Ryuu perked up as he heard small explosions outside. He grimaced. "Not this again... why Hotaru, why!?" he grumbled.

Clarissa straightened out her clothes and made sure her hair looked perfect before she walked over to Ryuu and tapped him on the shoulder. She smiled and handed him a small pouch of jewel.

"Here, This is your share..." she said shyly, her face blushing slightly. "If you want you can come shopping with us..."

Ryomo giggled at Clarissa.

"How cuute!" she thought to herself.

"Um... sure?" he replied. There was a knock on the door. Ryuu wondered if someone could go answer it.

Hotaru grumbled. She had just gotten away from that doctor lady and now she was knocking on a stranger's door.She sat down and waited.

Onoki smiled at Clarissa's antics. She may be a spoilt little rich girl but she was a lot of fun. She had grown up a lot since he last saw her and was surprised that she still recognised him. The girl squealed in joy and rushed over to Ryomo and grabbed her by the arm.

"He said he's coming! Quick! You have to help me change! I don't know what to wear!" In a flurry of skirts, glitter and hair she had dragged Ryomo out the living room door and up the large flight of stairs to disappear on the upper level of the house.

"Well mate, looks like it's the end of our time together. Good luck with Clarissa, she's quite a handful." Onoki said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I should probably drop in on my dad, tell Ryomo I'll meet her back at the guild, ok?"

Hotaru knocked on the door again. What was taking them so long? Figures, since every one thought she was in a coma right now...

Ryuu heard the knock. "I'll check it, okay?" he said. He grabbed his scythe which he carried over his shoulder. He opened the door. "Yes? Wait... is that you? It is. Hi. Come in." he said. Hotaru walked in. He walked into his team's line of sight with Hotaru and pointed.

Ryomo looked around and took in the Clarissa's extravagant room. It seemed that everything...sparkled...

"Wow..." she said in awe.

[ Edited Aug 6, 2012 ]

Hotaru grumbled. They were ignoring her. "OI!" she yelled as she attack-hugged Okoni. "Missed me?"

Ryuu looked at her. He held up his sack of jewel, wondering what to do with it. He looked at Hotaru. Then he shivered as the room got coldr, but only for a second. The coldness passed in an instant. He wondered what it was. "Um... Hotaru? I have to go now, since... it seems I'm not needed." he said, and walked off.

(Time skip. Not a large one...)
One of the girls ran up to Hotaru. They had gotten back to the guild. "Hotaru? One of the guild authorities would like to see you. I don't know why..." she said. Hotaru tilted her head, nodded, and followed the girl. After a couple of minutes, she came back. "I... I'm being kicked out of the guild." she said dryly. "I don't know why..."

(ah bum, skipped over all my character development T___T Moving along then.... )

Onoki picked at his teeth. Why he thought getting a fruit and nut bar would be a good idea he never knew, they always got stuck in his teeth. He still couldn't believe Hotaru was alive... he could have sworn the girl had no pulse back at the jungle temple... he shrugged it off but for some reason couldn't quite shake the eerie feeling he got whenever she was around now.

He opened his pouch of jewel and sighed at the meagre amount he had. His eyes wandered back to the request board where he found himself yet again standing in front of and searching for a good request. That was where he was when Hotaru came back with her shock announcement.

"You're what?" he asked, dumbfounded, not sure that he had heard her correctly.

"They're kicking me out of the guild," Hotaru enunciated. "I've got one more day and I have to leave."

"Unfortunately... I have no place to stay..." she grumbled. "Well then, why don't you stay with me?" a voice said. Hotaru turned, and Ryuu waved at her. "Came to check on you. Where would you have been staying?" he asked.

"An inn... but I lost my jewel sack in Tartarus, so I can't meet the required payment..." Hotaru said. Ryuu rubbed his neck. "I do not appreciate them letting a minor in the inn. The only inn in this place can get pretty dangerous. But I suppose it was the only place you could stay..." he trailed off.