This is a direct continuation from the last chapter. This one was comparatively quick to come out, now wasn't it? Isn't that great?

For all who didn't get it, at the start of last chapter, when Kyo was talking to Shimo, that was on the dreamscape. That's why the beads weren't there. This is his subconscious we're talking about. Oh, other bit of good news, with the help of a co-conspirator, I have the next little-while worked out. And it promises to be fun. Kyo torturing galore.

Enjoy.

Yuki runs out of the house, Shimo-sense obviously tingling.

"What in hell's name is that?" I ask him as he slides to a stop next to me and turns back to the house to gape in a very similar fashion to myself.

"It's a bird."

"Thanks for the update."

God Yuki's useful when he's out of it. I may as well keep a talking parrot around to state the obvious for me in times of trial.

"A big bird." My cousin adds helpfully.

I give Yuki a look that could melt glass, then blanch as my father comes hurrying out of the house a few seconds later.

"What's wrong, you two?"

Hobbling as fast as I can possibly go, I forcefully turn Kazuma round, and start pushing him back towards the door. "Nothing. A bit of a branch of a tree just feel on the roof, that's all. Yuki and I are going to go get it before it…" inspiration peters out, and I end lamely with "… causes any structural damage."

Kazuma shrugs me off without any sort of visible strain. Goddamnit, why am I so damn feeble?

"Kyo, is this what you, your cousin and I were discussing before?"

"Yes."

Kazuma frowns slightly. "I'm concerned. I want to see."

I turn for a second back to Yuki as I try to come up with the courage to say what I truly feel. "What's happening… with the branch?"

"Branch? Kyo, what are you, stupid? It's a great, whopping…"

"Branch, you asshole, and don't you forget it!"

Yuki stops staring at the roof to pay attention, spies my father, then mouths and understanding and somewhat bashful 'oh'. "The branch is, um… rattling about in the gutters…"

A piece of the guttering on the side of the roof takes that moment to dislodge and sag, practically hitting me in the head.

Glaring at the piping, I turn my attention back to my father, hands still wrapped around his forearms in a show of holding him in place. "See? Occupational hazard. Wha'did I tell ya? The world's out to get me."

"Yes, I can see. That." Kazuma quirks an eyebrow, "very active branch you have there."

I nod as seriously as I can manage. "It's something in the air, I think."

"Indeed."

There's another huge thump from above us, and several tiles slide off the side of the roof to shatter on the pavement.

"ah, Kyo, the… erm, branch is… ah… grooming itself under it's… twigs…"

"I'll be there in a second!" I snarl, annoyed as I finally find a chance to say what I need to.

Kazuma is looking more concerned than ever. "Kyo, let me help! It's obviously not debris, just let me assist you!"

"You can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because the less you know, the less you can tell Akito!"

There. I said it.

The little block that had slid in between my father and myself, and that little uncertainty about whether or not he's more loyal to his surrogate son, or the leader of his family. Eventually, I could understand why the 'bead incident' as I prefer to call it when I happen to talk about that certain day (which is to say, never, apart from in my head) had to happen, but it was still a shock to my system. A logical betrayal that was ultimately for the greater good, but still leaves a wound, that festers long after the date.

As soon as those damning words slipped out of my mouth, I whirled around, and ran to the side of the house and the ladder propped up against the roof.

I'm surprised it's still standing, though it's possible that someone bolted it on while I wasn't pay attention. An attempt to stop me being so anti social, meaning I couldn't pull it up or shove it away from the guttering, successfully stopping anyone from coming up. Come on, I only did it a few times. And only once when Yuki was trying to come up.

I scale the sturdy ladder as fast as I can, then slide onto the roof on my hands and knees, belly close to the ground like a slinking cat.

Obviously, the bird also makes this connection to a feline and disgruntled, the big red bird flaps its wings, a huge gust of wind blowing me off balance and onto the slippery-slide that is the steep slopes of the roof once winter has really set in.

With a sound like a strangled cat, I scrape my hands down the icy tiles, finally finding a use for having bound hands as my hand-warmed bandages melt a little of the ice, then start sticking to the roof, like a tongue to a block of ice or something. I really hope these things are tight.

My feet connect with the guttering, and my stomach starts going numb as I leopard-crawl back up the side of the roof.

