Taking a steadying breath, the dark haired man decided to take a chance. It was the same for him too - he knew the other man meant him no harm. Somehow, he trusted him.

"I was with a group of people. We were hanging out around town when we passed by an elderly lady." Tetsuhiro stared off into space, recalling the events that happened just the day before.

"She was having trouble walking, so I helped her carry her things across the street. She thanked me and smiled kindly." A ghost of a smile crossed his lips, but it was gone all too soon. He couldn't stand still anymore, so he walked up to the second couch.

"But that's when it all went wrong. A gust of wind must have blown away my hat. She saw my horns. You should have seen her, she was so horrified." Tetsuhiro let out a small humourless chuckle. He rubbed his hands against his bare arms, subconsciously bringing them near his chest as if to shield himself, feeling a little self-conscious.

"You know, I was the only one who stopped to help that woman. But now, she was backing away in fear, calling me names. The people I was with cornered me... They would call me a demon, saying that they would protect her and everyone else from evil." His brow furrowed at the memory. Their voices echoed in his mind. There were too many of them. He couldn't get away. He remembered feeling so helpless.

"My so called 'friends' grabbed me, dragged me away into some back alley. They said that they would help me, free my soul from whatever evil that possessed it. They were going to cleanse me, exorcise me..." Another humourless laugh escaped his throat. He felt tears start to prickle his eyes, but he blinked them away before they had the chance to build up too much.

"What a joke..." He murmured. Tatsumi just stared silently... Waiting. Listening.

"They held me down. They beat me up. Someone found a stick to hit me with. It cut me, too." He ran his fingers over the bruises and cuts on his arms that weren't bad enough to be covered in bandages.

"They even tried to fully strip me to find any other anomalies. Heh... I think they were kind of disappointed when they saw that most of my body seemed pretty normal." A sly smile formed on his lips before it too vanished. He saw something move from the corner of his eye. 'Oh yah... That's right...' Something swished behind his legs.

"But they did find... my tail... They tried pulling it off, to see if it would detach... To see if it was real." Looking back up, Tetsuhiro saw the long-haired blond stare at his tail. He felt way too self-conscious. The fact that he was still wearing nothing but his ripped pants did nothing to quell his nervousness. He briskly sat down on the couch in an attempt to hide his tail from view.

"... So... what happened next?" Hazel eyes regarded him with a level gaze, curious about how the tale would unfold.

"Hmmm... Well, I did manage to get away... somehow. The first chance I got, I ran. I didn't care where I was going, so long as it was away from there. I'm not sure how long they chased after me, but I wasn't going to stop and check. I ran as far and as fast as I could. But my body eventually gave out... That's when you found me." Tetsuhiro gave the other a small smile.

"Thank you so much, for letting me stay here." No one else had ever shown the same kindness.

"Don't worry about it" Tatsumi mumbled, his gaze elsewhere. Then his eyes narrowed into slits as he looked down upon his guest.

"Those jerks! ... I don't know how you could have ever called them your friends. They probably don't even know the meaning of it." The blond then sat down on the vacant couch in a huff.

"Ah, don't worry. Most people act like that when they find out..." Even though he wished he were lying, that was the reality of the situation, and he had accepted it a long time ago.

"People where I've been are simply old fashioned and narrow-minded. I got used to it." Even though Tatsumi fell silent, he seemed to still be irritated, silently fuming. Tetsuhiro wanted to change the subject - and mood - but didn't know what to say. It was the other that finally spoke up.

"By the way, how long will it take you to heal up? You-... you can stay here until you feel better. But once you're all healed, I want you out of here. Understand?" He had a light blush on his cheeks. Somehow, it made him look cute. Tetsuhiro liked that look on him.

"Ah! I-... It shouldn't be long. A few days maybe?"

"Really?" The shorter man was intrigued.

"Yah... It doesn't take me long to heal. I've always healed really fast, ever since I was young." Tetsuhiro allowed his mind to think back to simpler days. He stared dreamily into nothingness. A voice roused him from his thoughts.

"And how long have you had those horns and tail?" Tetsuhiro was, once again, caught off guard. He, once again, felt somewhat self-conscious.

"Ah! T-those?! Hmmm... T-they... They started growing s-sometime during my fourteenth year. I've had them for almost six years now."

"Huh? What? They just started to grow one day?"

"Yes." Tetsuhiro responded simply. This man seemed genuinely intrigued by him. 'This is different.'

"Did you have it checked?"

"Nah... My adoptive parents didn't have much money. Besides, I didn't want them to find out. It would have just been troublesome."

"Huh? Adoptive? You're an orphan?" Surprise and curiosity was laced in that tone.

'Shit! I hadn't planned to tell him that! How... how does he do that? Why is it so easy for me to tell him things? ... Maybe because he listens. But why does he want to know? I'll be gone from his life soon. Why does he care? Curiosity has to be in his nature.'

