Warning: If you haven't read pass manga chapter 95 or watched pass anime episode 37 (airing on February 12, 2011 in Adult Swim in the U.S.A.) then this fanfiction is not for you.

A/N: Just thought I try my hand at writing for another anime/manga fandom. See where it takes me. As you can guess this is a Gen/Yoshimori fanfic. I plan to take this through the actual storyline (manga mainly) up until getting to –that moment– and then some. I'm sure you know which moment I'm referring to, if not then read the summary again to get the hint. Of course, it's only assumable that there is going to be some tweaks to the story and added content. But how else are we expected to try and save a certain character from his fate?

Also, be warned that this is just the introductory chapter. As so I'm going to take you through some key events in the manga that I'll like you to focus on as they will be fundamental to the rest of the story. So bear with me. But enough talk. You'll understand better reading the chapter than me explaining it; so more afterwards.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kekkaishi or anything related to it.

"speech"

'thoughts'

Maybe I'm a dreamer

Maybe I'm misunderstood

Maybe you're not seeing

The side of me you should

Maybe I'm crazy

Maybe I'm the only one

Maybe I'm just out of touch

Maybe I've just had enough

And maybe it's time to change.

'Maybe' by Sick Puppies

Chapter 1: Evaded Answers

It all really started at a day like any other with Gen tired of being stared at like an item on display by the girls of his classroom. They agitated him with questions about his life and his past; two very sore subjects for him.

In all honesty he didn't have much of a life to begin with. Nothing to brag about. He sometimes believed that he'd be better off dead anyways. Gen wasn't quite sure that a monster like him deserved to live in the first place. In fact, his job was probably the only thing that kept him alive. It was the only thing he had after all. If he didn't have that then…

He preferred not to think about it.

Yet, of course, thinking about his current life wasn't half as bad as thinking about his past. Oh how he wished he could simply forget it and not be reminded of it ever again. Maybe then he could go through life with only thinking of himself as an outcast instead of the monster that he knew he was.

It was futile though. The memory of past events were forever engraved in his brain; haunting him every day to make sure he never forgot why he didn't deserve to be happy. And what was worst was that his classmates wouldn't allow him any peace of mind either.

Gen sat on his desk, face hidden among his folded arms as he tried to look as unapproachable as he could. Yet nothing worked. His classmates just didn't want to get the hint.

A group of girls surrounded his desk, asking question after question even though he had yet to say a single word to answer any of them. He would have thought it'd be obvious by the way he buried his head further in his arms that he didn't want to speak to any of them but no such luck. In fact his actions seem to egg them on further.

Questions like "Shishio-kun, is it true that you live by yourself?", "How does it feel living on your own?", "What do you do for food?", "Ah that's right, won't you tell us about your previous school?" surfaced all around him. The girls had smiles on their faces like they somehow enjoyed reminding him of his misery.

And oh how it aggravated him.

Not being able to take the feeling of being cornered anymore, Gen abruptly stood up and left the classroom. He was slowly losing his restraint on his anger and he wasn't sure that he would be able to suppress it enough to not lash out at his classmates. He'd probably hate himself even more if he ended up hurting another girl so escaping was inevitably the only solution he could afford.

Gen made his way toward the roof of the school as he was in desperate need of some solace in order to calm down. Yet when he made it to the very top of the school he found himself staring at the back of the Kekkaishi he was assigned to protect.

'Why is he in that corner?' Gen asked himself.

Yoshimori, the Kekkaishi in question, had rolled himself in a compressed ball with a pillow clutched tightly to his chest, surrounding himself with a kekkai and looking every bit like a kicked puppy. It was then that the ayakashi-hybrid remembered how this morning he spotted when that Yukimura girl both insulted the coffee-milk that the other boy always drank and told him off by stating that she didn't want to be seen with him during school hours.

"Tch," like if Gen had time to dwell into that messed up relationship. He shrugged the subject off and made his way to the spot at the center of the roof, not sparing another glance at the other boy.

Gen didn't understand why he even bothered to settle himself on the roof when in reality all he wanted was to be alone. Yet for some reason unknown to him he didn't feel bothered by the Sumimura.

