A/N: Hey AB section! Only a month's wait this time. I honestly would've waited longer, in the hopes that I could update TPS even once before sharing spoilers (I actually worked on it this week!), but April 10th had to fall on a Saturday and I just like that it's been eleven years since the Guild episode. Also today I got shot (full of COVID vaccine), and finally brought my laptop in to be fixed, so today is a day of productivity. Anyways, thanks to all new faves, follows, and reviews!

ZainR: Right? Now we know what Naoi must've felt when he heard Yuri say those words. I think Yuri and I were both worried we'd get some hopes up... But Ayame deserved to outlast Kimito, and to pass somewhere more peaceful. Her last sight was the kind green eyes of her daughter-in-law, his was the glowing red eyes of his son. Honestly with a spook like that, if his death was a cliff then that was the poke in the chest that made him teeter (abuse or not, definitely a hard thing to think about at the end of the night). And you're not alone in thinking Hejj would appear! You'll hear more about him in this chapter. But first, we'll shine a light on the Masuda family.

Cha0T1cPeace: Finally indeed (you know when I first planned this fic, he only got arrested after the hypnotism? screw that). I wish mother and son had been reunited, but it killed me to think of their last visual memories of each other being how they looked after a fight with Kimito. Now they'll remember each other as how they were in the park and the train station, peaceful and happy after some time together. And finally Ayame and Yuri were reunited after all these years, you can bet that mother/daughter-in-law conversation was an interesting one. (That gag was my favorite part to write xD I bet we already know her answer!) As for Hejj, oh he's coming. You'll find out some stuff in this chapter. (Also, happy belated birthday! :D I still can't get over how that worked out)

orangejuicerights: (great new username btw!) Thank you so much, conquering these chapters was really important to me so I'm glad I could do them justice. And I know what you mean, Naoi may be an Afterlife graduate who knows pain and battles but trauma is trauma. Good thing he's got one hell of a support system! (You know what, you're onto something. If a Yuri says yes in the forest and we never hear her specifically turn him down, are they still engaged? An age-old philosophical question...) Fake relationship, eh? You read my mind...

Seiram: I would've thought the same thing! He could've even survived and tried to press charges or pin everything on his son. But he's gone. This story's King George got his heart crumbled after all. As for Ayame, we can at least take comfort in the fact that the hospital staff probably did something to ease her pain, and that unlike Kimito, she had a loved one with her as she passed. (But damn, the thought of Naoi's life-long guilt hurts...) Whole-heartedly agree on the Akuma adults part. Who says a reunion fic has to be just with the Battlefront? ;) Also, loving the fact that you all are as pleased with the "only one bed" trope as I am! Could not resist.

Enjoy!

[Chapter 59]: While You Were Away

Morning light streamed through the window's filmy curtains, illuminating a room Ayato barely recognized as consciousness slowly set in. He'd woken suddenly for some reason and yet it was like part of him was still surfacing through a thick syrup. It took a minute for his surroundings to come into focus, along with the reality of the memories of last night. It wasn't just a dream after all.

He heard a sound like a ragged breath and a sniffle, purposefully muffled, coming from one side of the room. Curiosity cast his glance in the direction of the sound, to find that the right side of the bed was empty with the covers askew, and Yuri was standing closer to the door, her back slightly turned to him as she brought her phone to her ear. In the room's sleepy silence, a soft but audible buzz emanated from the speaker. It rang once, twice, three times, four. And on the fifth, Yuri's shoulders fell and her breathing tremored once again.

"Damn it, Mom…" she whispered brokenly.

That woke Ayato up even more, but he didn't dare shift or breathe too loudly. The moment felt too vulnerable, too intimate to intrude. He turned his eyes away and listened to her end the call with a defeated beep. It occurred to him with more clarity that last night had taken its toll on Yuri in its own way.

There was another sniffle as Yuri determinedly wiped the wetness from her cheeks. Then the bed shifted as she sat down on the edge with a sigh. He heard the light thud of a phone being dropped on the nightstand, followed by the conspicuous clatter as it toppled to the floor. Ayato involuntarily startled at the noise while Yuri hissed a curse under her breath.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine, I…" He racked his brain, trying to free it from the remnants of sleep. "I was nearly awake anyway."

He sat up in bed, very carefully as he became more aware of his stitches, while Yuri bent to pick up her phone. "Masuda brought by a change of clothes earlier. It's over on the dresser."

