Chapter 26

Sirius entered the kitchen, then stopped and considered just going back to his room again. It was morning, and pretty early for him considering the time of day he usually got up when he had a say in the matter. He was still a bit sleepy, but he could tell that something was different, and he didn't quite know if he wanted to find out what exactly had changed. He couldn't say no to tea made by Harry though, since it wasn't even in the same league as the one he himself managed.

"Sirius, good morning," Harry said with a bright smile, looking far too cheerful. He looked to be about eighteen years old, which is what he preferred when Ikuto was around. Sirius didn't even want to count the number of times he'd walked in on Harry looking even older than he was, sometimes so old that his face seemed to be made of wrinkles. This was one of the bonuses of having Ikuto around, Sirius thought with quiet satisfaction.

Stepping into the kitchen, he felt his eyes narrow as he once again noticed something strange. He glanced between his godson and said godson's soulmate. They were both suspiciously cheerful. His eyes zeroed in on the way they were sitting, close as always, but again, different somehow. Their charas were conspicuously present, considering that they usually liked to go on adventures whenever possible, and appeared to be very satisfied with themselves.

"Morning," he grunted, deciding to ignore it for now, or at least until he woke up properly.

He sat down opposite them after getting a cup of tea and some biscuits. Two plates also occupied the table, and the food on both plates was half eaten. He wasn't entirely sure why that struck him as odd until he noticed that neither of the boys was actually eating properly, they were just sitting there, occasionally taking a small bite. They weren't even talking!

"Any plans for today?" he asked, not entirely comfortable with the silence. Even their charas were silent, which was too strange for words.

"Hm? We were just going to go for a walk later," Harry answered, taking another ridiculously small bite of food. "What about you and Remus, are you staying in?"

Sirius nodded, still eyeing them both suspiciously. "Yeah, enjoy the vacation and all that. Maybe take a nap." He was honestly kind of worn down, he hadn't thought managing a joke shop would be that much work. He had no idea how the twins had made it look so easy. It was probably the energy of those who were still young and haven't had to be imprisoned unjustly in Azkaban, guarded by Dementors. Something like that tended to change a person.

"Sounds nice." Harry and Ikuto exchanged a pointed look, their charas giggling. But then they continued their silence. Sirius glanced at Yoru, who was fiddling with his miniature violin, performing for the other charas who were enjoying the silent concert.

By the time Sirius finished his tea, Harry and Ikuto were still sitting close together, sneaking glances at each other. Both of their cheeks were dusted pink, and Harry couldn't seem to go without smiling. Sirius took a moment to look both of them over more carefully. He wasn't stupid, he knew what this was, but something was holding him back from making a comment. He decided to go to Remus for advice.

"-and I'm pretty sure Ikuto has a hickey! I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't been looking for it, but there's definitely something there!"

Remus waited a moment to make sure Sirius had actually finished his speech before patting the seat next to him, inviting Sirius, who had been pacing for the better part of the last ten minutes, to join him. Sirius eyed the place with distrust before sitting down gingerly.

"Sirius," Remus began, with a tone he hoped was calming and not condescending. "I'm not sure what the problem here is," he admitted, trying not to let his amused smile show. He wouldn't have thought Sirius would be the one turning into a nervous parent about something like this.

"The problem?!" Sirius pulled away dramatically, as was his style. "The problem is, they didn't even tell m- us!" He stood up again, resuming his pacing. "We can't even be sure when this began, though I'm pretty sure it's recent. And those charas!" He stopped for a moment to emphasize his point. "I could see it in their eyes, they're planning something."

Remus blinked in confusion. "Planning something?" he asked, not following Sirius' logic.

"Yes!"

Remus waited patiently for Sirius's explanation, but when none was forthcoming he stood up and, seeing that Sirius hadn't even noticed his movement, left the room, shaking his head ruefully. Sometimes it was best to just leave Sirius alone until he was willing to listen to others. Better to see what was happening with his own eyes.

Remus stood at the kitchen door, contemplating whether or not he should go upstairs to join Sirius.

