The Consequences of Wishes

by Mirika

He was just fine with his normal ass life, and this idiot had to come crashing into it. Literally. He huffed, angering himself more. "Well... I guess you can start with your name." He murmured. "Fay." Kurofay and more clamp pairings, flangst, mpreg, AU

25. So help me pick up the pieces

Mirika-rin: it's official, Mirika-rin needs to be shot in the foot to keep her up to date with posting OTL;; I'll try to post the next chapter super early to make up for my laziness. Gomen. Now on with the chapter~!

Ashine-chan: Another chapter~ we get some fluff and some more angst *evil laughter*. Also everyone should go check out our facebooks for the rp!

Mirika-rin: (Kurogane will not add you if you don't say you've read this. A warning.)

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~morning~

Fay sighed as he blinked awake. As was his morning ritual, he moved his hands over his stomach to check on his son. Feeling that everything was normal the blonde peered over to see Kurogane still asleep. Smiling, Fay wrapped his arms around his lover and kissed the sleeping man. Kurogane moved to kiss back, groggily registering that it was Fay against his lips.

"Good morning Kuro-daddy." Fay said softly as he gave Kurogane another kiss, enjoying the other man's drowsiness.

"Hnn…" Kurogane grunted, a fragment of a smile cutting on his cheeks.

"I feel like we've done this before…" He muttered tiredly, remembering waking up on the morning Fay and he were taken to Edonis. Fay laughed cheerfully as gave his lover another chaste kiss, thinking he rather liked this cute Kurogane in the mornings. The taller man kissed back once more, but opened red eyes slowly.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know, but it's still early." Fay grinned as he wrapped his arms around Kurogane.

"That's why you look at the clock." The taller man growled, moving his hand to rub his face. He looked to Fay, then staring at the blonde. Said man stared back wondering why the other man was looking at him. Moving his hand, the blonde brushed his hair away from his face as he rested against his pillow.

"You moved a lot again." Kurogane said abruptly, his body relaxed in a still sleepy haze against the bed.

"Did I wake you up a lot?" He frowned, wondering why he would move so much in his sleep.

"Seldom but still woke up." The dark haired man replied, his eyes closing again as he got used to being awake.

"You should've woken me up." The smaller man said as he brought his hand up to rest atop Kurogane's cheek. He didn't like waking the other man up when he needed all the sleep he could get as well. Kurogane subconsciously moved into the hand, opening his eyes slowly.

"I would've, but I wanted to get my own sleep instead of listening to you whine." Fay pinched his lover's cheek and pulled the tanned skin to get back at Kurogane.

"I wouldn't have. Next time it happens I want you to wake me." Kurogane growled and swatted Fay's hand away, pulling away to turn and lay on his other side.

"Tch. I'll make sure to remember that." He said, though the blonde knew he wouldn't. Sighing the Valerian moved closer to wrap an arm loosely around Kurogane. Leaning up Fay gave a quick kiss to the other man's ear, before settling back against him. He knew Kurogane was too stubborn to listen to his requests and hoped next time he wouldn't move about so much.

They were disturbed by a loud squeal from the kitchen, obviously it was from Mokona. It was followed by laughter, letting them both know nothing was wrong. Kurogane groaned slightly, seemingly angered by the others in the house.

"Maybe we should get up?" Fay suggested, but remained still behind Kurogane. Another bout of laughter broke the silence, causing the blonde to chuckle, making him think if their home would sound this way when Toshihiko was born. Kurogane, on the other hand, didn't seem like he wanted the sounds of Toshihiko to be there before the boy was born. He growled to himself shuffling next to Fay before sitting up slowly, glaring at the door.

"They need to learn respect, dammit."

"Kuro-kun could always go back to sleep, I can go ask Mokona to not be so loud." Fay said as he rolled onto his back and stared up at Kurogane.

"I'm awake now." The taller man grumbled, moving to run his hand through his hair. He looked down to Fay and paused, taking in the sight of the man relaxed on the bed.

"Kuro-tan?" Fay asked a small smile gracing his lips as he met Kurogane's gaze with his own. The other man shook his head and leaned down over his lover, kissing him gently.

"Nothing." The blonde stretched after Kurogane's kiss and sat up.

"I think I'll take a shower." Nimble fingers ran through honey colored hair as Fay spoke.

"Hn. I'll do our laundry then." Kurogane looked to the clock, seeing it wasn't too late in the morning after all. He moved to get out of bed, the blanket being removed from his legs idly. Moving, Fay left the bed and opened their closet to pick something to wear for the day. Settling on a simple sleeveless shirt and pair of slacks the blonde gathered his clothes and walked towards the door.

"Kuro-rin will need to take a shower too." The slender man smiled as he watched his lover prepare to do laundry. The taller man paused and looked to his lover.

"….Is that an invitation?" He asked, unable to hide a grin from taking his lips as he straightened his stance.

"Could be, but if Kuro-san doesn't want to..." Fay turned and made his way to the bedroom door, unlocking it. It wasn't long before Fay felt Kurogane's hand on his hip.

"Never said that…" The deep voice behind him grumbled, lips being placed on the pale skin of the blonde's neck tenderly.

"Then I'll take that as a 'yes'?" Fay smirked to himself as he opened the door slightly. Kurogane chuckled lowly, removing himself from the blonde so Fay could open the door successfully. Stepping outside the bedroom he could hear the others in the kitchen moving about and laughing at each other. Smiling Fay walked towards the bathroom, clothes in hand as he stepped inside the small room. Kurogane didn't appear for a moment before he entered after Fay, having clean clothes of his own. He closed the door and locked it, making sure that they would yet again go uninterrupted.

After laying his clothes on the sink, Fay pulled off the shorts he had slipped on last night before he slipped into the shower. He smiled as he waited for Kurogane. Said man followed suit, tossing his pants into the basket for clothing carelessly before moving in with Fay. The blonde grinned before turning the shower on, prepared for the cold water that assaulted them. He sighed when it warmed and steam began to rise around them. Kurogane grunted slightly, his hands going to Fay's hips.

"You should turn the water on before you get in…" He muttered nonchalantly.

"Didn't think about it." Fay replied indifferently as he felt large hands move to his hips.

"You don't think about a lot of things, do you?" Kurogane asked as he moved one hand to run through his hair to get it evenly wet. Fay brushed his hair out of his face. His body relaxed under the warm water as he looked over his shoulder at Kurogane.

"That's not very nice Kuro-sama."

"Just asking." Kurogane said with a shrug, using the hand that had run through his hair to pick up a bottle of his soap. He frowned when he realized how many foreign soaps there were now that he wasn't the only one living in his home. The blonde in front of Kurogane began combing his fingers through his hair, getting out any knots before reaching for a bottle of shampoo and pouring a generous amount into his palm before lathering into his hair.

"You make it sound like I'm dumb." He stated, making Kurogane rolled his eyes at how much the blonde reminded him of an insecure woman. He placed the bottle back when he retrieved what he needed and mimicked Fay. Said man bowed washed the suds from his hair. Once finished the smaller picked up another bottle and began rubbing the body wash into his skin.

"Tch. That's the last time I let Tomoyo buy your soap." Kurogane snorted as his nose was infiltrated by the sweet aroma of Fay's shampoo. He washed his hair as well, making sure to not get any suds on his lover.

"Kuro-rinta doesn't like the way I smell?" Fay asked, turning around to face Kurogane as he looked up at his lover.

"It doesn't suit you." The taller man looked back through his damp hair, the black spikes tamed by the water's downpour.

"I never realized how long Kuro-kun's hair is." Smiling, the blonde brought his hand up to run through wet spikes of dark hair.

"Don't change the subject." Kurogane said irritably, thinking his hair length wasn't a big deal.

"I wasn't." Fay kept his gaze locked onto his lover's face, thinking how strange Kurogane looked, even if it wasn't that bad of a look for the other man. "And what would Kuro-min suggest?"

"Tch." Kurogane moved his hand to get the wet hair out of his face, slicking it back evenly. "Anything but that. What the hell is that anyway?" Fay turned slightly to grab the bottle and looked over it.

"...Blushing Cherry Blossom..." He raised an eyebrow at the title, wondering why Tomoyo would have picked this certain type out for him. Kurogane muffled a snort with his hand at the girly name, turning his head away slightly.

"What the hell? Are you sure you didn't use that meat bun's shampoo?"

"Kuro-chan's laughing at me? And I know it's the one I was using before..." He frowned as he watched his lover try and keep himself from laughing. Fay reached up and ran his fingers through Kurogane's hair, causing the soaked spikes to angle outwards in different directions. Kurogane growled at the treatment, batting Fay's hand away.

"Well I'm going to have a talk with Tomoyo anyway. That shampoo shouldn't even be used by girls."

"It's not that bad...even if the name is a little off-putting." He replied as he looked up at Kurogane. The other man smirked and ran his hand through his hair again.

Damn straight. You sure that isn't a girl shampoo?"

"I don't know." Fay frowned as he picked a different bottle of body wash and began cleaning himself.

"Hn." Kurogane grabbed his own soap and also moved to wash himself down, making sure it was even his soap before doing so. Blue eyes closed as Fay tilted his head up to allow the showers water to wash away the soap over his skin. His lover watched with slight interest, red eyes scanning over the golden strands as they draped lower now that they were wet. Fay sighed, unaware of red eyes looking him over as he brushed his hair back and out of his face. Still wondering about the shampoo. Kurogane smirked to himself before pulling the blonde back planting a kiss on the pale cheek casually. Opening his eyes, Fay smiled at the kiss as he snaked his arms around the taller man's neck.

"Kuro-chu's affectionate this morning." Kurogane raised an eyebrow and slipped his arms around the shorter man's waist.

