"You lied." Gouenji said calmly and all I could think was silence before the storm. "You lied to us! He said again cornering me to the book shelf. "I believed you. We all believed you and trusted you. We thought you were our true friend and you did such an outrageous thing by deceiving us? You were deceiving us all this time? We thought you were one of us. Because of you we even went to the edge of bankrupt and all you did was cheat us. I hated all the females in the world but I started to trust you. I believed you were different. I believed you were not one of them. But what? You wanted to use us? You wanted my money and fame? You wanted to use me? Listen now and listen clear. I hate you! I don't want to see you again. You are nothing to me, do you understand? You are nothing! Never show your face to me ever again."

"Remember this." Gouenji came extremely near to me and whispered in my ear. It was not like the other times where he used to whisper to tease me. I really wish I didn't lie to him in that way. I want to take back everything I said. It's true I wanted him to stay away from me but his hatred, it's too much for me. I can't take the burn. It's too much for my heart. I feel like collapsing any minute. "I hate you." He whispered in my ear and that is the edge for me. I clenched my hands and bit my bottom lip to hold back the tears desperately. I don't know what to do. Things turned worst! I can't bear this anymore. My chest grew heavy and I rubbed hand as if that could soothe the pain.

"Is this what you wanted? For me to hate you and never search again for you?" Gouenji replied the next minute leaning back and regarding me with a cool attitude all the previous anger and wrath disappeared in a second. Huh? What just happened? I blinked my eyes and looked at him very, very confused. Am I missing something?

"Do you know something called 'Tit for Tat'? This is what you get for acting as if you don't know us, especially me." Huh? I blinked again confused.

"Wait! Are you saying.................. you were acting till now?" I asked very slowly afraid that he might snap any moment now. If you forgot I am still on the verge of crying, so very sensitive.

"Then what? Did you seriously think that I believe your crappy lie? Just think back. What kind of lousy lie is that? Do you account me as an idiot to believe that crap? I mean who will believe that? You were trying to use us? You are a thousand years too early to deceive me. If you really wanted money you could have taken up Steven's offer, not get a bloody bullet in your shoulder and still let him be free. And seduce me? You blush bright red when I so much as come near you."

"Hey! I never did!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever helps you sleep at night." He dismissed it as if it is nothing.

"But you said if it is me you will get seduced." I pouted. Yup! I am bipolar!I am on the edge of crying and the next minute I am pouting! Sue Gouenji for that! He is responsible for my emotional roller coaster!

"Yeah, I will if it is you, but that's because you can't seduce someone even if someone points a gun at you." He replied pulling me to him and his hands went to my waist.

"What does that mean?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him. My hands automatically went to his neck and when I noticed what I am doing I tried to pull back but Gouenji tightened his arms around me.

"Don't even try." He warned. Being in his arms feels foreign but at the same time very much like home. Like this is where I belong and my permanent place. Arms which comforted me many times and gave me strength when needed.

"What if what I told you was the truth?" I asked though I didn't want to. It's like I am stepping on a land mine knowing very well what it is.

"Do you really want to ask that question? If you insist on lying be careful. Robert gifted me a pen version of truth machine when our game 'The Battle' was a success. I have it with me now and I will use it on you." He warned me very serious! Damn Robert! Remind me to kill him next time! I should ask the Government to ban making of truth machine or may be only use it for police inquiries and the likes of it.

"Never ever try to use such games on me. I told you already, you are mine. You can't escape me from me." He said with fierce passion and hugged me. As soon as my face hit his chest I lost all reason and cried into him.

"Shh! Don't cry now." He soothed me very patiently till all my tears dried and my sobs died down. He is very patient with me and a very warm person that I don't want to lose. I want to be with him forever. It feels like two lovers hugging after missing each other for a long time.

"I missed you." I blurted out with you thinking. My eyes widened realizing that I said it out loud. Before I could stutter out some excuse Gouenji said "I missed you too!" making me feel so happy for some unknown reason. My joy knew no bounds then.

"Hey! Enough of the lover birds reunion. We are still here you know. We want our hugs too." G interrupted us.

"No way. I am not giving you Astrea. She is especially mine for today." Gouenji said in all seriousness turning me to the opposite side of G, but this all reminded me of kids fighting for their favorite candy.

"Wait! Why did she act like she didn't know us before." Kidou asked us.

"Knowing her it is something stupid like for our safety."

"Safety from what?" Fidio questioned.

"I guess she wants to get away from us so that nothing happens to us in the future. So stupid if you ask me."

If I carefully think about it now it's quite stupid of me. I don't know whether someone like Steven will appear in the future or that something like what happened will happen in the future or not. I am trying to sacrifice something of the present for something that may or may not happen in the future. Isn't it quite stupid.

"I am so stupid." I groaned loud leaning onto Gouenji's chest.

"Glad we agree." All of them replied.

"Hey! You are not supposed to agree on that."

"We are just simply agreeing on the truth." I pouted since all of them decided to gang up on me.

"But that was the truth. Dannon got kidnapped because of me." I said once again sad remembering the tension and sadness I felt at that moment.

