I am dancing in my seat over the fact that with this chapter, the story hits over 100k words. Woo Hoo! That makes it my longest story yet, on top of it being a landmark achievement for me. Will we hit a milestone of 100 reviews too? Even better if we can! So please enjoy the next installment and join me in celebrating! =)

Chapter Twenty One

Secrets

There were no words Souji could find for how he felt. About anything. Numb was probably a good word to describe him in that particular moment. Better than poor Hajime who seemed as if he were suffering from the beginnings of an ulcer.

He never did appreciate surprises.

Of course, these past few days have boasted more surprises than even I care to think about. Even for me, it seems a little ridiculous. Thankfully, school was finally out for summer vacation for six weeks, but he honestly couldn't have cared less about it. His mind was firmly several miles away even when he had to go through the motions of being stuck in that building, replaying the events of that hideous night.

He wasn't a father to them in the most traditional of senses, but it'd been unbearable to see the twins reduced to what they'd been. To have Chikage actually be the one to explain things about his own progeny grated (especially with that obnoxious air of superiority he had that still made Souji want to punch him), but it'd paled in comparison to emotions he felt as they started the "healing process".

Even now, he wasn't sure why Saya was able to heal her brother of what should've been a fatal injury even for a demon or Rasetsu. At the time, he hadn't bothered pressing for much of san explanation. All he could think was Soushi can't die. I can't let Chizuru wake up to that. Bad enough she would always remember the sight of Saya, broken on the ground where that demon bastard had left her unable to move because he'd broken her spine. Snapped it right in two with the heel of his foot so she couldn't follow after him, the injuries she'd given him long since healed. He'd been half tempted to allow Sanan to give him something too, but his sense of duty wouldn't let him.

His pride wouldn't allow him to forget.

How anyone could even move with such an injury defied logic, but Souji still remembered his time as a Rasetsu clearly enough. Pain brought the bloodlust and that tended to drown out every other outside stimuli the body had. He'd never considered that it might be different for the twins, whose bodies weren't fully anything. They were hybrids in a very real way, so in some ways it shouldn't have been surprising they reacted…differently.

That didn't stop him from remembering and grimacing though.

Saya's loss of sanity was…shockingly quick. Immediate, even, as soon as her eyes had turned red. She hadn't been kidding that they needed to hold her down, trying as she did to actually tear out Heisuke's throat who happened to be closest to her. He'd sliced his hand open unflinchingly though, aware when her eyes darted to his hand, tracking him like a scent hound. She'd seemed almost docile for a moment, like a baby bird waiting for its mother to feed it as he let his blood drip into her mouth.

That was when it got so much worse though.

What a messed up twist of fate. To have no crippling pain with the thirst but face insanity…or to have her sanity with blood, but face the unquenchable pain the whole time. There was no reprieve, either, and she'd screamed – agonizing, pitiful sounds no person should make or endure – straight through the whole process but very much aware and herself. Shinpachi and Sano had looked ready to hit someone by the end, their nerves fried from having to keep her still as her spine healed itself – forcing itself back together and remaking what was crushed. But the more she drank – the longer she screamed – the quicker her injuries and Soushi's had healed. Sanan called him ten kinds of a fool for nearly bleeding himself to the point of passing out, but even that scolding was lost in the sheer relief of not having to hear her screams anymore after enduring it for almost four hours. As soon as they healed, she'd mercifully passed out cold, her hair bleeding back to its normal reddish-brown.

Souji didn't run, but he'd definitely walked out of the room quickly, found the nearest tree out front and had smashed his fist into it. Repeatedly.

He had no idea where Kin was through this whole ordeal, but she did come find him at one point while he was out there, her expression gentle but disturbingly closed off as she shoved a juice box, of all things, in his hand. Souji had honestly forgotten she was there for a while, on edge as he was with all the screams, but for the life of him he had no clue as to what to say.

For once, neither did she, and she'd only patted his head briefly before disappearing into that house again.

