Takumi's on the phone when I arrive at the Takeda Shrine. I only catch the tail end of his conversation, and I don't intend to eavesdrop, but he sounds really agitated.

"I know I made the decision. I thought it was the best thing to do for her, circumstances being what they are. Yes. Yes, I stand by it. She needs to spend more time around the humans you want her to protect. Of course I want…. No. Thank you. Be safe." I hear the phone hang up and a very long sigh, followed by the scraping of chair legs.

Poking my head around the doorway, I knock gently. Takumi, slumped over in a kitchen chair, looks up at me, sighing again. He's clearly miserable. Very tired. He waves absently for me to come in, so I take the seat across from him.

"That sounded fun," I say, not sure how to start. Takumi and I can only seem to get to genuine conversation if we start antagonistically.

"Eavesdropping?"

"I only caught the last bit, and I didn't want to interrupt." I lean forward in my chair, crossing my legs. "Who was that?"

"Parents," he grumbles.

"Wait, you do have those, don't you?" Mayumi had told me ages ago that their parents were out in the world, their mother exorcising malicious demons while their father worked as a consultant to various international corporations. Takumi had been left in charge of the shrine and of Mayumi the moment he graduated from high school. He wasn't even a legal adult at the time, but they put a lot of responsibility on him.

"Believe it or not." He got to his feet, heading over to the stove. "Want some tea?"

"Sure," I reply. "Were you guys talking about Mayumi?"

"We were," he says, putting a kettle on. "They...aren't happy that I let her go to school. They think she should be spending more time learning how to run the shrine and honing her spiritual powers."

"Two things she doesn't have an awful lot of interest in," I reply.

"I know." The frown on Takumi's face is so deep it's like he's made of stone, with lines etched into his skin. He's too young to look that stressed.

"But you've got immense spiritual power," I say. "And you love running this place, don't you?"

He stares at me, eyes wide like he's just been caught doing something wrong. "How-"

"What do you mean how?" I say, rolling my eyes. "Anyone could see just how much you love the shrine."

Shaking his head, he walks over to the table, pressing his palms into the wood. "It doesn't matter. Takeda Shrine has always been run by a woman. That's how it's been since its inception."

"And because of that, neither of you get a choice in your lives?"

"Exactly."

Silence falls between us, stretching long and tense until the kettle starts to whistle. Takumi goes over to the stove and finishes up the tea before coming back and passing me a mug.

Staring down into the green depths, I can just make out my blurry reflection. It's still weird to see my hair not in a braid. I look healthier these days, my skin less sallow, fewer lines on my face. My demon body no longer seems like the worse half. Both my forms are equally important and equally pleasant to be in. I don't have to feel like I'm constantly fighting anymore. I've broken the chains of captivity placed on me. I'm free.

"You should do it."

"Do what?" Takumi asks, glaring into his tea.

"Take over the shrine."

"I just told you-"

"I know." Taking a long sip, I set my mug down, staring straight into his dark brown eyes. "But you should do it."

"What would Mayumi do if I did?" he asks. The sullen expression on his face cracks just a little to reveal a mix of emotions: fear, worry, sadness...desperate hope.

"You should ask her," I tell him. "Because this isn't it. And she would never want to be happy at your expense. She loves you way too much for that."

"I...I know." He lets out another aggravated sigh, leaning back in his chair. "You're reckless, you know that?"

"Life is short," I tell him. "Don't let something as silly as 'it's always been done like this' get in the way of your freedom."

"Freedom." He rolls the word around in his mouth like he's never said it before. "How can someone as old as you say life is short?"

"Hey, rude," I pout. "I'm still young for my kind of demon, you know!"

"Are you?"

"I have no idea," I reply, grinning.

He shakes his head. "You are absolutely insane."

"Thank you muchly," I reply, bowing as dramatically as I can from my seat.

"I'll think about it," he says, hiding his face behind his tea. "Thank you, Asaki."

…

It's been a week since the DRC opened, and things are finally slowing down a little. The initial rush was insane, and I made sure to treat everyone to dinner on Sunday before the new week began. Furako hired another receptionist to split shifts with Yui, and we got another counselor too, but we have to wait for Spirit World's red tape. Joy. Until we've been open for a month, Furako and I figured it would be good to open only after I got out of school so I could be around in case something...difficult, came up.

Nothing does, and another week passes. I spend most of my time at the DRC after school, and my dinners are either out with Kurama, at his house, or at the Takedas. As far as I can tell, Takumi still hasn't talked to Mayumi, but I'm not going to pressure him. He'll get to it when he feels like he can. And I can tell he wants to. He keeps opening his mouth like he's going to say something and then just not speaking.

