Prologue
"Yoshimori?" Tokine said and as he turned around she slapped him across the face hard enough to cause him to fall backward. Everyone around them watched as the events unfolded. Yoshimori rubbed his cheek as Tokine glared at her, "don't go and do things on your own! I always knew you were reckless but this? This is definitely the stupidest most thoughtless thing you have ever done! Do you know how much trouble and worry you caused to the people around you?"
Yoshimori looked down, "I'm sorry."
"I won't forgive you." Yoshimori looked back up to Tokine, shocked by her reply, "I'll never forgive you. If you keep this up, if I loose you someday because of your dumb-"
Tears ran down her face and sobbed into her hands, Yoshimori stood up stammering to say what he wanted as he tried consoling her. "Tokine I'm-I'm so sorry. Please, I mean I didn't- I wasn't- ok I'm an idiot and I just had to go there." Tokine looked at him through her hands, "I knew there'd be consequences but-but I just had to avenge Gen's death. Otherwise I'd never be able to move on. I'm truly… sorry."
Tokine wiped her eyes and walked to him, he looked up in time to see her put her arms around him. She held him and cried, " There's one thing you still don't seem to get: Yoshimori, in the same way you use to think about Gen. There are people here who hurt when they see you get hurt. Please be more careful."
"I'm sorry." Yoshimori said before closing his eyes.
Tokine felt his weight against her and then slip from her arms. She knelt down with him calling his name. His brother Masamori walked over and picked him up announcing that his rash brother was just asleep. Tokine just smiled at the sleeping form of the one who single handedly took out the Kokuboru.
A light shown through the curtains of his room waking Yoshimori, he opened his eyes from his sleep and sighed. That day after he destroyed the Kokuboru and Tokine had in a way saved him, played over in his mind. Tokine, Yoshimori smiled they hadn't talked much since then and it had been almost 2 months. A knock on the caught his attention, he looked up and told who it was to come on in.
It was his older brother Masamori, coming to pick him up for something he wouldn't say. "Are you ready Yoshi?"
"Does it look like I'm ready?" Yoshimori said annoyed and he yawned. Masamori just raised an eyebrow and looked in the nearest corner where a suitcase and a bag lay full and waiting. "Give me a few minutes." Masamori nodded and left. Yoshimori watched him then sighed and began gathering his things.
When he walked out of the house he ran into Tokine, who was talking with his older brother. Yoshimori glared as she grinned at something he had said. When she looked at him Masamori turned around and asked if he was ready and Yoshi just nodded. He looked away from Tokine's eyes and turned away and Tokine looked down for a second as Masamori announced he was gonna go talk with grandfather for a moment and left the two alone.
"So you're leaving?" Tokine asked a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Yeah." Yoshi said cringing inside at the emotion in her voice and the tension in the air between them. "I won't be gone long probably all summer."
"Why? I mean I know why but why did you choose to go along with Masa?" Tokine looked up from looking at her hands.
Yoshi smiled but still didn't face her. "I just feel like I have to. I want to become stronger." He looked back at her then looked up. "I can't do it here."
Tokine cocked her head and waited for a reason. When he didn't give one she whispered, "You're strong enough as it is." He turned around to face her, his face calm and serious. He's so oddly calm, Tokine said then added aloud. "Why do you still want to become stronger? Like I said, your strong enough already."
"You know the answer to that." Yoshimori said and before he could remind her Masamori came back out and told him they were leaving. "Alright, Masamori. I'll see you when I return Tokine" With that Yoshimori followed his older brother to the headquarters of the Night Troops. Tokine watched them leave and felt stupid for feeling lost as the two turned the corner and disappeared. She sighed and went back home to get ready for the day. _
Chapter 1: the knights return
As promised, Yoshimori came back just as the sun set. He walked into the grounds of Karasumori Academy as he heard a familiar scream. He took off immediately to save the girl he loved for years and not too soon either. She and his grandfather were fighting two ayakashi that was stronger than they had thought. Shigemori was fighting them off when one slipped through his defenses and went after Tokine.
That was Yoshimori's cue, he made a kekkai and trapped one and blocked the other. Tokine had closed her eyes as the monster came after her. Yoshimori acted too quickly for Shige to see. He destroyed the ayakashi and disappeared, but not before he left Tokine had gotten a good look at him.
It was like this, with Yoshimori appearing randomly throughout the next couple weeks helping out as he could without being seen. When he wasn't fighting he was sitting out of sight watching Tokine do her job and only showed himself when she really needed it.
A month later Yoshimori walked into the school and quietly absorbed the comments and looks everyone was giving him. Apparently no one recognized him until his friends saw him and walked to their class together. Yoshimori sat in the back of the room like he always did but unlike before he sat back and watched everyone pour into the room. Everyone was surprised to see him back, sitting up, and paying attention.
By lunch his arrival was known to everyone, but Tokine who didn't care for listening to everyone's comments and talk. She shook her head and sat in the courtyard under a tree to eat her lunch that was when she saw him. He was going to his usual spot on the roof, and at first she thought she was seeing things. When he stopped he turned around and their eyes met and he smiled, and then waved. She watched him disappear onto the rood and immediately got up and ran to meet him.
He was lying on his back, hands behind his head, appearing to be asleep. Yoshimori smiled, sat up. "Hello, Tokine."
