Heh. This one was actually pretty much complete. Just added a few lines to the end and straightened it up a little. It's a bit... different from the usual so bear with me if it doesn't strike your fancy ;D

Ah, I forgot - MAY NOT BE SAFE FOR WORK

The prelude to a quiet night in Miyaki city started off with a bang. Or rather, a crack. The noise most likely caused by the black key that Ciel had just thrown between Shiki's legs, dangerously close to that organ most men held dear. Cold sweat ran down our unfortunate hero's back as he thought about how close that gleaming blade had come to castrating him. Frozen with shock and fear he barely listened as Ciel leant in to deliver her threat.

"Tohno-kun," Ciel said in a threatening voice. "You better behave yourself while I'm gone, especially in regards to that bloodsucker tramp. I can trust you to do that can't I?"

Shiki noted that Ciel's smile died out before it reached her eyes. Those frosty blue orbs shone instead with a cold blue flame that promised hell if his answer was not in line with their bearer's expectations. He quickly nodded and mumbled an affirmation that he would not let Arcueid step foot inside the mansion. It wasn't as if he had a choice in the matter.

Ciel's eyes warmed up again as she returned to her usual self. She gave his hair a good ruffle and backed away, saying, "Good, you just may be able to redeem yourself in the eyes of God after all Tohno-kun."

"I'm not a Christian Ciel-sempai," Tohno said in an ironic tone.

"God doesn't care about such petty details Tohno-kun," Ciel told him sweetly. Then her gaze turned chilly again, "Especially where vampires are involved."

Three black keys had appeared as if by magic in her hand and Shiki fought not to swallow. If he did he would cut his throat on the black key that Ciel held against his throat with her other hand.

"Uh, shouldn't you be going Ciel-sempai?" Shiki asked in an attempt to get her to calm down. "You did say your flight was at nine fifty didn't you?"

Ciel's eyes flickered towards the grandfather clock. The hands indicated that the time was five past eight.

"Huu... I suppose I should be leaving," Ciel said regretfully as she withdrew her weapons. Not even a member of the Burial Squad could completely ignore the reality of airport customs. Even as cursory as the examination of her bags would be, it would take her around half an hour to get through the process and board the plane. Add in the hour half that she needed to get to the airport and you could even say that Ciel was late for her flight.

"Don't forget what I said Tohno-kun," Ciel warned Shiki as she picked up her bags from where she had left them. "If I find out that you've been playing with the vampire while I wasn't there to protect you..."

"I'll be fine sempai," Shiki laughed nervously as he waved her out the door. "Have fun at the International Curry Fair."

He stood watching at the door until Ciel left the estate. She was still casting glances back at him when she went around the corner where he couldn't see her. When he was sure she was gone he sighed in relief and leant back against the door frame. Things had been quiet ever since Valentines and Shiki had been enjoying the peace. Which was why waking up to find Ciel-sempai standing above him with a black key at his throat had been a little more shocking than it should have been. He had half thought that she had finally decided that he was a heretic and was out to kill him and Arcueid.

Shiki closed the door and started to walk back up the stairs to his room. The sky was hazy and he had nothing in particular that needed doing today. More sleep sounded like a very good idea.

He was only halfway up the stairs when a moody Akiha came hurrying down with Kohaku in her wake. Unsure as to why she would be so grumpy from the morning Shiki waved her good morning and was about to get out of her way when Akiha stopped before him.

"Nii-san, I have to go over to Okinawa to take care of some Saeki Group business," Akiha told him to his face. "I will probably have to stay the night there with Kohaku so please don't worry should my return be delayed."

Akiha then made as if to leave before she turned around. Her expression that of when someone has just remembered something important.

"Oh, and nii-san," Akiha said with a smile that could have frozen boiling tea. "I'll be asking Hisui to tell me everything you did when I get back, so don't think of this as an opportunity to associate with those two witches."

Akiha's warning fell on deaf ears. Shiki was still absorbing the fact that Akiha needed to run off somewhere, but before he could chase his sister up on the matter Akiha had already run out the door. Kohaku went out behind her, giving Shiki a little smile before she disappeared from his sight.

Still flustered by whatever had just happened Shiki scratched his head in confusion. The only thing he had understood about that brief conversation was that Akiha and Kohaku were going on a short trip. Oh well, he would be having a quiet night then.

The phone rang before he reached his room. He was wondering if he should get it when the ringing stopped. Hisui's doing most likely. Either she or Kohaku always got the phone before handing it over to him and Akiha.

What happened next would have surprised anyone.

"Shiki-sama!" Hisui shouted out as she suddenly appeared at the other end of the corridor. The maid ran into her room and appeared just moments later with a travel bag in her hands. Shiki had stopped wondering what the hell was going on by now and waited to see what the reason behind this later fiasco was.

Hisui came to a stop in front of him and bowed. "I'm sorry for the late notice Shiki-sama, but some trouble has come up regarding one of my sister's inventions. I'm afraid I'll have to go to Tokyo and retrieve it before things get too bad."

Having told him this Hisui was running to the door saying, "Please tell my sister to leave the cleaning until I get back Shiki-sama!"

