A/N: Greetings minna-san! I've been raised from the dead! *Er—typical excuse of a writer who is actually just slacking off* Please continue to support me, your reviews are all that's making me survive in this cruel, cruel world. So please take your time to drop a word or two to cheer up this gloomy and depressed soul. I thank you all in advance! *And you still have the nerve to demand reviews? (o_0)* Quiet! You!!! –faces the audience and gives them a charming smile- Never mind that voice lol. Review please!

To the following people, thank you very much! : buchouslvr, death adder, FangsSweetRevenge, fei kanata, Gettenshi, Gosangoku, hwang111, I love yoai, Keiko-tama, Lil-Miaka, LunarYamiDemon, Mayo2198, Mytho Del Rosa, romaniv27, ShadowLovers, Shiruji-chan, UchihaLove89, Xicnar, YamiHikari Love, Youkai of Hearts, 20eKUraN09, abhorsen228, AnimeFreak4261, animelover52843, Cyaplunc, Daemon-In-White, GoddesOfWrath, Hiya120, jadedj8, Kamo113, Kumiko Coamenel, Michi-chan2, mierdacsm, MintyFlake, Spirit's Whisper, Twilightpaw, Yami no Kaze, zeair

And to the reviewers of the last chapter, thanks very much!: Kitcat (Yo! Thanks for appreciating my story, hope to hear more from you. –smileys-), Twilightpaw (Hihi, Kantarou's not just cute, he's super adorable, ne? -winks-), MintyFlake (Waaah kowaii!! Sorry it took me this long to update. Well, here's the next chap though haha.)

Disclaimer: It saddens me not to own Tactics, perhaps in my next life I will acquire greater creativity to invent a masterpiece of my own such as this for my self-fulfillment…

Chapter 11: "Nirvana"

Blurred, groggy, dizzy, Kantarou gradually lost his grip on his pen and it fell down on his side, the folklorist still not noticing as his head continued to move up, down, up, down. Any moment now, he might give in entirely to sleep and there is no telling where his head might land, or rather, of how strong will the impact be once his forehead fall straight for the hard concrete of which was the wooden desk, the ever reliable furniture that compensated for the alarm clock's absence.

It was quiet and awfully peaceful save for Kantarou's snores floating in the air, as the folklorist continued in such a state, a slothful state known as procrastinating when without warning, the door of his room slid open roughly, revealing an angered fox demon, her fists clenched tight, ready to pound on the silver-haired lad's head if necessary.

"I thought so, that's why it's unusually quiet in here. Kan-chan is drifting off in dreamland again without even the decency to finish work first! Ever the—"

"Haruka!!!" Kantarou suddenly cried, his head jerked upwards, his eyes flung open, his hands banged hard on the wooden desk loud enough to startle Youko.

"Kan-chan! What the heck—"

It was then that the folklorist became aware of another presence in his room, turning around, he even managed to give the fox youkai a cheery greeting, unaware that he had completely wasted his time sleeping which was supposed to be spent writing.

"Youko-chan, ohayou! What's cooking? Strange, my stomach feels ready to accommodate a hundred cup of rice right about now. What an unusual appetite. Really, how come I suddenly feel as though drained of strength, like I had just fought with an incredibly strong youkai of some sort?"

Noticing Youko's lack of response, Kantarou stopped speaking only to face dark purple eyes glinting dangerously, the fox youkai's teeth gritted as she struggled to keep her anger from erupting.

'Uh-oh looks like she caught me red-handed. No use explaining…'

Raising his hands up as a gesture of surrender, the folklorist tried to explain. "Y-You see, I wasn't aware that I actually fell asleep like that, it wasn't intentional believe me…"

"No food for you today Kan-chan! Not until you finish at least one hundred pages first! Remember, not even a single grain of rice will be spared for you if you continue on procrastinating. It's time you learn your lesson for good!"

Hands crossed firmly over her chest, the fox youkai marched out of her master's room with her head held up high, muttering incoherently under her breath as she tried to silently vent out her frustration.

"…never change, him and his tactician's ways…" were what Kantarou's ears have caught as Youko continued to shake her head while letting herself out of the folklorist's room, sliding the door shut rather violently.