Kurama has been spending afternoons at his step-father's company, learning everything he can about the business. It's so weird to think that he'll be graduating soon. I won't see him for lunch every day, and between his work and mine, there may be days we don't see each other at all. After going to school with him for nearly two years, I'm kind of dreading that. What if we drift apart? I know that's stupid. We've gone months without being together and been just fine, but there's always that tiny little voice in the back of my head looking to cause mischief.

The third week the DRC is open, An and Kenta are showing our new counselor, Bisky the ropes. She's a loud, blonde demon with corkscrew curled pigtails. Everyone loves her, and apparently she catches on quickly. The new receptionist should be starting on Wednesday, which Yui is looking forward to. I'm just glad things are going so well. Even Furako is looking almost happy.

Friday afternoon finds me sitting in my office, reviewing Koto, Juri, and Ruka's relocation application that Spirit World has only just gotten back to me. I get bureaucracy and all, but these are lives we're dealing with. I think they just want to give me a hard time.

"Boss-aki!" Kido dashes into my office without so much as a knock, a confused look on his face. "We got two humans outside. They...they say they wanna be relocated."

"Humans?" I frown, getting to my feet. "Why didn't you send them away?"

"We tried. They won't leave. Ibiki and Mitarai are with them now. Even with how scary Ibiki looks, they won't budge."

"That's...odd." I gesture for him to lead the way, and I follow him out of the building, past where Yui and Arina, the new hire, are talking in hushed tones. They give me concerned looks as I pass, but I wave them away. Whatever's going on, we can handle this.

Stepping outside, I see Ibiki standing in front of two people, a man and a woman. The man has short black hair and comes up to Ibiki's shoulders. The woman's hair is long and straight, her expression completely flat, her hands balled into fists at her sides. These two would fit in perfectly in normal Japanese society, and their energy feels entirely human. What on earth could they want here?

"Hello," I say, stepping around the imposing wall that is Ibiki. "Are you guys lost?"

"No," the man says, locking eyes with me. There's something in his expression that makes it impossible for me to break his gaze. "This is the Demon Relocation Center, right?"

I raise an eyebrow, looking around. "A demon what?"

"Please, we just want somewhere safe to live." He looks so...earnest. But he's human, and so is the woman with him. Right?

"What are your names?" I ask, gesturing for Ibiki to stand down. He remains expressionless, but I can tell he doesn't like doing what I request.

The man blinks. Is he surprised that I've asked for his name? Okay, there is definitely something incredibly suspicious going on here. "Uh, I-I'm...Rin...go. Ringo. And this is my wife, Mingo."

Ringo and Mingo. "Right." Those are definitely fake names, but why? "Listen to me, Ringo, Mingo." I look from the man to the woman, the latter of whom looks more annoyed now than dead-eyed. "I don't know what you two are up to, but I'll hear you out. However, if you hurt a single person in this building, you won't make it out of here alive. Am I clear?"

Ringo's face lights up in a smile, which is an odd reaction to a death threat, and he nods fervently. "We wouldn't hurt a soul, right Meeeeingo. Mingo." The tips of his ears turn red as he says, "Mingo. Let's follow the nice young lady." "Mingo" nods, not even slightly fazed by her husband's slip up. This woman has nerves of steel.

"Thank you, Ibiki. Kiyoshi. Keep up the good work." They both look like they want to follow me, but I wave them away. I'm S class, and they know it. I can take care of myself. "Ringo, Mingo, if you'll come this way."

Ringo smiles as he reaches for Mingo's hand, pulling her along. I turn and lead the way into the building, nodding at the front desk and their confused expressions. I'm sure they can tell the two with me feel human too. Then again, so do I when I've transformed.

I show the two humans into my office, telling them I'll be right back before popping into Furako's office. "Will you make sure no one bothers me? I'm going to take some clients."

"O-of course," Furako replies. She's got papers scattered across her desk, as per usual, but she doesn't miss a beat at my request.

Closing the door to my office behind me, I make my way over to my desk, taking all of the other paperwork off it and grabbing some intake forms. I fill out their names at the top, just given names since demons don't typically have family ones. Human trait my father had adopted to fit in better.

"So, you said you're looking for somewhere safe to live?" I repeat the man's words from earlier, and he nods.

"Yes. My wife and I want to stay here in Living World, but I'm worried we won't fit in." He makes a face, looking at the woman in question who is staring blankly down at her lap. "Mingo's never been comfortable around people."

I frown, making some notes. "I can understand that. What kind of shapeshifters are you?"

Ringo jumps, his eyes wide. "Sh-shapeshifters? What makes you think that?"

"Were you trying to hide it?" I ask. Raising an eyebrow, I add that to my notes as well. "You came here presenting as humans, asking for relocation services meant for demons. I thought that was a safe assumption."

"W-well, I mean…." Ringo looks to Mingo for help, and she sighs, long and softly. When our eyes meet, the hairs on my arms stand on end. What kind of energy is she exuding?

