Ayme sat alone in her room.

A room she'd grown up knowing and that was familiar to her. A room where the furniture never shifted or moved seemingly of its own accord.

In a room that was small and quaint, not a room that had secret passages and semi-automatic doors.
 
It had been two and a half weeks since she had last seen Kage, and when she had come home she was promptly grounded for not calling home and
saying that she'd be spending the night at Alex's house and having everyone worried about her.

A sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at the locket in her hand.

"Wear it for me, and think about me every now and then, huh?"

The truth was that she couldn't stop thinking about him and that made her nervous.

Turning, she glanced out her window, "Kage..."

________________________________________ _____________________________________



 
The room was steeped in dark forbiding shadows. In the corner a lone candle burned, it's flame dancing back and forth, casting a haunting light to the
room and the two figures who occupied it.
 
Presently they rested in silence, but he knew that it would be short lived. With a sigh he glanced up, "Is there something you need Kami?"
 
At the mention of her name, she stood a bit straiter. "I would just like to know exactly what it is you plan to do! You've been carrying on like this
long enough."
Resting his arms on his desk, he clasped his hands together, "And what are your ideas, Kami?" He asked tiredly.
 
"Go get her!"

He let his head drop to his hands, "She does not remember, Kami. She wanted to leave and so I have let her."
 
"But Master Kage, she's in danger! We have to-"
 
"Silence Kami! She'll be back....You can't force a person to remember. I have something in mind as it is already...for now she needs time to herself."
 
"But-"
 
"Leave me now, Kami..." He said turning a tired eye on her.

With a slight nod she turned and marched out of the room. He watched as she indignantly left and the door slid shut behind her. A sigh escaped his lips,
as he turned and pushed his chair back, walking around his desk to stand in front of his wall.
 
He looked again at the picture he'd looked at at least half a hundred times within the past two weeks.

"With you I feel safe and strong, but I don't know you and nothing changes that -
  Maybe if I had the chance to get to know you..."

He considered her arguement for a moment as he gazed into the past.
 
"It would seem that I need a vacation..." he said with a slow smirk.
________________________________________ ________________________________________ _______



 
"What's been with you lately?" Asked the young woman in between bites of her sandwich.

Amye laughed, "What do you mean?"
"Oooh, it's a guy isn't it!"
Amye grimaced and waved he off, "Of course not. School is taking up way to much of my time for me to be involved with a guy. I think Jun from Class B is
getting under your skin and clouding your judgement," finished Amye with a wink.
 
"Well he is pretty cute isn't he?" She inquired dreamily. Suddenly she burst out of her daydream, and asked with so much suspense that Ayme thought Alex
might jump across the table at her, "Did you hear about that teacher, the one from Britain! Did you hear what happened to him?"

 
Amye felt her cheeks flush,'That's right,' she thought, 'he hasn't been at school..'

 
"No," said Amye, "What happend to him?"

"I'm not too sure exactly what happened to him. But there've been rumors around that he fell deathly ill after midterms, and now he's being hospitalised
but no one knows where. But then, I also heard that he got hit by a car while walking home from school one day, and for some reason, there wasn't a scratch
on him and the woman who hit him got out thinking he needed help, but instead he fell madly in love with her and they eloped!"
 
Amye narrowed her eyes at her friend, "That seems pretty unlikely...eigther story, you don't think so, Alex?"
Alex sighed, and took another bite of her sandwich, "Anything's possible..." She shrugged.
 
"Eh," Amye looked at her phone, "Well I've got to go, I have alot of studying to do..."
Alex laughed at her, "That's your problem, always in books."
 "You should try it sometime, maybe then you wouldn't be failing Physics."
 "Touche, I'll get the tab."

 
"Thanks, see you at school Alex." She said standing, and gathering her bags and hurrying out the door.
As she sped walked down the way, imursed in her thoughts, she failed to realize that everyone else had stopped walking.
Bumping into the lady in front of her she hurriedly said her appologies and glanced away.
When the walk sign flashed, she continued, paying more attention to her surroundings. As she gazed around, through the crowd, something clicked as she
saw a flash of black strands blowing in the slight breeze. Biting her lip she hurried through the people, trying to make her way to what she was sure was
him. At last through the throng she saw him, walking pleasantly an apple in one hand, a newspaper in the other, seemingly oblivious to the world.

 
"...Ka..ge.." She breathed.

 
He looked up from his paper, and slowly turned toward her, a smile becoming his lips, "I didn't think we'd bump into eachother so soon..."

"How are you here?"

He laughed, "What do you mean 'how' am I here, I'm here the same as anyone."

"I mean, why are you here?"

"I figured I needed a vacation, so here I am."

