Author's Note: I know, I know. I have been gone. And for that I am sorry, to you and to myself. My mind is unhappy with a lot going on with the other stories, but still I keep writing. So here is this: probably in two parts, Kazuma centered, mistake laden, I'm sure.

Warning: Will likely be adult, T for now, cursing, etc. Be warned.

So Long:

Friendly Parting (I)

He's always preferred salty to sweet and tonight he's absolutely starving.

It's been a very grueling day of fighting a smoke youma that just kept evading them, taking them through mountains and goddamn rice fields (which were far beyond his preferred perimeters of the city, he might add) and Kazuma wants nothing more than a hot, cheesy burger and a cold drink…and for her to just stop nagging.

"Ugh, how can you stand to eat all of that?" Ayano's nose is scrunched as she eyes the amount of french fries he stuffs in his mouth. She swats his hand away as he grabs some of her own and he's kind of impressed at her reflexes. And her stinginess.

He gives her a lecherous grin and continues eating, "I'm ravenous."

"Hmph," Ayano lifts a fry with dignity before taking one bite, then another. She licks her lips before giving the same attention to her fingers. Kazuma is slightly disturbed at how much attention he's paying to this, so he shoves more food in his mouth, closing his eyes in pleasure.

"These are pretty good," Ayano admits, taking a sip of her soda, "though I wouldn't have pegged you as a fast food guy."

Kazuma smirks between mouthfuls, "The things you don't know about me could fill a library."

"Please," the girl scoffs, lips lingering on her straw (or that could have been his imagination), "I know a whole lot: you like being right all the time, red wine, being a jerk, and dumb bimbos with big breasts."

Kazuma swallows and looks at her curiously, the way she is sitting cross-legged on his carpet, sipping from her cup, covered in bruises and grime from the fight, and has an urge to correct her. The impulse makes him pause, which makes him resume his eating.

"Yeah that's right, brat. I'm an open book," he grins at Ayano's scowling face, already pink with frustration.

Well, it wouldn't do to have his reputation completely ruined, would it?

.

.

He is shocked by the sheer number of the same kind of blazer the girl can have.

"This," he says, pointing to the pile on the bed, "This is crazy."

"Shut up and help me look," comes a voice from the corner of the room, throwing clothes everywhere. They arc above his head in a float-y, fabric fashion.

"Remind me again why I'm here?"

"Because," she huffs, her face emerging from a different pile. When did she get there? "You volunteered us for this mission!"

"All I said," Kazuma explains as patiently as he can, "Was that this youma goes after young, blonde girls…"

"Yeah, just use me as bait why don't you," she throws a garment at him that Kazuma catches and raises an eyebrow at.

"What's this for?" He asks, holding the black lacy thong in question.

His smirking face seems to be too much for Ayano who, instead of her usual yelling, merely lifts her chin defiantly, "That's hardly your concern."

Kazuma feels a bit of annoyance, which he masks with mocking, "Don't tell me you actually wear this?"

Ayano rolls her eyes and ducks back down to her digging, "I do, though that's none of your business."

Kazuma's annoyance grows and he has to shove a (fairly intriguing) mental image out of his head, "Just expected more hearts or cartoons or something."

"Yeah well, the things you don't know and all that."

Kazuma is about to reply when he catches sight of her coming up for air, a blonde wig on her head, askew. "Well?" she demands, trying to straighten it.

He smiles, "Perfect monster bait."

He ducks just in time as a shoe comes sailing towards his head.

.

.

The blood pools around his feet before he reaches the little girl, several feet away. She's small, with dark red hair that is mopping up the red in a haunting spill from her head. She's already cold in his hands by the time he's there, and it's frightening how unscratched her face is, given her condition. It was just…

Ren and Ayno are not far behind him and he can hear the younger boy's words, "Kazuma, I don't think she's—"

But he's not listening right now because the girl is lifeless in his arms and so young, and though he's destroyed everything bad to get here it wasn't enough, and though she isn't the first, and won't be the last, this is another time he's failed, and though Kazuma does not move, does not strike out or show emotion, he is unable to stop looking at her eyes, still slightly opened into soft amber slits, unseeing.

Ayano lowers herself at the girl's other side, across from him, but doesn't look at his face. Instead, he watches her small, pale hands—so much like the girl's own—close the lifeless eyelids. "This is all we can do," she says it with a conviction that gives him pause.

Going home, Ayno grasps both his and Ren's hand and doesn't let go.

.

.

"I don't know what you expected," Ren says with a sigh, "But I wish you would just stay awake."

