A.N:

Hello everyone, sorry for the slight delay in posting this chapter. I fell off a bed and hurt myself (bad pulled muscle in my neck). Between my injury and the medication they gave me for it, I have been really fatigued and had a hard time being productive. I'm getting better and hope to be back on track come April. Thanks for reading and for your patience!

As Kudra stands guard, a ship is towed to the shores of Batoidea by breaching stingrays. Moments later a submarine surfaces and coasts in to the deep cove in front of the underwater cave. The ray form a solid dock for them to step off onto without getting their yukata wet. As the Sun and Heart pirates eye each other curiously, a call of greeting sounds from the beach where Karmen, Pierce, Camilla, Winston, and Saaresto stand in yukata and wooden sandals.

Karmen's is red with golden koi and pink chrysanthemum. She has an ornate apple blossom comb crowning her piled curls. Camilla wears a cream colored outfit that fades to pink at the bottom. Her yukata is dotted with multicolored cherry blossoms. Her hair is fixed off her neck with a single jade pin in her hair, though it can't be seen beneath the non-traditional cloak she has draped over it.

The men wear varying shades of purple. Pierce's is lavender with a vermillion dragon wrapping around his collar and he has a blue and white-striped obi. Saaresto has a plum-colored yukata with a floating blue feather design. Winston has a violet-colored yukata with orange-yellow apricot blossoms around the base and collar.

Curious onlookers crouched on the cliff and peeked over the edge. Others peek out from the vines concealing the entrance on that side. They'd been invited out onto the beach, but with actual guests at their doorstep, pirates no less, they all found themselves feeling very uncertain. Only select members even chose to stand openly on the cliff including the fishmen, the mail carriers, Scorpions-to-be, Iona, and Bhoden.

"You made it!" Karmen cries. "Sun Pirates and Heart Pirates, welcome to Batoidea!" She rushes toward the Heart Pirates, straight past Law, and flings her arms around Bepo. The mink polar bear scoops her readily into a bear hug. "I missed you!"

His humid breath fogs up her ear. "We've been really busy. I wanted to call you so bad!"

"Stop harassing my navigator," Law says gruffly.

Disappointed sighs can be heard faintly from the cliffs.

"Well there you have it," Traci says in a defeated tone.

"White hair," Yasha states.

"Black eyes," Caprice adds.

"Warm," Nadia finalizes.

"It's not like she would ever do that to a man," Pixie states, "no matter who he was."

"Well, honestly, what were we expecting from Karmen?" Izzie asks.

"Maybe she's a closet furry?" Evie suggests.

Pixie elbows her hard in the ribs.

"What?"

"She might be asexual," Wendy comments.

"With how she is with Pierce?" Tala asks.

"You know they can both hear all of you, right?" Iona asks flatly.

"Yep," Myron adds in. "On the Calm Belt, with no wind to distort your words, sound can carry for miles, even if you don't have super senses."

"Oh, shoot."

"Common decency," Nadia coos like a scolding nursery maid.

Bepo sets Karmen down and she moves to embrace Law next, much to his dismay. Thankfully, she only places her hands on his forearms. "The children will be so excited! Thank you for agreeing to help me!" She extends a hand toward the Sun Pirates. "Come meet Aladine and his crew."

Her sparkling eyes add the words "for the children" before drifting upward to his hat in a silent bet, or perhaps threat, if they don't get along.

"No, I'm not going to wager my hat again," he growls at her. "We'll be on our best behavior as long as they are."

She grins widely in response. "Well then, don't be shy. We're all friends here."

Law groans. "I told you, I'm not your friend. I'm your-" But Karmen isn't listening. She's dragging Law over to Aladine by the sleeve of his midnight blue yukata. The merman is dressed in a green yukata with a yellow sash. "Dr. Aladine, meet Dr. Trafalgar D. Law. Law is the surgeon who saved Pierce's life. Law, meet Aladine. He's the fishman who's helping me return recovered patients to their homes."

Aladine extends his webbed hand readily. Law shakes it firmly. "Small world! I heard you're on a fast track to replace Captain Jinbe as a Warlord."

Law's eyes peek out from underneath the brim of his hat. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Uncle Be stepped down on his own free will," Karmen interjects. Law cocks his eyebrow curiously at the nickname. "We discussed this beforehand and it isn't an issue. Right, Aladine?"