She hasn't been home since. As he stared out the windows of the train, the city flying by as it bled away into the more residential areas, he wondered if she was still there, or if she was somewhere else. Souji hadn't appreciated how much Kin was just always there until he realized the house really did seem…empty without her racket of cooking in the kitchen or scolding him for getting himself hurt. She has to come home at some points. There's always pre-made food in the fridge for us every day. He'd inquired about as much to Sanan, but…even he'd guiltily admitted they hadn't spoken since that night. That oni-bastard, Shiranui, and Sen kicked us out, more or less, and told us they'd keep an eye on the twins until they healed fully, so we needed to get back to our lives and not rouse unwanted attention. Kin had driven them home in silence, ushered them off to their respective rooms and then…vanished. She was like a ghost, obviously still there but just never where he could see or talk to her.

And boy, do I have questions. Now that the shock had worn off and he knew no one was in immediate danger, Souji's brain was spitting out lots of questions. Some for Kin, some for Saya…some for even that demon bastard, though he looked forward to that conversation the least.

"They sounded…better." Chizuru sounded more relieved than anything else as she spoke with Heisuke, the only other tag along on their first visit to see the twins in almost two weeks. "Soushi was saying they're both up and training again."

"I think everyone's been training extra hard since then," he noted with a depressed sigh. "We've got our swords now, but…we weren't much help at all." Absently, he rubbed at his chest. Though it still ached, he was healing well according to Sanan, so long as he didn't take anymore feet to his chest in the next few weeks. The aching didn't stop Heisuke from practicing just as much as the others either, pushing his muscles to their limits. "And nothing out of Kento-prick?"

"Seems he's gone quiet again, according to Sen-chan." Chizuru bit her bottom lip worriedly. "I've got a lot I want to ask Sen-chan…about everything. We didn't get to talk much before they kind of kicked us out."

"I've got a couple things I need to ask as well." He frowned slightly. "I'll bet Sanan-san does too, but those are probably all for Kin-san." Thinking about her made him glance at Souji then, his green eyes thoughtful. "Any word from her since this morning?"

"Iya." He sent her brief messages these days – mostly inquiring if she was still alive – and she did at least respond in the affirmative to those with her usual cadence. Yes, silly brother, I'm alive. Don't forget to eat the casserole! That had been her last one anyway – the response to his message he'd sent before they left the house that morning. Only half-joking, he grinned to himself, "I hope she's shooting more of those damn things in the head."

It generated an awkward chuckle from both of them, at least. For his part, Souji was running through the things he wanted to say when they eventually arrived, the cab they'd picked up at the station zooming away into the distance. He didn't bother knocking, however – they knew they were coming.

The scene before him was so…normal that Souji almost thought he'd dreamed up the events of two weeks ago. The only thing that proved it otherwise was the fact that the oni-bastard and Sen were also there, the latter sitting on the floor speaking with Ichijo while the former stoically looked on from his place leaning against the wall.

Saya actually looked up the minute they entered from some sort of card game she was playing with Soushi and Shiranui, her face actually looking happy…and then just as quick it crashed, as if she just remembered something unpleasant. "I need a drink…" she mumbled quickly, walking with haste down the hall that he knew damn well was the opposite way of the kitchen.

Heisuke didn't even pause as he went after her, shaking his head, and Souji couldn't help wondering as he glanced over at Chizuru, "Did she always do that? She does that a lot."

"No. That's something new." Amusedly, she recalled, "She's usually the one in Heisuke-kun's position – chasing the one that runs."

"It's his fault," Sen called over, pointing at Chikage who sneered at her but didn't deny it. "She learned it from him, Chizuru-chan. Gomen ne…I fear she learned many bad habits from a certain clan…."

"Ill-natured woman…" Chikage growled, and their gazes clashed, sparks almost flying in the space between them. Only Ichijo, who was actually on the floor and right in the middle of it, seemed unbothered. "Do not blame the habits of your clan on mine."