"Right." He tugged thoughtfully at the fabric of his shirt. "Thanks."

They'd both slept in the same clothes they'd worn on their little luggage-free trip to Akuma, which had fortunately dried during their time in the hospital but still bore evidence of last night's ordeal. Ayato pushed himself out of bed and went to inspect the clothing, grateful at the prospect of not spending the rest of his time here in a shirt with an obvious tear in the side. Masuda wasn't precisely his size but it was close enough that he wouldn't be swimming in the shirt.

As he was taking the clothes into his arms, he noticed Yuri's discarded top on the dresser. More specifically, the stains that dyed the middle. He frowned down at it for a moment before glancing over at her.

"Was this from when you…?" He didn't know how to finish the sentence. Came to find him? Embraced him? Held him in her arms as he passed out? That moment between them… what he'd felt was difficult to convey in words, so he left it unspoken.

"It's mostly your blood," Yuri answered. "I don't know if that makes you feel any better."

"Yes, but I got it all over your shirt," he said, sending an apologetic look her way. "I hope that comes out."

"Don't worry about it." Yuri waved it off with her wounded hand. She stopped reading through her phone and considered for a moment. "Anyway, my bloody hand, your injured side, it basically sealed the pact of our truce. Sort of like, I dunno, a—"

"—blood bond," Ayato finished in unison with her. Going off her look of surprise, he explained abashedly, "That's what you called it when we first met."

Yuri pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "History sure loves to repeat itself," she muttered, studying her palm.

"Same hand, too…" he observed. Then he cleared his throat and turned away, rediscovering the change of clothes in his grip. After a moment his brow furrowed from epiphany, and his eyes darted from the clothes to Yuri to the guestroom door. Quickly he made a move to escape into the hallway, but just as he was reaching for the handle, footsteps passed by and headed for the Masudas' bedroom.

Ayato waited for a few seconds. Reached for the handle. The footsteps returned, along with a nearby door creaking open.

He cut off a sigh and lowered his arm.

"What's wrong?"

Scratching his head with a free hand, he chanced a glance at Yuri in his peripheral vision. "I can't exactly change into these in here," he said, shifting the clothes in his arm.

"…Oh." Yuri blinked, her cheeks coloring a bit. "Right." She gave a small shrug. "Well, then go change in the bathroom. That's what I did earlier."

"Except someone's out there right now," he pointed out.

"Why is that a problem?"

He frowned over his shoulder at her. "Because usually married couples don't mind undressing in the same room as each other," he reminded her. "What do I say if one of them asks why I'm going to the trouble of changing in the bathroom?"

Yuri opened her mouth, then closed it after a moment. She didn't have an answer for that. "Well, then… it sounds like it's clear out there so just go now."

He listened at the door; sure enough, there was silence. Satisfied, he grabbed the handle.

The footsteps returned in full force. Seconds later, a faucet squeaked and water started running in the bathroom sink. Ayato released a breath and dropped his arm to his side again.

"Oh, forget it, you can do it in here," Yuri said, picking up her purse and rounding the edge of the bed. "I won't watch. Just tell me when you're done."

Catching a glimpse of her pulling a phone from her purse, Ayato quietly scoffed. "Don't sneak any pictures," he said before he could help himself, turning his back to her as she stopped in front of the window.

"This is your phone," Yuri sniffed. "I was just going to charge it for you."

Oh. Ayato hesitated, glancing over his shoulder as Yuri bent to plug a charger into the wall. Then he turned his gaze back to the door and, like ripping off a bandage, pulled his shirt over his head. Keenly aware of the strange domesticity under such strange circumstances.

As he picked up the spare and slipped his arms through the sleeves, the fabric brushed against his stitches, making him look down at the wound. He touched his side briefly, flashing back to the events of last night.

The drive to Akuma, the disaster on the estate, passing out at the bridge…

(Will you marry me?)

Ayato closed his eyes in a wince of silent mortification.

"By the way…" he managed, buttoning up his shirt. "Sorry for putting you on the spot, with my proposal last night." Curiosity and an unspoken question bled through his words. "I imagine it's difficult to say no to a grieving person."

In the silence, the change in the air was more than palpable. He could feel her tensing up behind him.

"It's fine," she said after a moment. "I… I know it was a stability thing."

"R-Right."

But as the thought registered, he wasn't so sure.

As far as circumstances went, he couldn't think of tackier or more terrible timing. And yes, he had to admit, part of it had been fueled by the heat of the moment, a need created by devastating levels of fear and loss paired with a splitting hypnotism headache.

