All was quiet for a good solid week. Nothing crazy in the news, no murders of really all that much crime... and no sign of the kid. It was like he'd vanished along with the Cerberus he'd been tracking. Not a damn thing. It was enough to easily make a chain smoker out of the detective.

Not even a case to keep his mind free of worry. But as soon as he started worrying, he would stop and ask himself why? Why was he so worked up about a kid he just met? Not just any kid, but a trained summoner, a soldier for an organization that raised killers of demons. The kid could handle himself, right?

But that was just it; he could, yet that night where he collapsed in the alley right in front of him, not far from bleeding out on the pavement as the rain soaked his battered body...

The clock had struck a late hour when Narumi went for another cigarette, only to find the pack empty. "Oh, damn it all!" With a frustrated growl, Narumi crumpled the empty pack and tossed it into the trashcan. This whole worrying thing wouldn't be as bad if he had something to do. But no, the blog sites were all but dead, nothing of quality to read on any news feeds, and no new cases. Hell, he'd take tailing an adulterous wife over sitting on his duff fretting about some kid who wasn't much willing to take his help with anything. It was as nerve-wracking as it was infuriating.

"Maybe I should call Tae..." he wondered out loud, contemplating whether he should start nibbling on the used butts to get his nicotine fix or scrounge up the last of his smoke money to get a carton from Konnou-ya. "She could have something that needs doing. A scoop, tail a lead for her..." He came to the sudden realization that he was considering calling Tae, the one person he intentionally avoided when it came to information and even jobs purely out of previous annoyances and false, internet-fueled rumors. The pure desperation he was feeling was completely unrivaled save for the time he was flat broke, maxed his credit cards, and all he wanted was a pack of smokes, and that was back when he was nineteen and first on his own. The only way it could get worse would be for the land-lady to call and raise his rent.

As if on cue, his cell phone began to rang, vibrating in the drawer he always kept it in. The man groaned as he reached for it, thinking it really could be the land-lady ready to strike her financial wrath down upon him...

But he didn't recognize the number. Wait, how could that be? Or wait, it could be a case... Even if it was late. Stranger things could happen. Swiftly Narumi answered, setting the phone on the table in speaker-mode while he gathered a pen and paper, prepared to take notes. "Narumi Detective Agency, how can I help you?"

The other end of the line was quiet save for the noises of wind and the occasional car. This went on long enough for Narumi to contemplate hanging up. But just when he was about to press the 'end' button a voice spoke; a very familiar voice that sounded not only tired but forced. "...Narumi-san?"

Narumi's heart leapt into his chest. "Kid, is that you?" Could it really be? Or had he fallen asleep at his desk sometime after that last news video? Yet, somehow it seemed too bizarre to be a dream... There was a small sniffle from across the line, the sound of chattering teeth being bought every step of the way. It was raining outside again wasn't it? Kid must have been freezing. "You said I could call if I needed anything... I wanted to see if your offer is still there."

The clack of teeth, the slight shiver on the boy's voice... Narumi's heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach. Yet he did his best to keep his usual calm demeanor in place. No need to make the boy feel bad for calling. "Yeah, of course, kid. What's up?" Please don't be injured... He pleaded mentally.

"If it's not too much to ask, I need a place to stay tonight." That was all he'd say. The fact that he'd gotten his leg shredded open was irrelevant. He'd walk home if he could but with a wound like that he'd be lucky if he didn't see bone try to make friendly with the outside world doing that. "W-would that...be alright?" There was strain in his voice, that much was apparent. Well it didn't much matter. If the man came for him, and he most likely would, he'd find out about his state soon enough.

If that was all, Narumi would readily comply. "Sure, where are you exactly? Somewhere in Shinjuku?"

"I'm a block down from the old cinema near that curry restaurant you took me last week."

That close? Narumi walked over to click on the light in the office, taking the phone off of speaker in the process and holding it to his ear. "That close? Do you remember how to find the office? Or..." his mind wandered further when he heard the tiny pained grunt from the boy on the other end, "...Do you want me to come get you?"

Another pause, this one shorter. "...I'll be waiting at the payphone at the corner." Meaning 'please come get me...' clearly. Kid must have been in a bind again. Narumi got the hint and grabbed his coat off the rack near the door. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Just sit tight, okay Raidou?" Please be okay...