"What a lively marriage this must've been," Souji couldn't help remarking, laughing as Chizuru elbowed him. Both demons turned to give him the exact same dirty look, though Sen's fell as she motioned them over with a sigh.

"You've got a lot of questions, I imagine, ne? Let's get to it. I think this will be a long talk..."

"You run away a lot, don't you?"

"Just when there are things I don't want to deal with yet," Saya muttered in a slightly petulant tone, her expression particularly aggrieved. "Have you always been this persistent?"

Heisuke grinned unrepentantly. "Kind of, yeah."

"Figures." Her green eyes skirted off to the side, and he would swear there was a slight flush in her face as she muttered something that sounded like, "I'm sorry I tried to rip your throat out..."

He grimaced at the memory. "It's fine...it was kind of my fault." The screaming had made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and, well, no one could really blame him for not paying attention like he should've been. He'd just felt so damn useless in that moment. "I should've not been so...distracted." His own feelings hadn't helped, and Heisuke still wasn't sure why he'd felt the way he did. Were it Chizuru in that position, he'd have been infuriated and in need to hit something.

With Saya, he'd only felt an overwhelming sadness.

Some of it was from his own memories. He remembered that night after Aburano-Koji a little too clearly and it'd merely brought it all back to him. It was the only time he'd unashamedly cried in front of the others because the pain was everywhere, never stopping, and he'd been relieved and terrified when it eventually just...stopped. I'm dying, he could recall thinking because he knew how broken his body was and that it should be hurting. That was when Sanan had come to his room and offered him the ochimizu, nothing but sympathy and understanding as he'd taken that damn vial. I don't want to leave them, he'd thought, thinking of Sano and Shin who were such a damn wreck without him. Of Chizuru and her warm smile that brightened his day and how hard she kept working for all of them.

It was just the two of them, and as he'd stared at the uncorked vial, Heisuke hesitated. He wasn't sure about anything in his life at that point really, but this was one thing he knew would...change things. He could feel it, instinctively, that he was walking on a high wire. No going back. You fall and you die or...you do what you can and continue moving forward.He hadn't had much time with how numb he was feeling, but he'd had to ask him at least one thing. "Do you regret it, Sanan-san?"

"No." There was no hesitation as he smiled one of his own smiles then - the ones that reminded Heisuke of how kind he was, even if he did say some scary damn things. "I have never regretted it because...someone would've been the first among us captains to be forced to take it, Toudou-kun. Better it was I, so I could know what still needed work and try to make it better for this moment, where I would need to ask another to become what I have. To make it...easier." With a quiet sigh, he'd chuckled dryly, "Plus, what would our esteemed oni-fukuchou do without me to take care of the harder things for him?"

There was no more time for him to ask more; he could feel the aching numbness disappearing too and he'd swallowed the vial stuff that had sealed his fate before he could no longer even do that. All he remembered of that night after drinking that stuff was two things: the excruciating thirst and madness as his body...changed...and Sanan's hand gripping his as he sat with him all night. Heisuke remembered focusing on that hand when it felt like he was losing his mind, reminding himself that he had to fight it. Fight the madness. Fight the thirst. He had to think of his friends, of Chizuru, and of all the reasons he didn't want to die.

In the here and now, Heisuke remembered all that...and remembered the embarrassment all too well of having been seen at his lowest the next day. So as he did while Saya was writhing and screaming as her body forced itself to heal, he sat across from her in front of that window again and took her hand. It jerked under his touch, startled, but he held firm. "I'm just sorry I couldn't do more." He wasn't in good enough shape to hold her down, as Sano and Shin had. Souji was already giving her the blood. What can I do? So Heisuke had held her hand as Sanan had once done for him, talking to her through the pain when her sanity returned and mostly listening to her curse Kento in several different languages and describe all the ways she was going to kill him.

That part of her, he figured, must have come from Souji.

Saya stared at his hand for along moment, her expression troubled even as she squeezed it in return. "Is it true Kento focused on you during the fight, Heisuke?"

