"Ano, I�" he fidgeted.
"You skipped cram school?" Ryo asked with raised eyebrows as he came up behind Mi-chan.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ryo came upon the scene half-concerned and half-amused.
Skipping cram school wasn't really a punishable offense, though neither Chibi nor Mi-chan would believe that. Infinity had an escalator system that practically guaranteed that Chibi would get into the high school now that he was in the junior high. Besides he barely needed to study to pass their exams. Chibi only went to cram school because he wanted to. It would take something huge to keep Chibi away voluntarily.
That wasn't much of a mystery either. Chibi's libido was on overdrive. He was totally infatuated with this girl, Carrie. Of course, with Chibi, any person of the female persuasion was likely to become an object of his affection.
It wasn't even surprising that Chibi thought he was in love after just meeting this girl today. Afterall, Neko and Tenshi had been in love practically since they met (thank goodness that Mi-chan and Jian-wa had at least known each other before starting to date - not that they had had the most perfect relationship). Ryo was almost getting used to this.
No, Ryo would've been fine with Chibi cutting class and crushing on this much older girl, except for one thing.
He couldn't read anything off of her.
At all.
It was as if Carrie wasn't really there. Even if she was using some sort of mind shield, Ryo should've been able to sense that, but he couldn't sense anything.
"Hello, sir," Carrie said politely.
"Uh, Otou-san, this is Keri. Keri-chan, this is my dad and my sister Mi-chan. And that's Neko-chan over there." He pointed to the door where Neko stood watching them. "Uh, Keri-chan is new, and I said I'd show her around�."
"So I gathered," Ryo smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you, Miss�?"
"Uh, Eclipse." After a brief moment of awkwardness, Carrie flashed him a bright smile.
"Well, Gebriel. Perhaps it's time to say goodbye to your new friend and come inside," Ryo pointedly suggested.
"'Kay," Chibi agreed sheepishly.
Ryo indicated to Mi-chan that she should follow him back to the house. As the two of them joined Neko in the doorway, he said to the twins, "Watch out for your brother, okay?" He had no reason to suspect that Carrie had dishonorable intentions toward his son, but he couldn't really trust her either. And in light of the Jian-wa situation, Ryo didn't want to take any chances.
One thing was certain, though. He had to stop meeting his children's significant others in the driveway of the house.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko, like Mi-chan, didn't like Carrie as soon as she saw her. There was something about the way she smiled that struck a chord of danger for Neko. But she didn't really know what it was that truly worried her.
Still, she planned on taking Ryo's advice and watching out for Chibi.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Well, Gabriel. I look forward to seeing you at school tomorrow," Carrie said seductively as she leaned closer to him.
Chibi couldn't help himself. He never could. He also leaned in and said, "A kiss before you go then?"
Carrie chuckled lightly. She cocked her head to the side and pecked him on the cheek. "See you around, Gabriel," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
An equal twinkle glimmered in Amethyst's eye from the top of the mansion's spiral stairs as her twin climbed them to the third floor.
"Having fun, Carni?"
"That boy is insufferable! 'A kiss before you go then?' Please!"
"Well, you can't blame him, really. I mean you're an older woman and not exactly ugly," Amethyst replied as Carnelian reached the top of the stairs. She hopped off the railing where she sat and offered Carnelian one of the violets that Jasper had placed by her bedside that morning. Carnelian held out her hand to accept, but instead Amethyst put it in Carnelian's hair behind her ear. "You see. He can't help it. You're a beautiful woman who's willing to date him. I mean he'd be nuts not to want you."
"Oh? Is that your expert lesbian opinion?"
"Man, I haven't been with a girl in years," Amethyst said whimsically.
"You haven't been without Jasper in years," Carnelian replied pointedly.
"My! Jealous, are we?!"
"No," Carnelian scowled. "Jasper's been here forever. Amber too. They're part of the family. Part of the team. But as part of the team, I expect them to pull their weight."
"Well, of course, silly," Amethyst rolled her eyes. "They do their job just like you, me, and Crystal."