"Is that a bad thing?" The Valerian shook his head.

"No, I'm not complaining." He grinned up at the other man.

"Then be quiet." Kurogane murmured, uniting their lips delicately as his grip around the other man's waist tightened. Fay sighed into their kiss as his lover tried to silence him. The blonde moved until his was flush against Kurogane, his own arms tightening around the taller man. Kurogane smirked into the kiss as he felt their bodies touch; noticing Fay wasn't completely flat against him anymore. He also took notice of the water's temperature change and growled in dismay. Breaking their kiss, the shorter man looked up confused as what had upset Kurogane.

"Kuro-pipi?" Fay asked as he grinned up at the other man.

"Let's get out." He replied, pulling slightly away from his lover.

"Alright." Lithe arms slipped from their hold around Kurogane's neck. Fay turned around just enough to turn off the cooling water. Kurogane watched him momentarily before sliding open the glass door to step out into the chillier room. He went over to the cabinet and pulled out a few towels for the both of them. Fay watched as Kurogane left and rung most of the water from his hair before stepping out of the shower as well.

The taller man placed a towel over his head and rubbed his hair dry, the spikes sticking up simultaneously once the towel was removed. He looked over to Fay and tossed him a clean towel casually. Following suit, the blonde towel dried his hair before drying the rest of his body. Finished he wrapped the towel around his slender hips. Kurogane, on the other hand, wiped himself dry and moved to his laid out clothing, beginning to dress himself for the day. The Valerian moved to his own clothes, slipping the sleeveless shirt he had brought with him on first before untying his towel and slipping on his pants. Buttoning them Fay noticed how the dark blue pants come to just below his knees, thinking it looked a bit strange. Kurogane glanced up and raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to freeze if you go outside in those clothes." He muttered while yanking on his shirt.

"I can just wear a coat, I brought one with me." The blonde realized he hadn't unpacked the rest of the bags he had brought from Valeria as he stood in front of Kurogane.

"Hn, if you say so." Kurogane replied, slipping a belt through his pants' hoops. Picking up his discarded towel, Fay brought it over to deposit it with the rest of the laundry.

I should probably empty that bag..." He thought about the few things aside from clothes he had brought with him.

"What bag?" The taller man asked nonchalantly as he moved to place his used towel in the basket like Fay had done.

"The one I brought with me. Don't you remember?" He asked as he looked over at Kurogane. Now that Fay actually thought about it, he wasn't sure where it was now.

"Hn, there've been a lot more bags entering my house of late." Kurogane added sarcastically, placing his hands on his hips.

"It had important things in it." Fay said as he tried to think, the last time he had seen it was when he and Edameonus had arrived on earth.

"It should be in the bedroom." Kurogane commented as if answering Fay's thoughts, moving to exit the bathroom. Relieved Fay began moving out of the bathroom as well. As Kurogane left the smaller room he had to pause to make room for a running Mokona. The girl squealed and ran through the hallway to the living room. Archellevon went after her silently, a slight concerned look on his face. Kurogane simply stared.

"…the hell?" He questioned as he followed after to see what was up. Fay turned and walked into the bedroom, not bothered by the routine running Mokona did. Looking around he didn't see his bag laying about, so the blonde opened the closet and began searching. After a few minutes he pulled the black bag out and unlatched it. Fay pulled out the clothing and tossed the bag over onto the bed to hang up later, before pulling out what few tokens he had brought with him. Picking them up he walked over to the nightstand and deposited them. Shutting the drawer, Fay smiled and walked out to join the others.

"Oi! You're sleeping on my backpack asshole!" He heard Kurogane snap. When Fay walked out he could see Edameonus face down on the couch without a shirt. He was using the other dark haired man's backpack as a pillow. Edameonus's hand rose slowly, as if to wave him off, before all but his middle finger bent. Kurogane stared at him for a moment before snarling and storming over to the sleepy man.

"BASTARD! GET OFF OF IT!"

"Kuro-san should ask nicely." Fay said as he stepped into the living room. Mokona still ran around the opposite couch laughing as Archellevon looked at the two taller men worried. Kurogane moved to hover above Edameonus menacingly, about to grab the dark hair and pull him off. The demon didn't move again until he noticed the other was standing next to him.

"Hnn… Fuck off, loverboy…" He said drowsily, moving to lay on his side. Fay shook his head and walked over to stand beside Archellevon.

"Such children." The blonde only hoped both men wouldn't start fighting in the middle of the living room. Archellevon stared at the man still lying on the couch with worry; unable to think of anything but that he was unnerved about something.

"…He was upset last night too…" He said faintly to Fay, looking to the blonde with a troubled gaze before sitting down. The blonde met the teen's gaze with his own.

"…Kuro-sama..." Fay put a hand on his hip as he watched, not wanting Kurogane to suddenly starting punching Edameonus. The student stared down at the demon for a moment before looking over to Fay.

"What?" He snapped, still angered at being flipped off. Mokona smiled faintly before moving to sit on the couch next to Archellevon.

"You should leave Edameonus alone." The blonde said as glanced over at his still angry lover. "Maybe you could help him with breakfast?" Fay suggested, trying to think of something to keep the other busy. Kurogane growled at being talked to like a child, but he folded his arms and began to walk to the hallway.

"Tch, I'll go work on Yuui." He muttered, passing his lover in a huff. Archellevon stood, his hands folded in front of him.

"If Fay wouldn't mind… I'd like to talk with you in the kitchen… we can make breakfast with Mokona-chan…"

"Mokona wants to help!" The small girl hopped off the couch and ran into the kitchen.

"Of course." Fay smiled as he began walking after the girl. Archellevon nodded and watched her go. He followed Mokona into the kitchen with a small glance to the unmoving figure on the other couch. He placed a hand on Mokona's head gently, looking to the blonde.

"What shall we make?"

"Well make whatever we can find for breakfast." Mokona nodded and made a beeline for the fridge, opening it to look for anything they could make.

"You...wanted to talk?" Fay said as he stood next to the stove and began gathering pans. Archellevon looked to the ground with a frown.

"I… I know my past life was important… but should I even be remembering it? There were important things… and I am curious… but shouldn't it be locked away forever?" He hesitated while biting his lip, unknowing of Edameonus sitting up like lightning in the other room, able to hear the smaller.

"If it was meant to you wouldn't recover any of them...they would be difficult to obtain if you weren't meant to recover them." Fay smiled gently at the teen, knowing it had to be hard for him.

"But why recover them in the way I get them?" Archellevon said, slightly frustrated with the way he would dream about things that didn't make sense. "I know who certain people are and were, but I feel like I'm forgetting something terribly important!" He wrapped his arms loosely around him. "I wish I wasn't in limbo for it… almost like I had never remembered any of it…" Mokona frowned as she carried carton of eggs atop her head to the counter. The blonde turned and put his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"I'm sure there's a reason why they're coming back to you like this, you'll regain all of your memories soon enough. After all; everyone doesn't want you to hurt yourself trying to force yourself to remember." Fay could understand what the teen was feeling, it was difficult to not know something important and know that you had lost it. Archellevon stared back to Fay, his eyes quivering before he bowed his head.

"…Yes…" His hands clenched around themselves. "…But how long? How long will it be before I remember him?"

"With the way things are going you should recover all of them soon enough, you've already regained several memories." The blonde blushed faintly from yesterday's revelation. He paused as Archellevon's words registered with him. "...'him'?" The white haired boy froze and looked up to Fay in surprise, not realizing he had said anything specific.

"U-uh…" His face went a vibrant red, and he shook his head fervently. Chuckling lightly the blonde put a hand atop the teen's head affectionately.

"See? You already have an idea of what you're looking for." Archellevon looked down in slight embarrassment, staring at the ground.

"….Yes…" Removing his hand the taller man turned towards the oven. Looking over his shoulder briefly he smiled at the teen.

"Now, we should help Mokona with breakfast, we don't want Kuro-rin screaming about it later." Archellevon looked up to Fay and smiled faintly, nodding his head.

"Yes!" He moved to stand next to Fay, the blush waning slightly from his cheeks. Fay laughed at the other's enthusiasm before getting started. Handing various things to either of the two beside him, the blonde went about preparing breakfast.

It wasn't long before they heard a knocking come to their door. Archellevon looked up from his bowel, pancake batter on his cheek.

"Eh? Who's arrived?" He asked before looking to Fay.

"Get the damn door! Someone's knocking!" They heard Edameonus shout lazily from his place on the couch.

"GET IT YOUR DAMN SELF!" Came Kurogane voice from down the hallway.

"I'll get it, just keep stirring Mokona." Fay smiled as he wiped his hands clean on a dishtowel before heading out of the kitchen and to the door. Opening it, Fay yelped as he was immediately picked up.

"Fay-chan!" Said blonde blushed fiercely as Toriho held him up.

"Tomoyo-chan told me about the clothes." The older man smiled brightly as he looked up at the blonde. Edameonus rolled over to look up at the taller man with a scowl.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked angrily, obviously not liking the loud noise right next to him.

"I'm here to look at the baby clothes." He smirked as he stepped forward and kicked the door shut. Fay grabbed the older man's arms, still blushing at being held by Toriho. Edameonus rolled his eyes and sat up on the couch, shoving Kurogane's backpack to the ground to spite the other man. "What about my damn house? Are we going to work on that or not?"

"We'll work on it just as soon as I see them." He looked up starry eyed at Fay who managed to give Toriho a sheepish smile. "Where's that brat of mine? He should be waiting on Fay-chan hand and foot."

"SHUT THE HELL UP DAD!" Came Kurogane's voice from within the computer room. Toriho raised an eyebrow and moved to stand in the middle of the living room.

"My, he seems to have developed the Ginryan hearing too…" Edameonus rolled his eyes once more.