He briefly remembered the Chief speaking of how he thought that his little brother and Gen would be able to get along but the ayakashi-hybrid quickly shook that thought off. Instead, Gen summarized that the reason he didn't feel aggravated was because it was his job to guard the legitimate successor; and therefore Gen felt relaxed because he was doing his job, nothing else.

Of course it would help if the Sumimura stopped his needless moaning and quieted down. But yet again, Gen couldn't be bothered to speak his mind. On the other hand, Yoshimori continued his pitiful whimpers for a while longer until he was eventually dissatisfied with the response he was getting. And unlike the other boy, the Sumimura was never afraid to speak out his thoughts.

"Well," Yoshimori started in an accusing tone, "Aren't you going to ask me 'what's the matter'?"

"Do you want me to ask?" Gen questioned flatly.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…mhmm."

Gen deadpanned at the other boy's timid response. Yet with a sigh Gen decided to indulge the other boy anyway. "So uh, do you like that girl or what?"

"UUHUH WHAAT!" responded Yoshimori incoherently as he bolted up into a sitting position. "You don't know what you're talking about! Wh-Who is 'that girl' anyway?" he questioned doing a poor job at hiding his obvious distress. 'Why is he suddenly getting to the point!' he inwardly grieved.

"That is Yukimura, of course" replied Gen unbothered by the other's reaction as he also moved to sit up.

"Who would care about a girl like her!" said Yoshimori as he continued to panic. "What are you talking about?"

'Hmp, even the kekkai is unstable' Gen observed with boredom as the other continued to freak out. With a sigh Gen laid back on the roof and closed his eyes as he got lost in his own musings. "I don't understand what you see in her anyways" he muttered under his breath.

"Are you kidding me?" Yoshimori shouted in Tokine's defense. "She's great!"

"I thought you didn't care?" challenged Gen giving the flustered Sumimura the 'you are busted' look before facing away again. "To me, they are just annoying anyways" he admitted. "Things like girls… just make things hectic."

"W-What?" asked Yoshimori sounding confused. "Could it be that your preferences are-"

The Kekkaishi never got to finish his question though as Gen rushed in to make another statement. "Well girls do have a better scent than boys do" Gen said cutting Yoshimori off and effectively distracting him with another confession.

"You, eww; you mean you actually smell people you perv!" exclaimed Yoshimori scrunching his face in a disgusted expression.

"It's not that!" defended a tick off Gen suddenly sitting up as well. "I just got a superior sense of smell that's all" he stated, facing away in order to calm himself down. "It's actually kind of a pain sometimes" he admitted yet again feeling burdened by his powers like he usually did.

"Um, well…" Yoshimori started, not knowing how they suddenly ended up in this depressing atmosphere but trying to figure out a way to lighten the mood again. He smirked when he thought he came up with the perfect thing to say. "Maybe you'll like to try smelling my socks!" he teased stretching the last syllable.

"Shut up!"

~0~0~0~

In the end they ended up throwing jabs at each other for about half an hour before Gen found himself composed enough to head toward his next class. It was funny and kind of ironic when Gen thought about it.

He fled his classroom because he didn't want to be disturbed by anyone and because he thought he needed some peace and quiet; yet he spent most of his time arguing with Yoshimori. The funny thing being that as they parted ways Gen did not feel the least bit agitated. In fact, weird as it may be, he could almost swear that he found some semblance of tranquility in those 30 minutes or so he spent up on the rooftop.

Gen couldn't understand why though and it bothered him to no end. It wasn't like they were having a nice conversation either. Some of the comments exchanged were even derogatory toward one another as Yoshimori kept implying that Gen did weird stuff like going to the Kendo Club after practice to smell their stench, while Gen busied himself by reminding Yoshimori of how he didn't compare to a Kekkaishi of Masamori's caliber.

There was even the time when Gen had almost let something about himself slip. That enough was reason enough to put him in a distressful situation. But it didn't, and even so Gen was quick enough to distract Yoshimori with something else when he had started to catch on. Yoshimori's unfinished question was left unanswered with none to be the wiser.

It certainly wasn't the nicest experience Gen ever had but for a minute there it did gave him a sense of normalcy he wasn't accustomed to. Maybe it was because their uneducated banter distracted him from his real problems, if only for a minute.

Whatever it was though, it probably had a lot to do with why Gen decided to tag along after school when the Sumimura asked for his help in tailing Tokine and that guy many considered the Prince of Central High. It proved to be the right decision to make in the end since they got to learn the name of the organization that was after Karasumori as a result.

