"Helllloooo there!"
"Welcome back."
"Welcome nothing, I'm beat, how goes it with Yuzuru?"
"Just fine, no signs of Shingen, he's still ill though."
"Don't be so sure that'll last for long."
Haruie and Chiaki looked to Naoe as Takaya went inside to see his friend. Yuzuru had been fighting the flu for the past few days and was stuck in bed. Even if Shingen decided to take over the warlord would have quite a time using an ill body to conquer Matsumoto City.
Takaya dragged himself into Yuzuru's bedroom where Takaya's sister Miya and classmate Saori Morino (who had a very big not so secret crush on Yuzuru) were tending to the patient. His parents were away on a weeklong vacation and had left the day before Yuzuru fell ill. Instead of disrupting the parent's vacation everyone thought it best that they take turns caring for him, especially in case Shingen decided to check his chances with the ill boy.
Right now Yuzuru was lying asleep in bed, a cold compress on his forehead, his face flush with fever.
"Takaya!" Miya said happily. "Did you take care of that errand you needed to run with Tachibaba-san? You were gone all night!"
Tachibana was Naoe's ''former owner's' name.
"Hey sis." Takaya said tiredly. "Yeah Naoe needed some last minute help at his temple so of course he had me stay over." He still hadn't told his sister that he was a possessor or housed the spirit of Kagetora. He believed she would laugh in his face anyway thinking it was as dumb joke.
"That was nice of him." Saori said as she replaced the compress on Yuzuru's head with a fresh one.
"How's Yuzuru?"
Miya smiled.
"Just fine aniki." She said. "He's still got a high fever though. This will probably be the day his flu is the worst, but then he should be feeling better by tomorrow. He should have gotten a flu shot like the rest of us."
Saori and Takaya laughed nervously. The day their school had free flu shots, the spirit of Shingen decided to make a grand appearance once again by having Kosaka hypnotize a young boy who 'accidently' snapped off the protective talisman on Yuzuru's wrist. When Yuzuru didn't show up with rest of the students for their shot, Chiaki, and Takaya felt the war lord's presence and immediately ran out to find him. Saori and her lovesick curiosity when the word 'Yuzuru' was uttered decided to follow them. When they met up with Haruie and Naoe, the situation had been so serious that when they spotted Saori peering from an alley, Naoe put a sleep spell on her and put her in his parked car. They couldn't risk the girl interfering with their mission. They successfully subdued the warlord and caused a pissed off Kosaka to flee.
When Saori awoke, Takaya told her she had skipped school with them to see about Yuzuru and had fallen asleep in the car when Naoe graciously drove them home later that night. Saori's parents would throw a fit if they found out if she had skipped school to see a boy (even though they knew she had the personality of a lovesick puppy) so of course her mouth was shut. Saori had been witness to a few of Naoe and Takaya's missions, including the first few with Shingen, but they couldn't let her make it habit. She was not a possessor and could very well risk her own life.
"Yeah he should of." Takaya uttered. "Thanks for coming over Miya. I would stayed over had Naoe didn't need that last minute help and knowing Morino over here if Yuzuru needed some help in the middle of the night, she wouldn't be able to hear him over her snoring."
"I DO NOT SNORE!" Saori yelled. "And I am perfectly capable of taking care of Yuzuru all by myself smart guy!"
"Please you can barely take care of a fish." Takaya mumbled.
Before Saori could protest Miya interrupted her.
"It was no problem brother." Miya said with a smile. "It's vacation anyway and I like spending time with Saori and Yuzuru. I'm just sorry he's sick. And your friends Haruie and Chiaki-san are very nice too and they also tended to Narita-san when I went to sleep for a little bit."
"That's why I called 'em."
Naoe then appeared with a tray of tea.
"I see Narita-san is in good hands." He said with a smile. "I made tea for everyone including a special recipe for Yuzuru. It has some herbs in it that will help him fight his flu."
Everyone took their cup and Naoe set Yuzuru's on the stand next to his bed. The boy was still asleep.
"Thank you." Miya said to Naoe kindly. "You have been very good to my brother and his friends; you should stay over for dinner at our house sometime. I can cook pretty well!
Naoe felt his heart skip a beat. He was glad Takaya's sister didn't have her brother's personality. Regardless of his devotion to Kagetora, he would do everything in his power not to hurt those around the boy. He made that vow 30 years ago after that fateful night.