"That's not true. If you really want to think of the facts, let us see you got to meet Steven because of us. If you weren't with us and if we weren't quite taken with you Steven would never have bothered you nor would you have got that bullet wound. Let us not forget that you nearly got raped because you were involved with us. If anyone is to stay that is us. Not you."

Well that is one way of thinking. If Gouenji thought the same thing as me and avoided me intentionally and if he was rude to me that would be horrible. I don't want that to happen.

"No way. I don't want that."

Gouenji just smiled in return. "Any danger approached you was because of us but I am too selfish to let you go. I need you in my life and I am not letting you go. You are mine. Got it?" He replied tucking my hair but what am I supposed to answer? Is it normal for people to say 'you are mine'. Isn't he somewhat demanding and possessive about me? Is this normal behavior for prodigies? Master is a complete mystery to me in all ways.

"You are mine." He repeated kissing my forehead and I have to say the gesture was very lovely. Then he held my face in his hands and kissed my left cheek first with a lingering soft touch and then my right cheek which sent shivers to my body, a sweet one that is. When it comes to him every part of my body just tunes to him. Then he started to lean dangerously close to my lips. Bloody hell! What now? What am I supposed to do?

But our moment was interrupted with his phone ringing. Gouenji lifted the phone mumbling something like who invented the bloody damn phone. I was relieved, really relieved because I don't what the hell I should do what expression I should have in case he kissed. Last time he left immediately after kissing me and I had a lot on my plate to deal with but now is a totally different issue. Wait a second here, the issue is still there. He did kiss me last time. What does that mean to him?

Is it normal for him? I mean we know that he is a virgin, if you can call boys that which I am sure is not, but you get my point right? May be kissing is normal for me. But the rational part of me asks what part is normal for a female hating guy to kiss? I do have to agree with that. That means that there is a higher chance that is not something done regularly by him. Wait he did say that I was first kiss. That means it might mean something? Or did he randomly find kissing good. That sounds seriously lame even to me. Ahh! This is all confusing Mater Gouenji Shuuya! Please enlighten me regarding your intentions.

"Hello."

"Yeah, How is he?"

He? Who is he talking about? Though he has poker face on which I am used o his voice is still laced worry making me worry. I mean something or someone he has to worry about definitely is not good and I know most of the people he does so Gouenji worrying is not a good sign for me.

"But you said he was alright."

Another pause making my heart beat. What's going on? I have the feeling that whatever he is talking about is bad news.

"Take care of him. We will reach there as fast as we can. Consider yourself dead if something happens to me."

Bloody hell! That is a direct and serious threat he gave! He never reacted like this! I wonder what happened. I looked at him in question as soon as he ended the call.

"Dannon." He said and that one word was enough to make me run. I took his hand ran towards the entrance. He did mention that there was a limousine waiting for us. Without any further questions we soon reached the airport and boarded his private plane and was on our way back to New York. I found myself worried to death and mind is full of questions and doubts but I don't neither have the strength nor the courage to voice them out. I am afraid of what I would hear and chose to shut my mouth like the coward that I am.

"Don't worry." Gouenji said pulling me to him making me rest my head on his chest. For a minute even his protecting and safe arms couldn't soothe me but he as usual was very patient with me and rubbed my back in a soothing way breaking all the walls built inside, my fears overflowing resulting in me sobbing in his arms. I wonder why I always cry in his arms. Is it because I find comfort in him and trust him enough to open my weaknesses to him? And each and every time he took it upon him to make me able to stand on my own legs again. He always supported me, not even once did he fail me. Will I be able to support him in the same way when he needs me? I want to be with him always and give him my support in everything. I wonder how I can repay him for everything he did for me.

"What happened?" I asked sometime after my sobs dies down.

"Sleep now. You need to rest. I will wake you up after we reach New York."

"But..."

"Sleep. You need it. Don't force yourself. I know you always sleep after crying."

Yeah, that always happens. Whenever I cry, either after a reading a book or because something bad happened my eyes become red and pain very much. I often sleep off the pain but Dannon is more important than that.

"I know. I know that but Dannon is more important than that."

"Yes, I know that he is indeed important for you. But you need to sleep. I promise that I will tell you everything after that. Please sleep now." He pleaded me with soft eyes and though I wanted to argue further with me I just couldn't go against him and hurt him further. It must be hard for him too. He knew Dannon before me and his just as important to him as he is to me. It is hard for him too like me, may be even more since he knows what is happening. I should not be stubborn in situations like this. I nodded sighing. He tucked me into him and kissed my forehead gently and his steady heartbeat lulled me to sleep. 

***************************************************************************************Oh well! Gouenji played with her nicely huh? Our master is not stupid to fall for such a stupid lie and leave her in convention terms! He is Gouenji Shuuya and he will get what he wants!
I am supposed to update update on next Saturday but somehow you people coaxed me into early update. I am doing double updates more often, aren't I? Nah! Who cares as long as my readers are happy.

By the what do you think happened to Dannon? I am sorry that it would be sad but that is another twist of the story coming by! Wait for next update!