"Ah, wait! Hisui!" Shiki called after Hisui who was acting much differently to her usual secluded self and more like the energetic young girl he remembered from his youth. "Kohaku went off with Akiha so..." Shiki realised that Hisui had already left the mansion and couldn't hear him.

In the silence that Hisui's hurried departure left behind, Shiki found himself alone in the huge mansion. Not even Len was here, the familar having gone off to some city over in Libya on a favour for Sion.

Shiki looked left than looked right. This was the first time since coming back to the mansion that he had been left completely to himself. It was actually a little eerie.

A bump. Shiki jumped up in fright and smiled sheepishly when he saw that it was only the door to Kohaku's room. The door hadn't been closed properly and the wind was banging it against the doorframe. Never hard enough for it to close.

Wait... Kohaku's room?

Naughty thoughts began filling Shiki's head. Here he was, a fully functional man just in his twenties, alone in a house where three girls lived. Could he really call himself a man if he didn't do something while he had the chance?

A more sane piece of his mind screamed, "YES! Do you really want to die?" but was overruled by the as the long dormant prankster inside him awakened. Shiki began walking towards Kohaku's room with hands itching to carry out some mischief. Finally, a chance to try and find a weakness with which he could get some of his own back at Kohaku.

Shiki was about to pass through the dread gate to the realm of the amber eyed witch when he froze. His finely tuned sense of danger was telling him that if he moved a millimetre foward his life would come to a pitiful end.

After carefully backing away from the door Shiki examined the portal to try and find out what was so dangerous about it. A few seconds of searching and he found what he was looking for. A nearly invisible wire that ran from one side of the door to the other. The only reason Shiki could even see it with the naked eye was because there seemed to be some kind of translucent substance smeared along its length. Curious as to what would happen if he touched it, but mindful of all the agonising experiences he had already suffered at the hands of Kohaku's hobbies, Shiki tried touching the wire with a pen he got from his pocket.

At first nothing seemed to happen. Encouraged, Shiki tried dabbing the little bit of clear gel on the end of the pen on a leaf of the little pot plant sitting nearby. The vibrant green leaf instantly began to turn a brittle brown colour as it curled up and died. Shiki watched in horror as the effect spread out towards the rest of the plant.

Leaving the pen buried in the soil of the pot Shiki slowly crept back into his room. He no longer felt like trying to see what was in the girls' rooms. His sense of adventure had just shrivelled up along with what moments ago had been a healthy flower. Once safely back in his own private space Shiki lay back on the bed and thought about what to do for the rest of the day that didn't entail a risk of dying.

Staying at the mansion was probably the most sensible option. Somebody had to stay and make sure the thieves didn't get eaten, or poisoned, or decapitated, or... On the other hand sitting around here with nothing to do didn't appeal to Shiki. Since there wasn't anyone around to nag at him to act more like the oldest scion of the Tohno family he was going to enjoy himself today. But what to do? Inui was busy working so hanging out with him was no good. There was always the option of going to uni and finishing his latest project but he had been working on the thing for three weeks now and he wanted to take a break from art. Another option was going to visit the Arimas. Miyako had been pestering him to come by for a few weeks now and he supposed he had to go and pay his respects some time or another. However, Miyako should be at school right now and he would never hear the end of it if he went by while she wasn't there. Never mind how much more peaceful it would be.

That left him with only one option. An option he didn't dare give voice to inside the mansion for fear that Akiha had left recording devices scattered around (again). It was something that would put him in great danger if caught, but there was no way he was letting a rare chance like this get away.

Shiki jumped off the bed and began to change into clothes more suitable for going out. If things went anything like they usually did Arcueid would be leading him all around the place.

The Satsujinki Cooking Diaries

Recipe 7 - Dinner For Two (With Hints of Lemon)

Arcueid was still asleep.

Shiki smiled when he entered the apartment with some groceries to find the princess of the true ancestors stretched out across her bed. As always when he saw her like this, asleep without her happy-go-lucky personality to distract him from her looks, Shiki was reminded of just how beautiful Arcueid really was.

The clear noon sunlight found its molten reflection in the strands that fell down to frame Arcueid's sleeping face in locks of white gold. The gossamer eyelashes that were their more delicate cousins lay quiscent below eyelids that Shiki knew covered orbs that could put the most brilliant rubies to shame. In their absence Arcueid's lips provided their own splash of colour, a glossy cherry pink that no lipstick could ever hope to emulate. Right at that moment they were curled up in a serene smile that if captured on canvas would have put the Mona Lisa to shame.

Shiki's eyes were drawn downwards towards Arcueid's bare legs. As per her usual habits Arcueid had gone to bed with only a loose shirt for cover and her lower limbs now lay exposed to the light. A delicious sight. The pale skin of Arcueid's legs was never so evident as it was now as they lay stretched out on top of the white silk sheets. Moonlight captured and made flesh, softer than the smoothest velvet under his fingers.

An errant finger slowly made its way from the tip of Arcueid's toe and to her knee. The sleeping vampire princess shivered at the touch but didn't wake up. Smiling at the reaction, Shiki continued higher till he reached her inner thigh, stopping there and drawing lazy rings that inched higher every time they came full circle, raising goosebumps where his finger passed.

