Eventually the day that Ao spoke of came. Ao really wasn't kidding when he said that they'd be coming after me. So far, I've seen and had to avoid at least 10 different people today, Kris and Haru included. I'm expecting to see Ao and possibly Sotaru later, which somewhat amuses me. I happened to find out about Sotaru's involvement in this after eavesdropping on some of the Rank B hunters that were passing by. It surprises me to know that even he was going to be involved with this little operation of theirs. And to be completely honest, Sotaru was the last person that I had expected to see, considering our.. history. I didn't expect him to be involved in this matter, especially since it involved me. Then again, this could all just be a trap. Maybe he was forced ?

Nowadays, I just feel like I'm leaving everything behind. I'm getting too distracted. I wonder if I'm over thinking. The constant worry of protecting Mizuki.. the feeling of being unable to. I worry for this feeling. No matter how many times I try to discard the thought, Ciel's words will always come flooding back to me. "But someday, when someone you care about so dearly is being taken away from you.. will you be able to protect them ? If someone was trying to kill that someone, would you be able to keep them from dying ?" This cruel reality scares me sometimes. I don't know why.

To my surprise, when I arrived at Meiou for class today, Sara was the very first person that I happened to meet in the hallway. She seemed to be a bit distraught today, unlike her usual, calculating self. And to my surprise, she was standing all alone. Whenever I saw her, Azalin was usually nearby doing something. But in this case, Azalin was no where to be seen. Another thing I took note of was that it felt like she was expecting me. When we met each other in the hallway, she was casually standing by Izumi's clubroom, looking out into the courtyard. From her reflection on the clear windows, I could see an unpleasant expression. Sara slightly turned to the side when she noticed me walking towards her. She turned to me with a dull smile on her face, her books in her hands. "I've been waiting for you", was the very first thing she said to me. "I have something to tell you." The sternness of her voice caught my attention. I moved beside her and looked out into the courtyard. "What is it ?" Sara looked down and sighed. "It's Tsukiya", she said, "He hasn't been around lately." "Oh ?" 

"A few days ago, he went to go investigate the sudden increase in hunters around this area", she began to say, looking aimlessly out into the courtyard, "But since then, he hasn't returned. Azalin went out to find him but found nothing. At the moment, all we can do now is observe." Sudden increase of hunters hmm ? "Say Sara", I mumble, "Do you.. happen to like him ?" I was amazed at how quickly she responded. "What !?", she exclaimed, "What're you talking about !?" I tilted my head to the side and looked back at the way she was acting. "You seem very worried about him", I replied slowly, "Moreover, the way you're acting.. you seem restless. Whenever you talk about him, your worry seems to increase." Sara held her books in one of her hands and punched me on the shoulder. "Idiot !", she snapped, "That means nothing !" "Then why're you blushing ?" I stared at her, wondering if she'd fall for my trick. She took a step back with a look of disbelief on her face. "I'm not !", she hissed. I stuck my tongue out at her and shrugged. "I know", I replied bluntly. "I was just kidding." I could tell she was about ready to punch me again. In response, I chuckled. "Calm down will you ?", I asked with a grin, "Over thinking won't get you anywhere." "You're the one to talk !", she snapped, "And here I thought thinking that you'd be concerned !" "Why ?" Sara looked taken back. "Why ?", she repeated, "Why !?" I nodded. She seemed shocked. "Am I supposed to be ?", I asked. She took a deep breath and sighed, shaking her head. "Oh boy", she muttered. "Ooooooh boy." "Well ?", I asked again, "Are you going to tell me or not ?" Sara scowled at me, like she usually did.

"Anyhow ! Do you know why I brought this up to you !?", she said, changing the subject. I nodded my head slowly. "You want me to investigate ?" She nodded her head. "Bingo." "But why me ?", I asked, "Because if I investigate, then I'll get caught." "That's the point", she replied, "Once you get in, you can start looking for him." So like bait ? I'm surprised that she noticed that I was being followed by them. How blunt of her to just say, 'get caught' and everything will be okay from there. Yeah right. "And what if I don't find him ?", I asked her. "Then I'll kill you", she simply replied. Jeez. She was just as pushy as Tsukiya. In the background, the class bell finally rang. Sara and I were headed in opposite directions. "I expect a lot from you", she said before we left. "Understand ?" I grinned and looked down at my shoes. "If that's what you want to believe", I replied. "Then that's where we'll leave it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That afternoon, I told Mizuki that I would be leaving him in Genkai's care. As a usual response, he questioned me. So while we were packing some of his things, we spoke about the situation. "Have you noticed those people hanging around this area recently ?", I asked him while folding some of his clothes. Mizuki nodded, handing me my black duffle bag. "I have", he replied, "I also noticed that you've been a bit more alert." How sharp. "And do you know why ?", I asked. "No." I reluctantly smiled at him. "It's because they want something from me", I said, trying to avoid get too deep into the reason. "That's why I'm sending you to Genkai for the time being. I don't want to involve you in anymore ways than you already are." In other words, he was an easy target. Genkai would protect him for me. "Weren't you one of them before ?", he asked as he helped me fold, "Those people ?" "I was", I mumbled, "But that was a long time ago." I began to recall. "Then why don't you just tell them to leave ?" I looked up at Mizuki. "Because it's different", was my response, "It's not the same as back then." A worried expression appeared on Mizuki's face. I reached over and patted his head. He didn't try to move away like he usually did. "I'll come back", I said to him with a reassuring smile, "I promise." "Will you really ?" His voice was stern and uneasy. His teal colored eyes reflected that uneasiness. I nodded my head and held out my little finger. He stared at it before locking his finger onto mine. "Promise", he said out loud. I grinned. "Promise", I repeated.

"I'll come back."