Dojo to Tenku

(Mercy and Sky)

Chapter One

Daijobu desu ka

("Are you alright?")

Kayura woke up with Touma's arm spooned over her figure. She maneuvered herself while still under the sheets, lifting Touma's arm and shifting over, Touma stirred but didn't wake. She sat against the head of the bed with the sheets hanging on her chest. She looked down at Touma's sleeping body, watched his slow movements as his chest rose and fell with his breathing. His breathing was loud, almost like a sigh, but not a snore. She vaguely smiled in what was almost a half smirk and a shot out sigh that sounded like an almost laugh. She looked to the curtains and could see sunlight; it was late morning, possibly somewhere around 10 or eleven.

As Kayura looked over Touma's body she was reminded of how different he looked from when they first met. He had been a 14 year old boy, now he was a mostly grown man. His face had firmed a little, though he had always had a fairly responsible expression to him. It wasn't the harsh life of battle that made him so mature, he just always seemed to be so responsible, at least that's what everyone told her.

She looked down at herself' she supposed she had grown some, even though she wasn't supposed to have. Her figure had filled out a little in the centuries, even though nobody seemed to notice, even herself before today. She caught the bed sheet just before it slipped off her chest. She looked around the edge of the bed and got back into the outfit she had worn last night. The dress was a midnight blue or dark purple depending on how the light caught it, it was a fairly tight skirt with a slit up to the knee. She had an extremely light purple blouse to go with it. She frowned, this may have been good for their date, but it was lousy for the morning after. She finally stood up and walked over to the closet, opening it she pulled out a button down shirt, she held it over herself and looked down to see how far it went. She slid off her blouse and skirt again, and she then adjusted the gray sports bra before putting on the blue flannel shirt. It stopped barley an inch or two down her thighs, but it was far enough down to be decent. She folded the sleeve over once so it didn't cover her hands.

There was a light knock on the bedroom door, Kayura got up and opened it. Shuu was standing there in Jeans and an orange turtleneck.

"Is Touma awake yet?"

"Not yet, didn't have to heart to wake him."

"Let me," Shuu started to move into the doorway, then stopped, "he's not wearing anything under that sheet is he?"

Kayura smile, "Nope."

"I'll let you wake him, tell him breakfast is ready, has been for over an hour, and the guys are already over," Shuu started to head around the corner but stopped, "Oh and you might wanna put something else on over your legs, the last button on that is missing and whenever you move it opens."

Shuu ducked around the corner as Kayura looked down to realize what he was talking about. Her cheeks were flushed with crimson suddenly as she closed the door and turned to face Touma, who had his eyes open at last. He was raised by his elbows but still lying down.

"He's right," his voice was almost playful.

Kayura walked over to the side of the bed and kissed Touma, a quick, dispassionate morning greeting. She opened the top drawer on the nightstand next to the bed and pulled out a safety pin, she pinned the bottom of the shirt closed. She reached over with her hand and gently slid her fingers over Touma's eyes, then traced his cheeks down to his chin.

Touma reached over and placed a hand on her side. "Of course we could ignore breakfast and just slide back in here under the sheets."

"It's time to get up."

"Na' it's not."

Kayura slid her hand around Touma's neck and behind his head. She held firmly to the back of his neck and smiled viciously. Touma held his head back as if trying to press the back of his head into her hand and make her let go, he winced. She spoke rather firmly, but still rather calmly, "It is."

Touma sighed as Kayura let go. He reached over and wrapped the sheet around him and got up at last. He dressed almost as haphazardly as she did, throwing on a pair of boxers and a white undershirt, then reaching into a lower drawer he pulled out a pair of denim shorts that had worn a few holes through in places.

He raised a hand to his mouth and let out a particularly drawn out yawn. He followed behind Kayura into the joint kitchen and dinning room. Seiji looked up first and spoke, "Good morning, I see Kayura is over again, I assume that means you two had a good date," he smirked momentarily in his coffee cup.

"Good morning to you too Seiji-san, and to the rest of you."

The rest exchanged their 'good mornings' before Shuu brought out the food.

"Pass the Syrup Shuu," Shuu handed Touma the syrup, as he proceeded to douse the pancakes in maple. The rest at the table held back a momentary wince, but they were used to it by now.

When breakfast was over the guys played Janken to determine who got stuck with the dishes, after Touma lost Kayura excused herself so she could go home and get dressed in her own clothes. She promised to be back soon. While doing the dishes Shin came over and leaned lightly against the fridge.

"So..."

"So what?"

"A month ago I asked you if you really liked her, you said you honestly weren't sure yet. You have been going out for a month; I think you ought to know by now?"

"I..."

"You?"

"I think I'm in love," his voice was almost boyish with a mild laugh following. "I mean, she's just, well you know we've been intimate more times than I care to count, sometimes I almost feel guilty, but she doesn't seem to mind."

"Why would you feel guilty?"

"I dunno, like she thinks I only care about her for the sex. She's never expressed any concern verbally, but sometimes she just seems depressed about something, and she never tells me why."

"She's seen a lot of things in her time."

"That's another thing, she hasn't said word one about her past- or the Youjakai, I dun even know if anybodies still there at this rate."

"But where would they be?"

"I dunno, I just feel maybe she's not telling me everything."

"Has she told you anything, the way she feels, the way the others feel?"

"No, I tried to bring it up once, but something weird happened and distracted us, and I didn't think to come back to it afterwards."

Shin nodded, "But you love her."

"Yes..." Touma looked down at his hands. He drained the sink and washed off the dishwater from his hands, and dried off his hands.

In the Youjakai, Kayura was getting dressed behind a screen and talking to Rajura.

"You do know that with both Kaos and Shuten dead, well, we sorta feel responsible for you, like a father or something."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, you've been kinda down lately, you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really."

"Is it Touma?"

Kayura was silent for a moment, "I... I don't think so. It's just-... Sometimes I wonder if he really feels for me the way I think he does. I wonder if maybe I'm trying to hard, or if I'm doing too much... I was a little girl when I got taken here, I don't know anything about dating, and even if I had been old enough then, it's so different now."

"Not everything has changed. You can try to talk, or, sucker somebody else to." He chuckled for a moment, "You could get me to stick him in an illusion to find out."

Kayura came out dressed, "No, that wouldn't be fair."

"Is it confirmed?"

"Yes m'lord," A figured revealed himself from the shadows and bowed to another figured concealed by a shadow looming over his throne. The revealed figure was rather short, but wide, he had short red hair and pointed ears that stood high. "Arago is dead."

"And the Youjakai?"

"It is still protected by fragments of Arago's armor, turned to good."

"Fragments?"

"I've been investigating the lore, It seems about a hundred years after he took over the Youjakai, he tried to rule the Ningenkai too, a warrior-mage defeated him and fragmented his armor into nine parts, four of them still reside in the Youjakai on a regular basis, one of them frequently travels between the two worlds these days, it is the last descendant of the warrior mage, and the current possessor of one of the nine fragments."

"How powerful are the fragments."

"Alone they are not a match, but together they are even stronger than Arago was, without your armor sire, I don't believe we can win."

"No, there is another way, it's probably even the reason Arago sought to rule the Ningenkai, rumor of an armor as strong as mine, sealed in the Ningenkai, that's my way to beat the remnants of Arago's power and take my own armor as well. The Youjakai will be MINE again!"