He chuckled softly as Arcueid moaned in protest and rolled onto her back. The movement revealed the fact that her shirt wasn't buttoned up, making it obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra. Pale skin looked out at Shiki from the gap between one side of the white shirt and the other. It was an invitation that Shiki couldn't resist.

Shiki knelt down beside the bed and put his hand upon Arcueid's abdomen. His fingers placed just above the area where things started getting dangerous for ratings. He then slowly started to slide his hands upwards, tickling her with his fingers as his hand crept upwards towards her full chest.

His hand was just about to reach Arcueid's breast when her hand came up to wrap itself around his. When Shiki looked up he saw Arcueid looking back at him, a warm smile of contentment on her face that he knew was on his face too.

"Good afternoon sleepyhead," he said affectionately.

"It's barely noon," complained Arcueid in a sultry voice. "It's nice waking up to see your face though."

Shiki tweaked Arcueid's nose. "Being cute doesn't mean you can lie in bed all day. Get up and I'll make you a meal."

"Awww," Arcueid groaned. "Can't you just lie down and sleep with me instead, Shiki? I'm still sleepy."

She brought his hand up as she spoke and began sucking on his fingers. Slowly and carefully, as if she held another lower part of Shiki's body in her hands, Arcueid teasingly ran her tongue over his fingers while they were in her mouth. The sensations running up his arm from his hand sentt delightful shivers down his spine, but Shiki resisted temptation and pulled his captured hand away from Arcueid.

"Nice try Arcueid, but you know I'll never get to sleep tonight if I nap with you now."

Arcueid pouted. "Give me a good morning kiss then."

Laughing softly shiki stood up and gave her a peck on her forehead. "There, satisfied?"

Arcueid's answer was to grab him by his shirt collar and pull him down until his lips met hers. Though the unexpected action had him floundering a little at first Shiki soon settled down and returned the kiss properly. Time passed with their lips locked in a heated but soft embrace. Finally, after her tongue had given his lips one last carress, Arcueid let go of Shiki's collar.

Pressure removed, Shiki's head naturally drifted back up. When he opened his eyes he saw Arcueid's brilliant smile again.

"Now I am," she told him in a content voice.

They stayed smiling at each other like that for a few pleasant minutes. Neither of them spoke, nor did either of them move. It was just one of those perfect moments that were to be enjoyed when one could.

x-x-x

Two bowls of noodles and a vampire stomach ache later, Shiki and Arcueid were relaxing on the new couch Arcueid had bought as they watched TV together. The princess of the true ancestors was lying back against Shiki after having plopped herself down as she recovered from the garlic.

On her part Arcueid was only half paying attention to the movie being shown. The rest of her awareness was being taken up by the pleasant sensation she was getting from Shiki's fingers as they idly ran through her hair. Arcueid knew that it was not intentional on Shiki's part, but it was all the more endearing because of the unconscious affection it implied. She stayed quiscent under his hand until the credits for the movie started rolling.

Naughty thoughts going through her head, Arcueid turned to bury her face in Shiki's chest. "Hey, Shiki..."

"Hmmm... ?"

"Do you want to do something fun?" she whispered huskily to Shiki while sliding her body up against his.

Shiki startled her by suddenly exclaiming, "Oh, I almost forgor!" and standing up. Leaving her kneeling on the couch by herself wondering what the heck he was doing.

Shiki came back in holding two tickets. "That new aquarium they opened up downtown, Arihiko gave me some tickets for it. Do you want to go check it out?" he asked.

Arcueid was staring at Shiki in disbelief. Their first day alone in what seemed like months and he wanted to go to the aquarium? She would have said Shiki was joking if not for the earnest light in his eyes. He really did think that she would prefer to go to the aquarium. Well, the polar bear and such that had been advertised on TV were cute... But really, right now?

Holding back a mournful sigh, Arcueid smiled her approval and stood up to go get dressed properly. Shiki didn't seem to notice anything was off.

Really. He could be an idiot sometimes...

x-x-x

GuuARK! GUaRK! GUARK!

"Why are they chasing you?!" Shiki screamed as he and Arcueid were chased around the penguin enclosure by its maddened inhabitants.

"I don't know!" Aruceid cried out while jumping a penguin that had slid into their path.

Shiki stumbled over the very same penguin but turned the tumble into a roll which soon saw him on his feet again. "Why did you even jump in here in the first place?!"

"I wanted to feed the baby penguin..."

GUARK! A peck on his heels. "I'll talk to you about this later, but for now... KEEP RUNNING!"

-x-x-x-x-

"They don't have any lines?! THEY DON'T HAVE ANY LINES!"

-x-x-x-x-

After escaping the penguins and getting banned from the aquarium for life, Shiki and Arcueid had retreated to a cafe in order to rest and regain some energy.

"That.. Was one of the most ridiculously dangerous events I have ever experienced," Shiki said tonelessly as he gulped down his espresso. Clothes tattered and hair mussed up, his state was such that he probably didn't notice that the black liquid was steaming hot.

"Oh come off it Shiki, it wasn't that bad was it?" Arcueid on the other hand was as cheery as ever, with only a few out of place strands of hair to show that she had exerted herself at all.

"They didn't have any lines..." Still dazed by the surreality of the whole thing, Shiki was mumbling to himself.