"Y-Yoshimori?" Tokine watched him and all he did was grin and nod.
"Huh? Hey wait why are you crying?" Yoshi asked. He watched as her lower lip quivered, she hit her knees, and threw herself at him. The force of her sudden hug, knocking him back town. Tokine said nothing as she cried into him and Yoshimori only held her. "Tokine?"
Tokine sat up just as suddenly as she hugged him and she looked at him. "I'm just… happy to see you. You don't know how hard it's been without you."
"Oh? And what has been so hard?" He asked with that oddly calm look he had months ago.
"Well," Tokine sighed, "your grandfather had to take your place at Karasumori and it wasn't fun at all. It was more annoying than when you were there."
"Oh gee thanks…" Yoshimori said glaring at her.
"I even told Madarao and Hakubi that I'd rather have you there than your grandfather. They just kind of looked at me like I was crazy." Tokine chuckled slightly, "but I meant it."
There was a silent pause as the two got caught up in their own thoughts; they were only broken by a question from the Yukimura girl.
"Just intense training." was all Yoshimori said and he stood up as the bell rang.
"That's it?" Tokine asked. She stood up and faced her friend, "you're not going to tell me where you went or what you did?"
"Ah, you don't wanna know, Tokine, just sweaty intense painful training." He grinned that trade mark grin of his and left. Tokine followed him, glaring at him the whole way home, trying to get him to tell her something else about what had did and where he went. Yoshi just grinned and shook his head.
When they got to their houses Yoshimori rolled his eyes and gently pushed her back to her house's gate. "See ya later Tokine." he said and quickly enter his home. He shook his head and called out to someone, but no one answered. "Mhm where is everyone?"
Yoshimori shrugged and walked into the kitchen, to the fridge and opened it. He grabbed the orange juice and shut the door. When he shut the door he noticed a note addressed to Toshimori, his younger brother. Yoshi just shrugged and poured a glass and put the carton back. As he sat down and drank his juice and ate a few cookies, the door opened and his younger brother walked in.
"Yoshimori, you're back!" He said running over to his older brother.
"Yeah, it's great to be back." Yoshi said and heard the door open again.
"Dad! Yoshimori's back!"
Their father walked in and greet both and asked Yoshi how things went. They received the same answer as Tokine, but he gave a little more info. He told them Masa had taken him to some mountain, but that was all that was said.
While Yoshimori waited for night to come he sat in the dojo behind their home and meditated. Shigemori found it all suspicious and tried multiple times but all those times he never got an answer or a full sentence as a response.
It was just getting dark when Yoshimori left and knocked on his ghost dog partner's dog house. Despite their bickering and annoying one another in the past, Madarao exclaimed how much he missed his stubborn master.
When they go there things seemed normal and it irritated Yoshimori. So he got up and patrolled the grounds, "you seem uneasy tonight Yoshi."
"I'm not use to just waiting like this." Yoshimori said as he walked.
"Where did you go exactly?" Her voice sounded annoyed and tired, but it caused both Yoshi and Madarao jump. "And don't give me that "training" crap"
"Well, Masamori took me to this mountain area near the headquarters and left me there to my own devices."
"He did what?" Madarao and Tokine said in unison.
"Heh yeah, he told me it would help me with learning about myself and my "powers". At first I didn't get it and tried like hell to leave but he put some damn barrier around the place." Yoshi sighed, and then smiled, "but I'm glade he did."
"Little Yoshi is glade of something Masa did?" Hakubi chimed in.
"Well, yeah, I mean I learned a lot about myself that I didn't know."
"So it was you." Tokine said her tone changing and her smiled held something other than a friendly gesture. Yoshimori didn't need anymore explanations and he nodded. "I knew it was you, I just knew"
Madarao narrowed his eyes and grinned at the two, "what's this I'm sensing? Is it, mhm, affection?" Hakubi nodded and grinned himself
"What was that?" Yoshimori said his face red.
"Oh nothing just observing." Madarao grins, waving the boy away with his paw.
Tokine rolled her eyes, smiled and blushed at the same time. "You're seeing things Madarao!" Yoshimori yelled and turned his back on the dog. "Now let's go we have a job to do."
No sooner did he say this, a strong ayakashi showed up and they began to fight. The fight lasted longer than they anticipated and Tokine's energy was slowly draining. Yoshimori didn't fail to notice this and stayed in front of her. This isn't good, any longer and Tokine won't be able to last, Yoshimori thought as he created another kekkai. I know what I need to do. He straightened up and exhaled slowly.
Tokine's breath caught as Yoshimori's body stilled and the ayakashi came rushing towards them. "Yoshimori its coming!"
She braced herself for an attack, but Yoshimori moved his hand in a way she didn't recognize. What she saw was what looked like nenshi, but also a kekkai. It came out of his hand like a nenshi and he made it wrap around the demon. It bound around the ayakashi and in minutes he destroyed it.
As the dust cleared the demon was gone and Yoshimori was standing with his staff pointing down. He turned around and smiled at Tokine, "are you ok?"
Tokine nodded. "Yoshi, what was that?"
"oh that, just something I learned." Yoshimori said.
"you've changed." Tokine said suddenly.
"what do you mean?"
"well, look at you, you're taller. You're even stronger than you were months ago."
Yoshi shrugged and created some shikigami to began cleaning up.
Kekkaishi: Her Knights Light.