The line disconnected, effectively ending the call. By the sound of it the kid didn't seem okay at all. Without further ado the man slipped on his coat and rushed out the door, praying the boy wasn't missing a limb or something as equally grotesque. "Kid, you better not have gotten torn up by that Cerberus again..."

As he hurried down the street Narumi could already tell he wasn't going to get much sleep that night...

With the wind, his umbrella was all but useless to him. The precipitation was much colder this time, sending a chill down Narumi's neck as he jogged up the street towards the main drag. Given the time and weather no one was on the streets, all the shops closing up with the lack of business. He was almost thankful for that; if Raidou was in the condition he suspected he was in, then the less people around to witness him in that state the better. The Yatagarasu did not take kindly to people whom could potentially expose them; it's why Narumi was kept on such a tight leash when it came to matters from the crow.

The street light above the phone booth flickered with the wind, casting eerie shadows on the ground below it. The wind was really whipping up, spraying Narumi with the cold water as he finally approached the boy waiting for him. "Raidou-chan!" He called to him over the howl of the wind, beckoning him over. Didn't this kid own an umbrella?

Raidou's head shot up when he heard the man's voice. He smiled just a touch as he saw him rushing over to him, and tried to move closer, meet him half way, but got a shot of pain up his leg when he tried. Yep, he wasn't going anywhere without help. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving him with a bleeding wound that smarted like hell.

Stifling a yell, thankful it was drowned out by the weather, Raidou stayed the hell put and waited like a good boy.

An umbrella was held over the boy's head, shielding him from the brunt of the downpour. "Hey, why are you standing out here? You should've found an awning or something..." He gave the boy a once over. At first sight he seemed in good shape, but his face... It was paler than normal, and the look in his eyes was something akin to panic. He had a feeling he knew why too.

The summoner nodded, lowering his gaze. He felt a little foolish now asking for his man's help but... "I'm having a little trouble walking..." he muttered pointing to his right thigh. It looked fine enough from far away, but when Narumi noticed the gash in the uniform pants...

Another flicker of the street light above them made it all the more clear. Narumi tossed his umbrella aside and knelt next to the boy, slender fingers carefully pulling the torn fabric away. A long, jagged gash tore open the skin and muscles of his thigh, apparently from a clawed beast of some sort. Thankfully whatever had attacked him missed the artery, but it was still deep and bleeding heavily. This was bad; how was he even mobile up until now? "You moron... Please tell me you were in the neighborhood and didn't walk here..."

"...I wasn't far..." He'd been in Harumi at the time of the incident. The beast was dead thanks to him, no longer able to harm the residents, but with himself too exhausted to control his demons he could do nothing more about his injury than tie a strip of fabric around it and hope for the best.

"Damn it, kid..." Narumi straightened, trotting over to fetch his umbrella before the wind could blow it away. "Did you at least kill the thing that did this to you?"

"It's dead," he reassured, watching the man gather up his fallen umbrella. "I don't know how I was able to get here. Running on adrenaline probably..."

Narumi sighed, doing his best to hide the worry. So far, so good. "It can't be helped then. Can you make it back to the office?"

Sheepishly the boy averted his eyes, seeming almost ashamed. Quietly, voice almost drowned out by the storm, he responded. "..I don't think I can walk anymore." Again, Narumi somehow expected this. Didn't mean he didn't worry though; if anything it made the worry worse. The umbrella was handed to the boy, "Hold this and climb onto my back." He ordered, turning around and crouching slightly so the boy could get on easier. Raidou was a bit surprised by the man's actions. He almost thought to decline, but then he realized that he'd just hurt himself worse if he did. He easily took the umbrella and climbed onto the other man's back with much embarrassment and a good deal of effort with his leg being torn open like that.

Narumi carefully adjusted the boy on his back, wary of his hands on his legs. Instead of cupping his thighs, he held onto the boy beneath his legs, feeling the blood from his wound sweeping into the sleeves of his shirt. "Hang on tight, okay? I don't need you getting a concussion on top of this... You're banged up enough for my tastes..."

"I understand," was the only reply given, thin arms coming to wrap around the man's shoulders. He was right though, jibe aside. The boy wasn't in good enough shape to afford a fall. But cruel pokes at his condition aside, Narumi was just worried about the boy. Once again he had fallen victim to the beasts he slayed in the name of the Yatagarasu. First the Cerberus, and now... "What was it you were fighting anyhow?" He asked as he made his way down the main strip, catching as many overhanging shop fronts as he could so they could try to keep dry.