"I would like that very much." He said. "Takaya has said that you are very good cook."
Miya blushed while Takaya just grunted.
"Well I am still learning in school." She said. "So everything new I learn I make for a meal that night so I can keep the recipe fresh in my mind."
"That must also be why you get such good grades as your brother has said." Naoe said. "I wish he would adopt those habits."
Again another blush but Takaya growled.
"Bite me." He murmured as he took a sip of his tea.
"Speaking of work." Saori said. "I still have some homework to finish up. I'm just going to go work on it in the guest room while Yuzuru sleeps. I'll be back soon."
The girl got up and Miya followed suit.
"So do I." She said. "Is it alright if you watch Yuzuru aniki?"
Takaya nodded.
"Go ahead and take a nap or something if you get tired." He said. Miya was the only person Takaya never gave any lip to.
"Okay." She said and left the room with Saori.
Now Takaya and Naoe were alone with the patient sipping on tea.
Takaya turned to the possessor.
"What was that nicey nice act about Naoe?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean sucking up to my sister, what's your angle?"
Naoe put down his cup.
"I have no angle at all." He said. "I find your sister to be a kind, hardworking young lady and as for her nice offer I see no reason to turn it down. On the contrary I would love to have dinner with you and her."
Takaya was suspicious. While his feelings for Naoe were beginning to slowly change in his subconscious, on the surface he was still very suspicious of everything. He was very protective of his sister and didn't trust many people around her. Kagetora played that to his advantage.
"Yeah well, don't try anything funny. She's my sister." He said feeling Kagetora creep up on him.
Naoe turned to Takaya.
"What are you implying?" Naoe asked. "I would never do anything harmful to her. If anything I consider her to be someone I would look out for should she be in any trouble. After all she is younger than you and still needs some guidance even though she has a more level head then her older brother."
"You are the last person to say anything about looking out for someone! You leave her alone!" Takaya or rather Kagetora growled. Naoe could see the change in Takaya's eyes and felt the dangerous mix of dread and desire course through his body.
"Lord Kagetora." Naoe whispered. "I will apologize for another 30, 100, and 400 some odd years need be for that horrible time. But rest assured I will never hurt Miya, Yuzuru or anyone unless the situation is completely dire. But with Chiaki and Haruie on our side, we are no longer alone. We have more help to prevent such situations from happening ever again."
"Tch...you'd house my soul into just about anything to suit your sick twisted ideas regardless of whose around to help us."
Naoe sighed.
"Maybe it is sick and twisted. But it's not an idea. It's the truth. I love you more than words and actions can ever explain. I do not want you just for your body, but for your mind and whatever the hell thing you call a heart in there. I want to be yours and for your to be only mine."
"Keep dreaming Naoe because its never going to happen." Kagetora murmured. However another voice was going through his head.
"HEY DEMON WARLORD ASSHOLE! DID YOU EVER STOP AND THINK HOW I MAY FEEL!?"
"What about you?" Kagetora secretly thought with his body's true owner. "Do not tell me you want this man. I will not have it after what he did."
"Hey I don't know that much about Naoe either, but hell he's protected my ass enough for me to know that I shouldn't completely treat the guy like trash. You ARE still alive in whatever the sense you possessors call alive. By the way, you live in MY body, I should be the one telling YOU what is allowed and what isn't."
"Heh...you have no idea boy." Kagetora sneered. "You weren't there. I was and believe me you think what you have is hell, you haven't seen anything yet when the one you love the most is violated by the one person you trusted the most."
"Can't you get over it already!" Takaya argued. "Christ alright the guy fucked up...he fucked up beyond royally. He should have spent the last thirty years behind bars. But he is truly sorry and he saved your ass stupid when you could have ended up in god knows where else. He did it to save you! Naoe is probably the most miserable person I know. He acts smug, but I'm not blind, the guy is in total guilt mode."
"Good, may he stay that way."
"My lord?" Naoe's voice interrupted the bickering spirits. "I am going to call Chiaki and Haruie back here and discuss what we should about Narita-san and Shingen if that's alright with you?"
"Yes, do so." Kagetora said.
He would worry about Takaya and his budding feelings later.