"Right. It wasn't the right fit for him, not that his current fit is either," he agrees, giving Law's hand another hearty shake before letting go. "And if he hadn't stepped down, I'd never have met my wonderful wife!"

"Be sure to give Praline and her slugs my love," Karmen says cheerfully. "Quietly, of course. I'd rather not have Linlin hunt my head before I rejoin my crew."

Law's eyebrow quirks even higher. "With your history and family dynamics, I find your choice of allies very interesting." He grins up at Aladine. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Just remember, I'm not filling Jinbe's spot. I'm making my own."

Karmen sighs contently. "You all must be hungry after your long journey. Please, join us for breakfast. Aladine, Julimes and Ulah have been greatly anticipating your arrival." She turns and cups her hand around her mouth to call toward the cliffs. "Alright, chatty Cathies. We'll receive our guests in the dining chamber!"

As she leads them toward the secret entrance, patients retreat down the tunnels to not be caught spying. Aniyah, however, rushes forward, eyes bright and fixed on Bepo. "A bear! A real, talking bear!" She hops up and down, her wooden sandals sinking in the sand. She glances back at her friends in the entrance as her excited finger bobs with her. "Miss Karmen invited a real bear for the Bear Festival!"

Karmen chuckles and gently holds the girl's outstretched hand. "Let's not point, dearie," she says warmly. "You'll have plenty of time to get to know Bepo inside."

Pierce bows to Law as he approaches. "It's good to hear you again, Sir Law. I hope you've been well." He bows to the merman. "Sir Aladine, your presence is most welcome."

"It's good to see you again, Demon," he says.

The man chuckles. "Please. Call me Pierce here."

Karmen introduces her veterans and together they guide them into the island. Bepo is particularly curious about the Venus flytrap-like squid who part the vines for them to pass through the entrance. Once they reach the dining chamber, the island's children swarm the fishmen.

"You have webbed fingers just like Mr. Ulah!"

"Hey Mr. Fish, can you make slime?"

"Will you go swimming with us?"

Karmen chuckles, releasing Aniyah to join the revelry. "Children, these are the Sun Pirates from Fishman Island, deep beneath the ocean under the Red Line."

"Whoa! Have you seen a shark?"

"How do you breathe?"

"Do you make mermaid purses too?"

The Fishmen are taken back by their sudden popularity, but they soon take to the children like fish to water. Eventually Karmen is able to corral them away so the pirates can find tables. Other patients crowd in to greet them, causing the pirates to be split between the tables. Bepo ends up at a table with the Scorpions-to-be.

The kitchen volunteers begin bringing everyone snacks and drinks. The polar bear shovels food in his mouth to give himself time to process all of the questions being directed his way. Camilla fades into the shadows and eventually disappears down one of the tunnels. Karmen directs the captains to her table with the veterans.

As he sits down, Law gives Aladine a curious look, nodding toward Karmen who is already pouring tea from a mysterious source. "Does she call you when she's drunk too?"

He laughs sheepishly. "Can't say that she has, no."

She chuckles at Law. "What can I say? Drunk me likes to know that you care. Aladine is far more open than you are."

"I'm as open as I choose to be, Secretary-ya," he says. He tries to say it with a dangerous edge to his voice, but in her ears it just hammers the point home.

Karmen sips her tea and smiles nostalgically at the men. "Being here together like this makes me feel that much closer to reuniting with my crew and furthering my goals. It makes me feel optimistic and a bit selfish."

Aladine leans forward curiously. "I don't know much about you still. I'd like to hear more about your goals," he says. "What do you plan to do once you're done rescuing slaves?"

Karmen sets her cup on its saucer. "There's a beautiful island called Chiyome I need to go to in the New World. There are answers about my past there." Winston and Saaresto look surprised to hear the name and exchange a brief look. "You see, I was kidnapped as a baby and held as a political prisoner by the Dragons so that the government could have leverage on my real parents. I intend to find and meet them," she tells them.

Law thinks for a moment as Aladine soaks in the information. "I don't think I've heard of it before. Where is it?"

Karmen opens her mouth to answer, then slumps back in her chair with confusion. "I don't remember. We always flew there and I would be… distracted. I've been there so many times, but I can't recall exactly which way we went. How strange."