Under any other circumstances Arcueid herself may have been a little freaked out by the thought that there were things other than herself that Shiki couldn't see the death of. On a day when she was trying to have fun with Shiki though? The creatures in question being adorable penguins?

Issue forgotten, what was so worrying again?

"Shiki, stop worrying about it so much," whined Arcueid. "We got out fine didn't we? Let's go somewhere else." Grinning slightly, Arcueid began leaning onto her man. "There's always that hotel that we -."

"Shiki-san!" The sudden loud cry from the entrance of the cafe put a standstill to activity within the building. All eyes were drawn to the girl in the sailor uniform standing there, blushing under the attention she had inadvertently gathered.

"Seo-chan?" Shiki quickly stood up to go and rescue the poor precog.

"Grrrr..." A low growl escaped Arcueid's mouth as Shiki led the unfamiliar girl to their table. She was starting to get a little frustrated with how things were going. And just who was this Seo and why was she acting so familiar with Shiki? Was she another enemy?

Pulling up a chair, Shiki helped Seo sit down then returned to his own seat. Once they realised that nothing interesting was going on everybody else in the cafe began to turn back to their own conversations, a great relief for the embarrassed young girl.

"So, what got you so excited Seo-chan?" Shiki asked once Seo looked to have composed herself a bit.

Arcueid had to rub her eyes, she could have sworn she had just seen fluffy puppy ears perk up on the girl's head.

"Ah! Shiki-san, you can't go to the aquarium today!" Seo continued on, oblivious to the way Shiki's grin had frozen. "I'm not exactly sure why, but I just know that if you go there... to.. day... You already went, didn't you?" Having noticed the state of Shiki's clothes and the twitches, she finished quietly.

Shiki and Arcueid nodded slowly. Seo sighed heavily and Arcueid wondered again if there was something wrong with her eyes. There didn't seem to be any other explanation for the fact that she could have sworn she had seen a pair of drooping puppy ears on the girl.

"... Uhm... I tried calling you but..." the girl seemed to shrink with every word she said.

Reaching over, Shiki pat her on the head. "That's my fault, I left home early today so it's no surprise you couldn't reach me. Besides," The young man whose latest nickname in the supernatural community was 'Death Glasses' picked up the remains of his pastry. "I got out fine anyway didn't I? Relax."

Seo brightened up, but immediately blinked in confusion as Arcueid began to began to pat her down.

"Uh..." Seo sent Shiki a silent plee for help.

Confused himself, it took a while for Shiki to respond and catch Arcueid's wrist.

"Arcueid? What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Hmmm, sorry. I thought I saw something," Arcueid shook her head lightly to clear the image of puppy ears from her mind. "And, Shiki? Who is this?" She gestured towards Seo while giving him an accusing glare.

"Eh?" Shiki floundered for a reply until he remembered that the two had never seen each other before. "Oh, sorry. I completely forgot to introduce you two. Arcueid, meet Akira Seo. Seo-chan, meet Arcueid." Shiki stopped and looked at her. "It is alright for her to call you Arcueid right?"

"Sure," Arcueid waved the question off, she wasn't really interested in what the girl called her as long as she kept her hands off Shiki. "Nice to meet you Akira-san."

Although Arcueid held out her hand in a motion she had seen on TV, Seo was frozen in shock. Apparently she had just realised that Arcueid was sitting there and -.

"Bloodsucking demon... ?" Head tilted to the side, strange words escaped her mouth in a trembling voice.

"Excuse me?" Arcueid flinched back, shocked by Seo's words. Did this girl know what she was?

When Arcueid Seo jumped in her chair. "Eeeep! Please don't hurt me! It was Tohno-sempai that said it, not me!"

"Haha..." Shiki laughed weakly. "Seo-chan is Akiha's junior at school, she's also the precog I told you about a few months back." Aside, quietly so as to try and avoid being heard by Arcueid, Shiki whispered to Seo. "What the heck has Akiha been saying about Arcueid this time?"

If your everyday girl saw her boyfriend softly whispering in another girl's ear in front of her, she would no doubt have felt a spurt of jealousy that the boyfriend would pay for later. Luckily for Shiki, Arcueid's acute hearing meant that she didn't misunderstand the situation, he was only asking a question. Unfortunately for Shiki, this meant that Arcueid had just overheard what he had asked Seo.

"This time? You mean she's gone around like this more than once?" Arcueid asked with a hint of frost in her voice.

"Ah..." Shiki tried to think of a way to excuse his sister, but couldn't think of anything. "You know how she gets a little unbalanced when it comes to you. Just let it go."

Arcueid was still in Brunestud mode, her bubbly side completely hidden behind an irritated mask. After a moment however the mask crumbled and she sipped slowly from the cup of tea in her hands.

"You are too lenient when it comes to Akiha, Shiki," Arcueid chided him. "Sit her down one of these days and tell her to stop being such a brat about our relationship."

Both Shiki and Seo chuckled nervously as they exchanged a glance. Sit Akiha down... And tell her to calm down about his being involved with another woman? Slightly different but startingly similar images flashed through their heads as the two of them imagined what would happen.

"... Maybe in a decade or two," Shiki mumbled under his breath.

"Or five?" suggested Seo, only half-jokingly.