At the same time… even in his state of mind, it had felt right to propose to Yuri at the very same bridge he'd first confessed his love for her. The same bridge where they'd first kissed.

Should he have asked such a question when they were both in that particular emotionally vulnerable state? Probably not.

But as for whether or not he meant it...

"Anyway," Yuri said, breaking into his thoughts. "We're going to have to act like it from now on. At least as long as we're here."

Ayato furrowed his eyebrows, throwing a confused glance over his shoulder. "Act like what?"

"Like we're married…?" she prompted him, and he nearly stumbled into a pant leg. "You know the Masudas. We tell them we got divorced and they'll want to dig deep. You already have enough to deal with right now without having to explain everything to them. Plus we already shared a bed, so they'll probably be like 'why didn't you say anything'—"

"Good point." The thought actually made him chuckle, albeit weakly. He finished pulling on the pants and went to examine himself in the mirror. "Then you'll have to get used to calling me Ayato from now on. Masuda already caught you on that one yesterday."

"Ayato," she repeated softly to herself. "That shouldn't be too hard. I mean, it's easier than the alternative."

A chill raced up his spine as the name fell from her lips; he hadn't heard her call him that in a long time. It would take some getting used to for him too, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation.

Blinking, he snapped out of it and looked back at her. "You can look now."

Yuri promptly turned around and reached over the bed for her phone, which had gone off a couple of times while he'd been changing.

"The Battlefront's been pretty worried this morning," she clarified, catching his eyebrow raise. "A lot of them are talking about coming to meet us here."

"They don't have to do that," Ayato said firmly. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate it, but he didn't want to ruin a Battlefront weekend any more than he already had by dragging them all to his hometown and into the drama from his past. Besides, he had to make a few phone calls today regarding funeral arrangements.

"They probably will anyway." Yuri started tapping a quick message. "Even if you finally text them back and tell them not to. That's just how they are."

Ayato sighed at how true that was. From weariness or fondness, he wasn't sure. Perhaps both.

After a minute, Yuri put her phone in her pocket and took a deep breath. She mustered a smile that looked rather nervous.

"We should head downstairs," she said, walking over to the door. "Masuda was hoping we'd join the three of them for breakfast."

Instant comprehension dawned on Ayato's face as he watched her bite her lip, pull open the door, and slip out into the hall. Out of solidarity if nothing else, he followed her, leaving his phone in the room to charge.

They journeyed down the staircase together, breathing in as the smells of grilled fish, toast, and coffee grew stronger. In the kitchen, a familiar woman with chin-length bubblegum pink hair and a thick red headband was transferring scrambled eggs from a frying pan onto a plate while talking sweetly to a little girl in a high chair. When she saw them coming, her green eyes widened and immediately filled with tears. She abandoned the stove with a tremulous gasp and rushed to embrace them both in a tight group hug.

"Oh, Yuri! Naoi… it really is you!" she cried, squeezing them as hard as she could.

"Ami – Ami, stitches," Ayato pleaded through a groan. The woman had spared him from her gigantic bear hugs in the past but apparently this was a special occasion.

Ami let go at once, only sheepish for a second before she grabbed his hands in hers. "Eisuke told me what happened, Naoi, I am so sorry," she said, her eyes shimmering. "After everything you said about your father, I still… I just never thought that…"

"I know," he said. Though he had lived with Kimito, and had felt unsafe enough to get out of there the first solid chance he got, even he was still reeling from what his father had done (and tried to do). He didn't know what else to say except, "Thank you for having us."

"Oh, of course," Ami said earnestly. She gestured to the table. "Breakfast is almost ready. Please feel free to sit down if you'd like. I hope I didn't hurt you too much with that hug. It's so good to see you guys again…"

While returning the sentiment, Yuri and Ayato trailed her to the table. The pink-haired toddler in the high chair peered up at Yuri as she passed, with the biggest golden eyes Ayato had ever seen.

"Ishi-ko…?" she whispered, tilting her head to the side.

Yuri's features softened at the sight, and she held a hand over her heart. "Is this really the famous Mio Masuda?" she asked, looking over at Ami.

Ami nodded, misty-eyed and beaming, and bent so that she and her daughter were at eye-level. "Mio, your auntie Ishiko won't get here until later this afternoon, remember? This is Mama and Daddy's friend Yuri." Then she laughed. "She sure does look like her though, doesn't she?"