Kokubourou was the name.

Their little detour proved to be somewhat entertaining as well. It would be a lie if Gen said he didn't find it interesting to observe how Yoshimori broke down every time the Yukimura girl said something that seemed to crush the Sumimura's chances with said female. That and Gen was also able to garner some level of respect for Tokine.

She was indeed a scary girl.

Yet whatever semblance of peace Gen had during the day proved to be for naught as the night came. Then, as he diligently continued to slash and claw down the ayakashi that dared set foot on Karasumori soil, he was back to being considered Gen Shishio, the monster.

It was never more obvious than when he saw Yoshimori's angry eyes glaring at him as Gen finished yet another lowly ayakashi. Gen could tell those eyes were judging him and the appearance of his clawed hands, just like everybody else did. He chastised himself for even considering that there could be a possibility that Yoshimori of all people would view him as normal, no matter how small that hope had been.

'I am nothing more than a monster in human flesh. I should have learned to accept that by now' Gen thought in reprimand to himself.

"Hey! That was my prey!" Yoshimori yelled, pointing an angry finger. "Don't cut in line!"

But even if Yoshimori's unrestraint glare affected Gen, he wasn't about to show it. So composing himself and putting on a brave face, he retorted to the other boy's claim as unemotionally as he could.

"Useless. The prey belongs to the first one to catch it. On top of that, look closely" he said holding out the dead ayakashi in his hand. "The part I caught is bigger than yours."

"Shut up!" whined Yoshimori quickly rising to the taunt. "And stop sitting on top of my kekkai!"

From afar Tokine could only shake her head at the childish display she was witnessing.

"Those guys sure are energetic" commented Hakubi from beside her.

"Yeah…" agreed Tokine and that was all she could let out as she sensed a huge ayakashi coming out from behind in what it hoped to be a surprise attack. Yet as she turned to meet the challenge head on she was surprise to see it quickly being lacerated by the always swift Shishio.

Sparing on glance at the marred body that landed next to her, she let her eyes bore unto the victor's retreating back.

"Gen, you're right shoulder" she pointed out in her well practiced business tone.

The boy in question gave a momentary glance at the scratch on his shoulder before continuing on his way. "No problem" he answered to be polite.

Dissatisfied, Tokine pursed her lips as Gen kept walking. It kinda irked her how the boy was always reluctant to make eye contact whenever she spoke to him. So hoping to tackle that habit she decided to pursue further conversation. "Gen, your clothes are always getting ruined. Are you okay?"

"I still have 20 sets of clothes left" answered Gen hurriedly before jumping to the nearest tree, fleeing the premises.

Of course it only made Tokine sigh in disappointment. 'He might be talking a little more now but… it still feels like he is avoiding me' she lamented. "Well that's fine" she mumbled while turning to the ayakashi corpse. "I better clean this up first."

Meanwhile Gen propped himself on a branch of another tree as he not for the first time chided himself for not being able to do anything besides destroying. One of the reasons Gen didn't stay beside Tokine as she did her work was because he didn't want to see the judgmental look he was sure would be on her face because of his powers. After the incident with the Sumimura, Gen wasn't sure he could bear watching the hate in someone else's eyes on the same night.

Gen didn't have enough time to lose himself in his sorrow however as a scolding voice behind him called for his attention.

"Hey Shishio, don't let Tokine do all the cleaning up" said Yoshimori making Gen grit his teeth.

'Why does he feel the need to criticize me?' Gen screamed in his head. But on the outside he put on a passive face and turned his head to look at the Sumimura who was suspended in the air because of a kekkai. "I can't use the jutsu you guys use" he stressed as if it should have already been obvious.

"Don't say stuff like that" retorted Yoshimori adapting a no-nonsense tone in his voice. "You are always treating Tokine as if she were an idiot!" he accused making Gen turn his face away.

"…I don't, think of her that way" he said with some sadness seeping through his words. And it was true, he thought Tokine was diligent, hardworking and smart. Traits he was sure garner praise easily from other people. 'Traits I'm sure no one would value from me no matter how much I try' he thought with resentment.

Steeling himself again from his momentary show of weakness, Gen tried to make himself sound indifferent about the whole subject. "But… however she thinks of it is her own problem. It has nothing to do with me."

