his shoe to ease along the side of her calf.

There was a slight choking sound from across the table, and with his eyes trained on her he didn't miss the way the apples of her cheeks dotted with pink and her brow twitched in discomfort.

Slowly, very slowly, her eyes met his dominating gaze, and she swallowed the rest of her dessert down with a loud gulp, seeing the challenge like a fire lit up in his eyes.

"Hey, uh-"

He slid his foot even higher, to the joint underneath her knee, and leaned forward to continue watching her. He placed his arms on the table, acting completely casual despite the dangerous intent he had glinting in his bright, glowing eyes.

At this point, Akari's embarrassed blush had become an angry flush, her eyes shining with a warning for him. "Igarashi..."

Tora smiled innocently, simply leaving his foot there, occasionally moving it up and down her leg. "Hn?"

"What the hell do you think you're do-"

"Your check, Sir."

Akari was interrupted as a pretty waitress came to their table, extending her hand holding the check towards Tora. A bored look entered his eyes as he accepted it, ignoring how the woman hungrily eyed him while he gazed at the amount their dinner had added up to.

A small smile alighted his face when a dastardly idea came to him then.

Carefully, he took out his wallet, acting perfectly normal as he started to pick through its contents. But underneath the table, his foot was still placed at his dinner companion's leg, and verrry slowly, he began to slide it up just a bit further, nearly edging his foot onto her thigh.

Akari, of course, made an unexpected sound, causing the waitress to look at her for what it seemed was the first time since she had arrived at their table.

"Are you alright, Miss?" She asked, though she didn't look all that concerned, simply a bit curious as to what that noise was.

Tora sneaked a peek at Akari, smirking the tiniest bit when he saw the way her mouth opened to reply, but it just stayed open in shock, no words coming forth.

"Here."

Both women suddenly looked to Tora, who had lazily put his a credit card in with the check he'd been handed and offered it back to the waitress without bothering to look at her. His eyes were solely on the girl seated across from him.

"Thank you. I'll be right back with this." The waitress tried to look him in the eye, and huffed in frustration when she realized he just wouldn't look at her.

Once the other woman was gone, Akari slammed both her hands on the table, leaning forward to hiss at Tora; "Stop antagonizing me!"

He cocked an eyebrow in a look of question. "Antagonizing you? Akari-san, I'm simply treating you to dinner."

As he said this, his foot rubbed against her thigh and her eyes widened slightly in surprise and discomfort.

"I'm going to the bathroom!" She suddenly shouted at him, scooting back her chair while he smirked and watched her with great interest. She spun on her heel as she stood up, and quickly left him sitting there on his own.

Now alone, Tora leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs underneath the table, narrowing his eyes and dwelling in the afterglow of her temper. Ah, he needed this. Some entertainment, a break from work, just a bit of time to enjoy her company.

How long he sat there for, he didn't know, but it must have been a good five minutes before he heard a voice next to him, and then opened his eyes- never really noticing that he had closed them in the first place.

"Here you are, Sir."

He merely glanced up as the waitress came back, barely noting that she looked much happier now that Akari wasn't with him at the table. Reaching forward, he took the checkbook from her hands again, opening it up and pulling his card out so that he could then place it back inside his wallet.

Just as he pushed his chair back and stood up, planning on heading to the restrooms to wait there for Akari, (since she was taking her sweet time in there, effectively making him impatient) he felt a hand slide up his arm and to his shoulder, and, unamused, he gazed over at the tall waitress beside him.

She gave him a beautiful smile. "Excuse me but, are you busy after this? I get off work in just a few minutes."

He raised both eyebrows, his mouth set in a tight line- a look that said he was a bit surprised by her bold move, though unimpressed.

"Find someone else to spend your evening with." He said firmly, moving away from her hand. "I have somewhere to-" As he spoke, his eyes drifted from her face to just past her shoulder. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his speech clipped off at the end- the look of absolute shock taking over his facial features.

There, across the room, sat Orochi at his very own table. He held a glass of champagne in one hand as he stared right across the room, directly at his rival, dark brown gaze boring into the other's famous golden glare.

Slowly, he raised his glass to Tora, giving him a sly smile and a wink.

Akari was flustered beyond compare.

What the hell was that bastard doing?!

He nearly had sex with her in the hallway earlier, and now he was trying something underneath the table in a public restaurant!

"Seriously!" She hissed, stomping into the women's restroom with her face still flushing red and pink. "What the hell!"

Approaching the mirrors of the very fine, open-spaced bathroom, she took a look at herself as she tried to calm down her racing heart. A frown came onto her face when she noticed her slightly disheveled appearance.