Silence once again descended upon his room as soon as Youko was gone and it prompted Kantarou to slip into slothfulness again. Lying with his back against the wooden floor, Kantarou raised one arm and allowed it to rest on his forehead as he struggled to remember his strange dream, which for some reason, appeared authentic enough to be mistaken as something that truly happened. Yet try as he might, anyone with an empty stomach won't be able to think clearly, and he is in no different state presently. Shifting on his side and dropping his arms slyly, the silver-haired lad sighed, crimson eyes glum and lips curled into a forlorn frown.

"No food huh…"

--

"That's it! I quit!"

Kantarou, with determination brimming in those crimson orbs of his, stood firmly as he tossed his pen aside carelessly. Behind him, Reiko remained seated, not the least bit alarmed of the folklorist's sudden declaration.

'As if this doesn't happen everyday…'

She then sighed in exasperation as she allowed her slender fingers to run down the length of her silky chestnut brown hair out of old habit. 'Really, Kantarou and his never ending complaints, not to mention his capriciousness. One of these days, someone has got to put a stop to his impulses.'

And that someone can't be her.

"Sensei you can always try writing some other time. Don't force to squeeze words out of your mind if there aren't any coming out. That would only ruin your article even more, not to mention damage your brain. What you must do is to first allow yourself to be in a good mood, your state of mind cleared and not chaotic—focused is the exact term—concentration, as they say. You must lengthen your short span of attention—"

"I said I'm quitting Reiko-san, quitting for good! I'm so fed up of always having to rush myself to finish rapidly-reaching-the-deadline articles! It has been torturing my brain severely! I think I need a break, a permanent break to be precise."

Reiko was beyond shocked upon hearing his words that she was unable to respond quickly. How could the folklorist abandon his only source of income just like that? Acting all nonchalant and not the least bit worried at all. And besides, isn't it his passion to write and to learn more about the Japanese Folklore? Or perhaps, he only seemed interested in it before for the sole reason of finding his 'Haruka'?

"Worry not Reiko-san, I don't plan to starve to death. I have a family to feed, remember? And a big one at that. Sometimes it even gives me a feel of running an orphanage with our ever-growing family. But it doesn't matter, earning money isn't that hard anyway. Besides, if you must know, I have a side job to compensate for my writing work, and believe it or not, that side job has saved us numerous times. Therefore, I won't think twice to depend on it as it alone can give us sufficient financing. Another thing, I'm pretty sure Youko will volunteer to get a job herself. She's fond of keeping her hands busy anyway, and staying in the house doing chores and all those boring monotonous tasks of housekeeping only saddens her. So see? It's no problem! Nothing can possibly stop me from quitting now!"

Kantarou once again sat beside Reiko as an evil smirk spread across his face, the usual familiar glint of mischief saturating his crimson orbs as he continued to speak. "There is one more thing that is keeping me this confident Reiko-san. I was hoping not to mention this to you, but seeing as you're worried and all, I might as well let you know my ultimate weapon."

"Ul-timate weapon?" Reiko just stared at him blankly, not catching the other's drift.

"Hai Reiko-san. I'm certain you have noticed Haruka's good looks. As we all know, he is one devilishly gorgeous creature."

Kantarou explained, unconsciously rubbing his chin, his crimson eyes dancing in amusement with the mere thought of Haruka's 'handsomeness'. Meanwhile, Reiko narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"I don't see where you're going with this…"

Until a thought popped into her head, one dark, dangerous thought. "Masaka…Don't tell me, you're—you're going to sell Haruka-san's body? How could you—" The woman gasped in obvious shock, hands covering her mouth in horror. While Kantarou raised his hand and shook his head in disagreement, his face clearly showing his restraint to laugh at the absurdity of the ideas entering his editor's head.

"Not that silly Reiko-san. Anyway, my ultimate and secret weapon need not be known by anyone else aside from me. And since I am Haruka's master, I can do away with him whatever I want. I can use him, an asset, to do my bidding." Kantarou then let out a diabolical laugh while his editor only stared at him with dismay, thinking 'I never thought he could be this evil, a certified usurper indeed.'

"Sensei, exploitation will definitely harm you one of these days." Was what Reiko managed to say amidst Kantarou's loud heinous laughter.