Introductions and urgent topics out of the way, the three of them settled down into an easy conversation. Well, two people did and one woman continued to send hints that the other should leave. This didn't work very well, and Arcueid decided that she needed to spell things out for the girl.

"What are you going to do now Akira-san?" Arcueid asked Seo sweetly, butting into a discussion between her and Shiki about life at school.

Seo, looked up at her, appearing to be faintly surprised by the question. "Well, it's a saturday so I don't have to go back to the dormitory for until nine. I was planning to walk around town and shop a bit."

"Hey, that's perfect," Shiki grinned. "Arcueid and I planning to go and do something now too. Why don't you join us?"

Seo looked eager while Arcueid could feel a headache coming along. There was something wrong about today. Not even Shiki was normally this stupid. Or maybe it was just his compulsion to see everyone happy that was acting up right now. Right, that had to be it.

"I wouldn't mind too much," She said smoothly. "It's just that Shiki and I were on a date before you came, Akira-san."

Arcueid emphasised the word 'date' for two reasons. One, to remind Shiki that this was a date and not just a casual outing. The other, a warning to the other girl that, no, she wasn't really welcome to butt in thank you.

"Date?" It was actually amusing to see the gamut of expressions run their way across Seo's face. "Oh! I'm sorry for interrupting you two." She made as if to stand up and leave when she stopped and gave Arcueid a hesitant smile. "Uhmm, if you don't have anything in particular that you want to do I have some free movie tickets here. I heard that there are some pretty good movies out right now, why don't you go see one together?"

Must, not, kill, brat. Arcueid knew that the cute little girl was trying to make a peace offering and she found herself liking her for it. It was a refreshing change from a certain prospective little sister of hers. However, she could feel her smile slipping as she felt her frustration begin boiling over. Why did she have to offer them the tickets now?! This was the first time she had been able get Shiki alone for herself in weeks and she wanted some quality time together for crying out loud!

"Thanks Seo-chan," Shiki gladly accepted the proffered tickets, an action that provoked a stifled groan from Arcueid.

The vampire princess fought to keep herself from grabbing the tickets and ripping them up as they got up from their seats to leave. There's always the night, she told herself as she waved her new - friend? - goodbye with a stiff smile on her face. There was always the night...

-x-x-x-

Arcueid was in a much better mood once they got out of the cinema. Akira-san had been right, the movie was good, and on that note, she now had Shiki at her mercy for the night. Huhuhu...

If Shiki had been able to hear the evil chuckle in Arcueid's mind, he would have wondered if he had made a mistake when he asked Kohaku to befriend the true ancestor.

Looking forward to a fun night, Arcueid was about to make her move when fate attempted to intervene, again. This time in the form of a familiar... Eh?

"Arihiko?" Shiki blurted out as he spotted a figure who was causing conversation to cease wherever he went. "What did you do to your hair?"

"Shiki! Good timing man!" Ignoring Shiki's horrified expression, Inui Arihiko waved a greeting and ran up to his pal. "And... Whoo boy, on a date with Arc-chan I see you lucky bastard. Hey there Arc!"

"... Hello," Arcueid said numbly. She too was too shocked by the... Thing that had taken up residence on Arihiko's head to say or think much more than that.

Words almost failed to describe it. A mass of frilly pink ribbons and white lace were choking the life out of a clump of blonde hair that had been curled into... Arcueid gave up at this point and began wondering why anyone would have something like that on their head.

"Arihiko, I'll say this again, so answer me before I cut off all relations with you forever," Shiki pointed a finger at the horror. "What, the hell, is that?"

"Huh?" Arihiko followed Shiki's finger and peered up at his head. "Ohhhh, that. It's just a wig. See?" Arihiko lifted the monstrosity off his head and held it out, upon which a storm of relieved sighs came from the men nearby whose manhoods had been shrivelling at the mere sight of the thing.

Shiki sighed too. "Okay, now explain to me why you are wearing something like that in public."

"It was a punishment man, a punishment," Arihiko threw up his arms in a gesture of helplessness. "Some of the guys from our high school class are having a little get together right now. I got invited and... Well, let's just say that I'm currently losing one of the games we are playing."

A thoughtful look came over Shiki. "The guys from high school? Ah, right. I got an e-mail about it a few days ago. I didn't realise it was today though."

"Why don't you show your face for a bit?" Arihiko suggested. "We are going to that restaurant over on Third for dinner now. Bring Arc-chan along and we can rub their faces in the fact that we have girlfriends and they still don't."

"Hmm, I don't know... Wait," Shiki looked at Arihiko. "When did you get a girlfriend? You didn't say anything about that last time we met?"

Arihiko gave him the big shit-eating grin that he was famous for. "Your sister man! Who else do you think I would be talking about? I showed those guys the pictures I took of her and they - Oof! ... Hey... I was only joking."

Arihiko gasped as he clutched his stomach, in pain after Shiki kneed him.

"I hit you harder when we were in middle school, stop acting," Shiki adjusted his glasses. "So seriously, who is it?"

Rolling his eyes, Arihiko mumbled something about being hit since middle school as he straightened up again. "This chick I met at work. We've only been going out for a week or so. Come along and I will introduce you."

"Huh, you finally got a girl," Shiki congratulated Arihiko with a clap on the shoulder. "This person I have to see. Third did you say?"