Kazuma raises a lazy eyebrow, "Well they should have paid me extra for that."

His younger brother gives another sigh, "You could at least congratulate her. It's not every day someone turns eighteen."

Kazuma looks at the person in question, talking to other members of the family across the room. It really was a terribly boring party, as far as birthdays went, though she did seem pretty satisfied, laughing with the guests. The girl really needed to get out more. Maybe he should take to the city sometime and show her a real party, and dancing. She'd probably like it. Though, of course, he reminds himself, she might read into that.

He gives an exaggerated sigh, "Fine, but don't say I don't do anything for you."

Ren smiles as Kazuma makes his way across the gathering. He catches Ayano during a conversation she's having with some young men he doesn't recognize and offers her his arm. She looks up at him, surprised but seemingly relieved to move away from the group. Kazuma notes that she doesn't have to look up at him as much as she used to. Weird.

"Enjoying yourself?"

He's about to be sarcastic, but seeing her joking face makes him reconsider, "Eh. Are you?"

Ayano makes a face he laughs at, "This needs to be about two hours shorter, and a couple of drinks farther ahead."

Kazuma is amused as he leads her outside, careful to let go of her arm in case she gets the wrong impression. "Didn't know you drank, Princess." He remembers to past dinners and her refusal to have wine. He wonders if maybe she just didn't want wine…or to drink with him.

The look she gives him makes him feel oddly stupid. Her grin is almost…wicked. "Well," she says, "It is my birthday and everything…" She leans in conspiringly and her breath is warm on his jaw, "And I'm not a little girl anymore."

Her words do something funny to his brain and he has to take a quick breath before responding. The mirth in Ayano's face is throwing him off and Kazuma has the strange feeling that he's not been paying attention to something.

"Anyway," she's saying, already walking towards the pond on the compound, "As nice as it is to have a party thrown for me, I can't help but feel it's a little silly, you know? In light of all the real things that go on around here?"

Kazuma stares at the back of her head, aware that he should be saying something and feeling that nagging sensation again. When she wraps her arms around herself from the chill in the air and looks back at him he has to shove his hands into his pockets, to keep himself from reaching out…or something.

"Well, it's no small achievement to turn eighteen in this family," he says lightly.

She laughs, "You're right. I guess I should be thanking my lucky stars I've survived this long…with your help of course."

Ayano is grinning at him but he frowns in response, "I didn't do anything."

She seems puzzled, giving him a small fist bump in the shoulder: "Oh come on—you're the first to say you have to save my ass all the time. Where would I be without you, yadda, yadda, yadda."

Kazuma feels a spark of anger strike through him, "I don't save you."

Her eyes are large and wondering and Kazuma knows he should just stop his stupid mouth but instead he says, far too somberly, "You don't need anyone to save you."

He's uncertain how much time passes but he's grown very aware of her proximity. Literally and…not. The wonder in Ayano's face, and the nature of the scene and conversation, makes him realize that if it were any other girl he would have made a move already, would have pressed her against something and be well on his way with his tongue down her throat. This unnerves him, for a myriad of reasons.

"But if you say I said so, I'll deny it." He regains his composure, smiling slightly, "Happy birthday, Ayano."

He leaves her astonished by the pond, aware that, as far as parties are concerned, this was one of his worst.

.

.

"Ugh, wake me up when we get there." Her tone is annoying him as she flings an arm over her eyes, stretching out on the seat. The train lurches on and Kazuma stands and smirks, looming over her.

"You know, you're supposed to be keeping me company," he says, playful.

She looks at him, casting her arm on her stomach. "Partner-ing," she corrects, "And besides, I'm so damn tired from all of these missions." She closes her eyes dramatically and sighs.

Kazuma looks down at her, from her gleaming hair, to her soft looking skin and feels his playfulness rise, "Well maybe you should wake up, Princess." Ayano opens her mouth as if to protest but Kazuma takes advantage of her position and swoops down to let his lips meet hers in a brief kiss.

That is his intention anyway. The reality is much different, however, as he finds the look in her snapped open eyes entirely too intriguing—a mixture of shock, and fear, and…heat. In that moment Kazuma knows he's crossed a line and though he tries to move back, something about the breath she sucks in (soft and warm and spicy) and the noise she makes (a muffled whimper) makes his blood raise a million degrees and his hands reach out to her blushing face.

