SinBound

Hyouko and Washi had barely reached the outer gate of Abandoned Factory when they heard the scream. They both paused and looked back to the building as the second scream split through the night sounds.

"Hikari!"

Hyouko looked to the old man at his side, torn for an instant between helping his life-long friend, Midori...and staying at his mentor, Washi's side.

As Hyouko's internal battle waged on, he vaguely heard Washi sigh and watched as the old man leaned in close to him.

"You shouldn't even be hesitating, Hyouko." Washi told the young Haibane. He then waved his staff in the direction of Abandoned Factory. "Go help her!"

Hyouko blinked once...twice...then grinned and ran back to the decrepit building, leaving Washi to follow in his wake.

"Youth..." Washi muttered as he hauled one old foot up the first step. "What would they ever do without a forceful nudge in the right direction?"

Hyouko entered the building at a run, barely taking the time to remove his shoes at the entrance. It didn't take long before he made it to up to the room on the second floor that housed the five New Feathers.

As he approached the room, he watched the door swing inward and the blonde Haibane, Izumi, emerge carefully, one arm wrapped around an elegant, shallow bowl.

Without seeing him, she turned to head to the opposite end of the hallway where a strange contraption of half-finished indoor plumbing could serve a purpose to the Haibane at Abandoned Factory.

"Izumi..." Hyouko said breathlessly, being both winded and nervous. Izumi turned suddenly, allowing the liquid contents of the bowl to slop up and out of the bowl as she was startled by hearing his voice.

The liquid fell and splashed across the floor, marking her white tennis shoes and blue jeans with their red color.

Hyouko looked at the red stain for a second before turning to the door.

"It started...didn't it?" He asked as the door swung inward. Izumi didn't have a chance to respond as he disappeared inside.

As the door opened, Hyouko first saw Midori, who was standing by the bedside of the long-haired Sokkenai while the other four New Feathers bombarded her with questions. With senses and reflexes like cats, however, all four stopped and turned to Hyouko when they heard the door open. Midori, meanwhile, allowed a look of gratitude to pass over her face briefly at Hyouko's arrival.

"What happened to him?" The serious Taihou asked in a cold voice. Hyouko gathered that the New Feather was talking about Sokkenai, but decided to play dumb and spare them some time.

"Who are you…" Hyouko started, but was never able to finish as he suddenly felt hands against his shirt and his head landed solidly into the wall. The world spun disconcertingly and Hyouko closed his eyes to hold his stomach contents in his stomach, where they belonged.

"Don't fuck with us." Taihou hissed, his voice tickling Hyouko's ear. "Tell me what is going on, now." There was a momentary pause and Taihou slowly loosened his grip on Hyouko's sweater. Swallowing heavily, Hyouko slowly opened his eyes to see Taihou still standing directly in front of him. He moved his head slightly to the right and watched the room tip dangerously in the opposite direction before he shifted his whole body to the right instead. Taihou followed closely behind, but allowed Hyouko to view the room once again.

Hyouko swallowed again as he first looked to Hoshi and Kakou, the two New Feathers that had been born simultaneously and who now sat together on a bed close to Sokkenai. Kakou had a hand laid protectively on Hoshi's shoulder while Hoshi held one hand at chest level and the other crossed over his chest to lie on top of Kakou's hand.

Hyouko shifted slightly again and looked at Kenshin, who was standing closest to Sokkenai's bedside and had his mouth set in grim determination. Taihou took a step closer to Hyouko's side, reminding him of the New Feather's concern. Hyouko slowly opened his mouth to explain the life of a Haibane to the New Feathers.

"You have come into this world suddenly by what we call cocoons. You have no memory of your past or where you are from, as is customary for any Haibane. Similarly, no one from this town will know or recognize you. You are, in a sense, alone to live the trials and tribulations that exist for a Haibane. But, at the same time, you will have every other Haibane that can stand at your side.

"Among your challenges that you will face is the Naming, which you have already overcome. The next challenge is known as the Growing, where your wings, like the other Haibanes'," and at this, Hyouko shifted his small wings under his sweater for emphasis before continuing, "will force their way through by the end of the night. It is customary to feel a slight pulling, run a mild fever, and to pass out during the Growing, but you will be fine and a full-fledged Haibane by the next morning." Hyouko stopped and slanted his eyes to Taihou, who still stood at his side. Even though the dark haired, blue-eyed New Feather seemed lost in thought, he could not resist the urge to pass one last snipe with the boy. "Is that good enough for you?"

Taihou glanced at him quickly, his eyes cold before he closed both eyes as if he was ignoring Hyouko. However, a moment later, the New Feather muttered a gruff apology and levered himself away.