"Easy… birdy…"

'Kyo, please just use the Elementals,' Shimo begs me mentally. I pause momentarily to turn my head and glare at Yuki, who stands, eyes glowing amber and rugged up in a scarf, down-filled jacket and what looks like three jumpers, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and successfully far-enough back to see what's going on and a blasé expression on his face.

"Don't see you ruddy well helping. Some bloody guardian you are."

"Oh please, love. Even if you did fall, all you'd get was a sore ass. Now, I don't want to have this argument with you right now; there's still a bloody-great bi… branch on the roof."

"Yadda, yadda…" Using Freeze as to create a set of hand holds, then Blaze to keep my hands from falling off, I slide fairly effectively back up to the crest of the roof next to my newest Elemental, and reach out to clutch it's leg. "Gotcha, Flight."

The next thing I know, I'm catapulted off the roof at what feels like the speed of sound, and it feels like my solar-plexus is being used as a punching bag.

I slam into Shimo, his warm arms wrapping protectively around me, and his head ducking instinctively down onto my shoulder as he, in turn, slams backwards into the branches of a tree near the edge of the forest, and tumbles down through the frigid, semi-frozen branches to land with a distinct 'oof!' on the ground.

I roll off the writhing form of my red-haired friend, then turn back to him once I shake the dirt and twigs out of my hair.

"Christ almighty, are you alright?"

"That was…" Shimo rolls over and coughs painfully, "distinctly uncomfortable."

Trust.

As I inspect Shimo for visible injuries – some of his feathers appear to be been ripped out with the fall, and red scratches all over the back of his arms and his back, I vaguely remark about how dirt looks strange on those usually pristine white robes.

"Yes love, I've realised that I'm somewhat dirty. Thanks ever-so for the update."

Shimo raises himself up onto his elbows, and uses the first swear word I've ever heard from him.

"Dear, do you mind giving me a hand?"

A hand wrapped around his elbow, my mind still reeling that Shimo would try and catch me like that, I help my guardian to his feet.

"Oh… dear. Believe I have cracked a rib."

"You… absolute idiot. That was the stupidest thing you've ever done."

Shimo gives me a dry, if not somewhat pained look. "If you keep doing absolutely mindless things like that, I'm going to have to continue doing extremely ill advised things."

"What, now it's my fault that I was shot off the roof like some sort of cannonball?"

"I never said it was your fault," Shimo explains in his usual patient terms, "I merely implied it."

Shimo flashes me an almost-cheeky smirk, then is surrounded by bright light.

I blink, trying to clear the spots from my retinas, then make an interesting noise as Yuki's dead weight lands on my chest.

Yuki blinks sleepily at me from where is head is nestled in my chest. "Oh. You're finished, then?"

I instantly deposit Yuki back on his own damn feet, and give him a once-over for injuries. Just because his uniform his as pristine as usual, and there isn't a hair out of place on his head doesn't mean that his body isn't hurt.

Yuki grabs my hands as I attempt to pat him down for injuries, and tugs me towards him, crushing our lips together.

Only after about a minute of getting thoroughly lost in the moment does he pull back, and lean his forehead against mine.

"Don't go doing that sort of thing unless you really want to get harassed."

And if I do?

Loving how Yuki runs his fingers through the short hair at the back of my neck, I turn my face back up to his, and press us together again.

Another minute of 'us' time.

Another pull back, this time with a sigh. "We're going to be late for school if we don't hurry. Tohru's probably waiting."

I slip my hand into my boyfriend's, and we walk back out of the undergrowth together, and back towards the house.

My father is no where to be seen, but Tohru hands me my jacket, smiles somewhat shakily, though wisely doesn't say a thing.

We head off for school in our usual fashion, with Tohru in the middle, but I have this huge urge to weasel in under Yuki's arm. All previous vows of no necking for the day have been burnt, then scattered to the four winds, and promptly forgotten.

I can't wait to get home.

Azael: I'm sorry if I seem a little harsh to poor Kazuma, but that's what I'd feel like as well. Then again, I'm very bad with trust. Big-ups to all that happen to continue reviewing my story, welcome to all the new ones out there, and a general thanks again to all. You lot make my world go round.