Snap. The sound of something breaking inside Arcueid's head. She had heard enough, and she was not about to waste more precious hours which she could be spending alone with her Shiki.

"Sorry Inui-san!" Arcueid latched onto Shiki's arm with a bright smile on her face. "I guess Shiki forgot but we have somewhere to go right now."

Arihiko noted with fear how incongruous those frosty eyes were with that beautiful smile. Eyes that were telling him to go away or face the consequences.

"Arcueid? What are you -."

Shiki was about to ask her what she was talking about when Arihiko cut in. Strictly a normal human he might have been, but even he knew when his life was on the line.

"Ah, that's too bad. See ya Shiki, bye Arc!" Arihiko began moving off quickly, but his nature meant that he had to leave a parting message. "I'll call, so let's get together some other time!"

"Bye Inui-san!" Arihiko cheerfully waved him off, relieved that one person today had gotten the hint.

"..." Shiki watched Arihiko disappear into the crowd and wondered what had just happened. "Okay, where were we going Arcueid?"

Arcueid looked at him, and sighed. "Just follow me."

With that she began to drag him along, still wrapped around his arm. A position that many of the men who saw them envied Shiki for. As for Shiki himself, he was still lost but had finally realised that this was one time when it was better to shut up and let Arcueid lead the way.

-x-x-x-

Sunset saw Shiki sitting in Arcueid's apartment where they had started the day. He could hear the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen, but some reason Arcueid had forbidden him from helping her. Deprived of anything to do Shiki had sat down to watch the news.

"Sorry, it took so long Shiki~!" Arcueid's merry voice drew Shiki's attention to the kitchen entrance. "I was wondering what to make but decided to go with something quick and easy in the end. A salad and grilled chicken should do shouldn't it? Shiki? Is something wrong?"

Breaking news about some kind of mecha going crazy in Tokyo flew by Shiki without even registering, his hand on the remote hitting the off button by reflex. Wrong? What could be wrong? There wasn't anything wrong! In fact there was too much of nothing wrong. Too... Much...

"Ar... Arcueid... ? What are you wearing... ?" Shiki stuttered.

"This?" Kneeling in front of him, Arcueid looked down at herself. A frilly black apron covered her front, and nothing else. Naughty grin on her face, she peered up at Shiki. "Just something I saw on the television. Do you like it Shiki?" she said as she smoothed the front of the apron down, an innocent consequence of this being that it stuck more closely to her full curves.

All praise the mighty box, may its glory last forever! Arcueid in a naked apron? Getting her cable had to have been one of the best decisions in his life. Shiki couldn't take his eyes off Arcueid's body as she leaned closer into him. His hands twitched as his brain shut down all non-critical functions in order to burn the image into the memory banks.

"Ah, ah~," Arcueid slapped away Shiki's hand, which had crept towards her without him even realising it. "Dessert is for later dear." Arcueid spoke softly, her breath tickling his neck as she crept closer.

Shiki was aware of a growing problem downstairs, but Arcueid seemed to ignore it as she slid her arms around him and sat on his lap. Firm breasts pressed into his chest as she gave him a light kiss on his lips. Was she trying to drive him crazy? Having been told off already, Shiki was at a loss as to what to do with his hands. A problem solved when Arcueid moved back a bit and said, "Eat your dinner before it gets cold Shiki." When Shiki didn't move she smiled again and whispered, "Or do you want me to feed you?"

Red faced with embarrassment and desire, Shiki picked up the knife and fork that Arcueid had laid out. He ate quickly, without really tasting the food that was passing down his mouth. He was much much too distracted for that, not helped by the way Arcueid would sometimes lean in and steal bites from food halfway into his mouth. Torture and bliss, that was how he would have described his dinner that night. With a goddess teasing him from his lap and him ready but unable to do anything, every passing second was sweet torment for his soul.

After what seemed an eternity, the last of the salad disappeared down Shiki's throat. Condition met, Shiki made as if to almost grab Arcueid, but was again frustrated as she slid up and out of his grasp. Twirling around in a motion that flashed him glimpses of her back and other more sensuous parts, she danced her way back to the kitchen with dishes in hand. She left behind her one young man who was beginning to feel as if he was about to undergo one of the dreaded Tohno inversion impulses.

"I was saving this for a special occassion," Arcueid said in a flirtatious tone as she came out of the kitchen again. She held a bottle of wine in her hands that she opened easily, the cork slipping out smoothly between her fingers in a motion that no human could have achieved. "This one's best fresh from the bottle so we should drink it quickly."

"You didn't bring any wine glasses," Shiki pointed out slowly in an attempt to preserve some of his sanity.

Looking at him in an expression of mock despair, Arcueid theatrically brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh dear, how could I have forgotten." When she knelt in front of him again, Shiki saw the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Guess I will just have to do this."

It should have been impossible, but Shiki felt his eyes grow even wider as Arcueid unlaced the top of the apron and wrapped an arm around her breasts. A trickle of dark red wine was poured into the crevice that she had made, the liquid glistening like fresh blood against her ivory skin.

"Ah~ it's leaking," Arcueid said sadly. "Could you hurry up and drink it please Shiki?"