However, his indifference didn't earn him any favors with the Sumimura. "What kind of attitude is that! It doesn't matter around me but if you act that way around Tokine I'll kill you-"

"Why are you so concerned about that girl anyway?" Gen shot back, gripping the trunk of the tree as hard as he could to keep himself from physically attacking the other boy as he wished he could. 'He was going to say that he'd kill me like the monster I am wasn't he?'

So instead of mutilating the other boy like Gen wanted to, he instead settled for attacking with words. "I heard that the Sumimura's and the Yukimura's were in conflict. Am I wrong?"

This caught Yoshimori completely off guard. "Eh? Uh. Shut up!" he countered weakly getting visibly flustered.

Gen stared at him for a moment longer before deciding it wasn't worth it. He had a job to do after all. "Whatever" he muttered before rushing off in search of more ayakashi.

~0~0~0~

The very next day had Gen Shishio waking up in a bad mood. Not even his meditation exercises were enough to calm him down; and the fact that there was a girl stalking him around the school halls was not helping his mood either.

'What's wrong with that girl?' he asked himself in aggravation.

Yurina Kanda was still troubled by the dangerous looking transfer student from the neighboring class. With his straight spiky hair, his sharp beast-like eyes, his super tan skin and that stench of blood; she knew had to be evil. 'If only I could catch him doing something bad then I could tell Sumimura-kun about him.'

Her train of thought, however, got cut short when said transfer student turned his head to glare at her direction making her run in fright because he was that scary.

'Ha, I knew it' Gen thought to himself. 'One glance and she scram like everybody else does. Even someone like her can see me for what I'm really am, a monster'. Yet it wasn't a victory Gen was exactly proud of. In fact he probably would have been happier if he wasn't right. 'But I'm not foolish enough to think otherwise.'

Already feeling fed up with the people around him he made a turn toward the staircase fully intent on heading to the roof for some peace and quiet. However when he got there he found it to be already occupied by the legitimate successor of the Sumimura clan, surrounded by a kekkai as usual.

In annoyance Gen briefly wondered if said Kekkaishi was ever in his classroom taking his lessons like he should have been. But whatever, Gen wasn't going to let the other's presence dissuade him from what he originally wanted to do. So instead of turning around, Gen settled himself as comfortably as he could on his side of the roof. If Yoshimori had a problem with it then Gen would close his eyes and ignore him. He was not going to be pushed around.

After a minute or two of tense silence, at least from Gen's perspective, it was finally Yoshimori who spoke up.

"So? Are you planning to talk to me or are you just here to take a nap?" asked Yoshimori calmly without a trace of animosity in his voice. "I got an extra pillow in my bag if you want."

"I, ah…" started Gen but he didn't know how to finish it. He was taken aback by the other boy's carefree attitude that he didn't know what to make of the unexpected friendly gesture. "No thanks, I'm fine" he responded, looking away to hide how awkward the situation made him feel.

"Alright then" said Yoshimori while yawning before rolling to side and closing his eyes. "I'm gonna go ahead and sleep the morning away so if you're still around by lunch break please wake me up so I don't miss it. They have coffee-milk today". And with that he was effortlessly taken by his dreams.

Gen could only stare in amazement at how easily it was for the other boy to shut himself from the world. 'How can someone act so peaceful at a time like this? And why is he suddenly being nice to me? Wasn't he mad at me before?'

"Grr, this has to be a trick!" vented out Gen irritably as he griped the sides of his head tightly to suppress his aggravation. Gen just couldn't understand how Yoshimori could simply drop his guard around him and doze off like if he wasn't with dangerous company.

He turned his head to glare at the Kekkaishi, but as he took in more of the peaceful expression on Yoshimori's sleeping face, Gen's anger died down until eventually the only emotion he felt was a feeling of loss.

Gen brought his hands down to his lap and stared at his open palms, lost in thought. 'Wasn't this what I wanted?' he asked himself. He remembered grumbling a moment ago about how everyone either antagonized him or ran away in fear because of what he was but Yoshimori was doing neither.

Everything about the other boy just left him feeling confused. Gen didn't know how he should act or feel in a situation like this. Maybe he was being weak-minded but Gen couldn't say that he totally hated whatever it was that was happening around him at the moment. And so, against his better judgment, he placed both hands behind his head and laid back down on the roof's floor.