"Yeah." That was actually among the questions he'd had for her, since that moment had struck him as odd and it was gnawing at his mind. "He got pretty damn angry when I said we wouldn't let him lay a hand on you." Which ended up being a big ass lie.

Her face darkened further, and she squeezed onto his hand tightly in that moment, as if she could convey her thoughts through that touch alone. "Don't fight him. If you see him, Heisuke, run from him. It seems he's decided you're another one and I don't want to see you dead."

"Another one?" He left his real question unspoken.

As he suspected, it took her a minute to find the words for him. Even then, she visibly swallowed hard before whispering, "My friends…over the years. I'm…well…you've seen how I am. Half my life I spent pretending to be a boy so I tended to have more male friends."

"Makes sense." She wasn't unfeminine by any means, but the things she preferred to do were things he knew most girls had little to no interest in. "Jealous of them, huh?"

"Yeah, you could call it that." Just a little bit, he heard the life in her voice die as if just remembering whatever was in her memories killed something inside of her. "With the exception of Soushi, he's killed any man I've been close to. And even with Soushi, it isn't for lack of trying."

That's…extreme. "But we're just friends."

"I know that! But it doesn't matter. Some I honestly liked in that way; others really were just friends." She grabbed his shoulders, green eyes staring him down as if she could force her will upon his own with that gaze. "Promise me, Heisuke." The strength in her voice disappeared, replaced by something far more fragile, though what she said next hit him just as powerfully. "Please."

That's…so not fair. Were he able to do so without looking like a petulant child, Heisuke would've stomped his foot. Every inch of his body insisted, more than ever, that he had to fight Kento and shove his sword so far up his ass that it replaced his spine. He was sad and infuriated, all at once, because that Kento-prick somehow managed to twist Saya into so many knots that she was more terrified for him then for herself.

"I won't take unnecessary risks," he promised eventually, "but I can't just run…even more so after what you just told me."

Some women would be happy to hear such a vow. Flattered, maybe. Grateful, certainly. Oh, not her. Saya stood suddenly with her hands clenched into fists at her side, eyes burning in angry frustration. She looked, he mused, about ready to deck him. Better than begging me like before but…what the heck? "Why must men always be so pigheaded?" Heisuke opened his mouth to retort, but she didn't seem to be talking to him really, continuing on her tirade as she paced the length of the floor in agitation. "I don't need anyone to protect me! I need my friends to forget pride, honor, and dignity and do whatever it takes to keep them safe from that asshole!"

He wasn't sure why that finally made him snap, but it did. Heisuke's anger boiled to the surface in a torrent of heat that made his entire body feel like it was on fire. "Right back at you!" he snapped out, and the sharp crack of his tone made her whirl to face him, her surprise at him doing so quickly getting overtaken by a fresh wave of annoyance. "You're not alone in this, so stop trying to shoulder it all!"

"I'm not-!"

"You are." He took a step forward, placing himself inches away as he more or less stood nose-to-nose with her. Much to his chagrin, it also reminded him that he was a good 3 inches shorter than her, so he did have to look up into her eyes slightly. Damn you Souji and your freakishly tall genetics. "Let us help you. We're a surprisingly hard lot to kill off permanently."

Saya herself looked torn. Her jaw worked, as if she were fighting with herself for several moments, before it finally loosened and she sighed heavily, "That's…not really comforting, but I hear what you're saying." Arms crossing over her chest and looking down at the floor she scowled, "You were much cuter when you didn't know anything about this…"

"Funny," he retorted without thinking, his grin wide and satisfied, "I was just thinking you are pretty cute when you pout."

He was half expecting her to blush or something, but as she usually did Saya managed to react unexpectedly by arching her eyebrow at him, a slight grin tugging at her lips. It wasn't her full-forced one, but it was infinitely better than her depressed expressions from a few moments ago and made him breath just a bit easier. He didn't like it when his friends got that depressed. "Careful there, Heisuke, or someone might think you really do like me."