And compounding the feeling in his body are Ayano's own hands, grabbing his as if to pull him off her, but becoming sidetrack and merely resting against his skin as her mouth moves, just slightly, under his. And before Kazuma can get control of the situation again he feels—damn it all—the small movement of her tongue. His body responds exponentially, lust driving a rod through his body and he pushes away from her in that instant and feels like the least cool guy who's ever lived, his face flaming and shock taking over as he stares at the girl beneath him.

Ayano, for her part, is watching him with bewilderment and—shit—touching her tongue to her lower lip, licking experimentally. It takes Kazuma a great deal of self-control not to jump her again then and there.

"I found the train food cart, guys. Got some sandwiches!" Ren seems completely unaware of any tension in the air as he walks into the compartment, and Ayano is standing, pushing her hair behind her and letting the blond boy take her seat.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go to the…bathroom," Ayano says, her voice oddly steady. Kazuma gapes at her standing so close in front of him until he realizes that she's expecting him to move out of her way. Right. He steps sideways and ignores the tingle when she brushes against him to get out of the door.

"What's that about?" Ren says, stuffing his face with some pretzels.

Kazuma does his best to give a nonchalant shrug and settles himself back in for a long ride.

.

.

Her damn pajamas have been bothering him for nearly an hour and he's been very carefully trying to distract himself by surfing through all the channels on the TV. Now they were on some drama that involved a lot of gunfire and that seemed like a good diversion, given the circumstances.

"Would you stop hogging the remote?" Ayano huffs out from her position on the floor, turning and holding out her hand.

"I don't like the shows you always put on." It was his decision, since Ren had gone to sleep a while ago and he and Ayano were left in the living room of the cabin they were all staying in during the mission and he most certainly did not want to talk.

"Please," she rolls her eyes, "How are they at all worse than this?" Someone was getting decapitated on screen with a particularly terrible special effect.

"Yours has unnecessary romance and sappy crap," he responds, annoyed and not wanting to argue with her. He needed a long walk but it was freezing outside, and in the middle of nowhere.

Ayano turns more fully towards him, her posture straight and arms crossed over her pink button pajama top, "My shows are balanced and character motivated, thank you very much." She gives him a look, "Besides, romance is not always unnecessary."

Kazuma gives her his best condescending smile,"There's too much important stuff in the world to spend time on simpletons and feelings. There's danger, and lives changing, and death…"

She brings herself closer to the couch, "Romance makes all of those things worth it. Or, at least, love does."

Her eyes are intense and they drain some of the conviction out of his next words, "Then use love to fight the next youma we run across."

Ayano is glowering at him and Kazuma is surprised that he feels a bit frightened of her, "I've used love plenty of times to get through….I mean." She pauses and looks down before continuing, "We use it all the time to give us strength and keep going. Even you." She looks at him with determination, "Without that feeling behind you, for Ren and m—the family—you wouldn't be as strong as you are."

He feels the weight and sincerity of her speech and is slightly annoyed. It feels like a lecture and, given that they still hadn't mentioned the kissing incident from a few days ago, he really doesn't want to engage it further. Ayano shifts and straightens her sleep shirt and Kazuma looks at it, letting go of some of his frustration, "Why are you wearing those stupid things, anyway?"

Ayano looks down at herself in surprise at the baggy sleep-button down and matching bottoms, pink and covered with pictures of teacups, "What's wrong with my pajamas?"

Kazuma snorts, getting up to refill his glass of wine, "Nothing. If you're either six or in the deep throws of senility."

That did it—Ayano is instantly on her feet, eyes blazing, "What did you say?"

He smirks and pours more wine from the nearby counter, "I thought you were supposed to be all adult and stuff now? Those scream pre-pubescent." Kazuma didn't want to pinpoint why it bothered him so much, but he chalked it up to a long and frustrating week.

"Oh yeah," she hisses, stomping over to him, eyes sparking, "Well what else should I be wearing in the middle of winter in a cold cabin? Silky pajama bottoms and no top?" She gestures at his current attire and Kazuma narrows his eyes but tries to remain cool.

He doesn't want to dwell on the fact that this conversation is ridiculous, or that it might be getting into territory where he most certainly had forbidden himself to approach, or even that the reason that he doesn't like her outfit is because she's frustrating him and he wants to have another moment with her, and take that stupid shit off—

No. No, that train of thought most definitely is not continuing.

"My attire," he says confidently, "Is mature, and appropriate for my age. You're all of a toddler."

Ayano's face is so red she's nearly spouting flame, "You giant asshole!" The vehemence she declares this with is not nearly as surprising as her fingers, angrily plucking at her shirt buttons.