The sad face she showed him was the last straw. Shiki buried his mouth between Arcueid's breasts and began lapping up the wine. Once most of it had gone he began to pay attention to the area around there as well, running his tongue across her smooth skin to clean up the remains.

Arcueid moaned softly as he began playing with her nipples. His left hand stroked one while his right wrapped itself around her waist, unlacing the remaining knots that held the flimsy covering between them in place.

"Mmmm, Shiki here."

Taking a gulp from the bottle, Arcueid leant in to meet Shiki's mouth as he rose up to meet her. A few drops escaped from the side of their mouths as they kissed, a tangling of tongues that went on for long moments. When they seperated they were both short of breath and eager for more.

"Do you want to take this into the bedroom?" Shiki asked her as he pulled her closer.

"Heh heh," Arcueid licked her lips and straddled him. "Later maybe," she said as she began taking off his shirt. "I still haven't had my dessert yet."

"Dessert? What - Eep!"

Shiki let out a girly shriek when something icy cold found its way onto his chest. He saw that Arcueid had pulled out a tub of chocolate ice cream from somewhere and was in the process of smearing it across his body.

"I told you, I haven't had my dessert yet Shiki," Arcueid murmured as she pushed him down onto the carpet.

-x-x-x-

Let it suffice to say, it was a long and pleasant night for both of them.

-x-x-x-

There were some moments when Shiki regretted the fact that Arcueid had installed a phone in her apartment. Moments such as now, as the ringing woke them from their slumber.

Shiki and Arcueid were a mass of tangled limbs on the bed as they came back to life under the audial assault. Last night they had started in the lounge before they moved to the kitchen, then they had gone to the bathroom to 'clean up', and had finally ended up in the bedroom where they had gone to sleep after satiating their lust.

"What isss it, Shi-ki?" Arcueid mumbled as she opened bleary eyes.

"Phone," Shiki groaned in reply. "Pick up?"

"Ignore it," Arcueid purred, and she pulled the sheet over both their heads.

The pang of conscience that Shiki felt was soon erased as Arcueid settled in next to him, her warm body moulding itself to his. Besides, the phone stopped ringing soon enough.

-x-x-x-

One o'clock, and the sun was shining. After getting a light meal Shiki and Arcueid were nestled up on the couch as they watched a game show on the tele. There was nothing sensual about it. Just two people enjoying each other's company.

Throughout it all however Shiki couldn't help but think he had forgotten something important.

Thring, thring. The phone started ringing again.

"Could you get that Shiki?" Arcueid sighed. "It's probably one of those annoying telemarketers again."

"Okay," Shiki carefully laid Arcueid's head back on the couch from where it had lain on his shoulder and stood up.

"Afternoon, Brunestud residence. Who's calling?" Shiki answered the phone without really thinking about anything. He was still feeling all fluffy from last night.

- ... - Silence over the phone.

"Hello?" Returning to himself a little, Shiki tried answering again.

- Niiii~san? - A low and heavy voice, cold as the grave to which it beckoned.

Shiki instantly recognised who it was, and froze. "Akiha?"

- Tweek, crackle, pwooch! Beep, beep, beep, beep... -

"Ha, ha, hahahahaha," laughing nervously, Shiki tried to persuade himself them he had not just heard his sister break the phone on the other end of the line.

"Shiki? Who is it?" Arcueid inquired from the couch.

How to answer. So many possible futures, so many possible ways for him to die. Shiki spent a moment staring blankly into space as he considered his options.

"Shiki?" Sounding a little worried now, Arcueid got up and came over.

"Ah, who am I kidding," Shiki sighed to himself and then smiled brightly at Arcueid.

Very, very, brightly. The smile of one who knows what he is about to do is crazy but has accepted that there is no other choice in the matter.

"Hey Arcueid? How do you feel about going on a trip? To, say..." Shiki thought about it. Was there anywhere he could go to escape Akiha's demonic wrath? Europe? No, Europe was out. Ciel-sempai would be coming after them once she heard about this. In that case, the only logical place was Africa... Yeah, they could drop by Sion's place and pick up Len as well. Problem was, that was too close to Europe for comfort. In that case...

"Right," having made up his mind Shiki grabbed Arcueid's hand. "Let's take a trip to South America after we pick up Len from Sion's place. You said you haven't been there before right?"

"Huh, Shiki?" Arcueid seemed confused by this sudden turn of events.

"No time to explain!" Shiki said desperately as he grabbed his passport and travel bag from where he had stashed it in Arcueid's spare room. "Just think of it as a road trip Arcueid!"

"Hmmm..." Arcueid thought it over. Phone call, Shiki had said Akiha, now Shiki wanted to go on a trip. Hmmm, sounded like little sister was furious. On the other hand, she could go on a trip with Shiki! Why had she even needed to think this over again?

"Okay! Let's go Shiki!" Arcueid grabbed Shiki by his arm and began pulling him towards the door, suddenly even more enthusiastic about this than Shiki himself. "South America, here we come!"

As they left the building Shiki began to wonder if he might had made a little mistake. Then, the thought of facing Akiha again booted those doubts from his head. It wasn't as if he was going away for good or anything now, was it? Just until Akiha's temper cooled down...

-x-x-x-

A few hours later...