Harry and Ikuto were still in the kitchen, though their plates seemed to be empty. They were discussing something very intently, and even their charas appeared to be acting seriously for once. This actually explained what Sirius had meant by saying that he thought the charas were up to something. They always seemed to be off exploring something nowadays, it was growing increasingly rarer to see even one of them.

"Big plans?" he asked eventually, curiosity winning out over his self-preservation instincts.

Harry and Ikuto jerked apart, their charas letting out little squeaking sounds. Apparently they had been so focused they hadn't even seen Remus standing there for several minutes. Huh.

"Remus!" Harry made to stand up, then changed his mind and sat back down. Ikuto just blinked at him lazily, resting his chin on his palm. "Um, yeah, we're gonna go see Utau perform on New Year's eve, is that alright?" Harry asked, clearly not expecting a negative answer, his attention already halfway focused on their so-called plan.

Remus smiled, relieved that his suspicious had been for nothing. Sirius really knew how to make him paranoid.

"Of course, how late will you be?"

Harry winced. "Uh, I thought, since Ikuto's been staying here, I might stay the night at their place, since it's closer." He gave a questioning smile, looking unsure.

"If it's alright with your parents." Remus directed the question at Ikuto, who nodded in response. "Okay then, just make sure you stay eleven years old," he added with false reprimanding tone.

"We'll remind him!" Ricky piped up, sounding eager.

Harry mock glared at him before laughing. "You know I will." He sobered and glanced at the table for a moment, considering something. "Our new teacher," he began slowly. "It turns out he's working for the people who are trying to find the Embryo."

Remus felt his eyebrows knit together. From what he'd gathered, Harry's teacher was a clumsy man, but friendly enough. He glanced at Ikuto. "You're sure?"

"Of course!" Yoru said indignantly, as if they were accusing him of lying.

Ikuto's face twisted in a scowl. "I'm sure," he said tersely, though the anger seemed to be directed at the teacher rather than the room's inhabitants. "He's been observing the Guardians even before he became a teacher at the school, and he's been giving be assignments." He didn't elaborate on the 'assignments' he'd been given.

"Utau told us they're going to make her extract and crush the Heart's Eggs of the children there," Harry continued. Remus was pretty sure he was holding Ikuto's hand under the table. "We're going to try to stop them."

Remus didn't bother asking if it was going to be dangerous. "What'll you do?"

"I'll make a fake Embryo," Harry announced, expression set. "We'll make it seem like it appeared when Utau brought out the Eggs, and then we'll make a deal with their step-father." He looked at Ikuto, the steel in his eyes melting. "The Embryo for Ikuto and Utau freedom."

The room filled with silence, even the charas looking determined. Ikuto had a look on his face as if Harry was everything he'd ever wanted in the world, but like he was also bit afraid of that. Remus looked away, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment.

He decided that a change of subject was in order. "So, Sirius was pretty freaked out when he came back upstairs," he commented. Harry made a questioning noise. Remus continued, "you should be more careful about covering those up." He gestured at Ikuto's neck, where indeed a hickey was already fading. He stood up and left the room, hearing a choked off coughs and spluttering follow him. Teenagers.

Sirius was sitting down when Remus entered the bedroom, calmed down. He looked up when he heard the door opening, appearing contrite. This would be entertaining.

"Moony!" Sirius stood up, taking a step closer. "I think I overreacted," he admitted sheepishly, channeling Padfoot pretty well with the way his eyes were widening.

Remus raised an eyebrow, leaning against the door-frame. "Oh really? You think?" He refrained from laughing or smiling only by sheer power of will.

Sirius took another step closer. "I know. Sorry, I guess my imagination just ran with the thought." He let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "This parenting business is harder than I thought it'd be." He raised his arms questioningly, most likely aiming for a hug.

Remus sighed and closed the distance between them, pulling the other man into a comforting hug. "You're ridiculous." He waited a minute before puling away. "You're not doing this alone you know, and Harry is practically an adult by now." He walked over to the bedside table and picked up the book he'd been reading the last night, starting to slip through the pages.

Sirius followed after him, resting his chin on Remus' shoulder.

"Oh, and Sirius?"

"What is it Moony my dear?" Sirius asked, his good mood restored. He wrapped his arms around Remu's waist.

Remus smirked. "That really was a hickey you saw."

"What?!"