"So, what are you going to do now?"

Rin looked over at Seiichi, who was looking at him carefully. Not carefully in the oh-he-might-break way, but in the way of a good friend who didn't want to overstep his bounds. There were more than enough people giving careful looks of the former variety, and it was exhausting, fielding the worries of the people giving him those sorts of looks on top of everything he'd been doing for Misaki's wake and funeral. He supposed it was a step up from that one idiot who'd tried to point out that at least there was less hassle, what with there being no body to bury, but still, it was tiring. But not wrong. He did feel like he might break, and he'd had no idea how he'd managed to even stand upright all this time, when getting from one moment to the next had been such a struggle.

"I…I don't know." Rin admitted after a long moment, loosening his tie. That could apply to the rest of my life, too, really.

"Ah. Well. Why don't you come out with me, we'll go grab something to drink? I can call Kazu and Hiroto too, they're probably off work by now, or it could be just us if you're not really up to too much company." Seiichi suggested.

"Well…." I'm so tired. The suit was uncomfortable, too. He just wanted to go home and sleep.

But home was the place he'd once shared with Misaki. The place he'd once imagined starting a family with her in, the place he'd been building a life with her. Sure, he was used to absences, because of what she did, but suggesting that this was the same as that was just as stupid as suggesting that handling the funeral had been easy because of the lack of body.

Or even that I should have seen this coming. Even though I did. Because I knew, didn't I? The moment the clock ticked past the time she'd estimated she'd come home from the Juuni Taisen if it went well, I knew she wasn't coming back. But that doesn't make it any easier. It doesn't make home suddenly become home again.

"Rin?" Seiichi asked.

Rin blinked, and realised he hadn't responded.

"I don't know…sorry, Sei."

Seiichi's lips thinned for a moment as he pursed them, and turned away briefly. There was a long pause as he appeared to be considering something.

"You have food at home, don't you? Drinks?" Seiichi asked eventually, turning back.

Rin nodded cautiously, not sure what he was trying to suggest.

"Right. Then, how do you feel about seeing Kazu and Hiroto as well, generally speaking?" Seiichi continued.

"That would be good…." Rin admitted cautiously.

"Right then. I'll call them, and we'll come to your house. We'll eat and watch stupid movies or whatever, so you're not on your own thinking of Misaki-Chan by yourself all night. One of us'll kip on your sofa, too. "

"I…you don't need to. What about…?"

"Oh, Akari? Already told her that I might be staying with you, told her you'd probably be needing someone. I can tell, you know, that you're not dealing with being there by yourself. And anyway, it's not as if you've got anyone else, is it?"

Rin nodded slowly again, but didn't say anything. What Seiichi had pointed out was correct. Neither he nor Misaki had any relatives around, though in his case it was for the more mundane reasons of old age and only-child status whereas hers were more because of the whole raised-by-magical-monkeys thing. It was why he'd shouldered the funeral burden, and would have done so completely alone if not for Seiichi, Kazu and it had only been Seiichi who'd been able to stay with him for the services, the others had done a lot for him too-paving the way at work, checking in on him, warding off idiots, all sorts. If I hadn't had friends at least, how would I have managed? It was too much to contemplate.

But, it's not fair to make you do all this for me.

"If that's not what you want or need, fine, okay, no probs." Seiichi said, shrugging casually. "But anything you do need or want, tell us, okay? We'll do it for you, it's no trouble. That's what friends are for, right? So let us help you."

I'm so tired. But…..Rin thought of the note he'd tucked in his pocket everywhere he'd gone these past few days, the note in the pocket of his ill-fitting blazer right now: 'this is a battle too!'. Misaki had of course been referring to the pie that she'd made that night before leaving for the Juuni Taisen, the one she'd left the note with. Yet now, now that she wasn't here, it felt like a descriptor of his life. Navigating all this emotion and learning how to adapt to life without her, that was a battle too. And it was a battle he needed comrades for. That makes it okay, doesn't it? To let them keep helping me? Even if it wasn't, Rin had to decide to believe it, because that was the only way he would win this battle. That much, he knew.

So, he mustered all of his energy, gave Seiichi a weary smile, and answered:

"Well in that case, yes please."