After a short silence Raidou spoke. "Tsuchigumo.." Ever the conversationalist. Narumi decided then he was having none of the silence bullshit that night. "What's it like? Was it hard to beat?" Open ended questions, an attempt at getting the boy to at least try having a conversation with him. It didn't do all that much. "A spider-like creature. It wasn't as strong as some."

Narumi frowned, rounding the corner towards the back alley. "Spider, huh? Those things give me the willies... Does that mean your injury is a spider bite? Do I need to take you to the hospital for poison instead or something?"

"It's just a scratch..."

"You can't walk, Raidou. Or did you call me because you missed me?"

Letting out a little sigh the boy corrected himself. "I'm not poisoned." There. Better and clear to the point. The detective groaned, giving up that topic for now. "You know, you give off the impression that you dislike talking to me, kid." He grouched, taking another turn to head up the stairs to the entrance of the Ginrou-kaku complex.

"...Sorry." Raidou muttered, not really sure what else to say. He just wasn't good with words. But to help the detective with the burden of carrying him he opened the door to the building when they reached it, having to lean halfway over his shoulder to get at it. "Easy, easy... Don't want to put too much pressure on that leg till I get it stitched, got it?" Narumi chided, almost shutting the door on Gouto. Oh, so the cat was with him. No wonder Narumi felt the hatred of a thousand dames concentrated on his ankles. The cat didn't like him, he knew that for sure.

Up the stairs and another odd fumbling of a doorknob and a somewhat out of breath Narumi was inside with his charge. The boy weighed only a bit less than him and was all legs, but it still irked him that he wasn't able to run through the streets with dead weight on his back like in the old days. Back when he was in the force, he trained for worse case scenarios where he'd have to carry a fellow officer out of such situations like a gunfight or a burning building. To not only have himself winded after just a few blocks and three flights at a leisurely pace was damn near disappointing. He'd chastise himself for being out of shape later; for now he needed to treat the kid's wound before it got worse.

Narumi rounded the raised platform and stopped at the couch, carefully letting the boy down on the couch. Not like he wouldn't have to steam clean the thing from the last time he took him the battered boy. "Shimmy out of your pants and cover yourself with that blanket. I need to gather a few things..."

Raidou easily rest on the couch, happy to finally have all the pressure off his leg. But now came the challenging part. While Narumi went off to gather supplies Raidou was left to strip out of his wet clothes. He started with the top half, losing the cloak and jacket. Next went the shirt, carefully eased out from its tucked position inside the waist of his pants. After being unbuttoned the shirt soon was added to the growing pile of soaked soon to be laundry on the floor.

Now came the part; the pants. He was not looking forward to this at all. He took his time unbuckling the belt and undoing the pants. He couldn't help but hesitate knowing the pain he'd be in. But it needed to be done or the detective couldn't get to the wound. Taking a shaky, slow breath to calm his nerves he slowly hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his trousers and carefully began inching them off. Down the hips and over the buttocks wasn't that bad. Hell, just to make it easier on himself he toed off his shoes and pushed them off to the side with the foot of his good leg. Sliding them down the legs was hell. He had to bite his lip to keep from yelling, and just his luck that Narumi would reappear when he was stifling his cries of pain. "Careful, don't wanna agitate that thing." Narumi placed a hand over his, taking the waistband of his pants in his stead. His eyes initially wandered to the boy's dampened briefs, but quickly turned to the more important image of Raidou's torn leg. It was worse than he thought...

Tugging the pants off the rest of the way, Narumi began digging through his supplies. "Now, you've got two choices. I could knock you out..." His hands rummaged through his medical kit and pulled out an amber colored bottle with an obscure label, "Or I can give you a local. Your choice." One could ask why or how Narumi obtained such a thing as a high-powered topical analgesic, but now really wasn't the time. If Raidou couldn't go to the emergency room, he needed to get patched up by Narumi. End of story.