"Oh. Well how long's you're vacation?"

"I'm not sure about that part yet. So where are you off to in such a hurry?" he inquired.
"Ah, I was on my way to go home and study." she answered.

 "Was?" He asked with a teasing smile.

Amye glared, "Am."

"Are you now? So if I invited you somewhere, you'd have to say no then?"

Biting her lip, she didn't know how to respond.

 "I mean, you don't have to come if you don't want or are too busy....it was only an offer. Or would you like me to ask more formal?" asked Kage, tilting
his head to the side.
"What do you mean, 'more formal'?"

"Like this: Liliane,- he said reaching out for her and softly touching her face - it would please me, if you'd accompany me to a place of your choosing."

For a moment all she could do was stare at him in shock, fianlly coming back to her senses she tried thinking of somthing to say, starting and then
stopping, then repeating the process.
"You really shouldn't do that, Liliane. It isn't becoming and makes you look like a fish. Oh...unless you wanted to go to the aquarium?"

 "How can you be such an ass?"

"Then how about we go out for coffee?"

 
Amye felt her eye start to twitch and she looked him up and down with so much distaste he thought she might have smelt a dead mouse, "You know what, no. Do you seriously think you have so much control over me as to have my company at the drop of a hat?"
Quickly turning on her heel, she forced herself to walk the
opposite direction, 'Who does he think he is!'
She stopped as a wave of dizziness over powered her:

 
"Do you think you have that much control over me?" She asked softly, looking at the gift in her hands with endearment.
 
"Not half as much as you have over me, my dear." Kage returned, gently taking the locket from her hands and placing it around her neck.
 
"It's beautiful," she breathed, pressing her lips against his.

 
Ayme glanced over her shoulder, apparently at the man she at one time loved, to see him looking  after her. Agitated and upset she grabbed the locket from her neck and threw it at him.
"And take this stupid thing! Why should I hang onto something I have no feelings for?" She spat.

Biting her lip she turned and continued walking as Kage yelled after her.
 
"Liliane. Liliane, wait!" He said, jogging after her before blocking her way.

"Liliane, I don't think you understand how important it is that you keep this with you-"

"Why, so you can have even more control over me? I don't think that's how
it's going to work. I'm not as easy as you seem to think," she yelled back.

"Why won't you listen! You've got it all wrong!" Yelled Kage in frustraition, knowing how defenseless she would become without it.

Realizing he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise he settled for something less.

"Then at least take my number..."

Ayme stared hard at him, "I won't give you mine in return. I don't need you calling me at all hours of the night," she rebuffed to no avail as Kage slipped
a small slip of paper into her hand offering a slight smile, "Just in case you need to hear my voice." He whispered before walking away.

 "Hear his voice?! Ha!" She snorted indignately. "As if I'd need to hear his voice," she said to herself, wishing that by saying so, it would become true.


*******************************************************************************************



 
His alluring eyes burned into her like flames, and while she tried to ignore it, she couldn't help but look his way. He was an outstandingly beautiful creature, and if it weren't for the equally displeasing idealogy he had obtained throughout his life, she might have let herself fall for him.
Realizing that she was finally looking at him, Dai brushed the hair out of his face and offered her a soft smile; but to eyes unknowing of his persona, the smile looked like that of a demon- logical, given the fact that he was of demon blood. Upon seeing such a smile, Liliane felt a chill creep across her body, and quickly turned to find the man she loved. It hit Dai once he saw her turn; the realization that it was Kage she searched for, and not him.
He turned his head to find the man before her, and chuckled to himself upon seeing him. He waited until her eyes met those of Kage to make his strike, and
adjusted the knife across his forearm. It was then, that the ever-searching blue eyes of the beautiful Liliane reached her love, that Dai rushed toward his
soon-to-be victim and punched across the air in front of his neck.
 
The slash was the definition of beauty, a single perfect thin red line drawn across the ivory neck of the embodiment of his hatred; and then the blood began to appear.
He turned to her, a twisted smile playing across his lips as she let loose a bloodcurdling scream as she witnessed the love of her life die before her, but there
was naught she could do. Her lover's rival had vanquished him before he ever had a chance.



********************************************************************************************



 She tried desperately to settle her breathing, but was as unsuccessful at that as she had been at saving Kage.

Was it a dream or had it really happened?

There was only one way to be sure, and it was then, after three weeks of countless nightmares, that she finally reached for her cell phone
and dialed the number he had given her at their last encounter.



