at least Iâm gonna stay in shape,â she thought as they reached the top of another elegant flight of stairs, then they turned down another hallway but this one was beautiful. It looked like the floor was even made of marble. The doors were very far apart. There were only three rooms in this hall, and she worried to herself that maybe Kotaro didnât know where she was supposed to be after all.
Kotaro walked to the last door, thinking to himself that she must be someone very special because there werenât many people even allowed in this hallway, and he knew it to be the best room within the whole campus. He stepped in front of the door and waited on her and her young friend to catch up.
Kotaro smirked, she was nervous. He could smell it. He looked into her stormy emerald eyes and already felt his heart faltering, but for now, he would do as he was told.
He held his hand out, palm up. "Now I will take my leave, but if there is anything you need..." He handed her the key to her room, and giving her a look that made her blush, he actually bowed gallantly then motioned for the two men to follow him.
Kyoko and Tama both turned and watched them with raised eyebrows until they were out of sight, then Kyoko glanced back to the door and gasped. Right there on the door a nameplate read Kyoko Hogo in golden letters.
Tama tapped his sister on the shoulder snickering. "You know⦠you can catch flies that way."
Kyoko rolled her eyes as she mentally erased the point she had given herself earlier. Taking the key, she unlocked the door and timidly opened it, peeking inside.
Tamaâs eyes got as big as saucers and he pushed his way past her. âNo way! This room is almost the size of our whole house." His awe filled voice echoed in the silence. âYou could open a freakinâ warehouse dance club in this joint.â
âSo you like my dungeon?â Kyoko added the point back where it belonged.
*****
Two hours later, long after she had thanked Tama and sent him on his way, Kyoko was standing in the bathroom putting her stuff on the shelves. She again glanced at the bathtub that was big enough for five people.
Groaning, she mimicked her little brotherâs words, "No way!"
She could feel the hair standing up on the back of her neck as she wondered again if it was all a mistake. âYeah,â she whispered to herself. Someone would show up any minute to tell her to pack her stuff. She just knew that she had to be in the wrong room.
Kyoko walked back out and looked around the bedroom. The bed was the biggest bed she had ever seen, and already fully made, complete with fluffy comforter and all. The room was beautiful with soft purples and blues that made up the shag carpet and the bed. There were splashes of deep red here and there, and a closet big enough to get lost in.
She stepped into the living room where everything was black and gold, equipped with everything a person could want. She had already checked the kitchen. It was fully stocked. Kyoko shook her head for the umpteenth time. "No way." She gnawed on her bottom lip wondering what to do now. It was Saturday morning and classes didnât start until Monday.
âWell, I canât hide in here all day,â she mumbled to herself.
Feeling like she was sneaking around where she wasn't supposed to be, Kyoko headed for the door and stuck her head out into the hall. Not seeing anybody, she stepped out and closed the door behind her, then quietly walked back toward the steps leading below.
Again she had the feeling of being watched and it sent shivers down her spine, but she kept walking, not daring to turn around and look.
âShe can feel me,â Kyou thought to himself. Maybe her powers werenât buried as deep as heâd feared. He had known the second she left her room and he inhaled the lingering scent... savoring it.
The memory of her scent seemed to refresh other memories. "Soon priestess, we will uncover your powers again. You may choose to hide them⦠but not for long." He leaned against the wall in the hallway, his golden eyes following her until she was out of sight.
*****
Kyoko could breathe a little easier once she found herself back on the bottom floor. She noticed that now it was hopping with people her age. Sighing and shaking off the last of the strangeness from upstairs, Kyoko stood there lost in thought for an extra moment.
She couldnât stand it when her senses kicked in like that. Sometimes, she wished she couldnât sense the things at all. She pushed it to the far reaches of her mind as she gazed around the large ground floor of the building. âI need an on and off switch for this thing,â she mumbled, still thinking about the strange vibes sheâd gotten only a moment before.
She glanced over at the library, and then quickly looked back to the other side, deciding she wanted to know more about that area first. Working out had been a habit of hers for as long as she could remember, and she wanted it to stay that way. For the last two years, sheâd taken up martial arts of any kind, and she loved the freedom of motion it gave her limber body.
Crossing to the rec rooms, she noticed there were many different workout areas in it. In one of the larger gyms, she could see through the glass. She couldnât resist stopping and watching them for a moment. Two people looked like they were sword fighting. Hearing the clank of metal against metal, she raised an eyebrow. Heading closer to the door of the room, she peered in listening.
"You are not paying attention Suki." The one dressed in black spoke in a taunting male voice as he parried and tapped the other one on the bottom laughing.
Kyoko couldnât see either one's face because they were wearing protective gear.
"Shinbe!" came a very angry but feminine voice. Then without warning, the person shot forward and tapped him on the head, well more like smacked him on the head with the fencing sword, then jerked her head shield off.
Kyoko was surprised to see long brown hair spill out and down the girlâs back as she marched up to the other and poked him in the chest hard with her finger, one eyebrow twitching. "Itâs hard to fight seriously when you are such a letch.â
Shinbe pulled his headgear off grinning. In a sense of surrender he threw both his hands in the air, backing up. "Iâm sorry Suki, but there it was⦠and you werenât protecting it." Feeling a tingling sensation move in waves across his skin he frowned then slowly turned his amethyst gaze to the girl standing in the doorway, "Ahem, it would seem we have a visitor."
Kyoko watched as the girl named Suki actually blushed still glaring at her opponent then turn away from him walking up to her with a wide smile.
"Men," she rolled her eyes before sticking her hand out in a friendly manner, "Hi, Iâm Suki, and this poor excuse for a guy is Shinbe,â she threw her thumb toward the guy who was walking up behind her, still grinning.
âSuki,â the young man named Shinbe exclaimed. âYou wound me to the quick.â He emphasized his statement by placing both hands over his heart.
Suki frowned at him, âShinbe⦠if I could wound you, your brain would have leaked out of your ears by now from all the hits youâve forced me to give you.â
Shinbe wiggled his