"And if we are?" Her voice is low, both deep and quiet. Her gaze appears dull, but it feels sharp on me.

"Part of this agreement with Spirit World, part of the reason we can house people in the first place is because we keep track of the nature of the demons applying. I'm the director here, so I decide what applications get through to Spirit World. However, they make the final decision on who they service."

"So, we cannot get your help unless we tell you what we are?"

"That is correct."

She gets to her feet, her expression blank as she says, "Let's leave."

"Mei," the man says, grabbing her hand, looking imploringly up at her. "Please, calm down."

Ignoring the fact that she looks perfectly calm to me, I have to resist the urge to tap my pen on my desk as I think. These two seem pretty desperate for sanctioned housing and identities. Why? If they can just assume human form, surely they could do this on their own. What is it they really want from Spirit World? What are they that they feel they can't show themselves to me?

"She's not going to help us," Mei, what I'm assuming is her real name, says. She doesn't remove her husband's hand from her arm, however.

"Please, let's just talk. Let's try again. Okay?"

"Fine," Mei says, huffing as she flops back into her chair. That weird energy that had been pressing in on me dissipates, and I manage to relax just a little. These two must be very close if her husband can calm her down like that.

"Please, Miss Anno," Ringo says, reading from my name plate. "We need help."

"Call me Asaki," I reply, leaning forward in my seat. "I can tell you're sincere and you really need this, but I can't tell why. And you can't tell me, can you?"

Ringo bites his lip, looking away. "No. Not really. We can't trust Spirit World."

"But at the same time, you have to?" He nods, and I sigh. "Something about getting officially validated will make this process easier for you?" He nods again. "Okay." Trust. Trust is the issue here. There's something about them that makes me want to help, but even so, I have to make sure I'm not putting people in danger by letting them in. I need to know what their circumstances are.

Grabbing my school bag, I dig through it until I find a scrap of paper. Pressing it between my palms, I imbue it with my human energy before sticking it to the wall. Barriers can keep things in as well as keeping things out. Let's keep any demonic energy in. The barrier springs to life, and I transform into a human, turning to face the two behind me.

Ringo wears his surprise plainly on his face like all of his emotions, but Mei's is merely the slightest shift in her eyes. Either way, I have their attention. "Does it help at all to know I'm not really with Spirit World?"

"A half-demon?" Ringo asks.

"I am. So, you can imagine there's no love lost between us. The only way we could get this establishment up and running was to work with Spirit World. But that doesn't mean I agree with all of their ideas. Convince me that you really need my help. Trust me, like I'm trusting you with the knowledge of what I am."

Ringo grips his hair, groaning. "Mei, what do we do? I think she can help us."

"Whatever," Mei says. "If you really must."

"I think we do." He gets to his feet, raising one hand to eye level. A leaf appears out of nowhere and he grasps it between his fingertips, transforming from an average Japanese man into a short-haired silver fox demon. Ah. Well, it was either a kitsune or a tanuki, based on how perfectly transformed they were.

Mei also stands, doing the same as her husband. However, when she transforms, it's into a red-haired kitsune, one who hasn't reached her thousandth year. There's a single streak of gold in her hair, marking her-branding her, maybe-as a rare, one in thousands of years, golden kitsune. Suddenly, I understand why they were hiding. Golden kitsune are supposed to be insanely powerful. Spirit World would never allow these two here. They are also cruelly valuable, their various vital organs, hair, and fur granting the keeper boons like immortality, eternal youth, beauty beyond imagining. Nowhere is really safe for her.

When our eyes meet, my world pitches slightly, my heart beginning to race. Why do I feel dizzy all of a sudden?

"Don't." Mei raises a hand, and everything steadies around me. "Don't think about it."

"Think about what?"

"That feeling. We share a timeline."

"A what?" Now she's feeling talkative.

"We exist in two different universes where our positions are interchanged, connected by the same being. If you think about it too hard, it will only cause your body stress it cannot handle."

"Th-that's...difficult to process," I say, a sharp pain zipping behind my eyes. Wincing, I look from her to her partner. "Are you going to say your names are still Ringo and Mingo?"

"No," the man says, looking chagrined. "I am Ranmaru, but you can call me Ran. This is Mei." They both bow to me, and I nod.

"I thought all golden kitsune were either Kami or Megami," I say.

"Megami's kind of a heavy name," Ran says. "So, she goes by Mei."

"Fair enough." Sitting down at my desk, I rub my fingers against my temples. "Okay, so, shared timelines aside, there is no way I can help you as you are."

"I figured," Ran says, instant pout on his face.

"So, we're going to need to do some expert bullshitting."

"Excuse me?" Ran looks over at Mei who is actually smiling, just a little.