Pierce perks up. "Mistress, is this another repressed memory that's been emerging?" he asks. "From before I became your bodyguard?"

She gives him a confused expression. "No. I've always remembered this. I went a few times before then, but most of our visits were when I was older. I would go with your Master to Chiyome for days at a time when things were particularly bad. I know you don't have hyperthymesia like I do, but those trips were rather significant. At least to me."

"Repressed memories?" Law asks before Pierce can respond.

"Yes. During some of the preparations for the festival I had a triggering experience that made me realize my memory isn't as perfect as I once assumed," Karmen answers, tracing the red feather design on her teacup with her thumb. "I feel that I would be a poor host if I dredged up the details now, but they were things that solidify my purpose here on this island and my war against my former 'family'."

"Well then, speaking of this island, you said you wanted my help with something for the festival?" Law asks, changing the subject. Pierce doesn't look happy that they're dropping it, but he sits back and doesn't raise the issue again. The other two male veterans, on the other hand, look nearly relieved.

"Yes!" Karmen says excitedly. She forms an image of a round ball with her haki. "I used combined knowledge from Chopper, Franky, Nami, and Usopp in addition to events that happened in Alabasta to make this beautiful conglomeration. I call it Project BlizBear. I need you to help me make it explode in the clouds above the island." The ball shoots up into a cloud and explodes, showering sparks down on the table in harmless fanfare. She gets a fiery gleam in her eye. "With your help, I'm going to cause a weather change in the Calm Belt."

They talk and laugh for a while before Saaresto clears his throat. "Someone said something about a checkup? Feel free to use my office. I don't expect to use it for more than scrapes and bruises today."

"It can wait until later," Pierce says, biting into a corner of jerky. "Please, enjoy your-"

Karmen grabs his horn and pulls him down to her face level. "Pierce, dearest, don't tell me you've been neglecting your eyedrops again…"

"No, Mistress. Ow. I remember last time. Vividly."

Law stands up. "Either way, we should at least make sure it's still effective," he says as Karmen releases her guard. "It's possible that the syndrome could adapt to your current medicine."

"May I observe?" Aladine asks Pierce. "I've heard stories of Captain Law's devil fruit and I would like to see its medical applications."

Pierce's shoulders shift. Karmen is about to tell him that it can be a private appointment, but he nods his affirmation. "I don't mind."

Karmen looks to Winston who nods. "I'll make sure our guests stay entertained until you return," he promises.

They make their way to Saaresto's office. On the way Karmen discusses what the various chambers are used for and what therapies are held within. Once they reach the office, she activates the light dials he has set up there. Tuna, who had been napping in his pot near the lab equipment, gives a long, shuddering yawn as he stretches toward the light, flexing his leafy fins. Pierce sits on the examination table, removes his visor, and withdraws his wings. Everyone except the Bat-Bat Man glove up.

Law examines the room quietly, then looks closely at Pierce's face, angling it toward the light with a hand on his forehead. "Hmm. It looks fine, but it's hard to tell for sure without my equipment."

"Vishtunali can supplement you there. Can't you, dear?" Karmen scratches the squid under his chin and he grins at her. She takes a cotton swab from a jar and scrubs the inside of Pierce's eye sockets, making sure to get all the curves and nooks left by the scarring. When she's finished, she cuts the cotton tip off into Tuna's waiting mouth. The pirates watch her as if she's missing a few screws and they're just now noticing.

Tuna shivers, coughs, and sneezes out into thistles and white fluff like a cotton plant with bat wings. His new billowy form sheds spines into a nearby bowl before hunkering down in his pot and becoming a white ball of fluff.

Aladine studies him closer. "Are they… squid?"

"Yes," Karmen says as she snaps one of the spines and smears the clear liquid seeping from it onto a glass slide. "They're an endangered species that I found on Little Garden. Tuna here actually saved me from falling into a volcano. We talked and he decided that he and his family would be happier living here away from dinosaurs and shoe-stealing giant insects. He's become quite the research partner." She sets the slide under a microscope and peers in. "And there we have it." She steps aside. "What do you think, Law?"

He leans in and examines the slides. "I only see trace elements of the fungus. It's well managed. Still, I'll adjust the medication before I leave just to be safe. Perhaps we can eradicate it for good if we keep it quelled long enough." He leans back and draws his sword. "Well then, let's see how that spleen is functioning."