Her hair, usually left wavy and just past her shoulders, she had put into a simple ponytail for dinner- but there were flyaway strands here and there and it didn't look like a very nice up-do anymore. Also, her shirt- a high-collared, black turtle-neck-like blouse, with elegant long sleeves and a warm interior (she had chosen to wear it for both the warmth factor that it offered, and the fact that she knew Tora would be taking her someone fancy) was rumpled a bit.

Oh, and her fly was down.

Frustrated, she zipped up her pants, embarrassment making her already blushing cheeks turn to even brighter colors. Refusing to look at her beet-red face, she got to work on fixing her appearance- smoothing a hand over her shirt several times, adjusting her collar, pulling at her sleeves, taking out her hair and ruffling it around her face...

Soon enough, she wasn't just simply fixing her appearance anymore, but she was turning this way and that, checking to see if she still looked as skinny as she should be, pushing up her breasts a bit, leaning in close to check her face for blemishes-

"Wait..."

Akari paused, blinking in the mirror at herself. WHAT was she DOING?! She had never, ever in her life been one of those girls to care all that much about appearances, or dressing to impress and looking good for others. Really, she was acting like one of those type of shallow women that she despised!

Quickly, she ran her hands through her hair, messing it up again. She pulled her collar up at an odd angle on her neck, not caring how weird it looked. She was determined to revert back to her usual self again.

Really, is this what she had come to? What having feelings for someone did to you? Why did she even want to look good for that idiotic tiger?!

She huffed, slamming the palms of her hands down on the counter and staring hard at herself in the mirror. A woman came out of the stall behind her and walked to the sinks to wash her hands, but Akari ignored her. (Though she did feel a bit embarrassed that the woman might have heard all her fussing for the past few minutes)

She would decide it right now. No changing herself for others anymore. No fixing herself up for Tora, no more obediently acting and putting on masks for her father and Hayate. She was sick of all these men in her life changing her to their liking- she was sick of not being the strong-willed kid she once was a long time ago. The kid who could take care of herself and knew how to be herself. The kid who didn't let the world mar her own reflection.

She could be that way again if she damn well wanted to again.

"Are you, ah, okay... Miss?"

Abruptly, Akari pulled back from the mirror, and turned to face the woman who was staring at her with a weird, but concerned look.

Akari only smiled, nodding her head before turning to exit the bathroom.

It felt good to be gaining confidence in herself again. Maybe part of this was a result from living back at the Igarashi estate again? Her father wasn't around to control her and yell at her, and Hayate and Ikehara weren't there to boss her around and constantly bring her down. She was free again- she felt free again- and on top of not having to deal with her family, Orochi had seemed to stop bothering her as well-

"Hello, Miss Michiyo."

The moment she left the bathroom, she was met by the sight of two very tall, two very serious-looking men. Blinking, she immediately sweat-dropped as a sense of sudden unease erupted inside of herself.

"Hello." She said, and then- "Who the hell are you?" She asked, taking the more impolite route. She could sense that something was about to go down, and she didn't think she would like it. And she definitely knew not to trust whoever these men were.

One of the men opened his mouth to answer, but just then the woman who had also been in the bathroom with Akari exited.

Things stilled as several pairs of eyes traveled around, everyone taking in the situation.

"M'am." One of the men gestured for the woman to walk through a space he'd cleared for her and past him. The woman looked quickly at Akari, then back at the two men, who were both now frowning at her. Nervously, she moved away from the three of them, leaving them once again alone.

"You need to come with us." The other man adjusted the shades atop his head, moving them down to the bridge of his nose so that they now concealed his eyes.

"No, I need to get back to my table." Akari stated sternly, and despite her small size, her words held enough power and force that the second man winced slightly because of it.

"It is important that you come with us." That man then said, recovering quickly from his minor flinching episode.

There was a short pause. A thick silence.

"If you need to speak with me so badly, then simply come to the Igarashi Estate and ask for me. I refuse to come with you now." As she spoke, her eyes were icy and cold- unyielding. "I must get back to my companion so I'll have to ask you to step aside."

Though her words were pleasant, polite ones, the context in which she used them made them not so. Stubbornly, she folded her arms, staring up at the two men and expecting them to move so that she could pass by.

Both men stared down at her for a few more moments before they looked over at each other. One of them gave the other a nod, and then they each took hold of an arm of hers, dragging her around the back of the restaurant with them- their goal the exit, and beyond that, the sleek black car waiting for them, idling at the curb.

A/N: "Patience is a concept that wanes and waxes like the moon." - me! :D

With Tora's patience already steadily waning throughout the chapter, how do you think he'll react to these current events taking place so quickly after dinner? He wanted her on that night, but now, apparently, that's not going to happen, and soooo...

I'm thoughtfully considering having Tora's impatience build into another lemon... eh, it all depends on the readers I suppose. Vut do you fink?

I bid you adieu!

CK :*

p.s- again, sooo sorry for the week-late update. I am a work in progress, you know.