He left one eye open to temporarily study the boy beside him with the corner of his eye. Yoshimori had a mop of messy black hair, creamy skin and was a tad short for his age; but all around he was a normal looking guy. Gen didn't understand how someone like that could make him feel normal as well but that didn't stop it from being true.

Right this moment, with the Sumimura napping only a few inches away from him without a sign of fear, Gen couldn't help feeling just like that. Normal. Like any other typical fourteen year old. And it felt rather… nice. He supposed that word would cover it for now.

Gen wasn't foolish enough to believe that Yoshimori trusted him or anything but he was willing to pretend at least for today that the world wasn't trying to reject him like it usually did. He wanted to enjoy this peace he felt, no matter how fake it was, as long as he could. And so he stayed up there on the rooftop until it was lunch hour.

Figuring that slashing the kekkai away was a good wakeup call as any, Gen didn't look back as he left the vicinity. He was feeling as ready as he could be to face the world's harsh reality again; hopefully in a better mood.

Yet by the time night came all the hope Gen had built up about things remaining peaceful went down the drain the moment he used his claws to dispose of the first ayakashi of the night. Yoshimori was back at being angry at him, throwing dismissive remarks every now and then.

For the most part Gen tried avoiding having to be in the same area as the shorter boy. That's until said boy felled in the pool as a result of whatever half-baked plan he was trying to pull. Gen couldn't keep himself from remarking how things like that wouldn't happen to more capable Kekkaishi like the Chief; a comment that earned him another angry sneer from the drenched boy.

Not thinking himself capable of keeping his composure at the way those eyes continued to judge him; Gen gave an indifferent "whatever" and sped off to hunt for more ayakashi as a source of distraction.

~0~0~0~

The following day when Gen climbed all the way to the school's rooftop he found it completely desolated. 'He's not here yet… good. Guess I'll be able to relax for now.'

So thinking nothing of it Gen settled himself on his usual spot and rested the back of his head on his hands. Yet despite his earlier thoughts, Gen wasn't able to relax. In fact he kept shying glances at the empty space where he grew accustomed to seeing Yoshimori in. This only frustrated Gen more.

Why was he acting like if he wanted the other boy to be there? Gen didn't understand it but he knew it was wrong and messed up. 'Why should I care where he is? He is of no importance to me. In fact I should be happy that he's not here. This way I won't have to see the hate in his eyes' he tried convincing himself.

Yet even though Gen tried to make his brain see reason he could not keep himself from feeling perturbed. The thought that maybe the reason he was restless was because he was actually looking forward to spending time with Yoshimori never crossed his mind.

See, Gen Shishio was indisputably a loner, but it wasn't so because it was in his nature to be like that; it was because the world had imposed it upon him. All because he was an ayakashi-hybrid. Yet that didn't mean that Gen wanted to be by himself; in fact, remaining alone for the rest of his life was one of Gen's biggest fears. A fear that for the most part remained quenched when he was sharing the roof with the other boy.

The company of someone, no matter how ill-suited it was, always helped to silence his troubled thoughts.

Even if Gen wasn't aware of it, unconsciously he knew the reason of his despair. So standing up from his spot, he took measured strides as indifferently as he could toward Yoshimori's classroom. All while continuously repeating to himself that he was only doing it because it was his responsibility to look after the Sumimura.

When he was near his destination though, he stumbled upon the girl that had been stalking him a day earlier. He noticed that she came from the room he was heading into so he figured that she must be Yoshimori's classmate. And considering that he couldn't catch Yoshimori's scent anywhere in the building he figured that she would be as good a candidate to ask as any.

But when he approached her all he saw was unadulterated fear that he had to look away so that he wouldn't feel disheartened. He didn't want to scare her away before he could ask his question so he stayed a fair distance away and spoke up without making eye contact.

Yurina Kanda was terrified. She gripped the doorframe tightly as she tried to control her shaking knees. However, she soon found herself to be more surprised than worried when the wild looking student addressed her. As far as she heard, Gen had never spoken to anyone in the school, at least according to the information she received from Hiromu Tabaka, the school's self-proclaimed databank. Yet somehow, even though Gen didn't ask by name, she knew that he was referring to Sumimura-kun so she supplied the answer he was looking for.