Two clean cuts cleave Pierce's torso in thirds. Law then cuts out the desired organ and all the medical professions gather around to watch its function. Soon they're deep into a conversation about how the scar tissue reduces its function and how that in turn affects his circulatory functions in both human and bat form. Though she had studies anatomy when she could, Karmen finds herself quite lost in all the medical jargon the three men are spouting. She holds up Pierce's shoulders and head, noting how heavy his muscled structure is even after being detached from his lower half which kicks its feet slightly as it waits.

Her mind drifts. Karmen watches the strings of life energy connecting all the seemingly dismembered pieces of him. They pass through all other matter, never tangling or detaching. Not even Law's sword could sever them. She wonders, if pieces of him were scattered about, if she could search them out to reunite them as she did when they played the heart on the sub all those months ago.

"Do these ever give you a headache?" she asks him, running her finger through a few strands. "Or do you find them distracting in the least?"

Law looks up. "What do you mean?"

"All the connecting energy between the pieces you slice off. It gets a little bright after a while, especially with him stretched out like this."

He frowns. "That's... not something I have a problem with."

The corner of Pierce's mouth twitches upward. "You have been training your haki at a heavy pace, My Lady. Perhaps your abilities have surpassed those of Sir Law."

Law's fingers twitch on Pierce's spleen, causing the bodyguard to wince. "Or maybe she has a brain tumor."

Aladine steps in. "I can't see them either, but I can certainly feel something." He taps the skin next to his nose where his electroreceptors would be. Saaresto and Pierce relax. They don't say it, but Karmen can tell they were thinking it might be connected to the voices she's heard in the past and her colorful "hallucinations." Both men pointedly avoid her disapproving gaze.

Pierce is given a clean bill of health and, after he's pieced back together, they all return to the dining chamber where the children have taken up a game of tag between the tables. The pirates who are trying to get up from their tables to help with the clean-up have trouble knowing exactly how to handle all the activity around their legs. And if they do make it to the kitchen, the volunteers there quickly take their dishes and shoo them back to their seats, unable to feel comfortable putting guests to work.

Karmen claps her hands to gain everyone's attention. Now that she knows Pierce is healthy, she feels she can fully enjoy and officiate the festival. "Right. The boar hunt will begin soon. Those who wish to participate may come with me at this time. Otherwise, please help the children finish their grass dolls for tomorrow's exchange, finish any work needed in your booths, or help the kitchen staff with the food and dishes. As always, this is strictly voluntary, but all help is appreciated."

Many of the patients shy away from the hunting group, but a few people step out from the mingling crowds including Myron, Lionel, and Everett. Myron wields a pair of letter openers. Lionel has a set of brass knuckles with canceling stamps across them. Everett twirls a silver whistle around his finger.

Aladine and most of the fishmen offer to help with preparations instead, but Julimes steps forward with his hammer ready. Camilla materializes with her spear. Law steps forward with his sword against his shoulder. He tries to drag Bepo along, but the bear complains about the heat and flops forward on his stomach where he's instantly swarmed by children. Pierce steps out with his tonfa heavy on his hips.

Those who do come out are led to the middle of the island. The sounds of the festivities below can't be heard but distant grunts and squeals of animals can. They're guttural and heavy, nearly menacing. Saaresto frowns at these as he begins setting up his medical triage station, just in case.

Memories of the famous bouts of Zoro vs. Sanji flash through Karmen's mind as she eyes the contestants. "Here are the rules," she announces. "You are each allowed one adult boar. The person who gets the first boar will fix their food first at tonight's feast with their respective groups. Those who get the largest boar will get to fix their plates first at tomorrow's. I know some of you are competitive, but I will not allow any fighting between hunters. If you find a worthy target, verbally claim it and that one will be off limits to all other contestants. I'll sit back and monitor everything to make sure the winners are chosen fairly."

Her voice lowers and her tone shifts to a more somber tone. "I do not expect all of you to take pleasure in this hunt. I for one do not. We do this to control the boar population on this island and to protect the ecosystem here. No part of the creatures killed today will go to waste and the meat will feed the patients on this island for days to come."

"Or me for one," Pierce jokes. Everyone laughs.

Karmen rolls her eyes in good humor. "I have only one request before we begin. Let your kills be clean. Do not leave the animals to suffer."

