>>"Dion... you're here... honto... itooshi..."
"Hai, Ce-ko. Honto. I'm really here."<<
Celly forgot everything in the warmth of Dionysus' embrace. The fighting... the blame... the madness... the despair... Everything except being in his arms again. She was happy, and she hadn't been happy in such a long time...
"Ano... Excuse me?" Nyx asked.
Celly's head snapped up and she realized that Nyx, Seth and Bob were avidly staring at the two of them. Her cheeks flushed red, and she was glad to see that the same had happened to Dion's.
Nyx crossed her arms and had a strange look on her face. "Finally, I have your attention. So, who is this guy, Celly? You usually don't go around hugging people. I thought your philosophy was ‘Attack first, ask questions later.'"
Celly just smiled a happy smile. "Gomen ne, Nyx. This is Dionysus. He's my Guardian."
Nyx was surprised. "HIM?!? I didn't even know you *had* a Guardian! I thought you didn't need one."
"Well..."
"All Otakus have Guardians," Dionysus cut in. "I'm Ce-ko's. I just haven't shown up because I... was tied up in some red tape trying to get here."
"Red tape?" Seth asked. "What kind of red tape would keep a Guardian from being with their charge?"
Celly said nothing, lowering her head instead. Dionysus looked over Seth carefully. "Are you Nyx's Guardian? I've never seen you around before..." Then it hit him. "Oh... oh, I see."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nyx asked with anger touching her words. "What do you mean you haven't seen Seth around? He's a Guardian, just like you."
"Of course I am!" Seth said.
"Uh, right," Dionysus replied. "It's just... it's just that *every* Guardian knows what kind of... red tape I had to go through. Most never ask straight out because they know all about it already."
"Know all about what?" Nyx leveled her piercing gaze at Celly.
"It's something that we don't like to discuss," Celly answered. "All you need to know is that Dion is my Guardian." She turned to the silver-haired man. "And how did you get here anyway? I thought that the Guardian's Council wouldn't let you take up your duties anymore."
Dionysus frowned. Damn, I can't tell her the truth about why I'm here, he thought. She can't know that the Moderator called me. He plastered a smile on his face. "Yeah, but since when have I ever listened to the Council? I'm back, and I'm not leaving until my job is done." Apparently his ruse had worked because Celly just smiled and didn't question him. She trusted him whole-heartedly. Gods... I hate lying to her. But, I have to go and talk to the other Otakus. I have to do my job! I didn't mean to run into her so soon.
Celly had been looking at some files sitting on her chair during this time, occasionally wrinkling her brow. Finally she looked up and giggled. "We need to get cracking and plan our strategy against the other Otakus. It's us against them. Let's get to work!"
"Speaking of work, I have to go," Dionysus said.
Celly's face fell. "Nani? You're leaving so soon? Why?"
Dionysus thought fast. "Well... I don't want the Council to catch me here. I *am* disobeying their orders, you know." Celly was frowning. Damn! She's not buying it! Dionysus walked over to her and stroked his hand across her cheek. "Besides, I want to help you as much as I can, and I don't want you to get into anymore trouble because of me." That did it. Celly melted with his words and they shared a quick kiss before he turned and left.
Dionysus leveled a look at Bob that said you-tell-her-why-I'm-really-here-and-I'll-rip-your-throat-out. Bob's eyes snapped down and he found his console to be very interesting. Dionysus leveled another look at Seth that said you-touch-her-and-I'll-make-sure-you-take-a-long-walk-in-the-sunlight-vampire-boy. Seth quickly turned away from where he was ogling Celly's legs under her fuku.
Dionysus left Castle Anthrax in search of the Otakus.
After Dionysus had left, Celly took her seat in her chair in the center of Special Ops. Nyx sat to her left, and both of them were discussing the pictures of the Otaku on the viewscreen.
"That Chichiri no Otaku is dangerous," Nyx said. "I can feel something from her. She's not just a regular person. She's got something else."
"I've felt it too. And Hotohori no Otaku is turning out differently than I expected as well. There's an extra kick in her powers... plus the Glaive."
"Put it up!" Celly ordered.
A large map of the charted Bishounen World appeared on the viewscreen. One chocolate brown dot, one blue dot, one orange-red dot, and far apart from the rest was a lone blue dot. Slowly, the chocolate dot separated from the orange and blue dots.
"They're separating..." Bob said. "Hotohori no Otaku, Susanne... I've got her coordinates!"
"What about Chichiri no Otaku and Tasuki no Otaku?" Nyx demanded.
"One minute... there! I've got them!"
"I get the ima who slit my throat," Nyx growled, a feral look in her eyes.
"Hai. I get Susanne, of course."
Celly pulled open a portal for Nyx and Seth, chuckling as she heard a muffled "... hentai!" come from its depths. Celly closed the portal and opened a new one for herself. She jumped through and in a moment found herself in a large city.
"Welcome to London" a nearby sign proclaimed.
And Celly was on the hunt.
TBC...