Only yours

New traces

Davao, my place of rest, at least for a while. If Kaori wasn't here. We were sitting together on the terrace and I had turned the volume down. Even if I had tried to listen to her seriously, my thoughts kept drifting back to Usagi. We had finally gotten closer again, and then first this guy rang and then... Oh well, there was no point in worrying about it any longer. It was enough that my wrist still hurt.

"Diamond?" Kaori hissed and punched me in the upper arm.
"Yeah? What?" I grumbled back, annoyed.
"I was talking to you. It would be nice if you answered me."
"I'm sorry about that. What was it about?"
Kaori rolled her eyes in annoyance and huffed. "Just forget it."
"When is Kunzite actually coming to pick you up?"
"When he's finished with his appointment. Until then, my precious time is yours. Speaking of picking you up."

Now Kaori jumped up and began to rummage frantically in her bag. Then she pulled out a small jewelry box. "Tanaka asked me to give you this. I picked up my order a few days ago and he gave me yours straight away."

I took the box from her and looked at the work. Tanaka had outdone himself, it was even more beautiful than in his drawing.

"The bill," Kaori said with a cocky grin and handed me an envelope. "She really seems to mean a lot to you. When are you going to give it to her?"
"Can you just stop being so nosy? No one can stand that."
"I'll stay out of it as soon as you've given her the necklace. And if you want to thank me, you know my goldsmith now," she winked.

Kaori put on a broad grin and sank back into her seat, sipping her cocktail with relish. It was time for Kunzite to show up.
As if he had heard my thoughts, he stepped out onto the terrace. He threw his jacket over the back of the chair. "And did you two have a good time?"
"A stone would have listened to me better than Diamond."
"At least a stone wouldn't have talked my ears off."
"Oh, how nice, I see you two are getting along splendidly again," Kunzite said with a smile and filled his glass.

Kaori and I exchanged an amused glance. "Ah, our Prince of Darkness is in a great mood again today," Kaori continued to tease and raised her glass towards Kunzite.
Kunzite leaned forward, a slightly thoughtful expression in his eyes. "By the way, Diamond, I had an idea..."
"Oh no, please no new business ideas on vacation," Kaori interrupted him with a theatrical sigh.

Suddenly Kunzite's cell phone and mine started ringing at the same time. We reached for it in sync to see what was going on. It had to be urgent if someone was trying to reach us at the same time.

"Enough of your business matters. Remember, we're on vacation. No business here," Kaori hissed, glaring at both of us.

Kunzite and I glanced at each other, and he turned his display towards me. Massaru with both of them. I nodded at him and accepted the call.

"What's up?"
"Boss, I think we've got him. He ran through one of our buildings in Sapporo. The camera clearly recorded him, and the lady at reception confirmed it was him."
My body tensed to the max. Sapporo was within my grasp.
"Fly there and take someone else you trust with you. We can't lose the trail again."
"Haruka could leave right away. I still have a few things to organize here, but what about Ms. Tsukino?"

Usagi. When Haruka and Massaru hunted for Saphir, there was only one place in the whole world where nothing could happen to her. By my side.

"Haruka should set off. I'll see to it that Mrs. Tsukino comes to Davao tomorrow. You'll put her on the jet yourself and then go to Haruka as soon as you can. We have to get him this time."
"Understood."

Kaori, of course, had already sharpened her antennae when I dropped into the chair. She already sensed that something was wrong. Kunzite gave me a waiting look.

"What's going on? Trouble in the dominion?.... Ouch."

Kunzite had stepped on her foot under the table to stop her teasing.

"You've got a lead on Sapphire... Usagi is coming to Davao tomorrow," I informed her briefly.

Kunzite once again understood me without further words, his brow furrowed in deep, brooding lines. Then my gaze wandered to Kaori, her eyes sparkling at me.

"No," I said directly, before she could ask her question. I tried to stall her.

"Oh come on, Diamond. Just one meeting with her. I want to know who this woman is who actually managed to get you."

"Absolutely not. By the time she gets to know you, she'll be on the run."

Kaori grinned cheekily at me. "Come on, deep down you know you like me."
"I've never dug that deep."

Kunzite just smirked to herself and let me fight the argument with Kaori alone.

"I said no, witch. And now if you'll excuse me, I guess I still have to negotiate with Sato. You'll find out when you're done."

Kunzite gave me a brief nod and Kaori continued to sip her cocktail. I could literally feel her eyes boring into my back.
No, there was no way I could expect Usagi to meet Kaori. Everything was still too unclear for that.
Now I had to convince Sato that I needed Usagi here on site. Since father was his regular customer, we naturally had his private extension, which he could be reached at any time. I called the number and went through all the options again. Saphir certainly wanted me to go to Sapporo. He wanted Usagi to remain unprotected in Tokyo again.

> Since you're staying in Tokyo, keep an eye on Ms. Tsukino's apartment and the places where she often stays. My feeling is that he's just trying to confuse us again. < I sent to Massaru.

Then I called Sato's number. Usagi would definitely not be happy, but I didn't care. It was about her safety.

"Mr. Prince, what can I do for you?"

"Good evening, Mr. Sato. I apologize for the late interruption, but I have an important request."
"I'm listening."
"I need Ms. Tsukino as a consultant on Davao for a few days."
"Oh, Ms. Tsukino still has a lot to do on her desk. Apart from that, she's never been on a business trip before. But I could reschedule some appointments and support you."

"No. That's a nice suggestion, but I need Ms. Tsukino. I will organize the flight and also pay her salary for the time I need her. I think two or three days will be enough. In addition, I will compensate you for your inconvenience."

Sato remained silent for a moment, thinking about my offer. "What kind of compensation are we talking about here?"
"Mr. Sato, have you ever been disappointed by my family? I'll be sure it satisfies you."

He exhaled heavily. "Good, I will inform Mrs. Tsukino about her business trip tomorrow."

"Thank you, Mr. Sato," I said, still in my businesslike tone. How I hated kissing other people's asses. It was even worse than endless, boring meetings.
Calling Massaru.

"Yes, boss?"
"I've made all the arrangements. Ms. Tsukino will fly to Davao tomorrow. Until then, keep an eye on her. Nothing must happen to her."
"Understood."

I glanced through the window. Kunzite and Kaori had left. At least I could spend the evening alone with my thoughts. Father certainly wouldn't be thrilled if he found out that I hadn't followed his instructions. But there was no other option. No matter how I looked at it, Massaru couldn't leave Tokyo yet, and Haruka was the only one who could hold a candle to him, if at all. Leaving Usagi unprotected in Tokyo was absolutely not an option.
I called up her number on my cell phone and debated with myself. Should I call her and explain the situation to her?

No. That would only worry her. I wanted to spare her the stress. It was enough that I was driving myself crazy.
I shook my head as if I wanted to banish the confused thoughts. Now was the time to concentrate on the here and now. Usagi's safety was my top priority. I was prepared to do anything to protect her - even if that meant going against my father's wishes.