"Auntie Ishiko?" Ayato repeated, sitting down at the table. "You have a sister we don't know about?"

Ami shook her head. "Not mine. Eisuke's sister-in-law."

Yuri blinked in comprehension. "Oh yeah, that's right. Masuda has an older brother. The one that got married at like eighteen?"

"That's the one," Ami confirmed as she poured Ayato some tea.

Ayato cupped the warm drink in his hands appreciatively. He faintly remembered that story as Masuda had told it to them. An older rebellious brother who had fallen deeply in love with a girl, gotten married in secret, and left town with her right after graduation, ultimately as a "screw you" to their disapproving parents. Though he'd been mostly surprised to learn of Masuda's own family issues, the tale had left him feeling rather wistful.

"I didn't think they saw that much of each other," Yuri said thoughtfully, sitting down next to Ayato. "Isn't Masuda usually the one visiting him?"

"Well yeah, it used to be that way," Ami said, finishing setting the table. "But he and Ishiko have been coming here to visit ever since—"

She stopped abruptly, and a familiar expression shadowed her features. Ayato knew that look. He used to see it on his mother's face whenever she accidentally called him Hayato. A thick tension crept through the cracks of the empty silence that had fallen.

"Since Kurimu," said a voice from behind them.

They all turned their attention to Masuda, who had appeared in the kitchen without them noticing. He walked over to put a comforting hand on Ami's arm and she leaned into his touch gratefully.

Ayato and Yuri shared a glance, both understanding full well the awkwardness of the situation.

"I'm sorry," Yuri said, while Ayato lowered his eyes to the table.

Ami nodded. "I know," she assured them. "I get it now."

But Yuri cut her eyes to the side. "You couldn't come to them, so they came to you…"

Sitting down across from her, Ami reached out and put her hand over Yuri's. "You were protecting your husband," she said firmly. "There was a lot going on for me at the time. Planning the funeral, worrying about everyone else, and Mio was barely over a month old back then! I was at my limit, I didn't have the capacity to understand. But I do now, more than ever."

Yuri managed a smile, looking over at Mio in her highchair. "I just wish it hadn't taken us this long to meet her."

"You're here now," Masuda said, sitting down next to Ami. "That's what matters."

They sat together like this, doing more talking than eating, reminiscing and catching up and saying kind things about Ayato's mother. After Kurimu's passing, Ami had started helping her mother out at the Aoki bakery not long into January. She'd been working there ever since, as Banira was glad to accommodate her with childcare (Kurimu's father had died before she was born, so Banira had balanced baby and bakery before). Since Ayame and Banira used to compete against each other in Akuma bake-offs, Banira had shared a few fond memories with Ami about her. Apparently she was very fond of optical illusions and got a kick out of it whenever Banira frosted cakes or cookies that way.

On a grimmer note, they also went over funeral planning and what would be done with his parents. And while they discussed all this, the Masudas' knowledge of aiding in funeral planning painfully obvious, Kurimu's name did come up again more than a couple of times. It became clear to Ayato, and to Yuri going by their shared sidelong glances, that there was a different elephant in the room.

After the meal, Masuda put Mio in her playpen and joined Ami in washing the dishes, declining his and Yuri's offers to help. As they finished putting everything away, Ayato shared another look with Yuri before clearing his throat.

"And… Hejjiguchi," he said after a moment. "How has he been doing?"

The plate Ami was putting in the cupboard almost fell off the shelf, but Masuda caught it before it was too late. As he was returning it to its spot, Ami turned around and leaned against the counter.

"He's better," she said, her voice sounding a bit thin. "I mean, better than he was five months ago."

"What happened five months ago?" Yuri asked.

Ami and Masuda exchanged glances, apparently locked in a serious silent conversation for a few seconds. Then Masuda closed the cupboard door and released a sigh. "There was… an incident," he began. "Right around the end of December."

"A year since Kurimu's death," Ayato noted quietly, his anxiety starting to build. Incident wasn't a word he liked being used in conjunction with Hejjiguchi.

Masuda nodded. "It had been a long year for all of us, but Souma was really struggling. Ami and I had each other and he was alone. We tried having him stay with us but after a few weeks he voluntarily moved out. It was hard for him to be around people who still had love after losing his own, plus he didn't want to burden us as new parents."

"He started pulling away from us after that," Ami broke in. "We tried to reach out to him but he'd make excuses or not even answer his phone. I think without Kurimu, he felt like he didn't fit in with us anymore. And then when Eisuke's brother and sister-in-law started visiting us, that was proof enough for him."