Pierce gives her a pointed frown, but when she does not acknowledge his concern he turns away and prepares himself for the hunt, stripping his yukata from the waist up.

"The hunt will begin in three. Two. One."

All parties race off. Pierce and Law get a head start. Pierce by transforming and shooting high into the air and Law by creating a room and trading places with a distant falling leaf. Camilla leaps into the nearest tree and begins racing across the branches. Everett sets his whistle in his teeth as he runs and blows a string of commands similar to how Karmen directs the rays. Large corvids swoop through the air ahead of him. The others rush forward, some pacing themselves, others charging in.

Feet crunch leaves. Wings cut the silent air. There is a steady pop. Pop. Pop of displaced air as Law teleports. The sounds carry far across the island. It's so loud that Karmen doesn't even have to use her haki to track them for several minutes. She wonders if half of them had ever hunted before or if perhaps some of them are using the noise as a strategy.

The larger boar on Batoidea are as long as a full grown man and twice as round. Despite the curves, they are seven hundred pounds of muscles and teeth with razor-sharp tusks that could gore a man to death. They root around in the underbrush, tilling the soil and ruining the leaf litter that some of the island species depend on. Chased out of their homes, they'd become easy prey for the hogs and are rapidly disappearing. They also ate the wild mushrooms that she had been hoping to feast on, which she took as a personal slight.

Karmen doesn't mind a few boar on the island, so long as there is a balance to the ecosystem, but they're one dangerous animal that she's never taken a fancy to. Perhaps it's because they reminded her of her former uncle Ludovic in nature. Dangerous, stubborn, and irritable.

Still. She's glad to only be officiating this hunt. After all the recurring memories that her training has brought up this week, she doesn't think she could stand the death squeals of the animals. By not handling the problem herself, she feels selfish, but knowing that the others are doing so voluntarily makes her feel that she can allow herself some leeway. She'd make it up to them later on.

After about thirty minutes of tracking and searching, the fastest contestants come upon the first den. Law and Pierce converge on the deep brush at the same time. Two boar begin charging. One runs toward Law and the other runs deeper into the tangle of branches. The pirate captain wields his sword expertly as he falls upon his quarry. With one fell slice he severs the boar's neck at its spine.

At the same time Pierce dropped from the sky, tonfa held in his sixth set of wings. He lands on the back of the boar's neck. His other wings grapple the beast as he reaches his tonfa beneath its ribs and jabs inward. The blades slide clear through the ribs and straight into the creature's heart. It bleeds out in seconds.

The rest of the kills trickle in slowly, some with a little more fight than others. Saaresto patches up cuts and gores, but nothing ends up needing more than five stitches and a bandage.

Julimes and Lionel bring their boar in with crush injuries to the skull. Everett's birds struggle to drag in the smallest boar with small puncture holes in the roof of its mouth. They click their beaks satisfactorily. Myron's has the bare tips of his letter openers sticking out of his animal's ears. Other patients and pirates bring theirs in until there are twelve boar of varying sizes lined in front of Karmen. A few of them look to have worked out pent up aggressions.

Pierce and Law come with an awkwardly silent "glaring" contest. Law is empty-handed while Pierce has a boar five-times his size hoisted above his head.

"Well?" Law asks, depositing his boar in front of her with a twist of his hand. "Announce me the winner already."

Pierce lets out a snort as he drops his own boar next to Law's. It's slightly hairier. "I clearly had the first kill."

"Are you deaf too, Demon-ya?"

"Don't lose your hat, Sir Law. I understand your obsessive need to prove yourself as a worthy pirate, but this is quite unbecoming of you."

"Your blades entered the boar at the exact same time," Karmen states, silencing them both before they can pull blades. "But one kill was faster than the other." Both men's auras clash against the other's. "Law's boar died first." The captain grins pridefully, but doesn't gloat any further.

Pierce turns his head away. It is only the slight thinning of his lips that gives away his pout. "Mine's bigger," he mutters under his breath.

"Girls, you're both pretty," Karmen states flatly. "And technically, Camilla hasn't returned yet, so the competition isn't over. For now, we'll hang these prizes from the trees by their back feet to prepare them."

They gather rope and suspend the boar. As the last knot falls into place, Karmen senses a life form fade from the island.

