[Author's Note: The first scene here is a small flashback-it happens before the conversation Souji and Kichirou had in the previous chapter. Hopefully it helps explain how Souji was acting there.]

Yosuke walked into the living room after having put his son to bed. He sat on the couch. Souji was at the tea table, working on a picross puzzle from the newspaper. Yosuke combed fingers through his too-long hair repeatedly, psyching himself up for the conversation to come.

Finally he couldn't bear it any longer and blurted it out. "Say, Souji... You've been with us for a while now... How long did you plan on staying?"

Souji turned his head towards Yosuke, his pen pausing over the paper. "I never gave it much thought." He paused for a moment and then smiled. "As long as you need me."

The smile was so soft and disarming—it almost made Yosuke give up on the spot.

Almost.

"W-well," he said, hunching his shoulders determinedly. "I... I think Ki-kun and I are doing okay now, and his summer break is over, so..."

Souji blinked, his smile vanishing. He set the pen down, and it rolled off the table, unnoticed by either of them. "What are you saying?" he asked.

Yosuke took a deep breath and looked down at his fidgeting hands before facing his friend. "I'd like to see... if I can handle living on my own."

Souji stared at him, no longer blinking. "You... you want me to leave?"

"Not tonight or anything," Yosuke amended quickly, "but... I-I mean, it's great having you around, but I've got to start taking responsibility. I can't rely on you for everything."

"I thought..." Souji began, then he shook his head. "Are... are you sure? I can stay with you longer, Yosuke."

Yosuke met his friend's eyes, although it was difficult. Souji seemed worried. Of course he was worried—that was the sort of friend he was. And the request was sudden. They'd never talked about it before.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Yosuke nodded. "I'm sure."

Souji leaned back and didn't respond immediately. "If that's what you want," he finally said with a shrug. "It's your house, after all. But what will I tell Kicchan?"

Yosuke didn't want Souji to leave. Heck, it might have been the last thing on Earth that he wanted.

But after weeks of thinking about it almost non-stop, he'd come to the conclusion that he was rebounding onto his best friend, and he simply couldn't do that to him. Souji meant to much to him to allow himself to think of him that way.

The easiest way to head off this rebound was to ask Souji to go home. If he didn't see Souji every day, these weird feelings would go away. Out of sight, out of mind. It was as simple as that.

So here he was today with Souji and Kichirou on the train platform, seeing the man off into the wild frontier, or wherever he was going. He hadn't really said. Somewhere, anywhere away from Yosuke's heart.

"Take care of yourself, Yosuke," Souji admonished while they waited for the train. "Call me whenever you want, all right? I think you're going to be okay, but... don't be afraid to reach out!"

"Y-yeah," Yosuke replied quietly. "I will. I'll call."

"And you, Kicchan!" Souji said, turning to the boy. "You can call me anytime, too, okay? Do you have my number?"

"N-no," the boy admitted. "Well, I wrote it down a long time ago, but I lost the paper."

"Do you have your phone with you? No? Well, your dad can give you the number when you get home, but... Actually, I know a way you'll never lose it!" Souji proceeded to sing his number to a tune that Yosuke didn't know but that Kichirou seemed to, since the boy soon began to sing along.

The end of the song ended in a cough as Kichirou began to cry.

Souji pulled the boy into a hug, Yosuke watching over them in helpless distress. It was difficult enough for him to see Souji off, but he certainly hadn't given enough thought to how hard it would be for his son...

"I won't say 'don't cry,'" Souji murmured to him. "You shouldn't hide it when you're sad. Cry as much as you want, okay? I promise I'll visit again soon." He brought out his handkerchief and had the boy blow his nose on it. "You're a good boy, Kicchan. When I visit again I'm sure I'll have a lot more stories to tell you."

Kichirou was too choked up to answer, but he managed a nod.

Watching them together, Yosuke's heart felt like it was in a vice. It begged him to reconsider and tell Souji not to go. To just tell him about the feelings he was burying within.

He didn't deserve to be Souji's partner. And Kichirou... It was like losing his mom all over again, he'd become so close to his 'uncle.' Yosuke wanted to break down and cry, too.

The train arrived, and moments later a boarding announcement blared out.

"K-keep in contact, partner," Yosuke said. He took his sniffling son's hand so he wouldn't try to run after his uncle when he boarded the train.

Souji gave Yosuke one last appraising look before picking up his suitcase and entering the train.

As the train smoothly went on its way, Yosuke expected to feel some measure of relief—no chance of rebounding onto his friend now!—but he wasn't reassured in the least.

Kichirou was nearly inconsolable. He spent the rest of the day moping about in his room. Not playing any games, just sort of sitting there on his futon.

Yosuke didn't feel much better himself. All too soon it was apparent how empty his house was with only the two of them. Heck, just seeing that empty spot in the living room where the spare futon should be. It had almost become a feature of the room.

When he opened the fridge and saw the box of worms it affected him almost as much as that stupid shrimp pizza had, so many months ago...

He threw it out in the trash.

Couldn't let himself dwell on this. Michiko was gone. Souji was gone. It was time to get his life back on track on his own merits.