"That or you can't keep your damn voice down."

"Toriho..." Fay said, wondering if the man had forgotten he'd been carrying him.

"Ah, sorry Fay-chan." Toriho smiled as he grabbed the blonde's hand and began walking towards the nursery.

"Either way Youou should be making sure Fay-chan's comfortable, especially with how draining a pregnancy is." The older Ginryan said knowingly. The blonde being dragged along looked up confused as they made their way out of the living room. Archellevon popped his head out of the hallway to watch Toriho drag Fay into the nursery.

"Does this mean you'll stay for breakfast?" He asked, nonchalantly trying to wipe the batter from his face.

"Yes, Archy." Toriho grinned towards the teen as he pulled Fay along. Archellevon smiled warmly to the taller man and nodded. Hearing his voice in reply to Toriho's made someone else in the house growl. Kurogane stood and stormed to the nursery, having remembered something. Fay watched as he and Toriho entered the nursery.

"Youou came to show off clothes too?" Toriho asked as he released the blonde and stood in the center of the room. Kurogane came into the room with a snarl and he lunged for his father.

"DAMN YOU! SLEEPING WITH OTHERS!!" Toriho gave out a strangled cry as he was tackled. Blocking Kurogane, the other man looked up at his son confused.

"What are you talking about?!" Fay took a few steps back, wondering if he should separate the two of them.

"You slept with that kid, asshole! And you didn't think to tell me!?" Kurogane barked as he tried to get his hands free from his father's grip so he could punch the man. Edameonus walked casually to the framework of the door, peering in lazily.

"Archy let it slip that you two were together once."

"For one thing he was older, two it was decades before I met your mother, and three why should you know who I sleep with, Youou?" He gave his son a stern look, the surprise from Archellevon remembering him from before replaced with anger at Kurogane trying to attack him.

"IT STILL PISSES ME OFF!" Kurogane roared, making Edameonus roll his eyes.

"So childish." He said coolly, making Kurogane snap his attention around to him.

"AND YOU! QUIT ACTING LIKE YOUR FINE AND DANDY WTH THE WAY THINGS ARE!" Toriho quickly moved up and pinned Kurogane to the floor.

"Youou." Fay looked over to Edameonus, knowing his lover being blunt wasn't the best thing for the Ginryan to hear. The tattooed one's eyes were widened slightly from being yelled at, and Edameonus growled very lowly. He walked into the room slowly, moving to kneel next to Toriho. He reached out and grabbed Kurogane's cheeks and pulled him to look him in the eye.

"You piss me off." He said simply before landing a blow against the pinned man's cheek.

"Ed!" Toriho shouted at the man, his hold on Kurogane tightening, knowing his son would want to fight now. Fay stepped forward, watching the scene unfold.

"Both of you should stop..." Fay said as he stood to the side from the three in the middle of the room. Toriho looked up at Fay and could see blue eyes flashing an electric blue light. Edameonus looked up as well, eyes mimicking Fay's in a deep red. When he saw the blonde's power he pulled away from the other men, moving to stand. He didn't want Fay to use his powers uselessly, so he backed down.

"I'm going outside." He muttered before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking to the door. Kurogane watched him go with a scowl, his cheek stinging from the hit. Moving his hand to his stomach Fay sighed, his body relaxing as he watched his friend leave. He would have to apologize later. The Valerian crouched down in front of his lover.

"Toriho." Understanding the older man moved off of Kurogane and stood. A quick punch landed on the side of Kurogane's head, Fay being the one to deliver it.

"Idiot, why did you say that? I told you yesterday it didn't make him feel any better about things." Kurogane gripped his head with his now free hand.

"God dammit! Why is everyone fine with hitting me!?" He snapped, rubbing the spot where Fay hit him. He sat up and growled, staring at through the exit to the front door that was left open. Archellevon poked his head into view, looking timidly to the others.

"….F-food's ready…"

"We'll be right there Archy." Toriho smiled as he saw the teen, hoping he hadn't heard too much.

"Maybe you'll learn when not to be so blunt about certain things." Fay said as he leaned forward and cupped his lover's cheek. His fingertips glowing a faint blue as he smiled. Kurogane looked over to his partner and sighed.

"He pissed me off, I said what I thought." He muttered, moving to grip Fay's hand.

"And stop using your magic dammit." Blue eyes widened briefly before Fay shook his head.

"Using this small of an amount won't do anything, and besides Toshi's not draining near as much of my energy as he was before." Toriho smiled before turning around to give the couple some privacy before he went about opening drawers to search for the baby clothes he had heard about. Kurogane narrowed his eyes.

"I don't care; I saw your eyes when that guy was still here." He murmured, turning to watch his father look for his grandchild's clothing.

"Despite what you said he was at fault too for hitting you." Fay as he wrapped his arms around Kurogane, glad the other hadn't charged after Edameonus. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at the movement but didn't question it. He looked to his father again and growled.

"They're in the closet, moron."

"You shouldn't be calling anyone stupid right now brat." Fay hid his smile against Kurogane's chest as Toriho ventured over to the small closet and opened it.

"Who are you calling brat, old man?!" Kurogane's eyebrow twitched, feeling like he was a child once more.

"Kuro-chan shouldn't argue with his father." Fay laughed wondering how Kurogane would react to Toshihiko speaking to him the same as he did with his own father.

"Tomoyo-chan was right; these will look cute on my grandson." Toriho said as he began to pull clothes out. Kurogane sighed and rolled his eyes at his father's words, looking to Fay again.

"Oi, you hungry? That kid will probably whine if we don't get in there soon."

"Toshihiko will need more clothes than this." Toriho said as he put everything back, still in his own little world. "I remember when Youou came back from the hospital..." The older Ginryan said as he thought back to his own son. Fay smiled at Toriho's before looking back to Kurogane.

"Kuro-chan won't start any arguments or fights?"

Before Kurogane answered Fay he growled and snapped to his father. "Don't remember useless things!" He then moved to stand, allowing Fay's arms to unravel from his neck first.

"I bet baby Kuro-kun was cute." Fay said as he stood. Toriho chuckled.

"Tsumebe and I will have to dig up our old photo albums and bring them." Kurogane placed his hand on his face and grumbled something incoherently, not wanting Fay to see him as a baby. Suddenly Mokona's exasperated voice came down the hallway, complaining that the food was getting cold.

"I suppose we should go." Fay said as he began making his way towards the kitchen.

"I might even be able to find some home movies...I'm sure Fay-chan would like to see the one with Youou's first bath, or maybe the one where he was stuck in the tree..." Toriho trailed off as he thought of what he could bring with him next time. Fay laughed.

"I would be very interested in seeing those."

"Like hell it will!!" Kurogane snapped while following his lover. Archellevon looked up from the sink, having started cleaning the utensils to cook with.

"Ah, here they are, Mokona-chan. You can start serving the food out."

"I could imagine Kuro-min would be such a grumpy baby and especially when he was getting a bath." Fay chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at Kurogane. Mokona carried a plate and set it on the table before gathering another one.

"He looked like a monkey, Fay-chan, and even then he was always scowling at everything." Toriho said as he took a seat. Kurogane glared at his father and snarled.

"I told you to shut up!" He barked, tempted to throw his fork at the older man. Mokona moved to set a bowl of eggs on the table, barely managing to place it so. Archellevon reached out a hand and helped her with a smile while also putting pancakes on the table.

"Kuro-chi's getting embarrassed." Fay said as he put some food onto his plate. "But I still want to see these movies and the pictures."

"I am not getting embarrassed! That stuff is old and doesn't need to be brought up again!" He growled, making Archellevon giggle.

"Does that mean Kurogane is old too?" He said while sitting down.

"I'll have to make a trip over here when Youou isn't home." Toriho grinned before eating a piece of pancake.

"That reminds me, I'll need to get out the video camera. Have to film on the big day after all." Fay blushed at the thought as he ate. Kurogane almost choked on what he was eating and he shot a glare over to his father. Toriho continued.

"I don't think Youou would want to film, but between Tomoyo-chan and me we should be good."

"Quit talking about useless stuff!" Kurogane snapped, feeling his eyebrow twitch.

"You should be more excited Youou instead of blushing so much." Toriho patted his son on the back as he laughed. Kurogane growled but didn't comment, glancing over to his lover briefly. Across the table, Archellevon pulled Mokona to sit in his lap, seeing as Edameonus wouldn't be joining them. He was tempted to ask the others what had happened, but decided not to. Instead he looked over to Fay.

"Is Toshihiko going to be the only name you give him?"

"I've not thought of it actually." Grinning, the blonde replied as he looked at the teen. Archellevon giggled and used a wet napkin to wipe syrup off Mokona's dress.

"I'm sure whatever Kurogane and Fay pick out will fit nicely."

"I wouldn't know what to pick out." Fay said as he took another bite of pancake. Archellevon giggled again and took a bite of his eggs.

"Well you have Kurogane to help you, and also all of us. I'm sure we're creative enough to help out if you need it."

"Thank you Archellevon." Fay said as everyone continued to eat.

"Mokona wants to help name the baby too!" The small girl waved her fork around as she talked. The former angel moved out of the way of Mokona's utensil, not wanting to be injured by it.

"Ah, Mokona-chan…" He muttered, placing a hand over hers. "That's dangerous; you shouldn't do that when others are around because it could hurt someone." He said softly, knowing Edameonus had said something similar.

"She's very energetic." Toriho glanced at his son, remembering how Kurogane used to act. Archellevon smiled at Toriho, knowing the other man was right.

"Yes, she is, but Mokona-chan should learn that waving around sharp things could be harmful." He said while running a hand over her head in a stroke. Mokona lowered her fork as she began eating again.