Gen didn't look pleased with the knowledge that Yoshimori was absent because of a cold. In fact Yurina could tell that Gen's face fell a little. But he sighed either way before making his departure. Yurina slid to the floor soon afterwards. She didn't know if her sixth sense was to blame but she suddenly felt a resounding sadness in the air. What she did know though, as she stared at Gen's retreating back, was that the whole experience was indeed scary.

When night came it was just him and Tokine taking care of the ayakashi. Oh, and the Chief's grandfather, head of the Sumimura clan, was also there making a scene. Regardless, Gen worked dutifully with Tokine as if the replacement was never there in the first place.

In the end it was a very congested looking Yoshimori covered from head to toe in warm yet heavy looking clothing that saved the day by metsu-ing a large ayakashi. He and his grandfather got into an argument immediately after about who was supposed to be working and who was supposed to stay at home tonight. Gen could only watch from his position atop a tree as the shouting match progressively escalated in volume.

He sighed and took out his mobile phone, taking advantage of the opportunity to ponder on his vexed thoughts. Gen stared at the device in his hands with a contemplative look of his face.

These days no one in the Night Troops ever contacted him, and even though Gen didn't want to let that bother him, it still gave an unsettling feeling to his stomach. He knew that he wasn't necessarily missed or even wanted within the organization but he didn't want to think that it was to the point where they completely forgot about him.

'Even the Chief hasn't called in a while' Gen thought but quickly shook his head to rid himself from further depressing thoughts. 'The Chief is a busy man. There must be a reason why there hasn't been any word' he concluded as he pocketed the phone in his pants again. But even so, his train of thought didn't seem to want to stop.

'How long will I… have to keep hunting ayakashi here?' he asked himself briefly remembering how the Chief joked about Gen remaining here forever. '…it was just a joke, right?' Gen didn't think he had anything here worth mentioning so he really hoped that the Chief was just joking when he said that. 'But then again, it's not like I have much of anything anywhere to begin with.'

Gen's self-questioning came to an abrupt halt when he noticed Madarao floating in front of his face. "Gah!" sputtered Gen as he almost lost his balance on the tree branch. This of course made Madarao laugh.

"Hahaha, did I scare you Gen-kun?" the dog asked with obvious mirth in his voice. Not wanting to dignify that with an answer Gen looked away but Madarao took no offense from it. "My, my. As fun as I'm sure teasing you would be I'm actually here to ask a favor of you" he said while pointing his ghostly tail at something below them.

The tanned male followed the direction of the tail and saw Yoshimori laying face down on the floor. That earned a raised eyebrow from Gen.

"Poor Yoshi's fever finally caught up with him and he seems to have collapsed" explained Madarao somewhat mockingly before turning his gaze on Gen again. "And here I was hoping that you be a darling and carry the little one back to his house. You see I doubt old Shige would want to leave the site and I'm afraid that if I send Tokine-chan her grandma will throw a fit. So what do you say, help a pal out?"

Gen stared at the demon dog with scrutiny before jumping down to the ground. 'Might as well' he thought. He couldn't have the Chief's little brother getting killed on his watch after all.

Because of how heavily clothed the other boy was, it took some effort to lift Yoshimori's limped body in a position where Gen could carry him on his back. He adjusted Yoshimori's arm around his neck and grabbed the back of the shorter boy's legs to lift him from the ground. Once Gen was sure his charge wouldn't fall he started his trek toward the Sumimura household.

He only took about eighteen steps before the weight on his back started to shift. 'Great, just when I thought I'll be able to finish my task in peace' he thought bitterly.

"Uhh… huh! Hey Shishio, how did I end up getting a piggyback ride from you?" asked a nasally voice from behind him. It was obvious that the kid was still very tired.

Exhaling, Gen readied himself for what appeared to be a long trip. "You passed out. Nobody was willing to take you home so I ended up doing it in the end" he replied with practice indifference.

"Oh" replied Yoshimori adjusting his arms on Gen's shoulders. He stayed quiet for a minute or two before asking the question that was plaguing his mind. "So Shishio, what did you think of my performance tonight? Amazing right?"

"Huh?" mumbled a confused Gen not knowing where the other boy was going with this.