The way she rolled 'like' off her tongue, like a purr, made him blush instead. "Don't be obscene!" he sputtered, and she flashed the full force of her grin as he instinctually took a step back and put some space between them, all too aware of how close he was standing to her suddenly. "We're friends, right? Of course I like you! Even if you are one of the weirdest friends I've got…"

Saya laughed then; it was a delightful sound, her smile reaching up to her eyes and lightening her face that had been so pinched and serious.

Of course, her smile ended as the door to her room slammed open, making both of them jump a little, and he saw Chizuru stand there with a very…heartbreaking look on her face. Saya took one look at her and paled all over again, hands clutching at her crossed arms so hard she started drawing a little blood.

"Saya-chan, is it true?" Chizuru took a step forward just as he saw Souji come into view behind her, his face oddly closed off.

"What do you mean, Mother?" Though her tone was light, the pinching in her face already told him she knew exactly what she was talking about.

Unfortunately, Heisuke had a feeling he did, too, and his heart broke for Chizuru as she asked her outright, her eyes clearly pained but her head held high as she voiced the one question he knew Saya had been dreading.

"Is it true you were the one who had to kill me?"

There were a million thoughts racing through her head as Sen had looked at her, shocked, when she'd thanked her for taking care of her when she'd come to the end of her time. Besides thanking her for taking care of her children, Chizuru had wanted to do so for a while now, though she hadn't expected the answer her friend gave her in response.

"I will accept the thanks for taking care of Saya-chan and Soushi-kun," she said lightly, eyeing Soushi who was studiously trying to avoid look at them. "But there is no need to thank me for…the other thing. I was not the one who 'took care of you', as you put it, Chizuru-chan."

That had confused her, mostly. She'd thought Sen had…but then she saw the frown deepen on her face as she turned to Soushi and said firmly, "Saya-chan didn't tell her?"

"Saya-neesan has been reluctant to talk about anything at all," he informed her with a heavy sigh. "We've had…disagreements over the wisdom of doing so."

That bit of news didn't seem shocking to Sen in the least. "Stubborn child…" she sighed, flicking her hair over her shoulder in agitation. The agitation only worsened as she faced her again, her tone…oddly sympathetic. "Gomen ne, Chizuru-chan. I thought she'd told you. I can't give you the full story, but…it wasn't I who killed you when the madness took you completely. You were already…gone when I arrived at your home. Soushi-kun and Saya-chan were still outside waiting for me, kneeling where you'd apparently fallen."

That makes sense, at least. She felt Souji's hand slip over to squeeze her hand supportively, which made her relax slightly, though there was a certain anxiety in her chest because of how her son and friend kept staring at her. It was how doctors looked at you before they told you someone died. "Then who…?" Her eyes searched out Soushi, momentarily distressed as she wondered, "You…?"

"No, Mother." His eyes darkened with an emotion she couldn't name. "I didn't kill you. That day, when it took you…I froze. You'd always told us what needed to be done when the madness would finally take you and the stream water no longer worked. We sent word to Sen-san as fast as we could and restrained you as best we were able, but…you got free. We tried, but you were getting more unstable…though you did come back to yourself briefly. Long enough to say we needed to tell Sen-san that it was time; that the madness was taking over and how you were…sorry you couldn't hold on longer for us."

Chizuru remembered that. Tears prickled at her eyes as she remembered that part all too clearly. She'd…hated admitting to it. Hated thinking that twelve years was all she would get with her children who were still so young and needed her, but also glad that she had gotten those twelve years to love them and help shape them into the people she could already see them becoming. Saya – proud and full of laughter with that smile she knew would easily break a hundred men's hearts. Soushi – gentle and quiet with that sharp mind and quick with that she knew would allow him to survive anything. They were both survivors. Like I was. Like Souji was. The best parts of both of us, living on. "I remember that part. It gets really distorted after that though."