"Does Kuro-rinta have any suggestions? It is tradition in your family to give another name." Fay said as he rested his chin atop his hand. The student looked over to Fay and shrugged.

"None come to mind." He muttered before bringing his drink to his mouth.

"You could always look through a baby name book Fay-chan." The oldest man offered as he ate. Fay nodded, putting the information away for a future trip to town.

"Baby name books?" Mokona asked as she swallowed the last of her pancake.

"It's a book that tells all the names a person could think of and the meanings that go with them, used for naming your children." Archellevon informed, smiling down to the girl.

"Mokona wants to read one. Kurogane and Fay will have to buy one." She said as she looked over at the couple. Fay chuckled and stood, finished with his own breakfast, before taking his dishes to the sink. The girl hopped off of Archellevon's lap and followed Fay with her plate, though the teenager leaned over and picked it up with his own to place it into the sink. He hesitated and looked at the leftover food with a frown.

"Archy?" Toriho asked after he finished drinking the last of his water. Fay smiled and took Mokona's and Archellevon's plates adding them to his own. The boy blushed a little before answering.

"…I… I was wondering if I should take a plate to Ed…"

"I'm sure he'd like that." Toriho grinned before standing as well. "I'll do the dishes, Fay-chan and Mokona-chan should go relax." Mokona smiled before running off as Fay gave the older man a smile as well, stepping away from the sink. Archellevon blushed more and contemplated his choice a little more. Kurogane looked to him and sighed. He stood and placed a hand on the boy's head.

"Don't hesitate." He said deeply, making blue eyes look to him curiously. "If you stop to think over it too much, you'll miss your chance." He then removed his hand and walked into the living room. Archellevon blinked and smiled, glad that Kurogane was trying to help.

"Kuro-min's right, you should take Edameonus a plate, I'm sure he's hungry." Fay said as he walked past the teen and in the living room, not wanting Mokona to get into trouble. Archellevon nodded and moved to gather a few things for the demon to eat. After doing so he put away the leftover material and gathered the plate to give to Edameonus. He walked passed those in the living room and went to the porch, seeing the dark haired man sitting on the roof.

"WHA?! How did you get up there!?"

"What?" Edameonus looked down confused. Seeing Archellevon, the Ginryan's cheeks burned a dull pink before looking away. The ex-angel blinked before looking down, his face heating slightly.

"N-nevermind that I guess…. I… I brought you breakfast…" He said abashedly, not wanting to make eye contact. Edameonus blinked and jumped down from the house easily. Stepping onto the porch the dark haired man looked at the plate the teen held.

"Thank you." Archellevon slowly looked up and smiled delicately, giving the man the plate.

"D…Do you want me to sit with you while you eat?" He asked, faltering in his courage and looking down again to the floor.

"That would be...nice." He offered the teen a faint smile as he took the plate and sat on the porch's wooden steps. Archellevon felt his heart skip a beat as his offer was accepted. He moved to sit next to the demon, his folded hands going around to hold his knees. Taking a tentative bite, the Ginryan stared out into the yard in front of them not knowing what to do as he sat alone with the boy.

"...It's good. Thanks for bringing me something, you didn't have to." He kept his eyes trained away from Archellevon.

"I-I wanted to… I thought you'd be hungry…." Archellevon trailed off, his hands fidgeting slightly against his knees. "I didn't make it alone though… Fay and Mokona-chan helped me…" He rambled, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"...You're a good cook regardless." Edameonus swore mentally at himself, not wanting them to be act so oddly around each other. Archellevon smiled warmly and looked to the ground.

"Thank you… I… I would've cooked something you liked… but… I didn't know what… your favorite…was…" He bit his lip, more blush forcing its way onto his face. Edameonus grimaced briefly thinking back to when his lover would do the same for him.

"Th-that's fine, you don't have to go to the trouble."

"B-But Mokona-chan likes pancakes… I wanted to do something for all of us…" Archellevon whimpered, a slight frown on his face at seeing Edameonus's expression. "Plus… I won't be able to… to c-cook for you when you move out…" He deteriorated, his hands bringing his knees to his chest.

"I like what you made, but you shouldn't go to the trouble of making my favorite foods." He smiled lightly at the teen, not liking to see him upset. He felt his stomach churn at the idea of being separated from the other, even if they weren't together.

"You're staying with them after the baby's born?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do…" The blue eyes looked to the ground and the angel frowned majestically.

"I don't want to trouble anyone by asking to stay with them… I came here without a whim of why… I didn't mean to be a bother…"

"You can live with me and Mokona...there's enough room and you won't have to deal with Kurogane." Edameonus said as he kept his eyes on the yard in front of them, not wanting the teen to see how hopeful he was about the idea. Archellevon looked at the other with surprise, his face heating up more than before.

"O-Oh no, I couldn't do that! I'd feel terrible and in the way!" He said weakly, not admitting that he'd feel that way if he moved in with Edameonus or just stayed with Fay and Kurogane.

"There's an extra room, you can have it." Edameonus glared wondering if that had been Souhi's plan when building the house. "And you won't be in the way."

"B-but Ed…" Archellevon stuttered, trying to think of a good excuse. His face went a darker shade of pink and frowned more while looking to the ground.

"W-what happens if… I-I don't know… you get a… a girlfriend… or something…"

"There's no chance of that happening...believe me." He grimaced at the thought. "If you don't want to, I won't force you..." The Ginryan frowned, knowing he shouldn't push the teen to stay with him. Archellevon fell silent, knowing he had made the other upset. He fiddled with his hands again, trying to think of something to say.

"…I… If Ed… wants me to stay… I would…" He said weakly, closing his eyes sharply in case of rejection. Edameonus blushed deeply as he turned to see Archellevon.

"Then you'll stay...with me and Mokona." He smiled as he looked at the pale haired boy. Blue eyes opened again and Archellevon looked to Edameonus with a dark blush. He placed his hands on his cheeks and looked to the ground again with a smile.

"A-ah! E-Ed wants me to live with him!" He said to himself, not really believing it.

"I-it's not the hard to believe." He stuttered, blushing even more at the thought as he saw Archellevon's reaction. The teenager smiled widely before he looked to the other man.

"I'm happy though! Because Ed… Ed likes me then…" Archellevon blushed tremendously at his own words, poking his fingers together. "A-and if Ed… likes me… then I can be useful to him…"

"I-idiot." The Ginryan blushed a brilliant shade of red before going to ruffle the teen's hair, before he could catch himself. Archellevon giggled, moving his hands to grip the bigger one on his head.

"You shouldn't call me that!" He whined, a little more relaxed now.

"You're the one acting like no one likes you." He smirked, forgetting himself for the moment at seeing the teen smile.

"I was afraid of that at first…" Archellevon admitted, pulling the heavy hand off his head to hold it with both of his.

"Back on my world I was too quiet and people didn't like that…" He informed, staring at the hand he held.

"You're fine the way you are, everyone else were just being assholes." Edameonus tried to will his blush away as he let the other hold his hand. He knew he just couldn't move away from Archellevon, he'd most likely end up hurting the boy's feelings if he did.

"And besides you can tell that everyone likes you." Archellevon smiled again, his hands cupping the darker one.

"I'm glad… I was afraid that was going to happen again…" He closed his eyes as his smile fell. "I didn't want people to be mad or upset at me either… because I know that would lead to much worse…"

"...'worse'?" Edameonus frowned wondering what the pale haired teen meant.

"People hate and get angry at things I do very easily…" Archellevon bowed his head and let their hands fall to the porch. "I especially didn't want Ed to hate me again… if Ed was mad or upset with me… I didn't want him to end up not liking me at all…" He sighed and wondered for the first time what the teen's life had been like.

"There's nothing you could do or say that would make any of us hate you...I couldn't hate you especially." He blushed as he re-okayed his own words. Archellevon opened his eyes slowly and stared at their hands.

"Do… do you mean it?" He blushed as well, imagining it to be impossible for Edameonus to hate him.

"Yes." Edameonus offered the teen a soft smile. The Ginryan looked to Archellevon, hating the uncertainty in the other's eyes. Archellevon brought his vision up to the demon and accidentally locked eyes with him.

"I…I-I…" He tried to begin, finding himself unable to utter words he wanted to speak.

"You don't have to say anything." Edameonus looked at the other nervously, not knowing what to do as Archellevon stuttered. The other blushed deeply, his hand on Edameonus tightening somewhat. The teenager smiled faintly after a moment, staring into the red eyes in front of him.

"I would… I would like to live with Ed…"

"It's settled then, just need to get Souhi's lazy ass to start working again." The Ginryan smirked knowing it would be hard to get the man to do something other than prepare for Toshihiko, especially now when the blonde was only a few months away from giving birth. Archellevon closed his eyes and smiled widely, glad that the other was happy to live with him. Unbeknownst to them curious purple eyes peered out of a window at them.

"Maybe we should go inside; Souhi probably needs to be pried off Fay-chan." Edameonus suggested, even if he was content to stay outside with the human. Archellevon looked down and sighed inwardly, reluctant to join the others.

"Yes…" His eyes widened when he realized that over the time their hands had become intertwined. Following the others gaze, Edameonus blushed seeing that they had been holding hands for awhile now.

"A-ah…. Ed…" Archellevon stammered, his face completely red now. He tried to pull his hand away, but he found that his body wouldn't obey what his mind wanted. Instead, his grip tightened on the other man's hand. Out of reflex the Ginryan's hand tightened as well.

"..." Tilting his head down Edameonus moved to look at the other, his own blushing getting the better of him. Archellevon slowly brought his gaze up, unable to think of anything to say. He felt his heartbeat quicken when he stared at red orbs, feeling something stir in his memories still locked away. Edameonus continued to stare, his mind slowly replacing this scene with one he had experienced years ago with his past lover. Without thought, Archellevon began to inch closer to the taller man, his eyes falling to be half lidded while his cheeks burned darker.

