A week later
    She stared open mouthed at the skating rink that he had just built for her. He had been sensitive to every single need and comfort that she would require, only that of returning to Tokyo with her friends. She had not expected that he would go to such lengths acquire her good opinion. Taking the box that was handed to her, she opened it to reveal a pair of skating boots, just her size. “What about yours?”
     Lord Takeuchi tilted his head, “I don’t know how to skate.”
    “Conjure up a pair, Mr. Magician, because you are getting some lessons from me.”
    Holding up his hands, a pair of boots appeared at his hand, looking at them with a quizzical expression, they vanished, and in place, his own shoes sat atop of his hand. Ami laughed at him and pointed to his feet, the skating boots were already on his feet, as if understanding the nature of the whole command.
    “Tag you’re it!” Ami yelled lightheartedly, as she dashed away from him onto the ice.
    “Hey, I don’t know how to…” *splat!* His legs gave way and spread apart, the ice was colder than he had thought on him backside.
    Ami giggled, and approached him. He, struggling to standup, he fell against her heavily, but Ami had enough expertise to stay in place and give him the support he required for balance. “You ARE a hopeless skater, I guess I’ll have to teach you some ‘baby’ steps then.”
    He grinned evilly, “gotcha! Now you’re it!” and pushed away from her, running away with his new found ‘ice’-legs. His body seemed to know what to do, and his mind did not question why.  The only thought in his mind was to continue the game of chase at the sound of Ami’s laughter coming after him.
 

Flashback
 She grasped onto his hand tightly, unsure of exactly what to do.  She could stand on the ice, but moving on it with some degree of control was out of her reach at the moment.  She allowed herself to be dragged by Asuka, being flung from side to side as he turned corners quickly, and the coolness of the air passing her face.  It would be a lifelong love affair with ice that had begun, alongside that of water which had been taught by her father not so long ago.

    She was much faster than he was, but he knew all the tricks of running away from people, from the mad dash to the fast spins and turns to avoid being caught. After about an hour of mad skating, he allowed her to catch him, but she had not expected that - since she had fallen for that trick too many times, and crashed into his chest. Skidding backwards they fell into a heap on the cool ice, after the exercise, it cooled down their body temperatures immensely. He looked at her as she rolled over from the protective embrace of his arms to lie on the ice, spreading her arms out to maximize her total surface area.
Using a finger to poke her hand, he caught her attention, and was surprised by the twinkling in her eyes and warm glow fusing through her creamy white cheeks. “Tired yet?”

    She looked at him and nodded. This was more fun that she had ever had in her entire life, not even the time when Asuka had thrown her through the thin ice that capsulated a pond during winter and she had pulled him in as well. For a moment, her eyes glazed over… Asuka Akiyama… but as she looked at Lord Takeuchi and his endearing eyes, her mind reminded her… Asuka-who?

    The glazed over eyes did not escape his notice. He was an acute observer when it came to her happiness. When she had been skating, she sounded genuinely happy, like all the weight on her heart had been lifted off, yet, just then, he wondered if he could truly make her happy.  He noticed that her cheek was wet, but he couldn’t be sure if it was because she was crying, or the melted ice that her cheek had been laid against earlier. “Are you happy here my dear?”
    “Of course, don’t I look it?”
    “I thought perhaps… just then. Something is wrong isn’t it?”  He looked into her eyes once again, and was surprised that the sadness which had been there had disappeared, but was replaced with a brilliant sparkling ice.  She was thinking, he decided, probably debating whether to tell him or not.
    Gently, he tried to prod her, “is it me?” she shook her head.
    “The accommodation?” she shook her head once again.
    His voice rose a small notch, “the staff?” She remained silent, avoiding his eyes. Anger filled him, “who is it?”
    “No one… everyone.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You treat me like a princess, a moment with you washes away everything that they do, every look that they give, and every cold word that they say to me.  When I am with you, I no longer feel like an intruder, like a mere prisoner, but something real, like I am being cherished for just being who I am.”
    “What have my staff been doing to you?”

Flashback
    She heard the door of the vast library draw to a close quietly, the locks clicking into place by a guided hand. Looking up, she was surprised to see Avarice advancing her, wearing his usual, grey general suit and a grey cape that draped onto the ground, polluting the luxury of the blue carpet.  His Head of Security uniform matched the rest of his deathly grey, sinking, skinny complexion, his cerebellum enhanced head, and grotesque twist of facial components.  “General Avarice, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
    “You are A FRAUD.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Your pretended purity, innocence…”
    “General Avarice, you have no right to say these things to me of all people.”
    “And who are you? Lord Takeuchi’s concubine? I will expose you even if that is the last thing I do.”
    “Then that might very well be the last thing you do.”
    “Oh no, there is more that I want to do to you, after I expose you... same train of thought of course.” Grinning wildly, he walked over to her, he placed the arch of his hand, the area between the thumb and his index finger, under her chin and pulled her up, forcing a kiss to her.  He pressed her to the wall behind the chair that she had been sitting on.  He tried to unzip her dress, smothering her protests with his body against the wall.
    She kicked the toes of her high heels into his shin, and threw her knee to his groined, just as he doubled over, she picked up the thick volume that she had been reading until she had been disturbed and hit his over the head. “Shi ne! (Die!)“ He collapsed at her feet, unconscious from the weight and the pain. Leaning down, she pulled out his wallet and copied down something, then left the room. “You are wrong if you were to ever believe that we would condone such behavior in this court, kimi-misuborashi. (you sleaze.)”

    “I… I barely dare to leave my room, everyone has their duties, I’m just in the way and useless… I have no… position, no, nothing, I can’t do anything here except to wait for you be around me. I have nothing to think about, analyze, put my mind to, and the staff… they despise me for that, they can’t respect me, or my worth for being here. Even I have trouble thinking up the reason I am here.”
    “Would it make you happy if you were to perhaps join the scientific research laboratory, we are trying to produce some viruses unknown to mankind to destroy them, and find a vaccine before we implement it of course.  Would it interest you my dear?”
    “You mean it?”
    He looked at her large eyes, glowing with excitement and energy and was immediately pleased with himself for such a suggestion to heal the wound that had been caused by his baka(stupid)-staff, “of course I do, and your position… Lady Takeuchi.”

Flashback
    “Well, to go with your pretty little dress, I think we need some special accessories, something that… hmm… wait, I’ve got just the thing for you.!”
    “What?”
    “Close your eyes and wait for me.” She did as she was told and he ran out of the room.  Coming back a few seconds later, he placed a cool soft bracelet on her wrist, a necklace and a ring on one of her tiny fingers. “Alright, you can open your eyes now.”
    She looked at herself, and stood proudly in front of the mirror. Flinging her arms around his neck, she grinned happily and ran to the living room. “Mummy, mummy look what I got? A chain of daisy necklace, and bracelet, and a ring to match all of it as well! Mummy, LOOK!!”
 

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