"Then late December rolled in," Masuda continued. "A year without Kurimu. It's bitter cold out, the trees are bare, nature's dormant and the world is telling you to stay inside and bundle up with your loved one. As you can imagine, Souma wasn't doing very well."

Ayato averted his eyes. Yes, he remembered last winter quite vividly.

"We invited him over for Christmas; it was our first one without her too," said Ami. "He came by and I thought he'd had a good time. Then I wanted him to come over on the anniversary so he wouldn't be alone, and he said it was too icy out so he thought he'd just stay in that night." She breathed out sharply. "Next thing we know, we're getting a call from the hospital telling us he'd driven his car off a bridge and into the frozen river."

Ayato and Yuri simultaneously startled at this, choking on a gasp as they struggled to comprehend their friend's words.

"What?!" Ayato blurted out incredulously, while Yuri's hands flew to her mouth. "On purpose?"

Hejjiguchi had always had a reckless side to him, and was a better runner than he was a driver, but even then Ayato couldn't imagine him doing something that stupid. Unless he was going out of his way to do so. Either way… that idiot!

"Is he alright?" Yuri pressed.

"Yes, he's fine," Masuda assured her, loosening the knot in Ayato's stomach he hadn't even realized was there. He paused to give Ami a look he couldn't read. "It was lucky there was someone nearby to jump in and rescue him in time. Made sure he got to the hospital and everything. Otherwise it would've been a miracle if he survived."

While Ami gave an odd little frown, Yuri furrowed her forehead in thought. "I can't believe he'd do something like that…"

"People handle grief in different ways," Masuda responded evenly, looking from Yuri to Ayato. "Grief and love are two of the greatest judgment inhibitors. Put them together and it's bound to make you do something rash. I'd think you'd understand that more than anyone."

Yuri flinched at that last bit. "What do you mean by that?"

A blink from Masuda. "Well – after you lost your siblings, you punched Chitose in the face and then you closed yourself up for a while, didn't you?"

"Oh. R-right." Yuri relaxed some, but then scrunched up her nose. "But I didn't drive off a bridge or anything! What was he thinking?"

Ayato scoffed in agreement. Even if the idiot knew how to swim, that icy water would've been nearly incapacitating.

Ami heaved a sympathetic sigh. "Put yourself in his shoes," she said. "If you lost Naoi, how would you feel after a whole year without him? Especially around Christmas?"

Her words struck him harder than she could ever know. Mentally he flashed back to that one evening at the end of last year, the moment he snapped and came to Ryou's house after work. Standing there on the front porch amongst the patches of snow, demanding an explanation for the past two months, for the silence on his birthday and on Christmas, only to hear the words: "Yuri isn't here… She isn't coming back."

Going home that night, and every night afterwards, feeling her absence. And knowing that he might never see her again.

To his carefully muted surprise, a hand reached out and folded around his.

"Like it was the worst year of my life," Yuri answered softly, voicing his own thoughts as she fixed him with a look of breathtaking fondness.

Though he did his best not to show it, Ayato was taken aback by the affection in her tone. There was the actress he remembered from high school. He almost forgot that they'd planned to act like a married couple, the sincerity was just that powerful. He returned her tender gaze and stroked her fingers with his thumb for good measure.

"So…" Yuri coughed, bringing her focus back on Ami and Masuda, "so you guys didn't take him back in after that?"

The couple shook their heads. "We tried to extend the offer again that night," Masuda replied. "He told us what he said before, ultimately he just couldn't bear the idea of living with a loving couple at the moment. Having that constant reminder in his face, while being painfully aware he was probably bumming them out."

Yuri nodded, but continued to look pensive. "What about Nezumi, couldn't he have taken him in or come look after him or something? I know they were never all that close, but…"

"It's the same issue with him and Daisuke," Ami reminded her. She brightened a bit. "Though actually he and Souma have been seeing a lot more of each other since then. I think almost losing him was like a wake-up call, you know? Like pettiness and family history aside, forget the 'half' and 'step' qualifiers, that's his brother."

"They're lucky to have each other," Ayato noted quietly, and Ami and Masuda both nodded and made small sounds of agreement. Yuri looked over at him in subtle realization, giving his hand a quick squeeze.

Was that performative? He had to wonder, it was a rather subtle gesture.