Soushi swallowed hard, obviously uncomfortable with the next part. "I was tying you back up when you lost it again. You…came after me. Going for my throat. I knew you weren't there any longer. I took out my blade because I knew Sen-san wouldn't reach us in time, but I froze. I...couldn't kill my own mother." He stood and actually got onto the floor in front of her, bowing his head low. "Forgive me, Mother. I couldn't…"

Chizuru got down to her knees to hug him tightly. "No. Don't be sorry. I wouldn't want you too. That kind of burden…I would never have wanted that for you."

That only made him feel worse though. Her kind, gentle son looked miserable as he said quietly, "That's just it though, Mother. I couldn't do it, so Saya-neesan did. She did it, because I wasn't strong enough to."

Chizuru let out a moan of distress as the world seemed to shift under her feet, her heart pounding as those words played in her head over and over. Saya-chan did it. Saya-chan killed me so I wouldn't kill Soushi. Always protecting her brother, from the day she was born. Chizuru remembered the day Matsumoto-sensei had helped deliver them, smiling as he showed both of her precious children to her for the first time. Soushi was already quiet, but Saya was still wailing, chubby hands grasping at thin air…until she'd put her finger towards her to hold. She'd grabbed on tightly and quieted, as if all she'd wanted was verification of where she was. Saya always got fussy as a baby if she didn't know where she was.

The memories hit her hard as the sobs hit her even harder. She could feel Souji wrapping his arms around her, holding her close, tension clearly in his shoulders. "It's not your fault," he whispered fiercely. "It's not hers either."

"Of course it's not!" It horrified her to even hear that idea spoken out loud. "My little girl…my baby…" She took on such a burden? Her distress intensified. Why didn't she tell me? "Where is she?" Suddenly, all the running and cringing made sense, in an odd sort of way, though knowing the reason for it hardly made Chizuru feel any better.

And now that she stood facing her, however…all she could think about was how heartsick Saya looked as she tried to look anywhere but at her. Heisuke took a step off to the side, to give them space, though even he made a motion with his hands at Saya as if to say, 'Talk to her'.

It seemed like forever before she answered her question. "…Yes, Mother."

Chizuru paid no mind this time as Saya jerked like she'd been hit when she hugged her; the reaction made her hug her harder, her voice firm as she said forcefully, "I love you. You know that, right? I don't care if I'm technically younger than you and this isn't the body that gave birth to you. You're my little girl, Saya-chan, and I'm so proud of you."

Bingo. The tension in Saya's shoulders tightened before it slowly relaxed, and she felt her arms slowly come around to return the hug. A suspicious wetness was soaking her shoulder – the same one she let her head rest down on as her whole body shook. "I'm sorry, Haha-ue." Her voice was barely a whisper, but Saya clung to her as tightly as she used to when she was an infant with that tiny hand. "I'm sorry. I couldn't…"

"You did the right thing," she whispered sadly, her heart swelling with joy that her child didn't hate her as she'd thought even as it hurt for the burden she'd unknowingly put on her daughter's shoulders. "I knew my mind was gone. I was at the end. I never wanted you nor Soushi to have this burden, but I'd have been far more devastated if I'd hurt either of you in that state." Just thinking about the alternative made her blood run cold.

She didn't really expect Souji to say anything, but he surprised her by patting Saya's head gently, making her glance up in slight confusion. "You're a good kid," he said lightly, his smile rueful. "You did what I would've done."

"He really would've," Heisuke pointed out with his usual cheerful smile, though there was something different about it…Chizuru couldn't quite put her finger on it, but he seemed different, somehow. There was a certain warmth in his voice that she'd never heard before. "It was his messed up way of telling her he liked her."

Souji swiped out at him in response, but he laughed and danced right out of the way nimbly enough. Chizuru laughed at the antics and didn't even realize Chikage had even come into the room until she heard him sigh in disgust and grumble, "These were the humans who defeated us…" Scowling, he ignored Heisuke and Souji's smug looks and instead turned towards Saya, his expression turning very sharp. "I'm presuming you called us for something other than this little reunion, Hanyou-onna?"