"Ah. There we are. Law, would you be able to expedite this process? You'll find her about a mile in that direction." She points to the furthest corner of the island from where the other kills had taken place.

"Room."

His hand twists. A massive boar appears with Camilla sitting on top of its unmoving stomach. Her spear is sticking out from the beast's chest in line with its jaw. It's so large it looks to have been able to swallow her in one bite. With the sudden shift in location her hand flies to the dagger on her belt until she registers where she is.

Law steps forward, clearly perturbed that she's won the size competition. He helps her remove her spear from the beast's heart. "That's an impressive kill for someone your age," he comments.

She slides down its stomach and snatches her spear from his hand, forcefully, but not aggressively. "It wasn't hard," she says in a low voice. "I just killed him the same way I killed the bastard that used to own me."

Law's chin lowers until his eyes fall into shadow. "Again, congratulations." Camilla turns and walks back into the interior of the island. Her spear leaves a trail of blood droplets behind her.

"There we have it. The time prize goes to Law. The size to Camilla," Karmen declares. "You all may go clean yourselves and your weapons. I'll handle cleaning the boar."

Pierce balks and places a hand on her shoulder. "You've been through enough recently. I'll do it."

"No," Karmen says. Her tone leaves no room for debate. "This is something I have to do." She lowers her voice. "Besides. I know this hunt was hard on you as well. I can feel how much effort it's taking to stay in human form right now. Take a break."

He gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze. The set of his jaw conveys his concern. "If you insist, Mistress. I'll be waiting for you inside."

"Oh, and you may want to avoid Winston, dear. He has a sixth sense for demolished fabrics. You did transform fully to hunt, didn't you?" His cheeks darken instantly. Karmen takes advantage of his silence to strip out of her yukata. Several other faces turn red before they see her driving suit underneath. She hands her garments to Pierce along with her flower comb, letting her hair fall freely. "Right. Off you go. Enjoy the festivities. I'll join you when I'm finished."

As they disappear behind her, she draws her dagger from her dive belt. Thousands of memories flash through her head as the contestant's presences fade. In a low voice she whispers, "Memory sync: Gallowcomb Edward Herbert Ikaika." Raising her knife with a pit in her gut, she sets to work.

When she's finished, all parts are neatly organized into piles. Skin to one side, organs to the other. She left a few of the smaller pigs gutted but whole for sand-roasting and had completely butchered others and piled the cuts of meat on large leaves. Her entire front is sprayed with blood from her hair to her toes. Her face is completely void of emotion. The knife in her hand gleams red in the sun. Quietly she turns and walks away from her work.

Ahead, past twists in the path and several large trees, Law casually leans with his back pressed to bark. It's a similar sight to how they'd first met on Sabaody, only this time she welcomes his company. "What are you doing, Secretary-ya?" he asks. His voice reflects a rarely expressed concern that is mirrored in his hooded eyes.

"Testing something," she admits, eyes not lifting from the blood dripping from her knife to the grass.

"What's your conclusion?"

"I have no desire to be a butcher, though I have memorized the technique." Her gaze is hard and her mouth set. "While I am glad to be free of that influence, this knowledge is hard to accept. I don't like putting it to use."

"I imagine you have a lot to sort through," he says with a sigh. "It would be best not to let those thoughts fester."

"Perhaps," she responds. "But I do not wish to get into therapy tonight, as much as I probably need it."

"I'm a surgeon, not a shrink. Keep your calls brief," Law mutters.

This brings back her grin. "But you're saying I can call."

"I won't pick up."

"Mmm-hmm. You keep telling yourself that, Dr. Spots."

"I won't."

"Bepo will."

With a twist of his hand, Law teleports gallons of water over her head. It falls, causing her to gasp as it showers over her until she's completely soaked, but also rinses her clean of the blood. She feels instantly more at ease.

"Stop harassing my navigator."

"It's not harassment if the recipient is open to the attention shown to him," she needles, shaking water from her hands.

"It's harassment."

"Anyway~ You won first prize, so your crew gets to eat first tonight," she says. "That should be nice. I can practically smell the pork roasting already. Truly I'm a little jealous."

"Let your patients go first," he says in a low voice. "We don't mind waiting."

Karmen blinks at him, then grins as she playfully elbows his side. It leaves a damp spot on his yukata. "Told you that you care."

"Shut up."