Raidou was occupying himself for the most part with staying conscious. He barely heard the question, eyes focusing and unfocusing, heart pounding in his chest. He'd lost a lot of blood due to the throbbing injury he was suffering with. At this point it almost seemed better to knock the kid out and let him sleep it off. But in the end it came down to trust. He trusted the man enough to patch him up without fail yes, but it was also out of respect. Narumi had questions for him and without pain he'd be able to answer them better. He requested the local.

Fair enough. Narumi reached into the kit again and retrieved a sterile-wrapped syringe. He hadn't had to do this since a hostage situation broke out in the middle of a banquet. Of course that was a gunshot to the leg, and the guy's limb needed to be amputated after the fact... but he got the bullet out, at least.

Narumi just hoped he wouldn't be amputating anything tonight. The wound was still trickling blood and the boy was looking worse for the wear... he needed to act quickly. "Raidou, I'm going to inject the local... Stay with me, okay? I need you awake for just a bit longer, then you can rest."

Just long enough to make sure the anesthetic works... that shit's old. Narumi added mentally.

The boy fought off the haze enough to give a small nod of the head. He didn't feel too hot right now. He was sure by now the only reason he wasn't out cod now was because it hurt so much. He didn't even want to look at the damn thing. Looking at it would just make it hurt worse, like he was acknowledging the pain was real or something. Instead he focused on what the man was doing. "You had questions..." A little hint. Well, more of a series of words that meant something else yet very similar. It was almost like the kid spoke a different language sometimes. But thankfully Narumi was beginning to understand him. He was basically saying 'keep talking to me so I can focus.'

"Questions? Oh..." Narumi went about preparing his supplies, keeping his eyes on the boy as much as possible while he worked. Now that he was trying to focus on him, the man was having a hard time conjuring up anything aside from little inane things... Well, good enough. "Where do you live right now, Raidou?"

At first the boys instinct was to keep silent, but at this point he knew it would be counterproductive. Besides, with this man willing to aid him it would be beneficial for him to know. He didn't have to give him an exact location.. "..Ginza... Near the mall..."

"Ginza..." Narumi pulled out a pair of gloves from their packaging, "Not the safest place... Is it nice? Can't imagine the Yatagarasu would pay for anything more than a flat..."

"It's fine..." Just a tiny hole in the wall flat. Nothing grand but it was livable. Narumi pressed on, "What kind of flat is it? Describe it to me..." Now he was getting detailed, but the more he could get the boy to talk the better. Raidou knew he shouldn't be saying but..."It's very small. One room but it's got a bathroom with a shower." He thought on it more, trying to think of more detail. "It's got a small kitchenette on the side by the entrance. No real appliances; just a hotplate, microwave and fridge." He smiled slightly, holding back a wince. "Mn... I don't use the microwave at all..."

"I take it you're the type to make home-cooked meals, huh?" The man returned to his side, prodding his thigh to find a good spot for the injection. Never in a million years would the detective expect this boy to cry out over anything, but damned if he didn't for that. Fingers desperately grasped at the couch cushions, Raidou biting his bottom lip nearly hard enough to draw blood to stifle another yell. He was embarrassed enough with the first one. He didn't need to tarnish his honor any further.

The man had not expected that, which in itself bewildered him. Even though Raidou was some savior of legend, trained by the Yatagarasu to hide every emotion, he was still very much a child, and children felt pain just like any other person would do. If it were him, he'd be a lot more vocal about someone poking an open wound on his leg. In fact, he'd be swinging at whoever was.

A warm hand caressed his cheek, shaky but still firm. "Breathe, Raidou." Narumi soothed, a small smile on his face, the worry apparent on his brow. "I'm going to make a few injections, so just hang in there, it'll go numb in a bit." The hand was pulled away, stopping to give Raidou's a little squeeze before pulling away completely. "It's okay to cry out if you're in pain, you know."

The boy didn't answer, only stared with pained bewilderment of his own. This man was unlike anyone he'd met before. Strong and kind even in the face of danger or grim reality, calm and collected above all. It didn't make any sense. How could a person show so many emotions and be so passionate yet peaceful. It was something out of the bounds of his understanding.

Even when Narumi continued to work on his leg he made no more cries, refused to make a noise. He just watched the man work, hands gripping tightly to the couch cushions if the pain became too much.

"This may sting a bit..." Narumi muttered as he loaded up the needle for the local. With the size of the gash, he figured it'd take four injections to numb it enough to be less painful. Uncomfortable, yes, but it wouldn't hurt per se. "Ready?" He looked to the young summoner, giving him back some control over the situation. Raidou offered a single nod, readying himself for the pain he knew was to come before relief. "Just... Just do what you have to."