Half-breed woman?! Chizuru whirled and opened her mouth to snap at him, but blinked when she saw Sen beat her to the punch with a book that she took right to the back of his head.

"What did I tell you about calling them such things?" she huffed with a pointed look at him, unaffected by the stormy glare she received in return. Behind her, Soushi sighed, shaking his head as if this was a commonplace occurrence. From the slight chuckle Saya gave too, it probably was. "Such a dishonest man…"

"Damn you, ijiwaru-onna…"

"It's fine, Sen-san," Saya sighed in exasperation, though she had a slight smile as she reluctantly let go of Chizuru to stand tall. "He is right. I did the summoning ritual for more than just to have this…merry…little reunion."

It was almost like a physical change, Chizuru realized as she watched her daughter address the same oni who'd once pursued her tenaciously for her pureblood lineage. She didn't have any actual good memories of Kazama Chikage, but neither of her children seemed particularly weary of him. Then again, he does seem surprisingly good with children. Ichijo clearly adored him, considering he was always going to sit or stand near him whenever given the chance. Chikage himself never made any outward signs of reciprocation, though Chizuru thought she might've seen a slight thawing of his gaze when he thought no one was watching a time or two.

There was no softness to his gaze at present, however, though Saya boldly met his piercing gaze anyway as she told him, "I need you to finish training me. I need to know everything you taught Kento."

"Kento is a pureblood," Chikage rumbled. "Even if I teach you what I taught him, any attack you deal against him will be weaker."

Saya, however, was undeterred and held her head higher. "Well that's just something I'll have to work around, isn't it?"

For a second, Chizuru thought he might attack her from the narrowing of his gaze. Souji and Heisuke actually moved to stand partially between them, hands automatically going to the swords that were almost always glued to their hips these days whenever they were able to do so. Chikage saw the motions and sneered at them before crossing his arms and looking down his nose to Saya in annoyance. "Tomorrow morning. Be ready." He turned and left then, though not before he scowled once more at Sen who smiled knowingly at him.

Soushi took that moment to finally come stand beside his sister, his arm propping itself on her shoulder as he half-leaned on her affectionately. "Told you. Favorite."

"Still don't see it," she muttered with a sigh. "This is going to hurt…"

"He's such a dishonest man," Sen sighed, aggrieved. "He really does like you though, Saya-chan. I think he wishes you were a pureblood demon."

"I think you're all seeing things," she disagreed with a shake of her head, though she blinked when the book Sen used to hit him suddenly came down and smacked her on the head too. "ITAI! What'd I do?!"

Chizuru gaped in surprise, too. That was…unexpected. "Sen-chan?"

"Gomen ne, Chizuru-chan," she said with a slightly abashed look, though it shifted to a stern glare as she regarded the twins. "But no more secrets!"

Souji actually groaned. "Really coming to dread it when I hear that word…"

"What else?" Chizuru was almost becoming immune to the shock. That's what it felt like, at least. Soushi and Saya were both visibly squirming however, so she set a hand on both of their arms and said with a slight smile, "It's alright. Just tell us. I think I'd rather hear it all now instead of finding out later."

"It's…nothing that is really going to affect anything," Soushi said nervously, sharing a look with Saya who just shrugged her shoulders in surrender. "But there is one other thing."

"Does it have something to do with why Saya there was able to heal you?" Souji wondered with an arched eyebrow. "Cause I've been wondering quite a bit over why that is since that isn't something Rasetsu are even able to do."

"It is." She scratched the back of her head, her gaze rooting firmly to the floor. "It's because I…used another ritual several years ago. One that linked Soushi and I."

It didn't sound bad to Chizuru, but Sen groaned in obvious frustration. "I knew it. When I saw Soushi-chan looking as young as you again, I knew it had to be something like that…"

"Again?" She caught the wording and glanced at her friend, confused. "What do you mean he looked as young as Saya-chan 'again'? Why wouldn't he?"

Soushi was the one who actually came over and took her hands, his smile a little sad around the edges. "Mother, she's saying that because the last time Sen-san saw me, I was an old man with gray hair."