The dark haired man gripped his plate as he saw Archellevon move closer to him, his own heart racing at the idea of what the other might be doing. Edameonus felt his throat dry as he leaned forward an inch closer to the pale haired teen beside him, his red eyes wide.

Their lips were mere hair strands away when Mokona's grip on the door failed, causing her to fall face first out of the front door. Archellevon pulled away abruptly, face set aflame with blue eyes opened wide to search for the cause of the noise.

"Soel!" Edameonus yelled, seeing the girl had fallen on her face. Removing his hand from Archellevon's, the taller man dropped his plate and moved to Mokona, picking her up. The human was frozen on the steps, his heart still racing at the fact of what could've happened.

"….I-Is she alright?" Mokona sniffled and rubbed at her eyes. Red eyes scanned over the small girl worried she might have broken something.

"I only see a few scratches, nothing too bad." Toriho leaned into view from the doorway, a raised eyebrow on his face.

"Was she listening to you two?" He asked, having seen the girl peeping out of the doorway only moments beforehand.

"Soel?" Edameonus questioned firmly. Mokona whimpered and wrapped her tiny arms around the Ginryan. He sighed and blushed at what she might have heard.

"I don't know." Archellevon looked to the discarded plate and picked it up with a slightly shaky hand. He moved to stand and began to walk to the door, not looking to Edameonus for fear of blushing like mad, though he already was. Toriho glanced between the two as he moved out of the boy's way. Edameonus, stood picking up Mokona as he did, and walked inside.

Archellevon beelined for the kitchen to put the plate away, ignoring the curious look of Fay on his way through the living room. Kurogane glanced up and continued writing, not feeling like paying attention to other house member's business. Walking into the living room Edameonus sat on the other couch, Mokona sitting atop his lap as he ran his fingers through her hair while trying to comfort her. Toriho followed soon after, sitting in one the room's chairs. He wanted to ask his friend what had happened but knew it wasn't his place to. Archellevon paused before re-entering the room, placing his hand delicately on his lips. When he thought about what could've happened his heart skipped a beat once more. He shook his head and entered with a faint smile, wanting to forget it had happened.

"Souhi-kun, when are you going to work on the house again?" He asked while sitting in another chair.

"I have to hire some painters and movers to bring in some furniture once the walls and floors have been finished." The older man smiled sheepishly as he looked at the teen. Fay watched curious at their exchange, wondering why Archellevon had such an interest in the house all of the sudden.

"So we'll be getting decorations for the house soon?" Archellevon smiled, thinking about the town and visiting the stores again. Edameonus looked slowly to the former angel, not knowing if he should be glad Archellevon was trying not to act like nothing was wrong or hurt because he was no longer caring about their almost-kiss.

"Yes, Youou and I will have to search for a tree sooner this year, Ed will have to come too if he wants a tree." Toriho grinned as he thought of the upcoming holidays, knowing it would be a much bigger celebration this year. Kurogane looked up from his book and frowned.

"Don't pick out a goddamn big one like last year. That one almost scraped up my ceiling." He grumbled, trying to not think about the paint job he had to do. Edameonus smiled somewhat.

"What types of trees do you use?"

"Pine trees, though it's a hassle have to sweep up the needles everyday." Toriho said, knowing from experience. Fay smiled as he imagined Kurogane carrying in a tree, of all things.

"We should go out scouting for a tree. That way, in case it snows a lot, we won't have to search too long for one." Toriho said as he looked over at Kurogane. Said man snorted and scanned over a page in a book.

"Go do that yourself. I'm busy." Archellevon giggled at the thought of Edameonus and Toriho carrying in a tree into their home, a faint blush blossoming back on his face.

"I've never seen something like that before." Fay smiled, thinking back to the days he had spent in Leval's walls. Toriho smiled.

"From what I can remember the only thing close to Christmas would be the festivals held in the spring." Fay blushed, knowing he had never really went to anything like that after he was so old.

"Fay, Ed, and Mokona-chan will like Christmas for sure!" Archellevon said childishly, trying to keep his mind from wandering. "I'll have to teach you how to make Christmas cookies and cakes, Fay! Mokona-chan, would you like to learn how to make those things too?"

"Mokona wants to." She said, not as loudly as normal as she lay against Edameonus.

"It will be strange to celebrate anything like that after so long." The blonde blushed as he grinned at Archellevon.

"Every new experience is magical." Archellevon quoted, the blush on his own cheeks growing brighter. "Someone once told me that, and I learned that it's true. Christmas is just one of those things." Edameonus stared at the former angel, wondering if the teenager had remembered that certain line from his past or if the other Edameonus had told him that.

"Didn't you go to parties, Fay-chan?" Toriho asked, knowing about the gatherings Valeria's cities threw on occasion throughout the year.

"Parties yes," He paused remembering Ashura and how the man had taken him to all sorts of special gatherings held by their school. "but I've not celebrated a holiday or anything since I was younger than Archy." He blushed, embarrassed by the fact.

"Oh, then we'll definitely celebrate it." Edameonus chimed in, placing a hand on Mokona's shoulder to allow the girl to lay on him.

"We can teach you certain meanings behind things now too, since Christmas is different in most places." Archellevon smiled, folding his legs as he lounged in the chair.

"That will be nice." Fay smiled as he sat lengthwise on the couch beside Kurogane, his legs stretched out in front of him. Toriho grinned as he looked over to the Valerian.

"Youou should make sure then that Fay-chan's first Christmas is memorable." Kurogane snapped his eyes up to his father in a glare.

"What the hell? What're you implying old man?" He growled lowly, his pen stopped moving on the paper. Mokona laughed at the taller man, thinking it funny that he would be so defensive over doing something nice for someone he loved.

"Instead of grumbling like you do every year you should take Fay-chan out to celebrate." Toriho said as he crossed his arms, remembering the dates he had taken Tsumebe out on when they had first started their relationship. Kurogane snorted and flipped the page.

"Whatever." Archellevon leaned against the armrest smiled to Fay.

"So… what should we do first? I'm sure the decorations in town will be out in no time."

"I've never really decorated for something like that before...we could cook perhaps?" Fay said, his cheeks still tinted a rosy hue from Toriho's remarks. The former angel smiled widely and nodded.

"Ok. We're going to have to buy the materials for them though; cookies are made with special ingredients a person wouldn't buy on a regular basis, so I don't think we have any…" He looked to Toriho momentarily. "There's a place in the market where we can buy the things we need right?"

"Yes and I'm sure Tsumebe wouldn't mind bringing some things over either and giving out some of her recipes." Toriho smiled at thoughts of his wife and how they prepared for the holidays. The white haired boy clapped his hands together.

"Ok! Tomorrow then! You wouldn't mind asking her to come over to cook with us, would you?" He said with a grin. Edameonus relaxed a little into the couch, glad to see Archellevon opened up a little.

"She should be done with her work for now and she hasn't visited in awhile so I'm sure she'll be excited to drop by." Grinning the older man said as he looked over to the teen. Archellevon nodded and smiled wider, his hands folding against the armrest. Edameonus looked to Mokona and blinked, wondering why she was so quiet.

"Oi, you ok?"

"Mokona's cheek hurts." Purple eyes looked up into red. The Ginryan could see an angry red scuff on the girl's cheek as a few smaller scrapes adorned her forehead and chin. The man grimaced and moved to stand, the girl in his arms.

"Why didn't you say something before, Soel?" He asked softly, taking the girl into the bathroom without looking to any other member of the house. Mokona only pouted as she was lifted and carried to the bathroom. The others watched, hoping it wasn't too serious. The man closed the door as to not be disturbed. Edameonus sat her down on the toilet seat before digging in the cabinet.

"How bad do they hurt?"

"It stings." She said as she sat patiently in front of her father figure.

"Is that all?" He asked, searching for more clues that it could be worse than it appeared. He walked over to her and set down the materials needed to disinfect her cheek before dampening a towel at the sink.

"Yes." She watched Edameonus move about, frowning as her cheek burned.

"Alright then…" The demon sighed, kneeling in front of her. "Let me clean it then, I don't want it to get worse."

"Okay." Mokona said as Edameonus tilted her chin up and began dabbing at her cheek with the corner of the damp towel he had in his hand. He watched her expression in case of any signs that would tell him to stop, making sure to clean every area that might get infected. Wincing at the feel of the towel brushing against her cheek, Mokona closed her eyes and tried not to say anything as the Ginryan went about bandaging her up.

"Were you listening in on our conversation, Soel?" Edameonus asked idly as he moved the towel away to inspect the wound, though he was actually extremely hopeful that she hadn't.

"Mokona was only looking through the window and then I wanted a better look...so I went to the door." Soel answered as she pouted. Edameonus paused for a moment before setting the towel aside.

"Why did you do that Soel? You know it's not nice to watch people or listen to them without telling them." He chided lightly while picking up a tube of disinfectant.

"Mokona saw Edameonus alone, but then Archellevon came..." The creature said as she tried to reason why she had eavesdropped on the two outside.

"Why were you curious over what we were doing?" Edameonus asked as he applied the clear liquid to his child's cheek.

"Because Archy is Edameonus's special person. Mokona can feel it..." She winced at the medicine applied to her skin. The demon halted completely, his body frozen at the girl's words. He looked up slowly, eyes slightly wider than usual.

"…Soel doesn't mean that…" He asked, a faint blush going across his face. "…do you?"

"Mokona can tell." She replied as she smiled brightly, forgetting her cheek for the moment. The dark haired one stared at her for a moment and dropped his head.

