Leading on

The place 'God' had mentioned to meet was a busy town with a lot of people loitering around. Shiryuu found it pretty easy to navigate with all the lively auras around him but he still made a show of bumping into a few people here and there.

The town he had been guided to was a little far away so the Madam had bestowed an escort on him. Not that he needed it, but it did help keep up an appearance. And Amani was an exotic girl with rich blue hair and piercing golden eyes.

And an even vicious tongue that no one wanted to be subjected to. Shiryuu was sure the Madam had sent her along with him as a punishment.

"Hey, look where you are going. Are you blind?" A particularly vicious man snarled as Shiryuu managed to successfully knock himself into his side. It attracted a lot of eyes in the vicinity.

The man looked at Shiryuu with a stinking eye, he intended to try and intimidate the ten years old child. But the action lost its effect since Shiryuu could not see it. This was the time for Shiryuu to interfere but he did not.

"I'm sorry master. Kindly forgive my little brother. He truly is blind and cannot help himself" Amani placed herself between Shiryuu and the elder man, her body acting as a barrier. Shiryuu could only tell what was happening because her aura had moved.

However, to everyone else, this scene successfully managed to shift the eyes from the old man to this new and still maturing beauty. And an exotic beauty at that.

Men could not help but gasp at the sheer beauty this one female possessed and Shiryuu felt the change in mood.

"O-Oh, is that so? I was not aware that he was your little brother. Sure, I'll forgive him if you agree to come with me" the man changed his tone completely as soon as he saw the beauty in front of him.

Shiryuu could feel the envy in the air around him and he knew every man must be thinking the same thing - to be in the old guy's place and to hold Amani's favor.

Had it been another girl from the pleasure house, Shiryuu might have been worried but not for Amani. She could take care of herself and also knew how to wield her beauty as a weapon.

"Ah master, I so wish to entertain you but our Madam had a rule. However, if you ever have the time, come and visit me at my home. I'll be sure to tell you all about how glad I am to have you grant us this favor" Amani must have made a bold move because there were gasps surrounding the pair.

The feeling of envy rose in the masses again but it was also mixed with helpless rage. That must be from the man's wife who could only watch the exchange in a seething rage. However, she was aware that she could not cause a scene.

"Of course, I will" the man replied, and then his aura felt like he was being dragged away. Amani just gave an amused giggle at the love-struck retreating fool before she turned to Shiryuu.

"Well, that was fun. But why did you knock yourself into him? You're not usually like that" Amani asked in a teasing voice. The young voice tickled Shiryuu's ears and it brought forth a warm and funny feeling.

He liked when Amani teased him like this since it reminded him of the happier times when he still had his vision. He could still remember the long flowing blue hair and those golden eyes of a child Amani.

"I just did as I was asked to by Madam. You don't need to pay any attention to it" Shiryuu commented, choosing to keep the real reason a secret.

Now that the scene had been made, Shiryuu knew he would be approached by someone soon enough. The 'God' had been very specific about what kind of scene Shiryuu needed to make to attract attention.

News of a blind child with a super beautiful sister must have started to spread across the town by now, so all they had to do was to wait around for a bit.

"Hey Shiryuu, I don't want to scare you but someone is tailing after us for quite some time now. Should we run?" Amani asked with a nervous voice. He could sense the people around him but no one who should be following them.

So he had a reason to believe that it was the 'God's' messenger. But even if he was not, Shiryuu was sure he would be able to take the other out easily. And if not, then it would be the day he die.

"No, we don't need to run. He's likely the person we're here for. Let's find an inn first before we make any contact" depending on what the 'God' wanted from them, things could change very drastically.

And while it would be alright for Shiryuu to get caught up in it, he did want Amani to stay safe and hidden. And for that to happen, they needed a base of operations.

"Ah, we won't need to do that. Madam gave me the address of one of our establishments here. It's being headed by Sister Mayuri. You remember her, right?" Shiryuu felt his breath stop at the name.

The last he had heard of her, she had been burned badly in the same incidence he had lost his vision in. She had only been sixteen then and now would have been in her prime if not for that incident.

Shiryuu was ashamed to admit but he was afraid to face her again. She had done so much for him, even tried to get him out in time but had lost much more than she had gained. And then she had even gone away from the main house since she was no longer needed.

And now he would meet her again after four years of separation. His nerves were killing him but he kept on walking.

Maybe Amani got his silence, maybe she did not. But she did not question him and he did not answer her. The silence continued just as it had been till they reached the final leg of their journey.