I don't understand. She looked at Saya, but she still wasn't looking up at anyone.

"Saya?" Souji's voice finally did make her look up, his expression gentle but firm.

"We didn't know," she muttered unhappily, looking off to the side to stare out the window thoughtfully. "Not until we were around thirty years old or so. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I was like all the demons around me. I seemed to simply stop aging after a bit physically, which I was told is normal for a demon. But as thirty became forty, we finally noticed that while I didn't look any older then when I was twenty, Soushi…did. He was aging – better than a regular human, yes, but aging all the same. He was…a lot older physically by the time of the demon clan massacre. It took a lot out of him and I was…not taking the idea of being alone after that very well." Her arms crossed defensively over her chest, though she leaned onto Soushi's shoulder easily when he pulled her close so she could do so. "He was in the last couple of years of his life when I found the ritual. It was actually created by the Yukimura Clan, long ago, to allow humans that they liked to live together with them for as long as they lived. I asked Soushi if he would and he agreed."

"The problem with that ritual was pretty significant though," Sen said firmly, making the twins grimace again. "It links the lifespans together, but it also links the user's body to the other as well. So demons who would link their lives to a human were always at risk if their human were attacked. If they broke a leg, for example, it broke the demon's leg too, though the reverse of that wasn't true."

"So that's why she could heal him?" Souji wondered. Frowning, he asked Saya lightly, "So you weren't just feeling the broken spine, were you?"

She shook her head. "I felt it the moment it happened. That was…likely why Kento didn't outright rip his heart out in that moment. Even a demon wouldn't survive that. It hurts, but my demon genes could heal a collapsed lung, though not before Soushi would've succumbed to his own injury even with his own healing helping him. That's why I needed the…accelerated healing of the Rasetsu genes. He would only begin to benefit from my accelerated healing once my own body was sufficiently fixed."

"That is a pretty big weakness in a fight," he mused. "Is it possible to simply…break the ritual?"

I don't like that look. The twins shared a look that made Chizuru's instincts go on high alert, worried. "What is it?" she finally asked. "What is that look for?"

"We can break the ritual," Saya said slowly, though she obviously didn't like that idea. "Any ritual can be broken by its original user. But if I break it, Soushi's lifespan returns to normal."

Soushi smiled sadly as they just looked at them, uncomprehending. "I've been alive for almost 200 years now," he clarified softly. "The normal human life span, on average, is about 80-something years. 100 years, if I'm lucky. My body would return to that state the minute we broke the ritual."

"But…" She paled as she finally started understanding it, and Soushi nodded when she looked at him in silent dread.

"You understand correctly, Mother," he smiled – that gentle expression heartbreaking in its honesty. "If we break the ritual for Saya-neesan to fight him, the minute we do so I will die."

And here ends Chapter 21! I just can't make it easy on them at all...lol. But all the secrets regarding the twins are finally out! Sigh. So Saya can finally stop worrying over Chizuru – or Souji – hating her or despising her for what she had to do and focus on the real problem, which is finding a way to kick Kento's sorry ass. I'm sure Souji will want to talk about how he feels about that with her later, but she and Chizuru definitely needed to clear the air.

And fear not, I still have plenty of emotional bombs in the wings, but for the moment the twins have exhausted their ammunition. They…really needed to get it off their chests. It's was starting to weigh on their characters.

Also…I love Chikage and Sen as a married couple. XD And for anyone wondering, he was calling Sen a 'spiteful woman' (ijiwaru-onna).

Ah, and Heisuke's big mouth got him in hot water again…without even knowing it! But he does have a good comradery with Saya and he never was one to shy away from a fight when it mattered, and now he just has more reasons to see this through to the end. Heisuke's just too HONORABLE like that, much to Saya's chagrin. A pity, since all of these Shinsengumi men who are now in her life are the same damn way! =)

As always, feedback is appreciated, and do look forward to the next chapter!

Next chapter: Kin finally returns, along with some more surprises. =)