As Taihou walked stiffly back to Sokkenai's side, Hoshi's voice came out in a slight tremble and asked, "Are there more challenges than these?"

Hyouko felt his lips grow tight as he looked to Midori. Yes, there were more challenges…but was he even ready to face them?

After a moment of indecision, he raised his face back to the five New Feathers with determination. "Yes, there are more challenges. The next stage in every Haibane life is called the Attachment, where you become accustomed to the life a Haibane leads. This means you create bonds with those around you, hold a job, explore the land…set an example for all Good Haibane to follow."

Hyouko paused suddenly as he thought about the Day of Flight that all Haibane inevitably approached. He looked to each New Feather in turn and wondered if the knowledge would implicate the bonds they formed and the life they led. After all, he hadn't known about the meaning behind the day until five years back, when his senpai (1), Keiko, had taken her Day of Flight. So many had followed since that day…

Kuramori…

Kuu…

Reki…

Nemu…

The Little Feathers, such as Dai, Shouta, and Hana…

"Hyouko? Are you okay?" A gentle voice pulled him from his thoughts as well as a hand ghosting across his cheek. He looked up and into Midori's green eyes. "Why are you crying?"

He caught her hand and held it close, suddenly afraid that she would disappear on him. He took several deep breaths before being able to talk once again. "There are more stages, but they are many and diverse." He watched as Taihou scrutinized him and knew the New Feather was going to ask him what these stages entailed. Narrowing his own eyes, he responded in kind by saying, "I will not divulge all of our secrets. I had to research our final stages when no one else knew and so will you. It is the best way for a Haibane to grow."

Hoshi and Kakou nodded and looked back to Sokkenai, who had not moved from the moment he had passed out from the pain. Hyouko noticed suddenly that Sokkenai still had blood on his wings and he pulled away to look at Midori. "What?" She asked when she realized that Hyouko was watching her.

"Sokkenai's wings…they're…" Hyouko started before Midori interrupted him.

"Shush…it's okay. I was cleaning them the whole time you were talking. The wing you can't see right now is almost clean, so don't worry." Midori comforted him, holding his face gently in her hands.

"But…his wings…are they…?" Hyouko attempted to say before Midori smiled and leaned forward to place her forehead against his chest.

"They are a perfect ash-gray color. He is a blessed Haibane." Hyouko allowed any pent up air escape from his lungs at this point, grateful for this small blessing.

It didn't last long, however, as Kenshin suddenly cried out in pain and dropped to his knees. Hyouko and Midori pulled apart and, acting quickly, reached the New Feather's side before anyone else.

As Midori touched his back, they both noticed the twin spots of blood showing through on the back of Kenshin's shift.

"Don't act so strong! Idiot!" Midori yelled as Hyouko swept the New Feather into his arms and deposited him into a nearby bed, making sure he landed on his stomach. Midori ran forward and deftly untied the three strings holding the shift up. She pulled the fabric apart just as the wings finished breaking the surface.

Blood ran down his caramel-colored back as the clumped feathers pulled free from the baseball-sized bruises that existed on his shoulder blades.

Gasping in pain, Kenshin fought for consciousness as sweat ran into his eyes. He closed his eyes to blink out the sweat only to have a cold compress gently wipe the salty-sticky mess away for him. Slowly, he cracked open an eye so he could thank his rescuer.

Sitting near him was a beautiful, young maiden, her ebony black hair pulled back into twin ponytails that rested delicately over each shoulder. Long, free-flowing bangs still swept in front of her eyes, throwing her darker eyes into an even darker contrast. Her eyes, which normally blazed defiance, softened as she looked upon him.

"Have you truly forgotten the meaning of bravery, my dragon?" The maiden said, her voice soft as cold fingers trailed over his warm forehead. He blinked at her, unsure of how to respond. She smiled softly, and continued to explain what she meant. "Bravery also comes in the form of being able to admit when you need help. Don't forget there will always be someone to stand at your side as long as you stand by them."

Her figure melted and morphed until it was Midori who was standing next to him, the water from the compress streaming down the side of his face and dripping onto the pillow upon which he was resting.

"It's okay. Go back to sleep." Midori whispered and Kenshin felt his eyelids weigh down with exhaustion. As he fell face-first into the blackness, he felt his lips stir in a forgotten name that was just outside of his memory.

Nataku…

1) Someone who is considered to be a mentor or leader for a younger person to follow

Thanks so much to Hellfire for checking over and making corrections on this chapter as well. I'm sure it helped a few people make sense of my ramblings.

Also, thanks to Blindy and Hellfire for leaving a review of the story!