"Who says I'm exploiting? I am merely putting my resources to good use. And if you mean that thing about Haruka, like I even dare do such. As my asset, I, the owner the master, will not allow any harm to befall on my possessions. Ahahahahaha!"

Reiko could only sweat-drop as she fought to stay silent, keeping her opinions to herself.

'Possessions, huh…'

--

That afternoon…

"Just where do you plan on taking me Kantarou? You've been dragging me around here for some time now. You know how much I dislike crowded places such as this."

"Be more patient Haruka, we'll get there when we get there, soon enough."

The folklorist answered somewhat mysteriously as he continued to pull Haruka with him, his rather small hands clasping the tengu's tightly, as though afraid to lose him in the jostling crowd of people populating the messy and busy marketplace while his eyes quickly scanned every store they passed by. Upon catching sight of the word 'URANAI' printed in big bold letters above a particular store, Kantarou immediately stopped and stood in front of it, his hand still clasping Haruka's tightly, as if securing him in place.

"Is this it? What would fortune-telling contribute to us right now Kantarou?"

Haruka wasn't given the chance to say more as his master already dragged him inside, pushing the door open only to hear the sound of clinking bells announcing their arrival to the store owner.

"A customer, eh?"

Haruka was forced to keep his opinions to himself upon hearing a rather husky voice belonging to that of an old woman, typical of a fortune-teller, always in the image of a frail yet mysterious old woman, this person right here is no different.

"A friend has recommended you, lady fortune-teller, saying your skills are truly remarkable as your predictions came out exactly as you have foreseen. And now, I come here out of curiosity to see for myself about your skills, and of course, to ask for your assistance as well. And to be honest, I particularly picked your place upon knowing you don't charge your customers with anything. Standing here before you now, you must have noticed our poor financial status. Therefore, if you would be so kind as to lend your knowledge to us, unguided destitute souls, we would be forever grateful."

Kantarou said with a slight bow indicating respect to the old woman. All the while, the fortune-teller's eyes kept scrutinizing the taller lad standing motionless behind the other, her actions clearly stating out her interest on the man wearing a handsome western-style suit.

"Destitute? I think not sensei, in fact, from what I can see, you are truly wealthy." The old woman answered mysteriously, eyes sharply trained on the oblivious tengu who appeared to be studying the store's surroundings.

On the other hand, Kantarou chose to mask his confusion instead by giving the fortune-teller a well-practiced smile of politeness.

"I never thought I could be seen as someone wealthy. Though perhaps you are right lady fortune-teller, I do possess a few treasures here and there anyway. Precious treasures that not even money can compensate."

"Oh please sensei, you need not address me as a lady, calling me Madam would be fine. And you are right, you do have in you a lot of precious treasures. I would advise you to value them with all your heart. And as for the payment, indeed, I don't charge my customers anything unless they be kind enough to offer me something out of gratitude."

As Kantarou continued to exchange polite words with the old woman, Haruka was left of nothing better to do that he instead examined the place. It was then he noticed how homey it appeared, with only little decorations here and there, giving a dark and gloomy atmosphere, again, typical of its kind. What more could you expect from a fortune-telling store anyway?

"Then I must compliment you on your generosity to aid us for free, Madam."

Haruka heard Kantarou say as his dark eyes returned on his master's small and slender back, fighting the urge to pull the silver-haired lad with him out of this place.

"The pleasure is all mine sensei. After all, for someone as old and frail like me, this would be the only help I could offer. As you can see I am not fit to battle evil spirits nor am I capable of releasing sealed creatures from their slumber, aren't I?"

With an enigmatic smile, the old woman once again stared back at the folklorist, waiting to see his reaction.

The ogre-tengu though, was startled with the old woman's accuracy in determining their identities. Was that perchance pure coincidence or just profound knowledge she has gained from that so-called fortune-telling ability of hers? Haruka almost can't bring himself to believe it. Stealing a sidelong glance at his master, he saw that Kantarou was able to keep a straight face as he too, smiled back at the old woman. If the folklorist was shocked as well, he was pretty good at concealing it.

"Yes, you are correct. It was good of you to think of your ability in such a way." was Kantarou's cool reply.

The old woman chuckled before beckoning for them to move closer, she particularly trained her eyes on Haruka, whom she sensed disliked the art of divination, or rather, does not believe in it.