"Ah... Yah. I-... As long as I can remember, I've always been alone." Souichi gave him a complicated look. Tetsuhiro didn't want him to have the wrong idea.

"But I had amazing adoptive parents. They took good care of me, and gave me a nice place to stay. They even loved me..." His voice faded away.

"They must have found out at some point then, right? There's no way you could have hid something like that." Tetsuhiro momentarily closed his eyes, painful memories resurfacing. Was he really so transparent that this stranger could read into the situation so well? Or was he simply a good guesser?

"... You're right. There was no way. They eventually found out." He felt ashamed, still, after so many years.

"So... How did they take it?"

"How most people take it. They were in shock. They treated it like a curse. Since they didn't have enough money to get a doctor to check me out, they resorted to other means." His gaze fell to his lap.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, they brought me to people who were said could heal me, cleanse my body and soul, that sort of thing."

"... Ehhh?... WHAT?! No way! People would actually do that?!" That reply was sort delayed, as if it took a while for it to sink in. Once it did, the blond seemed so shocked, as if such an idea was unheard of.

'But we're at a shrine, aren't we? Isn't normal to do such things here?' Tetsuhiro was confused by the level of outburst.

"It's not like they wanted to hurt me. They did it to help me and protect me from evil spirits. They didn't want evil spirits and demons to curse the family, you know? So they did what they could. Nothing worked though." Tetsuhiro absentmindedly reached up with his right hand to touch his horn. A sad smile graced his lips. Sure enough they were still there.

"So when I turned sixteen, I left. I didn't want to hurt them." His chest felt tight. It felt like a sword was stabbed through his heart. His memories haunted him. That time hurt him so much, but he wouldn't admit that to anyone. He couldn't let such things in his past bring him down; he had to be strong.

"Since then, I've been living by myself, moving from place to place." He had to move on.

"So... Where are you going next?" Tatsumi asked from his spot on the other couch.

"I don't know." Tetsuhiro seriously didn't know. It was never a matter of knowing where to go, but more where he was escaping from.

"You don't know?! You must be going somewhere."

"As long as it's far away from where I was, I don't care where I go."

"Hmmmm..." Tatsumi Souichi was analyzing him again.

"You look... awful. When was the last time you ate?" Another change of subject. Tetsuhiro didn't mind.

"Actually, I don't really remember." He thought back, but he couldn't recall his last meal.

"There's food in the fridge. Feel free to take whatever you'd like. I'll go get your room ready." Souichi said simply as he stood.

'Huh?... What?' Tetsuhiro stood up, too. Did he miss something?

"My room?"

"Yah, you'll be sleeping in my brother's old room 'til you get better. I want my bed back."

"Of course! Wait, you have a brother?" The dark haired man asked, his turn to be curious.

"... And a sister." The blond seemed almost uncertain about sharing such information.

"Woah! Really? Where are they?" Tetsuhiro looked around as if expecting them to appear at any moment.

"They've all moved out. It's just me here."

"Oh... Really? ... It must be lonely here, all by yourself." Tetsuhiro was talking through experience. Sure, he had grown accustomed to living by himself, but he did get a little lonely from time to time.

"Hmm... Not really. I haven't really thought about it?" Souichi stared off, his features taking on a dreamy look. Then, within moments, he was back, eyes set in determination.

"You better get some food. I'll get your room ready... And some clothes." With that said, he walked off down the hallway without waiting for an answer, a blanket folded under one arm and a pillow under another.

"Alright." Tetsuhiro stared at the other man's back in wonder before it disappeared through a doorway. He had wanted to get new clothes, but didn't want to ask for any. He hadn't wanted to impose himself on the other more than he already had.

He didn't think he'd ever get used to this man. Souichi seemed somewhat unpredictable, like a hurricane. However, Tetsuhiro was somehow captivated and attracted to this man. Too bad he wouldn't have a chance to get to know this walking enigma. He felt like he'd give anything to have that chance.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed part 2! (A bit of background info for ya :P) As you've noticed, I decided to split this chapter in two. I ended up being done the first part, which happened to be long enough in my opinion to be posted by itself, while I finished the second part. This way, I was able to give you something to read while I finished writing the rest of it. :D

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

LoveKSB:

Yes, I'll make sure I'll finish it. Same with Love and Fear. I will NOT allow myself to leave them unfinished. That being said, with how I have other stuff happening in my life, and how slow I write, there is no guarantee that it'll be swiftly, or in a timely manner. But I will do my best! Please continue to support me. :3

And thank you, I really like my name. Ok, it's not my given name. It's in fact the username I use for almost everything, but I love it so! ^-^

Beth:

Hello Beth, I'm glad you like it as of yet! Here's an early update! Ok… not sure how long it'll take for the next one… but I'll do my best! Please enjoy this one. :3

Until next time!

- Getsuei ;)