"…Soel… you're young…" He brought his vision to her once more and placed a hand on her uninjured cheek. "You wouldn't understand it just yet…" He gave her a faint smile then and placed a bandaid on her cheek. Mokona frowned deeply as Edameonus spoke. She knew the Ginryan was being stubborn, she could tell how he liked the other man.

Unbeknownst to them, Archellevon had tried to enter to ask if Mokona was ok. He stopped when he heard Edameonus talking about the girl spying on them and listened to their conversation. His hands clutched his chest at the taller man's most recent words, feeling something he couldn't remember shatter. What the demon had done was so confusing that Archellevon paced down the hall to the laundry room, holding back bewildered tears. And back inside the bathroom Edameonus rubbed the disinfectant over the cut on her forehead.

"…At least… let's wish what Soel thinks to be true is actually so…"

"Mokona knows it will." She smiled as her father figure checked the rest of the small scratches on her face. The red eyed man grinned more and ruffled the girl's hair affectionately.

"Because Soel knows everything, right?" He asked playfully, placing another bandaid on her face.

"Mokona knows everything!" She cheered.

"Alright then, if you know everything, that means you know the ending to all the stories." He stood and carried the aid kit to the cabinet. "No stories tonight."

"Mokona wants a story!" She frowned as she protested.

"This is for eavesdropping, especially on me and Archy." He looking to her simply, a slight frown on his face.

"You didn't think you'd get punished for it did you?"

"...No..." She pouted and crossed her arms. Purple eyes starred down at the tiled floor.

"Well unfortunately eavesdropping isn't a good thing, so you'll have to be punished for it in some way." He walked to her and kneeled, placing a hand on her head. He gave her a gentle smile. "Wouldn't you rather have Archy tell you a story instead?"

"Mokona will go ask Archy to read her a story!" Soel said as she smiled up at the Ginryan, excited about getting a story read to her.

"Well good. Now then, you're all bandaged up in your bright colors, feel better now?" He asked her while picking her up and showing her reflection in the mirror.

"Mokona looks silly." She laughed as she touched the multi colored bandaids on her face.

"That's what you get." Edameonus scolded playfully, his scowl easily replaced with a smile. He stared at her reflection affectionately, his free hand going up to caress her cheek. He brought his vision to the girl's real face, the smile fading somewhat.

"…Even though you're not my real child, Soel… I'm… thankful… you're my daughter…" Mokona smiled brightly.

"Edameonus is family!" She wiggled in the man's grasp excitedly. Edameonus chuckled and nuzzled her cheek softly.

"As is Soel." The girl giggled as she was held before wrapping her small arms around the other's head, cuddling back. The man pulled away a little and moved some strands out of her face gently.

"I pity those without a family. Soel was kind enough to give me one." His smile faltered a little, thinking back to a piece of conversation he had with someone earlier.

"Everyone has some sort of family." She smiled childishly as she looked at the man.

"What do you mean?" He asked as his lazy grin came about his lips again, his hand moving to wrap around the girl's back.

"Fay and Mokona and Archy and Edameonus don't really have family, but we're all family still." Soel explained as she looked up at the Ginryan. The dark haired one blinked and then closed his eyes with a smile.

"Soel truly does know everything…" He said fondly, bringing her closer for a hug.

"Because Mokona's smart." The girl immediately hugged back as she laughed.

"Hn…" Edameonus hummed in reply, his smile fading somewhat as his embrace became tighter. He placed his lips against her cheek gently, grateful for more than he could say. The girl had given him a family, happiness, wisdom, and now hope. He only wished he had something more for her as appreciation.

"Can Mokona ask Archy to read a story now?" Soel asked suddenly. Edameonus laughed heartedly at the childish obliviousness and pulled away from her to set her down.

"Yes, you can go ask him." He said with a smile, picking up bandage wrappers that had to be discarded. Mokona rushed out of the bathroom to find the teen while Edameonus put everything away. Soel ran into the living room and made a beeline for the bookshelf and pulled out the book Edameonus had been reading to her. Kurogane and Fay watched her from the couch, the student studying whilst his lover had been talking with Toriho. Kurogane raised an eyebrow when the girl looked around for someone. Toriho blinked and placed a hand on her head to stop her.

"Hey, what're you looking for, sweetie?"

"Archellevon's going to read to Mokona." She smiled at the older man.

"He left the living room earlier." Fay said as he sat beside Kurogane. Toriho removed his hand and leaned back in his chair.

"I saw him go into the laundry room; I think he's still there." He informed as Edameonus walked back in and toward his clothing pile by the couch not being occupied.

"Mokona will find him!" She darted off, the book held atop her head as she ran in the direction of the laundry room. Toriho smiled as he watched her go, thinking of his soon to be born grandchild. When the girl arrived in the laundry room she saw Archellevon facing away, folding some clothing that was to be put away for the winter. He sniffled silently and paused to rub his face, but continued like he hadn't done anything. Bringing the book down, Mokona held the book to her chest as she looked at the teen worriedly. "Archy?" The teenager stiffened but turned around with a smile, his cheeks barely red.

"Ah! Mokona-chan! What are you doing back here darling?" He asked as he finished folding a short sleeved shirt to set it to the side.

"Mokona wanted Archy to read!" She smiled holding her book up as she looked up at the teen. The other white haired one grinned back and knelt to her level.

"I'd… be glad to…" He said gently, reaching out his hands to take the book. Mokona cheered excitedly as she handed the book over to Archellevon.

"Can Archy read it now?" She looked at him with an expectant gaze, hoping the teen wouldn't want to finish the laundry. Archellevon paused, his smile slipping off as he looked over his shoulder briefly. He sniffed again and wiped his eye quickly before the smile came back.

"Sure! I'll do the rest of it after Mokona-chan goes to bed, ok?"

"Okay!" Mokona smiled brightly as she moved about happily, excited that the boy was going to read to her. Archellevon stood straight again and took the girl's hand in his free one, letting her lead him to the chair where she could sit in his lap and listen to him. He sighed airily, thankful she hadn't questioned his behavior. Toriho watched as the two reentered the living room and sat.

"Looks like Mokona-chan was able to find Archy." The older man said as he smiled. Fay watched as Mokona sat in Archellevon's lap, the book open in front of them as the girl flipped through the pages to find where Edameonus had left off. Whilst the girl did so, Archellevon stared down to the book, though his eyes seemed to be glossed over with thought. Kurogane closed the book he was holding and moved to a different one, not caring in the slightest about the others in the room.

"Mokona found it!" She shouted as she looked up at Archellevon. Toriho and Fay both smiled at the scene before picking up on their earlier conversation. Archellevon snapped out of his daze and smiled to the girl.

"O-oh? Where do I begin?" He asked, a faint blush of embarrassment over his cheeks from zoning out. Edameonus, now wearing a shirt and reading the materials in a mechanics book, frowned when he looked up to see Archellevon's expression.

"Here." Mokona pointed near the middle of the page as she smiled up at the teen. Fay chuckled at something Toriho had said while Mokona turned to look back at the book. Archellevon smiled and read ahead quickly before beginning.

"I've read this story before, this is about the crane maiden, isn't it? Here, let's begin. 'Some years later Tian was called to battle far away, leaving his wife, mother, and son back home. He begged his mother to keep the Celestial robes of his wife hidden so she couldn't return to the heavens while he was away'." Mokona leaned back against the teen as he began reading, smiling as she listened intently. Archellevon frowned slightly as he remembered all points of the story.

"…'His mother obeyed his wishes, though after Tian had left for war, the young Maiden was even more desperate to see her gown. She begged her mother-in-law each day to see her robes, just one quick look. "If you will let me see them only once then I will be happy"…' What do you think she did then, Mokona-chan?"

"She showed her the robes because she wanted the girl to be happy." Mokona said as she tried to think about the story. Across from them, Toriho and Fay talked about Kurogane reading to Toshihiko the same as Archellevon was doing. Kurogane twitched, glaring over to his lover. Archellevon giggled and nodded.

"Yes… 'the woman relented and let the girl see her robes. Overjoyed the Maiden wept over her Celestial robes, but in a flash she tore off her human clothing and threw on her garments and instantly turned into a beautiful white crane. She then flew out the window before the old lady could stop her, up, up into the sky'." Fay cooed at the taller man, while Toriho chuckled.

"That's a sad story...." Mokona frowned as she listened.

"It's not over yet, love. The ending is better." Archellevon kissed the top of white hair before continuing on the next page.

"…'Tian returned from the wars to find his beloved bride gone. His mother and he were saddened, but his son wept more than they. He took no comfort in his father and grandmother's tries, searching for her always'." Kurogane, oblivious to the story, growled and placed a hand on Fay's head angrily. Mokona smiled as she listened to the story. Toriho scolded his son as Fay replied how cute it would be, his hands going up to try and loosen his lover's grip. Kurogane removed his hand to fold his arms, glaring at his father. Archellevon turned the page again.

" 'It was then he met an old wise man. The man told him to go to the pool by his home and there would be three maidens. The one that would ignore him would be his mother'. Do you remember the pool from the beginning of the story?" He asked, forgetting about his earlier troubles.

"The one where Tian found the girl?" Mokona asked, not sure as she looked up at the pale haired teen. Fay chuckled as he teased Kurogane while Toriho commented. Kurogane growled again and threw a crumbled piece of paper at his father. Archellevon nodded and looked to the rest of the story.

"Yes… 'The boy when to the pool and saw gorgeous maidens playing in the water. He called out to them, and two looked to the boy, calling out, 'Sister! Your son is here to see you!' But she wouldn't look to him'." Archellevon paused, wrinkling his nose at the story. Mokona tilted her head to the side as she thought about the story, waiting for the teen to continue. Toriho threw the paper back and pouted as he put an arm around Fay's shoulders and chided his son. Kurogane barked to his dad about touching Fay in a lecherous way, reaching over his lover to pinch his father's nose childishly. Archellevon glanced up to them and giggled again before picking up where he left off.