"Young man, as it seems you appeared to be in high spirits, would you mind if I start with you first? I must warn you though that my predictions are not to be taken lightly as they may be close to the truth, if not entirely accurate, and may at some point, transpire in your life. However, your future can still be altered depending on the choices you'll make in the present. In the end, all my ability could do is to warn you and to guide you. It doesn't see something permanent, only something bound to happen which can still be changed in accordance to your course of actions in the present. I hope we're clear on that."

"Clear we are, Madam. I assure you I understand your meaning perfectly."

It was then that the old woman began reading Kantarou's fortune.

--

"Nirvana…Mirage…Rebirth…What was that about Haruka? Any ideas?"

Hot eyes grow narrow, feels increasingly annoyed by the moment.

"Ask yourself Kantarou."

The other pouts, hands cross over his chest, head bows low.

"But I somehow can't get what it means."

About to yell, but thinks otherwise, instead the taller man quickens his pace as he proceeds to answer the other calmly.

"Maybe if you keep yourself quiet, you could concentrate in thinking about its meaning. How do you expect to comprehend those words anyway if you keep on whining and complaining like that?"

Hits the bull's eye, the smaller man slumps, his pace slows down, his hands hang limp on both sides, a wary sigh escapes his thin pink lips.

"I think I'll do that."

Few moments of silence, the taller one walks ahead with the other trudging behind him, mind wandering, the smaller one then opens his mouth.

"Ha—"

Stops, closes his mouth before mosquitoes and other unwanted flying insects enter, then bows his head low, changing his mind in the last minute. The taller one walking ahead slightly tilts his head sideward, sees how his master was doing. To his dismay, finds the lad halfway to sleep. Dark eyes widen, feet comes to a complete stop, the smaller one continues, oblivious of the body blocking his way.

SLAM!

The smaller one looks up, scarlet eyes droopy, he stifles a soundless yawn, hands press on the taller man's chest.

Busted.

"Drooled enough?"

The smaller one's cheeks redden, shakes head vigorously to wake himself up. He stammers, he stutters, yet remains unsuccessful in explaining himself articulately. The taller one looks down with an impassive face. He grows tired of watching. He drags the smaller one with him. He begins to take the tired lad back home.

"H-Haruka!"

The smaller one protests, he pouts, he frowns, he scowls and makes all kinds of funny faces, he resists the taller one's pulls. Yet he still gets dragged. The other keeps on ignoring him.

"Day is over, I'm taking you home. You obviously need some rest. You could barely walk without bumping into something. How troublesome, walking with an immature, visually impaired, rapidly aging person such as you is truly mortifying. "

The taller one declares nonchalantly, dark eyes stare ahead, as he continues to pull with him the smaller one, who was apparently, hurt by the other's words which were only meant as a joke, unbeknownst to the stubborn younger one.

"Take that back Haruka! What you said really hurts you know!"

Wanting to annoy the taller man, or rather, slightly hoping for the other to carry him in his arms, the smaller lad lets his legs go wobbly, losing their motion and gradually sinking to the ground.

"That won't work. Nothing will. Now get up and be a good boy, lest you'd want to sleep on the streets tonight Kantarou."

The taller man seems unaffected by the other's actions. The smaller lad hisses in annoyance as he follows the other dejectedly.

"Wow, who is the master huh?" The smaller one says as he quickens his pace.

"Is that a declaration for a race Kantarou?" The taller man watches the other's shift in movement as he, too picks up his pace.

"No fair racing with you! For sure you'll just use your chicken wings."

"You sound envious. Too bad you don't have them. But I do. So why not use it to my advantage? Like how a certain tactician here uses all his resources to good use, as he claimed it."

The smaller lad gasps, sharply turns his head to look at the other, disbelief obviously printed on his face.

"You eavesdropper! That's against the law you know!"

"What law?"

"The Ichinomiya Residence law!"

"Who cares. It's not like you're going to kick me out, right Kantarou? You are just too kind to do such a thing. Or should I say, if it's with me, you're unable to do it?"

The smaller lad's face immediately swells red, a volcanic eruption soon to follow.

"You—You—"

"Yes Kantarou?"

"You are someone I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with…" The smaller one says in a voice barely above a whisper, his scarlet eyes drop to the ground, unable to face the other.