"I bet not even Masamomi would be able to get up to work and save the day like I did if he had a fever this high!" proclaimed Yoshimori raising one fist in victory and sounding very cheery through his sickness. "Now that I showed you that I'm superior to my brother in every way, you'll have no reason to keep judging me!"

"W-Wait, what? Judging you?" Gen questioned perplexed. "What exactly are you talking about?"

Yoshimori lowered his fist at this and loosely encircled his arms around Gen's neck again, seeming to be deep in thought as he tried to find the correct words to voice his uncertainties.

"Well, it's like this" started Yoshimori, his volume barely above that of a whisper. "No matter what I do, you always seem to be comparing me to my brother and judging me by his standards. That just makes me depressed. And angry! I don't like it. So I thought that if I outdid myself, and went above my usual one hundred percent, that you would stop looking down on me."

Gen had no idea what to say to that. And even if he did he doubted that he would be able to say it out loud because he felt like his voice was stuck on his throat. But none of that seemed to matter as apparently Yoshimori wasn't finished speaking.

"Look, I know that you are strong and smart. And have unfairly fast speed too! And I know that you are committed to your job and I can appreciate that. But so am I okay? So I would appreciate it if you acted like you knew that!" he muttered the last part a little angrily.

Even so, his words struck a chord so deep within the ayakashi-hybrid that said boy didn't realize that he had stopped moving. Gen face was scrunched up so much that he was thankful that their position didn't allow the other boy to see it.

All this time Gen had filled his head with notions of how Yoshimori's anger was related to the demonic part of him. Gen thought that his powers were what kept him from being accepted by the other boy. He thought that Yoshimori hated him because he viewed Gen as a monster. But now it turns out that the Sumimura's resentment was only geared toward his older brother.

Not only that, Yoshimori had complimented him as well. He had showered Gen with the praises he thought he'd never get to hear coming from the other's mouth. Yoshimori even said that he appreciated Gen, and what was scary was that it actually sounded like he meant it.

But still, before Gen went on losing himself in false hope, the ayakashi-hybrid wanted to make sure he had the facts straight. So finally able to find his voice, Gen worked up the courage to ask the question that would either make or break him.

"So uh, all this time… you weren't judging me at all?"

"Huh? Weren't we talking about my brother?" asked Yoshimori sounding genuinely puzzled. "What do you have to do with it?"

"Tsk, how naïve" retorted Gen indifferently as he resumed his walk. "I should've known you were too soft for that"

And there it was; the answer that Gen needed but wasn't prepared to receive. He knew it would be natural for someone like him to feel happy with such a response but he didn't expect to be overjoyed to the point where he felt like his heart was going to implode.

'Is it normal for someone to feel this happy over something as silly as not being hated?' he asked himself between gritted teeth. He was trying to steel his face to the point where it showed no emotion but it was hard to suppress the feeling rousing through his body. He actually was starting to get frustrated with himself for getting this overworked over something that should have had no meaning to him.

'But then why do I feel this way?' he questioned inwardly. He was confused and maybe a little afraid too. 'Do I even deserve to feel this way?' Yet that was another answer that evaded him as Yoshimori started to call for his attention.

"Hey Shishio, do you happen to have any napkins on you?"

"No" Gen answered almost automatically. Then he made the mistake to turn his face toward Yoshimori to ask "Why?"

This time the response wasn't one he was looking forward to.

"Aaa- Aaa- Aachoo!"

"Darn it, you got your snot all over my face! Do you have any idea how gross that is?"

"D-Don't blame it on me! It's your fault for turning your face at the last minute!"

And so their endless banter went on with Yoshimori cleaning Gen's face with his scarf and Gen hurrying his steps to drop off the Kekkaishi as quickly as possible. In the end both remained unaware of how the wheels of their relationship had started to turn.

~0~0~0~

A/N: Hello again. If you read down to here then that means you have a better understanding of how the rest of the story is going to progress. And yes, this first chapter was a little too paralleled with the manga/anime, but there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. You see, I don't like to abruptly change things. I'm not a rusher. I like to build things up little by little until eventually things progress to the point where I want them. Next chapter will noticeably have more of a divergence from the manga/anime than this one and so on. Don't worry, even if you don't get it now, you will. I promise you that. Anyways, see ya on the next chapter ^^