" 'The child didn't relent, going up to the one whom ignored him. Seeing this, the Maiden broke down and hugged the boy desperately, crying "my son, my lovely son"'." Mokona stared at the pages with wide eyes wondering what would happen. Across from them, Fay blushed while Toriho swatted at Kurogane.

" 'After some time, the two other cranes notified their third sister it was time to leave and that she would either have to leave the boy there or take him to the heavens with them. Deciding on the latter, they took the boy to the palace of the High God, who was thrilled to see his grandson'." Archellevon continued, leaning back in his chair as Kurogane blocked Toriho's hand from hitting Fay. Staring in wonder, Soel looked at the book as the teen continued to read. Fay chuckled as his lover's father ruffled Kurogane's hair with his free hand. Kurogane pulled away from them both and grumbled something incoherently. Archellevon smiled at Mokona's curiosity and continued.

" 'The High God taught him many things about Heaven and Earth, giving him eight books to take with him when he returned to Earth'. Now isn't that sweet of him?" The former angel asked, not having read the story in a while.

"Yes." Soel answered as she smiled up at the boy. From the other couch Fai hugged Kurogane and pouted up at him while Toriho laughed. The taller man looked down to his lover and glared without saying anything. Archellevon smiled as they approached the ending of the story.

" 'The boy returned to Earth, but only to find that while in the Heaven's palace a few days had passed, twenty years on Earth had passed and he was a young man. He searched for his father and grandmother only to find his grandmother had passed away and his father had gone to the West. So, he became a scholar and devoted his life to study the eight books his grandfather, the High God, had given him. He was famed for being placed in high areas in the Emperor's court and for his want to help mankind. And thousands of miles away in a mountain to the West, Tian heard of his son's success, and he was content'." Smiling Mokona looked down to the book especially when she heard about the boy's father. The blonde pouted as Toriho scolded his son for causing supposedly hurting the Valerian's feelings.

"Would you faggots keep it down?! Trying to read here!" Edameonus barked abruptly from the other side of the room, making Archellevon nearly jump out of his skin. Kurogane turned to look at the dark haired man and growled.

"Like they're going to be quiet for you!" Edameonus sat up slightly, glaring back.

"Youou was the one who started it." Toriho said as he pointed at his son. "I was only talking to Fay-chan." The blonde between father and son laughed, his arms still wrapped around his lover. Mokona giggled at the Ginryan's outburst. Archellevon closed the book slowly, looking at the other men in the room as they continued to bicker.

"Me?! You're the one instigating here!" Kurogane snapped, pointing a finger to his father. Edameonus rubbed his temple and grumbled angrily.

"You were the one accusing me of trying to take advantage of Fay-chan." Toriho said as he looked at his son. Fay smiled sheepishly between both men while Mokona laughed.

"There you go again!" Kurogane barked, though he was cut short by a book hitting his head. Archellevon had ducked from Edameonus's path, who had thrown the one he was reading at the taller man.

"Shut the hell up." He snapped, making Kurogane snarl while holding his head.

"BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Fay immediately tightened his hold on his lover, afraid Kurogane would lunge at Edameonus. Toriho looked at the other Ginryan.

"Again? Honestly you two can't stop fighting for once?" Edameonus spread out on the couch, laying haphazardly with a smug grin at Kurogane needing to be held back.

"Aren't you one to talk, Souhi?" He said with a cackle.

"I don't throw books at his head." Toriho said as he glared at his friend. The blonde beside him looked over at Edameonus briefly before turning to his lover, hoping his wasn't too angry.

"Kuro-san?" Kurogane was still rubbing his head vigorously, grumbling and growling to himself while glaring daggers at the alien across the room, who was still cackling. Archellevon looked to Mokona and frowned. Fay moved his hand up to Kurogane's head, checking to see if he was bleeding. Toriho sighed beside them and leaned back against the couch while across from them Mokona met Archellevon's eyes, confused. The blonde could feel no wetness of blood, though a bump was present. Kurogane slumped back into the couch, not wanting to move harshly against Fay or his stomach. Edameonus then looked to Toriho.

"Hey, what was the reason you decided to visit again?"

"Baby clothes." Toriho grinned. "After Tomoyo told me about them I had to see what my soon to be born grandchild will be wearing." Fay blushed as he inspected his lover's injury. Kurogane finally tore his eyes off of Edameonus to look at his partner.

"I'm fine, Blondie…" He muttered while Edameonus scoffed.

"Only the baby clothes?" He paused and looked to the ground. "Hey, Souhi, can we go to town? It's boring and I get into fights here." He whined, making Kurogane's eyebrow twitch.

"...Sure I guess we can." Toriho stared at Edameonus, confused about the other's request. Fay grinned before moving his hand, he knew it must have been painful, but didn't want to start another argument with Kurogane. Edameonus sat up abruptly.

"Can we go now?" He asked almost eagerly, not noticing Archellevon's eyes on him. Kurogane took the book that had hit him in the head and set it on the coffee table with a slight slam.

"Alright." Toriho stood, fishing his car keys out of his pocket, still trying to figure out what the other was up to. Fay watched, curious about Edameonus's motives behind wanting to leave all of the sudden. Kurogane watched the demon suspiciously, not liking the idea of letting him go alone to town with his father. Archellevon shriveled slightly in his seat, wanting to go as well but remembering the words he had overheard earlier made him afraid to ask. Edameonus smirked and stood, slipping his boots on easily.

"We'll be back later then." He waved at the others, a slight frown on his face before he walked towards the door. Unwrapping his arms from Kurogane, Fay sat up watching as Toriho left. Edameonus glanced to Mokona before he closed the door.

"Be good for them, Soel." He commanded as he left. Archellevon bit his lip, looking down to the girl on his lap. Kurogane watched the demon through the window cautiously.

"What's he up to?"

"I don't know..." Fay watched, a slight frown on his lips as he watched both men get into Toriho's car and drive away. Mokona pouted, wanting to have gone with them as she sat atop Archellevon.

As the car drove down the dirt road, the demon looked out the open window, in a completely different attitude than he was in while sitting in the living room. On top of that, he was silent.

"Is there a reason you wanted to leave? I know you fighting with Youou was only an excuse." Toriho said, his eyes trained on the road as he continued to drive. Edameonus chuckled softly, looking to the road ahead of them.

"Yeah… You see through the acts every time…" He frowned again. "We… we almost kissed Souhi… we were close…" He said faintly, thinking about the time him and the former angel on the porch. "I don't know if that was him or his memories, but we almost kissed…" Toriho snapped his head to look at his friend in disbelief before he quickly looked back to the road.

"...Isn't that a good thing...if it's not the memories it means he likes you enough to want to kiss you..." Toriho continued to drive, still shocked about the other's revelation.

"I don't know… He's unlocking memories left and right so I don't know what it is…" He smiled to himself and looked to the ground. "And… he's agreed to stay with me and Soel when the house gets done… I was surprised that he was so eager for it too… It seems the Edameonus he knew was really important to him…"

"That might be true, but he could still like you for you, Ed." Toriho smiled, knowing Archellevon wanting to stay with the other Ginryan made the man happy. "I think he would have said something if he had remembered you...but a near kiss could mean he's falling for you again regardless of having any memories of you." He chuckled, thinking back to when they were teens. "You managed to get him once before, the second time won't be as hard now that you're not as shy about the whole thing." Edameonus shot a glare to his friend.

"I dare you to say that again." He warned, but his expression fell slightly. "Souhi… There's something else…" He swallowed hard, having kept this to himself for a long time.

"Archy said he needs to contact the Court… but I'm not going to tell him Soel is a communication device. I don't think I ever will." He said defiantly. Toriho sighed.

"I agree with you on that. Even if there's a small chance they would force him back...you shouldn't take the risk." He thought briefly to how both of his friends had lived over the years because of their places amongst the court. "You should know better than anyone what would happen if they found out and tried to take him. It's better for the both of you not to want have to relive all of that again." He gripped the stirring wheel tightly, thinking of his own son and Fay. Edameonus placed an elbow on the door and his free hand went to his hair in frustration.

"Dammit… I just wish there was a way I could demote one of us so we don't have to deal with that shit. They hardly rewrote the rules after his death so there's still a chance he'll be taken…" Edameonus caught his breath in his throat, disgusted with how selfish he sounded.

"It might have been best for him to never remember...that way at least the two of you could have lived together without worrying about anything." Toriho frowned, knowing Edameonus was in a difficult position. The other dark haired man stared to the moving ground, a set frown on his face.

"…No matter how much that upsets me… it might be true…" He sighed and grumbled again.

"Don't these humans have any stress relievers?!" He barked, smacking his hand onto the car door.

"There's lots of ways people can relieve stress, Ed." The other man chuckled. The town slowly came into view as Toriho drove. Edameonus looked over to his friend and sighed.

"Well fighting and reading don't help me any." He grumbled, running his hand through his long hair once more.

"That's actually the reason I wanted to come to town. Also, I'm making sure I've gotten everything straight for my next report."

"Still doesn't narrow things down. There's a cafe, a park, we could just walk around, there's all sorts of things to do." The dark haired man said as he listed off more things they could do.

"And you should really not pick fights with Youou, Fay-chan will eventually not be there to hold him back and I'm not rebuilding his house if the two of you start." He said as he thought of Youou's temper. Edameonus clicked his tongue.

"Like he knows how to use his powers anyway." He looked out the window again. "I don't really care what we do… I'd like to invest in something I could take with me."