"…"

"Figures. Haruka always gets speechless whenever I say something like that." A laugh follows from the smaller one while the other remains speechless. Yet a hint of a smile forms on his lips.

The sun sets, the moon rises, the sky now darkens, the stars invade it, birds nowhere to be seen, bats begin to scatter, houses grow silent, lights being turn off, its occupants climb to their beds, covers pull up high to warm their cold bodies, eyes slowly closing, now they are all gently snoring.

--

Another peaceful and ordinary afternoon, the Ichinomiya Residence basked in tranquility. On the roof sat Haruka, observing the orange-hued skies and the fiery yellowish orb creating different colors in the clouds, one hand holding a recently bought figurine by his master, claiming it was a gift, for what? Well, the silver-haired folklorist was having trouble explaining himself back then. All Haruka could understand and remember was his master's cheeks reddening with that sheepish grin plastered on his face, and his disturbing gesture of hiding his hands behind his back which almost made the tengu feel quite nervous. Who knows what dangerous, silly thing Kantarou might be hiding from him? With Ichinomiya Kantarou, you never know.

And then, upon demanding for some sort of explanation for his weird behavior of keeping his hands out of view like that, the tengu only received a series of vowels being spouted at him coupled with steam being emitted from his ears, nose and mouth. For the ogre-eating tengu's ears though, his master's answer doesn't make sense at all. He couldn't understand a thing.

'Sometimes, Kantarou can be so unfathomable.'

Haruka thought, his dark eyes still transfixed in the skies, when without warning, a vision of his master's face, with the usual liquid scarlet eyes brimming of childish joviality, his thin pink lips curled into a perfectly innocent smile making him appear all the more younger than he really is, appeared dominating the orange-hued skies, audaciously occupying the sun's spot. Startled, Haruka shook his head lightly, his eyes blinking twice as if trying to clear his vision and dispel whatever sorcery was cast upon him, if ever there was. Then for the second time, he glanced up to confirm what he had seen. Thank goodness his master's face was no longer floating up there.

Meanwhile, the kitchen is flooded with an entirely different mood. Youko, with a frown on her face, rummaged through the cupboard, hoping to find anything edible, or cook-able. Unfortunately, food is rare these days, for the Ichinomiya Residence only though.

"Kan-chan! And you dare even quit your job as a writer! How do you expect for us to cope up like this? Really, once I get paid, I won't spare you a single cent."

Apparently, the usual cheery and radiant fox demon, acting as the housekeeper and mediator of the Ichinomiya Residence, now isn't in a very fine mood.

Last stop, the famous, slothful, evasive, sneaky, avaricious—rather, Ichinomiya Kantarou's room. It was extremely quiet, inside the four-cornered walls of the young folklorist's room, nothing could be heard, except perhaps, a pin drop. The windows were closed unwelcoming breeze from the outside and limiting the rays of the sun from shining incandescently through the gloomy room. On the wooden floor, crumpled papers were scattered everywhere, indicating how messy the owner of the room is. The silver-haired lad wasn't even aware that one of his ink bottles had somehow been knocked off from the desk and so its black contents now tainted the once spotless wooden floor. How can he when he was asleep the whole time?

Yes, asleep, Ichinomiya Kantarou was in deep slumber, gently snoring, his youthful face the perfect picture of serenity and contentment, as he appeared to be dreaming of something pleasant, his mind drifting…floating…submerged in an abstract labyrinth of emotions and mixed sensations.

One way of escaping, one way of running from reality, away from your own demons, is to lose yourself in the maze of time, interwoven with reality and fantasy, illusion and dreams magnified and mirrored, eyes closed but seeing, seeing through your mind, through your thoughts. And this is known as…sleeping.

--

A/N: Four more chapters to go! Bear with me minna-san! Please see this through the end. Here's a sneak peek for the next chapter!

Chapter 12: "Retrospect" *Preview*

No pain, he felt no pain at all. Was it perhaps because he is already dead? But then he noticed he was moving, though his feet can't touch any concrete grounds. And then he heard it, wings flapping, the rush of winds, the cold breeze caressing his cheeks, his hair being blown gently.

Yes, he was flying.

"It was me…It was me all along…I did it…I was the one who hurt you…Your scar…It was my own doing…I'm…sorry…"