"Righto." Narumi took just a moment to sterilize the area with an alcohol swab before puncturing the skin with the needle, slowly injecting the anesthetic into his leg. A little gasp was all he got in response, a witch accompanying it. Raidou did not move nor yell. But his eyes were intently on the detectives hands, watching him work. Three more injections, then they'd have to wait a few minutes for the anesthetic to take effect. In the meantime, Narumi gathered the supplies needed to stitch the wound, thankful that the bleeding had mostly stopped by then. "Shouldn't be too long now..." he remarked, gathering the thick thread he'd need to sew the boy back up. "You still there?"

"I'm fine." The usual reply, but the kid didn't really look like he was 'fine'. He looked a little out of it. This boy had a tendency to lose blood like crazy. It was really beginning to worry Narumi. If he didn't work fast, he'd have no choice but to take the kid to a clinic or something. "Just a bit longer, okay?" He gave the skin around the wound a tentative poke to gauge the kid's reaction.

The boy did not react, the leg finally starting to go numb. Raidou smiled weakly at that. It wasn't perfect but at least it didn't really hurt anymore. "It's fine. You can start now if you want." Brave kid, getting his leg sewn up by a man he barely knew in his office of all placed without batting an eye. Kid had guts, Narumi gave him that.

A thick blanket was placed over the boy's torso to keep him warm while he worked. He was seriously worried the kid would go into shock in the middle of him working with the amount of blood he had lost. "If you start to feeling like you're going to pass out, tell me, got that?"

"I will", he said firmly, thin arms pulling the blanket closer to keep it from getting in the way of Narumi's work.

The detective set to work, first taking a moment to clean the wound. Proceeding without doing so would be asking for the boy to die on his watch. No, not today. He grabbed a bottle of peroxide from the kit and pulled the wound open a bit, pouring chemical over it and watching it bubble out the debris. Narumi took his time to carefully clean out the wound, dabbing it dry with a bit of gauze cloth. Raidou watched him throughout, face blank and eyes tired. He wasn't fearful as any other kid his age would be. Instead he seemed calmly interested. Eerily so. Was this a regular occurrence? This only roused more questions in Narumi's mind. "Hey, kid... Why didn't you have one of your fairies heal you this time too? Instead of, you know, having to have me do this again..." A valid question, one that luckily got Raidou's attentions enough to wake him fully. He looked like he was ready to drift off to slumberland any time now. "No mag..."

"Mag?" Narumi continued to dab up blood and dirt from the wound, tossing the used gauze aside.

"Magnetite." he replied, sitting back a little and pulling the blanket closer. It was really cold in the office he noticed, or was it just him? "A naturally occurring spiritual essence within living creatures."

Narumi leveled a look at him as he began to thread the needle. "Wanna put that in layman's terms for me?"

The boy smiled lightly, looking more than a little cute. Kid really did look totally different when he was tired. Too adorable. "Demons feed off of it. Without mag I can't summon and I have no energy for them to feed on to cast the spell to heal me."

So in the end, it was a sort of mutualistic relationship between the demon and the summoner. Good to know, "So I'm guessing you used up too much of your mag and weren't able to call the pixie to heal you?" He inquired, finally getting started with the stitching, slow and steady, threading the needle through the skin flaps and pinching them together with his fingers so they'd close. "Something like that, yes..." Raidou continued to watch the man work, glad he was getting the treatment he so desperately needed. "Narumi-san...?"

Narumi tugged the needle outward, pulling the thread taut to close up the wound. "Yeah? Sorry, does it hurt too much?"

"No it's fine... I just wanted to thank you for helping me again." he muttered, laying his head back against the couch. "I didn't thank you properly before, so I'm doing it now."

The man snorted, going in for another stitch, "Kid, I'm just grateful you called... If you didn't get this thing sewn up, you'd lose your leg for sure. And besides..." his voice quieted, hands busied by the task. "I couldn't help but worry about you while you were gone... You've got it rough, Raidou." Now Raidou could have made a comment, sure. He could have told him that he was just fine, that he had it no rougher than anyone else, that he was just doing his job. He could have, but he kept quiet and let the detective do hiss work.