"What are…" Kazuma is suddenly very afraid for his sanity or something, because what she's doing is most definitely not…

"Damn, cursed, bastard," she's still sputtering, her fingers trembling so much from anger that she stops bothering with the buttons altogether and snaps the shirt open the rest of the way, "I'll show you my age."

"Ayano…" he's trying very hard not to look, or to get her attention but how much is he really supposed to protest? And why is this happening again?

Ayano is done with the opening and flings the shirt off her, throwing it on a pink heap on the floor. Clad in only her nude bra she jerks at the strings of her pajama bottoms before Kazuma can sound out anything more than a weak stutter and she is suddenly and very defiantly in front of him in nothing but her underwear, arms on her hips and steam practically coming off her skin.

In all of his years of dating, and living, and just facing absurd situations, Kazuma has never experienced anything like this: Ayano Kannagi standing in front of him, fuming, almost naked and daring him to call her a child. The reality is simply too…too…

"What now?" she demands, and Kazuma is struck by the fact that though she's past the point of blushing and seems to have gone pale again, she's expecting some kind of response from him. "You have any more you want to mock me about?" Her eyes have not diminished in their heat but Kazuma cannot stop taking her in: from her long legs, pale stomach, and barely covered breasts, to her slim shoulders and soft hollow of throat…she's beautiful. Hot, really.

And, those are definitely the panties she flung at him once in her room. And they look…fuck.

He thinks she might have shut him up forever and that is just…

"Incredible."

Fuck. Kazuma had not intended for those to be the first words out of his mouth; so much for being aloof. Further, he finds himself stepping much closer to her than he'd planned and, for whatever reason, his damn body wasn't listening to his incredibly logical brain (remember channel surfing? What happened to that?)

Ayano, for her part, is deadly still and he sees that the full extent of her action is hitting her now, her eyes growing wider and her lips parting in realization. Kazuma feels a strong and overpowering urge to protect her.

"I'm sorry," he says thickly and he closes the gap between them. Her eyes are wide and terrified looking up at him and Kazuma feels a deep hit in his chest as he brings their faces closer, rasping, "I'm a fucking idiot."

This kiss is much different and Kazuma isn't entirely sure that he's in a real situation because the facts of this are just not adding up. Because Kazuma, the great Contractor, black sheep of the clan, could not possibly be kissing the future heiress in her fucking underwear.

And she could not possibly be responding by tangling her fingers in his hair and making him hiss into her mouth, their chests pressed together, his own hands holding her hips, fingers digging into firm flesh.

Ayano moves away from his mouth just long enough to move her bangs out of her eyes before his mouth is on hers again, sliding over her lips in a possessive dance he has not felt in a very, very long time. Some part of him thinks that he is, quite literally, dealing with fire here, pushing too hard and fast with a girl he has no business with. A girl who, despite her amazing assets (and enthusiasm) to the contrary, is far too innocent to fall prey to him.

Still, her burning skin is tremendous against his own and Kazuma can't help the way his hands wander over her back, touching gingerly against her rear and eliciting a delectable moan from Ayano, before breaking away from her with a frustrated noise.

He does not trust himself and turns partially away, hand combing through his hair, trying to hold back his furious libido. There is a long silence before either of them speak.

"What the hell is this, Kazuma?"

He makes himself look at her and finds Ayano confused and angry, her crimson hair a mess around her shoulders, her lips pink and swollen. She makes his chest squeeze itself into a little jig.

"Seriously," she growls, "What the hell are you playing at?"

He sighs, "I'm not playing at anything."

"Oh yeah," she cries, "What about the train? And just now? Are you getting your jollies leading me on?" She crosses her arms and Kazuma wants, not for the first time, to wrap his own arms around her. He runs his hands through his hair again instead.

"No," he says, but he's unsure how to continue. He pauses, "I shouldn't have done that."

Ayano composes her face carefully, a blush rising back in her face as she stalks closer to him, "Which time?"

"Either. Both. I…" Kazuma looks past her, "I shouldn't have taken advantage."

It's a moment before he could look at her face again, and he finds her warm eyes hard and chilly. He doesn't know what to say, or what is going on, or how to diffuse the situation. His gut tells him he is fucking up. Fat lot of help that is.

He looks away again, "I need to think things through. I…I'm sorry, Ayano."

Her eyes do not change but her mouth moves into a cold and sarcastic grin—a look that does not belong on her face. "Well let me know when you figure it out."

Ayano collects her clothes and leaves the room, closing a bedroom door firmly behind her. Kazuma watches her leave, haunted by how often he's put himself on the other side.

.

...TBC in part 2. Please let me know how you feel. -Dear