"True, but it doesn't mean he can't use them if he's riled enough...not to mention Fay-chan." Toriho frowned thinking of the blonde ready to separate both men if things had gotten out of hand and when pregnant of all things. Pulling into a parking lot Toriho parked his car.

"Still doesn't help, what would you like?" Edameonus frowned at the other man's words about the half breed, but he decided not to push that matter any further.

"We can look around… I'm not quite used to human materials yet." He muttered, unbuckling himself from the car.

Toriho grinned and followed suit. Stepping out of the car and locking it.

"Alright, we'll look around and see what we can find you." Edameonus smirked slightly and closed the door once he was out. He looked around to the stores and blinked, not knowing where to start. He wondered vaguely if this was how Fay felt when Kurogane first took him shopping.

"…Souhi, where do we even begin?"

"Let's start at the electronics store seeing as how books aren't helping." Toriho smiled sheepishly as he began walking towards the stores on their side of the street. Edameonus followed afterwards, scanning the people's faces as he went by. Ironically, they were scanning his too. He almost ran into Toriho when the taller man stopped by the store they wanted to enter.

"Eh? Electronics?" He muttered before meandering into the store.

"Aside from computers there are all kinds of gadgets people make." Toriho answered as he stepped into the store. Shelves of games and machines that played music and lit up and moved surrounded them as both men walked in. Edameonus blinked and then narrowed his eyes, looking at all the devices. He moved to one shelf in particular and picked up a cell phone on display, studying it like it was an artifact of ancient history.

"They make these here? What are they called here?"

"Cell phones." The other Ginryan replied.

"They're actually pretty modern." He smiled as he watched his friend examine the phone. Edameonus raised his eyebrow and set it back, picking up a robotic dog that played music. He wrinkled his nose in slight disgust.

"Humans. They waste their talents." He muttered, making a boy next to him gawk up in terror. He moved to a different shelf and picked up a small radio, staring at the knobs on top.

"Maybe you shouldn't let everyone know you're not from around here." Toriho suggested as he saw the boy looked at them oddly.

"There are video games too; it's not all kid toys." The other man said as he picked up a small toy, wondering if Toshihiko would be able to play with it.

"Video games? What are those?" Edameonus muttered, slightly jumping when a saxophone noise came out of the radio.

"Here." Toriho said as he stood in front of a display. Taking up the controller, the Ginryan began playing the game up on the screen, shooting down enemies as his character ran around the map. Showing Edameonus what he had been talking about.

"Youou played these when he was younger, but they've gotten a lot better over the past few years." Edameonus stared at it blandly, his hands going to his pockets.

"…….They could be doing so much more with this shit." He grumbled, though he found the graphics to be entertaining.

"This isn't a very good one, there are some with motion capture technology and such, the graphics get rather good on some of them too." Toriho said as he paused the game and turned to the other man. Edameonus looked back and shook his head.

"What are those designers thinking? They can do much more with all this technology than create games to play." He shook his head again, getting hair out of his eyes this time.

"It's slowly going into other things." He said as he looked around for something else that could entertain his friend.

"Proof?" Edameonus said lightly, watching something on the news on the tv above the counter. He narrowed his eyes with a frown.

"Aside from more government oriented things, there are the computers, tv, most forms of media." Toriho grinned as he noticed the Ginryan watching the news. Edameonus peeled his eyes away from the screen and blinked.

"Show me more…" He began, finding this intriguing and sad at the same time. Toriho nodded and showed Edameonus the various things around the store that the man might have been interested in.

"In the bigger cities there's more of a variety, but there's still a lot here."

"Bigger cities?" Edameonus asked nonchalantly as he messed with a little toy robot on the bottom shelf.

"This is just a town, some of the biggest cities in the world have millions of citizens and millions more that commute to the city for work and thousands that travel to them every day to visit. There more like the capitol cities back home if anything." Toriho explained as he remembered his home world and the bustling cities there. Edameonus placed a finger against his chin in thought.

"I see… they're more advanced here than I assumed. I wish I could say that about their toy choices though…" He said as he looked at the mechanical dog again.

"I wonder if it's too soon to be buying toys..." The taller man said as he looked over the various toys lying in front of them. The other demon blinked and rolled his eyes at his friend.

"My word, you're really excited about Toshihiko being born aren't you?" He snapped as his hands went to his hips.

"Tsumebe and I only had one kid...it's exciting to think of being a grandfather and of Youou being a father after everything." He replied his smile faltering at the thought of how his son had almost ended up losing another child.

"Maybe he and Fay-chan will have several kids?"

"Ha, I wouldn't doubt it. With the way they go at it?" Edameonus grumbled peevishly, his eyebrow twitching as he thought about the night before and the limits he crossed. "Damn, I'd be surprised if they didn't have more than one."

"They're like rabbits then?" Toriho laughed, unfazed with talking about his son's private life and his friend's reaction. "I'll have to tell Tsumebe to expect more grandkids then...." He trailed off as he picked up a small star shaped toy that glowed. Edameonus rubbed his head and gave Toriho a quizzical look.

"I think I'm done looking here… there's nothing that really sparks my interest…"

"Do you at least have an idea of what you'd like?" Toriho said as he held the small toy and walked over to the counter to buy it. Paying for the toy, Toriho turned to look at the other Ginryan.

"You're very picky you know that?"

"You've known me for how long and you just realized that?" Edameonus replied sarcastically, walking to the entrance of the store. "Keh… I'm just looking for something to take my frustrations out on… something to punch or chew on or rip in half… any of that give you ideas?"

"Not anything that could last...." Toriho wondered about a punching bag for the other, but knew Kurogane wouldn't be thrilled about bolting something like that to his ceiling and floor. Both of them walked outside, Toriho carrying his bag as he tried to think of a place to go. Edameonus peered around to the different stores, clicking his tongue at each one that didn't sound interesting. He stopped though, looking up at one.

"What's this place? 'Sport's and Recreation Center'?"

"For outdoor sports, they might actually have something you can punch or hit things with in here." The taller man said as he opened the door and walked in.

"Cool." The other said casually as he followed, instantly looking around the shop for something he could mess around with.

"There's baseball, boxing, but I don't think that would be the best idea..." He could only imagine Edameonus boxing with Kurogane and knew he wasn't about to open that can of worms. "There's also basketball and all sorts of other sports." The demon looked at a fishing rod with dull amusement.

"What are those games?" He asked as he played with the twine that rolled out.

"Games with balls. And that's for fishing." Sighing the other man took the reel and began rolling back the reel's handle, so they wouldn't get kicked out for damaging goods.

"They got things for hunting here as well."

"Hunting you say?" Edameonus said with a slight grin, placing his hands back in his pockets. "Meaning things that shoot other things?"

"Meaning you need to have a permit and only for special occasions." Toriho said not liking the idea of the other man loose with any sort of weapon. "Maybe you should try to find something that won't kill another thing." Edameonus frowned deeply and scoffed.

"I'm a member of the Supreme Galactic Court. Like I need a puny certificate saying I can hold something that's lethal to others." He shrugged and continued walking down the isle. "But if you say so, I won't buy something that's dangerous to anyone's health by my own."

"You don't have any money for one thing." Toriho smirked as he went to the side of the store with the sports equipment.

"How about baseball, get to hit a ball?" Edameonus picked up a baseball and tossed it from one hand to the other.

"….How hard do I get to hit it?" He asked, slightly tempted to try it out.

"Doesn't matter." Toriho said with a smirk thinking he may have found his friend something to use. The demon grinned somewhat and tossed it slightly higher in the air.

"Hmm… And this sport is called baseball? Why? Does it sit on something?"

"No there's 4 bases, you start at home bases hit the ball that the pitcher throws at you, a run to the other three bases and back to home before someone on the other team can touch you with the ball." Chuckling the other man explained the sport to his friend as Edameonus tossed the baseball up in the air. The other demon's smirk slightly faded.

"So this a multi-player sport? Hn…" He set the ball down and placed his hand in his pocket. "I'd like something I could do by myself."

"You can play it by yourself, though it's better with others." Red eyes scanned the store, trying to find something. "Anything look interesting to you?" The shorter glanced about as well, trying to find something eye-catching.

"…Hmm… I don't know…" he walked forward a little into the sport's section. He picked up a volleyball and gave it the same treatment as the baseball.

"Why do all of these games include balls?"

"Never really thought about it before." Looking around the taller man sighed, not seeing anything that would keep the other man's interests.

"Hn… what's this one used for?" he picked up a black ball with three holes in the side.

"This one's heavy, do I get to throw it?" He asked playfully with a devilish grin.

"Only at pins." Toriho rolled his eyes, pointing at the white and red trimmed pins set up beside the Ginryan. Said man raised an eyebrow and scoffed again, setting down the ball gently.

"Eh, no fun." He laced his fingers and placed them behind his head, continuing to walk around in the section. Toriho sighed and followed after Edameonus; the other man seemed to not be interested in anything that he couldn't use to inflict some kind of harm.

"…what about this one?" He asked, picking up an almost too inflated basketball. He looked up to the hoop it was supposed to go in and tilted his head to the side somewhat.

"Basketball, you just try to throw the ball in the basket. You can play by yourself or with teams." Toriho said as he stood a little to the side to watch his friend. Edameonus blinked and looked to Toriho.

"Into that basket? Is it always that high?" He furrowed his brow in thought and placed the ball on his hip.

"This could be interesting… but I guess we can continue looking."

"You can adjust the height." Crossing his arms, Toriho scanned over the goal. "If you want this we could get, though I'm not sure if I could get that big of a box in my car." Edameonus shrugged and placed the ball back.

"Nah, I don't think this would help." He said simply, though merely walking around town was making him feel better. He had somewhat forgotten what was causing him to be upset in the first place.

"Alright." The other man walked forward, trying to figure out what he could find to help Edameonus.