The two of them sat in silence, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the wall and Gouto's occasionally mewling to Raidou. Narumi couldn't understand him, but Raidou was answering him like he was speaking plain Japanese. "How are you holding up? Still all there?" The cat asked, perching on the arm of the sofa, watching Narumi work. "I'm fine, Gouto... I'm just tired..." he muttered, eyes slipping closed. Gouto's tail swished behind him; clearly he was worried about the boy too. "Try to stay awake, Jouhei." The cat bat the boy's nose, but before he could make too much of a fuss Narumi brushed him away from the kid. "Damn cat, leave him be! He's not gonna be up and around anytime soon, so just worry your little kitty head over something else."

Gouto yowled in protest, "Heathen! Jouhei, did you hear what he said to me?"

"Talk to me about something..." Raidou muttered in the detectives direction, ignoring the cat. No, he was following orders and trying to stay awake.

"Hm?" Narumi turned his attention to the boy briefly, blinking. Now he wanted to talk? "How about this... You ask me questions, and I'll answer." A social exercise, perfect for getting the boy's mind off his pain and keep him conscious and aware. It got him thinking at least. There were plenty of questions he had, very few had been answered. "What do you do for work? You always seem to be around when I need help."

A fair place to start. "I'm a detective, so my hours are either entirely occupied or not occupied at all. Work's been slow recently..." This was almost entirely because he preferred cases that made quick easy money, and those seemed in short supply as of late. "Sometimes I get calls from the police task force to help out with an investigation, but rarely cops like Futsuo and Waruo... The police themselves don't like working with me."

"You said something before about training at the academy on being on the force... We're you an officer before?"

Narumi nodded, "Yeah, for about seven years I was in their special investigations division... Drug busts, gang warfare, kidnappings... you name it, I've probably played a part in the case." Not to mention serial murderers and the occasional covert assignment into the seediest places in the Tokyo underground.

"Sounds like a good place to make a difference... What made you leave?"

The man's shoulder's slumped a bit, his back becoming more hunched, more focused on his work. "It's... a long story. Let's just say I discovered that there were evil people even on the lawful side and didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore." Narumi wasn't quite ready to tell him of that particular tale, not yet. It was something that still stung to this day, nearly seven years after the fact, and he wasn't ready to reveal how twisted the people he was trying to protect could be.

Raidou accepted this answer, looking once again like he was headed for a blackout. A good cat bite on the fingers brought him back to reality with a loud gasp, body jumping. Unfortunately Gouto's good idea on keeping him awake almost got the needle that was stitching him up broken off in his leg. Narumi once again had to bat away the offending feline, "Damnit, cat, I will throw you outside if you-" The man's eyes fell upon the boy, who was starting to look worse, face devoid of color, lips and hands trembling... "Kid, keep talking. I'm almost done." He urged the boy, hands working double time to get the wound sewn up.

Raidou nodded slowly, blinking the spots from his eyes. "What should I talk about?"

"Anything. Like the hell is up with your cat, for instance. You keep talking to him."

"He just wants me to stay awake. Gouto is just worried for my safety." Not exactly the answer he was looking for. Narumi hastily threaded the needle again, more than halfway done with his leg now. "No, I mean do you actually understand him?"

"I understand him fine."

Narumi cocked a brow, "...How? All I hear is cat noises... You speak cat?" Raidou smiled a little at the comment and shook his head. "Only summoners can understand Gouto."

The smile alone was enough to make Narumi's heart skip a beat. Raidou had such a sweet smile... So it was a summoner-only thing. Well, at least the kid has someone to talk to. Narumi continued working, making small talk as he did, nearing the end of his stitching endeavor. The local had to be wearing off soon... Raidou was almost thankful to have the pain coming back. It kept him awake, as did the slow stinging sensation of the needle-which seemed a hundred times bigger than it really was-dragging slowly through his flesh.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Narumi snipped the thread and knotted it against his leg. "Done. Let me clean it up and wrap it, then I'll put you to bed. Sound fair?" There was a hint of triumph in the man's voice as he sat back to eye his handiwork. A fine stitching job, and he probably just saved the kid's life. If the Yatagarasu didn't think he was a fine gentleman after this, nothing would. He just hoped the kid would make it through the night.

"Narumi-san... I think I'm blacking out..."