"I cannot fathom the things you've been through," I say, meeting Mei's mismatched eyes. Two slightly different shades of purple. "And you've been by her side for a long time." Ran looks like he wants to ask, so I say, "I can tell. You two trust each other implicitly. I'm kind of envious." Tapping absently at the rose pendant around my neck, I grimace. "This isn't going to be easy."

"Nothing in my life has ever been easy," Mei replies, sitting down again.

"Do you think you guys can tell me a little bit of your story? It'll make it easier to lie if it's at least rooted in truth."

This time, it's Mei who pulls Ran back to his chair. The silver fox looks like he doesn't want to talk, and, much to my surprise, Mei is the one who tells me their tale.

After being a slave most of her life, Mei met Ran who took her in and cared for her. They fell for each other and haven't been apart since. It's just the bare bones of their tale, I can tell, but it's enough. Enough for me to lie all over these intake forms for two people I've just met because for some strange reason, I feel I can trust them.

Once the forms are filled out, I stretch my arms high over my head, saying, "I never get used to dealing with fox demons, I swear. You guys are a varied bunch."

"Do you frequently work with kitsune?" Ran asks, one of his ears twitching.

"I'm dating one," I reply, smiling wryly.

"Really?" He grins, and I swear if his tails were out, they'd be wagging. "Maybe we can double date some time."

"Oh, I don't know about that," I reply. "Not because you two don't seem nice but because...my boyfriend has a bit of a reputation." Ran's face falls, and I cannot fathom why I suddenly feel so guilty like I've just crushed someone's dreams or something.

"Kurama," Mei says, startling her husband and me. "You are partnered with the yoko known as Kurama."

"H-how…?"

"Mei's kinda…" Ran frowns, crossing his arms. "Omniscient? Clairvoyant? Really really good at this stuff when she wants to be."

"It's part of the territory," she replies, flicking her blonde streak of hair absently.

"But really, the yoko Kurama, huh?" Ran whistles. "Never thought he'd settle down. Now I only want to meet him more."

"Um, maybe." I can't see Kurama as the double-dating type. And I don't know if I could handle an entire date with these two. They're kind of...intense.

"We can wait until our application is approved," Mei says. Her husband looks her way, and I'm relieved his puppy-dog gaze is no longer directed at me.

"Is it? Is it approved?" he asks her, but she shakes her head.

"No more sneak peaks."

"Aw, man." His shoulders slump, but only for a moment before he's on his feet. "I'm so excited. Finally, we can start lives in Living World. This is going to be great. Thanks, Asaki."

"Yeah, sure, but you haven't been approved yet. Also, don't go out that door!"

His hand is on the door handle when Mei grabs him around the waist and yanks him back a few steps. "Wh-why?" he asks, completely bewildered.

"Do you want everyone in the area to know you're kitsune, and such powerful ones, or not?" I ask.

"Think before you act, Ran." Mei sounds as exhausted as I feel, but her eyes are smiling so warmly it almost feels like I'm intruding on something.

"Oh, yeah. My bad." He gives me a sheepish grin before changing back into a human. Mei does the same, and I become a demon. "Well, you've got our contact info. Thanks again for everything, Asaki. It means the world to us."

"Happy to help," I reply. "Especially since I share a timeline with Mei."

"Don't worry about it," Mei says again. "It'll only make things more complicated."

"If you insist. Let me walk you out so you aren't bombarded with questions."

"But you will be."

"I know. I can handle it." Smiling at the two of them, I lead the way out of the building, past the prying eyes of my subordinates. "You two take care, okay? We've done everything we can on our end. I'll make sure this gets to Spirit World."

"Thanks, Asaki. You're the best!" Ran shakes my hand, which is a really weird gesture from an ancient Japanese demon. Mei just rolls her eyes at him before bowing.

"Good luck," I tell them.

"You too," Mei replies. "Take care of him."

Him? They're gone before I can ask for clarification, disappearing in plain sight. What the hell? Cryptic fox demons are so annoying.

"Miss Anno."

I turn around to find the entirety of my staff standing outside of the DRC. Ibiki, arms crossed, says, "What was that? Who were they?"

"Just two demons looking for a place to call home." I can't blame them. Something like that, to me at least, is worth more than gold.

A/N: Did someone ask for cousin chapters? Because you read my mind. Get out of there. It's not safe.

The moment I came up with the idea for the DRC was actually around the same time I was finishing The Worth of Gold. Asaki cameos in that story, so I figured Mei could be here, and I wanted to give her a second chance with Ran, who is probably my favorite side character, tied closely with Takumi. I thought it would be fun to crossover, and it really was. It also made me actually want to write again, so thanks to Mei and Ran. I owe them a lot.

And I owe you guys a lot for sticking with one hapless writer-type. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. There will be more cousin shenanigans coming up, along with some string tying and maybe Kurama time? Who knows at this point? Guess you have to stick around to find out.