"I'm glad those two are working things out," Yuri said, after slowly drawing her hand away and unconsciously rubbing the injured one. "I just… I hate to think of Hejjiguchi living all alone after he nearly killed himself."

Something in Ami's eyes seemed to awaken in that moment. She opened her mouth but only a couple of hesitated noises slipped out, and she pressed her lips together in a thin line before turning to share a look with Masuda. After a moment of blatant marriage telepathy, they both turned back to face them.

"He's not living alone," said Ami. "Don't worry about that. Someone moved in with him pretty much right after it happened."

Ayato beetled his forehead as he studied Ami; something about her tone seemed off.

"Really?" Yuri asked. Her eyebrows rose a notch. "Who?"

"Oh, um…" Ami twisted her mouth uncertainly, glancing at her husband again as if for help. "You know. Just an old friend." Her voice halted on that last word as if she wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Same person who saved his life that night," Masuda added, almost pointedly. "It was her idea, in fact. She wanted to make sure he was alright, and thought having a roommate would be good for both of them. I will say he appears to be acting more and more like his old self these days."

Yuri looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but suddenly Ami stood up from the table. "Is that the time? I better go turn on the TV for Mio. She's obsessed with watching Pokémon lately."

"Don't forget Charmander, I think he's still in her bedroom," Masuda called after her.

"Thank you!" Ami hollered from the other room, and there was the sound of rapid footsteps up the stairs while a tiny insistent voice started bleating "Char! Char!" at her.

The intense curiosity had faded from Yuri's face by now, and she beamed at Masuda as he shook his head with a pleased chuckle. "She's adorable."

"She's our little cherry blossom," Masuda said reverently. Then his eyes opened a bit and he blushed. "You never heard me say that."

Ayato snorted to the contrary. Though, as it was, he was grateful for the grin it conjured on his lips.

Later, in Masuda's study (so as not to disturb Mio's cartoons), Masuda and Yuri were there for Ayato as he made a couple of difficult calls.

He'd heard funerals were expensive, but he'd had no idea until now… No way was he going to spend that much on Kimito. Masuda nicely made him aware of the chokuso option, where he could just dispose of him and skip the funeral. The money he'd save, plus possibly whatever he got if he sold the pottery shop, could pay for the ceremony that Ayame Naoi deserved.

Once he'd made all of the grim arrangements, he hung up and released a slow sigh.

"You alright?" Masuda asked.

"Fine." Ayato nodded to him. "Thank you for your help in all this. I just… need to go on a walk, clear my head for a while."

"Do you want some company?"

He regarded Yuri for a second, almost forgetting to hide his surprise. "Don't you still need to pick up your car?" he asked, and instantly wanted to face-palm at such a question.

"Oh—" Yuri looked bemused as she remembered. "Well—"

"Actually, Ami was planning to run to the store with Mio later," Masuda spoke up, turning to Yuri. "If you give me your keys, I could come with and have her drop me off at your car so I can bring it back here. As long as that's okay with you." Then he shifted his gaze to Ayato and lifted an eyebrow meaningfully.

"That would be great. Thank you." Yuri flashed him an appreciative half-smile. Though it faltered as she glanced back to Ayato. "Though I could just go with them instead, if you'd rather be alone—"

"No," he blurted out.

Initially… yes, he had wanted to decompress alone, but the fact that Yuri had offered to come meant a great deal to him, and now he was seriously reconsidering. Did he really want time alone with his thoughts? He'd had plenty of that last night and it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. What he really needed was a break from the tough and tedious things.

And to not pass up on this chance to be with Yuri, if he was reading Masuda's gesture correctly.

"No," Ayato repeated, a little quieter. "Please. I'd welcome the company."

She accepted with a small smile and a nod of satisfaction. After she handed over her keys, the two of them said a brief goodbye to the Masuda family and were out the door.

A/N: Feels good to be writing the Akuma characters again. Hoping to keep working on TPS Chapter 37, so who knows? Maybe you'll get a TPS update before the next HC one! Or maybe that's wishful thinking, because I'm rooting for a HC update in mid-May or so. We'll see what happens.

Until next time!

Preview:

"Does this place feel different to you somehow?"

"The last thing I wanted was to be alone."

"There had to have been a first Angel."

"Did you tell her what happened to him?"

"We are not going to let you go through this alone."

"You can't blame a guy for being relieved."

"I could have saved her."

"That's exactly why we're here!"

"WELL, LOOK WHO IT IS!"

[Chapter 60]: Ghosts of Akuma Past.