The detective jolted into action, tossing the needle aside and shuffling over to the boy, "C'mon, kid, you can sleep in a few minutes... Just focus on me." Now that he had kept him awake, he was worried what would happen if the boy passed out. Sure, knocking him out was an option before, but with the kid having lost so much blood he feared he'd go into shock and not wake up. "At the very least drink some juice or something... Do you like juice?"

Raidou stared blurrily up at the man, offering a shaky nod. "Juice is fine..." He muttered, swooning. Before the boy could pass out, Gouto was there, pouncing onto his chest and talking to him animatedly. "Jouhei, I know you're tired, but we need to make sure you're not gonna die in your sleep, so stay with us, got it?" While the cat did his task for him, Narumi set to cleaning up the wound and wrapping it. His toes still had color, which was a good sign, but the boy's lips... "Raidou, any other wounds I need to know about?"

The boy slowly reached up to pet Gouto's fur, trying his damnedest to stay conscious. "It's the only big one." Meaning there were more. Narumi frowned and started checking around his limbs for any more life-threatening wounds. "Where else?"

"It's just a few scrapes. It doesn't matter..." So said the boy whom thought nine inch gash in his leg was nothing. The detective continued inspecting him, finding little more than scraped up palms and forearms from falling. Relieved, he stood, dusting off his damp jeans. "I'm going to get you some juice. Don't try to move, okay?" A little nod was given in response, Raidou watching him as he left. Now alone with his cat he apologized for messing up once again. To that, Gouto just shook his head, "You took care of the demon and completed your mission. Personal injuries are a part of your job; it's not like the Yatagarasu expects you to be invincible." In other words, as long as you completed the mission, it didn't matter if you got hurt in the process. The Yatagarasu truly was a cold organization.

"And relying on a man that has no affiliation with the clan?"

Gouto shook his head, "Of course the Elders would teach reliance only on one's self, even down to taking care of injuries..." Never making a personal tie, never relying on others. "But that isn't always possible... I won't condemn you for getting injured and needing medical attention, so long as you find someone you trust to do it."

Relieved, Raidou smiled lightly with a small nod. "Narumi-san seems reliable enough... don't you think...?" The cat rolled his eyes at the mention of the man. "His home is the picturesque of a bachelor and I'm unsure of motivation, but at least his medical practices are up to par... Your leg looks professionally done." How? Even he wasn't sure. One had to wonder how much practice Narumi had with such tasks, but that was the least of their worries. Raidou was stitched up, and that was all that counted.

"Yeah..." Oh, there it was again. He could feel it; the blackness over his sight and mind. Before he could stop it this time he lost consciousness, upper half slipping to the side. He toppled over, landing flat on the couch with his face planted into the cushions and Gouto still in his arms. The cat yowled in panicked protest, "Jouhei! Jouhei!"

"Raidou!" At that very moment Narumi returned, a glass of apple juice in his hand. He rushed to the boy's side and shook his shoulders, trying to rouse him. "Raidou, hey, wake up! Can you hear me?" The yowling did nothing. He was unresponsive to the shakes and calls of his name. He was down and out for the count. Narumi muttered a string of curses before adjusting the boy on the couch, checking to make sure he was breathing normally and hadn't actually died while he was searching the fridge for a drink that wasn't expired. Still alive, but dead weight. With his leg how it was, he wasn't sure if he could safely drag him into the bedroom. The office would be the bedroom that night.

Narumi left long enough to pull the blankets and pillows from his bed off and drag them into the main room, spreading the thicker ones over the boy, propping his head on a pillow, then making a pallet for himself on the floor. Not much he could do now but wait and hope the kid would come to in one piece mentally the next morning.

Will this keep happening? Narumi couldn't help but wonder if the boy would last in this occupation if he kept getting mortally wounded at the end of each mission. Did the Herald really see it wise to leave such a young boy on his own with no guidance, no one to patch him up? Someone older, perhaps, could do so on his own, but Raidou... Narumi couldn't help but think the boy would continue pushing himself to please the clan until he died in battle.

"Kid... I wish I could do more for you..." But this really was all he could do now, wasn't it? Fix him up and give him a place to rest... The bare minimum. At least there was that.

With that in mind, Narumi hunkered down on the floor, hoping to rest a while so he could properly care for the boy when he woke.

Sleep would not come easy.