 He picked up on the first ring, and although his voice sounded muffled, "I knew you'd call," he answered, pulling himself from his slumber.
"Kage! Kage, something's wrong! Something is horribly wrong!"
Her voice sounded frantic, and he could tell she was fighting back limitless tears.
"What is it, what's going on? Are you okay?" He asked worried that it had finally happened.
"I just...I keep having nightmares, and I need to see you, alright?"
He let out a deep sigh, relieved it wasn't as he had thought, but worry still hung over his heart at how desperate she sounded.
"I understand, can you meet me at the park near your house?" He asked softly, trying to calm her down.
"Yes...I'll leave right now," as an after thought she whispered a small, "Thank you," into the mouthpiece.

 Three minutes hadn't passed before Amye was walking toward the park, but her tears couldn't wait.
They began in great sobs, falling relentlessly, hot and stingy upon her skin, so much so that she quickened her pace to hurry and find the one person who would ease her pain.

Of course, he was already there and waiting for her, as he had been for the past four minutes, when he saw her approaching.
Seeing how uneasily she walked toward him, he rushed out to her, grasping her waist with unbelievably strong arms, "I'm here," he whispered into her hair, his heart filling with despair, knowing the only time she'd allow him to hold her so
was when she was so distraught. As he soothed her and ran his fingers ever so gently through her still moist hair, she finally stopped shaking and her breathing at last settled to a natural rhythm.
Kage pulled her away from him, holding her at arms length, and looking into the depths of her eyes, asked that she tell him what had frightened her so.

  Finally meeting his eyes, "I can't tell you. I won't, I can't... just, I need you," she whispered glancing away, her energy drained from the tumultuous dream.

A soft smile crossed Kage's face at those words, and he felt that his Liliane might finally be coming back to him.

 "Look, why don't you stay with me tonight, so that if anything else happens, I can be there for you?"
Heaving a sigh, she nodded; she needed to hear his soft voice, feel his protective touch, and be by his side.
"I should probably leave a note for my parents; I don't want to be grounded again." She stated.
With a slight nod, Kage assured her that a note would be left informing her parents of her whereabouts; or at least, the whereabouts he created.

  Since Kage insisted that they walk, Amye discovered that where Kage was staying and her house weren't that far away from eachother.
Only he actually lived in the city, instead of in a suberb of it.
As he led her into the building and up the steps to his apartment, she walked as if in a daze.
'So this is where he lives, when not at home.' She thought.
The keys jingled as he pulled them out of his back pocket, bringing her back to reality, Kage opened the door and ushered her in, "Make yourself at home.
Are you hungry at all?" He asked playing the roll of host.

 "No, but thank you...for everything," replied Amye seating herself on the couch. Kage dropped his keys onto the coffee table, taking a seat in the chair across from her. "Maybe some tea then?" He asked.
With a small smile Amye agreed, and watched Kage as he stood, shrugged off his coat, and dropped it on the arm of the couch next to her, as he continued on his way to the kitchen.
  "Sugar or no?" He asked.
 "Sugar."
 "Milk or no?"
 "Milk."
Kage came in carefully carrying both cups, and setting one down in front of her as he returned to his seat, he sat and crossed his legs, staring at her with such intense eyes as in the photograph of him.
Ayme sighed, 'At least I know he is safe.' she thought to herself taking a sip of her tea. "It's very good." She said smiling.
 "I'm glad you think so, that's Earl Grey for you." He said returning her smile.
"Do you feel any better?"
 "I do. I'm just glad you're safe."
 "That could be said for both of us, you had me in a terrible fright." Kage said softly.
Ayme took another sip of her tea, failing to meet his piercing eyes, "I'm sorry."
He chuckled softly, not at all like the man in her dreams, "There's no need for you to be sorry, you're my world Liliane. I couldn't stand it if something were to happen without my knowing, and you be hurt. It makes me happy that you called."
The tears flowed anew at his kind words, and he moved to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her towards him.
 "Shhhh...it's okay," he uttered, softly kissing her hair, "I have you now...."
 "It's not okay! Kage you died! He killed you and I couldn't save you," she sobbed, looking up at him, her expression heartbroken.
Kage blinked, taking in her words, "Who Liliane? Who killed me?" Asked Kage carefully.
 "I don't know, I can't remember his name...the man, the man from my dreams," she cried into his chest.
She cried and cried, so much so that Kage wondered if the tears would ever stop. Yet he sat there attentively comforting her, caressing her soft hair and whispering gently to her, that she finally fell asleep from exhastion.
For a while he merely sat and watched her sleeping in his lap, her hands gripping his leg as though she had been thrown out to sea and he was her only means of survival.

 "I need to see you...
 ...I need you...
 It's not okay! Kage you died!
 Thank you...for everything..."

'What's happening? Liliane, come back to me...I need you as well...' thought Kage sliently.