Weaving through the hallway with rushed leaps, Rin wondered to herself if it was a good thing that she knew where every step, every corner, every nook and cranny was that made up the path she needed to take to get to her intended location.

After all, said location was only just down the hallway, but still, she had to get there without being detected even the slightest by any of the other dozens of residents that lived in the seemingly infinitely sized house. When putting it that way, the task seemed to balloon into something a hundred times more difficult.

Despite her worry, the blonde-haired girl managed to find the room easily even darkness, her hand grasping the knob and turning it, slowly, so that not even so much as a creak could reach her ears.

Once inside the room, Rin could hear the rustle of blankets before a lamp flickered on in the darkness, illuminating a bedroom covered in scrolls, tanto displays and unlit candles.

"Ah, you made it I see..."

Hearing his voice made chills run up her spine. She loved that voice, with it's silky undertone and deep richness. However, she loved the owner of that voice much more so.

Sitting up from the bed, Rin watched in awe as long, purple hair spilled over the other side of the bed, and a slim figure turned to look at her with an ever charming smile on his face. How she craved this sight in the daytime hours...

"Are you certain that no one followed you?" He asked, praying that their secret was still safe for another night. At least, if they could make sure no one somehow needed to see either of them tonight, as they had made sure every other night.

"No one followed, Gakupo...I would have noticed!"

"Keep your voice down...!"

Rin's cheeks puffed up as she pouted, turning Gakupo's face from a look of worry into a look of amusement, chuckling to himself as she walked with careful steps to the bed and sat down on the side of it. Her small body bopped up and down on the mattress for a moment before she turned to look at the older man.

"You know, Rin-chan, I wasn't able to keep my eyes off you today..." He spoke quietly, as though speaking just the slightest bit louder would immediately arouse a search party for the girl missing from her bedroom.

"I noticed that..." And she had, really. Which was not a good thing, as it had been early on in their relationship that they had established rules so as not to alert anyone else of their affairs. Said rules had included not staring at each other when others were around to take notice.

But during practice that day, Rin had been quick to notice Gakupo's eyes wandering over to her during their individual song pieces, with only a single sheet of glass to separate them from one another.

"It worries me, honestly..." He scooted closer to the tiny female, wrapping a strong arm around her and pulling her close to his chest, his other hand resting on her back while she closed her eyes. "It worries me that I'm thinking of the things that I am..."

She listened to his words only half-heartedly for a moment, her mind concentrating otherwise on the scent of cooked noodles and sweat blended together. It was his unique smell, even if not the greatest one would imagine. "Oh...?"

Gakupo sensed she wasn't listening as intently as he had hoped, clearing his throat and pulling her away a moment so as to lock their eyes together.

"Rin, I've been thinking of things that we shouldn't do. Of things that are...the next level of a relationship. You may be young, but you understand that much, don't you?"

She stared at him for a long moment before nodding, realizing what exactly he had meant by worrying over his thoughts.

"Then...You're saying you wanna go further then this?"

The words played on her lips for a few seconds, trying them out. As much as she didn't really want to admit it, Rin hadn't really thought about how she wanted to 'become a woman', even if the others who were older then her had done so many times, even bringing it up in conversations. But not her. She didn't think those things. They just weren't something you thought about, were they?

"I'm scared, Rin. That is what is worrying me..." Though longing to continue holding her, the samurai released her from his hold and turned around, refusing to look at her.

"Continuing this relationship would be foolish. Already we have spent too many times fearing close calls and questioning friends. If someone were to even find out you've been sneaking in here at night...Who knows what they may think...And the rumors that would come about..."

Rin hadn't given much thought to what others would think. As far as she knew, no one was going to find out and everything would work out perfectly fine. But Gakupo had made a point, that they were not safe from criticism.

She was a mere fourteen years old, and he was...

Well, she was unsure of how old he was, but considering the period of time he had been based upon during creation, he was well over five-hundred years old. A fourteen-year old and a five-hundred-year old being together would not bode well to the public eye.

And yet, the teenager moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him, hands resting on the small orb on his chest.

"It doesn't matter what they all think! I still love you anyway.."

Gakupo sighed and shook his head. She was young, yes, and definitely naive to go along with it. "Rin, we can not stay together. If we go much further with this, we will surely be caught and who knows what would become of us?"

"Would you still love me anyway if we got caught?" She intervened quickly, catching him off guard.

Surprise flooded over his face. Would he still love her despite such a thing? Of course he would, but...The consequences that she would need to endure afterwards...Didn't she care about them at all?

"I...Well...Yes...Yes, I would surely still love you, but..."

"Then that's all I care about." Rin shrugged, leaning her head on his back while her fingers tapped against the fragile orb.

She knew just how to get him, oh, she most certainly did...

But hearing her confirm their love made him feel as though he were flying. She was such a great person, even in this world where many others were selfish and obsessed with greed-filled desires.

"...I suppose then that I must agree. All that I care about is being with you..."

Turning his body to face her, Rin found herself being enveloped into the warmth of a board, comfortable chest. Resting her cheek against him, her eyes flickered up to meet his own once more.

"Gakupo...You...Mentioned you wanted to go further didn't you?"

The poor man nearly had a heart attack right then and there.

"Y-You don't mean to seriously...! I mean...! Rin, you are only fourteen! I could never do such a thing! A-And besides, I would only do it if you wanted me to! Think about what it is you truly want first!"

Grabbing at the blankets near the foot of the bed, the smug girl pulled them over herself and laughed a bit. "But it is what I want..."

He opened his mouth to protest before being pushed into laying on the bed. As much as the word 'no' wanted to come out of his mouth, Gakupo found himself falling into the plan she had, perhaps, been concocting from the beginning.

Whether or not it was planned, it didn't matter now.

After that night, he knew they would share a bond different from any other. They were lovers, forbidden from each other's heart, and yet, this pure and wonderful thing between them still remained secret.

Maybe it wouldn't remain secret forever.

Maybe someone would find out.

But if Rin's words were of any indication, Gakupo found that if she could take it without a care, he was sure that he could do the same.