Standing in what had been the chairman's office in the Saeki Group headquarters, Akiha was in full crimson mode as she read the printout that Kohaku had brought to her.

"So, he escaped to Africa with that bloodsucking bitch did he?" Akiha hissed as the paper disintegrated under her fury. "Kohaku, have you gotten the jet ready yet?"

"I'm sorry Akiha-sama, but it will take two more hours for the checks to finish," on the line to the airport, Kohaku was in assistant mode, her voice cool and soothing as she told Akiha the current status of the Tohno private jet. "It's been so long since we last used the plane that-."

"Tell the crew that if they are done in thirty minutes they will be getting four times their pay in bonuses this year," Akiha's voice cut across Kohaku's words.

"Of course Akiha-sama," Kohaku acknowledged the receipt of the order and bent back to the phone.

Satisfied that she had done all she could for now, Akiha turned back to the window where a glorious sunset was setting the horizon on fire. In her current mood however Akiha could only think that the light was staining the city red, the same way as certain people would be stained crimson once she got her hands on them.

"Huhuhu... So you think you can escape by going overseas nii-san?" Akiha's voice was cold and husky. "I will show you the true extent of the Tohno family's power nii-san. So be prepared for what will happen once I catch you. Huhuhuhu, hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kohaku paused in the midst of sending a request to the Egyptian consulate for a travel visa to examine her mistress. Yep, she was going to have to readjust the medication again.

Keeping people nice and insane was such a bother sometimes.

Notes:

1. By this time Arc and Shiki have been together for about two years.

2. This is NOT continuous from a harem ending.

3. Make of this what you will HAHAHAHAHA

The Satsujinki Cooking Diaries Omake

Cooking With Ciel-Sensei! - Cut Scene 1

Rachel Ray show style home kitchen stage in a production set. CIEL-SENSEI walks out to some cheering from the audience.

CIEL-SENSEI

Hello there! Welcome to 'Cooking With Ciel-Sensei', with your host, me! *Beaming smile*

*Polite Applause, CIEL-SENSEI's smile appears frozen onto her face*

CIEL-SENSEI

Let's try that again shall we? *Brings out Seven and slams it down onto the kitchen bench* Good evening all! Welcome to 'Cooking With Ciel-Sensei', with your beautiful and gracious host, me!

*Fervent Applause, some people are clapping so hard they are sweating. Or are they... ?*

CIEL-SENSEI

Thank you all for coming here today. For today's show we decided to focus on an easy dish that everyone can make at home for under 1000 yen. In these tough economic times we all need to cut down our food costs don't we? *Murmured agreement from audience* Yes, so here's the dish we are going to prepare today, Curry Rice!

PrOduCeR

Cut!

*CIEL-SENSEI frowns*

CIEL-SENSEI

Is there something wrong?

PrOduCeR

Ciel-sensei, that's not the dish you are supposed to be making. The programme specifically states that you are supposed to be making stir-fry noodles with beef.

CIEL-SENSEI

*Waves the suggestion away* Oh pheesh, who wants to eat anything like that? Curry Rice is obviously a much better choice.

PrOduCeR

*Groans and stares up at the ceiling* But we don't even have any curry powder in the studio...

CIEL-SENSEI

No worries. *Brings a packet out from under her mini-skirt (a prize if you can guess where that was hidden!)* I always carry some around with me.

PrOduCeR

*Starts hitting head on wall* God... Damnit... Knew... I... Should... Have... Gotten... Bloody... Vampire Girl...

*Audience member chooses that moment to ask a question*

S2D-1

Uhm, but isn't instant curry unhealthy for you? There's a lot of fat and artificial preservatives in there.

*CIEL-SENSEI's body twitches, she is turned around from the audience so none of the audience members can see her face.*

S2D-2

Yeah, *nods agreement to S2D-1* I heard that you will get fat if you eat too much.

S2D-3

That's what my boyfriend told me when I got addicted to curry a while back. *laughs*

SNAP, CLICK

*Audience attention turns towards stage. CIEL-SENSEI is staring wild-eyed at the audience with Seven locked and loaded in her hands*

CIEL-SENSEI

So... I have a curry waistline do I? I'm getting fat, am I?

S2D-2

Uh... We never-

*Gets cut off by CIEL-SENSEI*

CIEL-SENSEI

WELL YOU ANEMIC VAMPIRES CAN GO AND SHOW OFF IN HELL! CURRY FOREVER!!

*CIEL-SENSEI starts blasting the audience. Carnage happens*

CaM-MaN

Uh... Boss...

PrOduCeR

*PrOduCeR doesn't turn around. Keeps hitting head on wall* Get the CoDy to calm her down. *Finally turns around and sees the bloody mess CIEL-SENSEI is leaving in her wake* AND SOMEBODY GET ME A NEW AUDIENCE! *Returns to his head-banging* God... Damnit... Knew... I... Should... Have... Gotten... Bloody... Vampire Girl...

*Somewhere, in an graveyard about 2 km away from the studio*

VaMpIrE Girl

Aa... Aa... CHOO! *Wipes nose* Hmmm, I wonder if Tohno-kun is talking about me.

GhOuL

Brrraaainsssss......

VaMpIrE Girl

... Never mind...