"She's late," Seiji said, looking at his watch for the fifth time. "I have an appointment to get to."

It was cold, but Shuu had insisted on sitting outdoors so he could spot the girl he had been dating for roughly a month. Seiji wrapped his scarf around his neck again, trying not to look as if he would rather be anywhere else. He had arrived in Yokohama the day before, running an errand for his grandfather; once Shuu realized he had double booked coffee with Seiji and Chihiro, he decided that it was time they met.

Linfei had told him it was one thousand percent too early, and wasn't Seiji the most judgmental of his friends? But Chihiro was the only girl that made him laugh the way he did, and he didn't really see why his friends should have to be kept in the dark.

Seiji, despite being so critical, was easily the first pick to meet her. Shin would have unknowingly charmed her, Ryo would have said no without even considering, and there was no way he was going to let Touma meet any girlfriend of his first. Seiji was the only one he could trust to not ruin his chances.

"Sorry, sorry," Shuu apologized for the third time, hands clasped in front of him. "She'll be here soon, I promise!"

"You've promised that at least twice no—"

Seiji cut himself off, brows knitted at something behind Shuu. Shuu glanced over his shoulder, following Seiji's line of sight. He spotted a woman approaching them—a few years younger than them, maybe, dressed impeccably in red heels and a matching cashmere scarf. Her hands were in her pockets and her steps were sure. It was her eyes, though, that made Shuu give her a second glance. Her eyes were oddly striking.

"Why are you here?" Seiji asked once she was close enough.

"You forgot your payment," the serious-looking woman said, unaffected by his bluntness. She dropped a glittery pouch onto the table. Seiji took it without looking, all but shoving it into his pocket. "That's not like you."

"I was in a hurry," Seiji said. "How did you find me?"

She raised her eyebrows, as if to say, really? Seiji seemed to have an internal struggle with himself before he finally sighed and gestured at Shuu (who was definitely not checking her out, of course not, not when his girlfriend was five minutes away on the train).

"Xiu Leihuang, this is Hino."

"Hey," Shuu said casually, although he was thinking about how damn lucky Seiji always was when it came to gorgeous women.

"An honor to meet you." Hino studied Shuu briefly, before she suddenly leaned over the table and peered at him. Shuu sputtered a bit, wondering if she had caught him looking at her legs. He turned to Seiji for help; Seiji, however, seemed wholly uninterested at the exchange.

"Can I help you?" Shuu decided to say, reeling back slightly. Hino reached forward, swiftly grabbing a lock of his hair and turning it over in her fingers. Shuu felt the blood rushing to his face as her fingers accidentally brushed his cheek. "Hey—what are—"

"You should get a haircut," she said as she straightened up. Shuu, utterly bewildered, stared at Seiji. Seiji furrowed his brows.

"It is getting long," he agreed after a moment, and Shuu's mouth fell open.

"You two are weird as hell," he eloquently said. He wrinkled his face when Hino looked amused. "That wasn't a compliment."

"I'll take it as one," she said. Then, surprising the heck out of Shuu yet again, she ruffled Seiji's hair before turning on her heel and leaving without another word.

Seiji scowled, trying to fix his hair. Shuu stared after Hino, wondering what dimension he was currently in. There were only three people in the world that could do that to Seiji without having their fingers cut off (Nasuti, his father and Satsuki). Who on earth was this woman who added herself to the list?

"My apologies," Seiji said. "She doesn't really know boundaries. Grew up in a shrine."

"Dude," Shuu chose to say. "You have the weirdest taste in women."

"Don't insult me," Seiji responded, finally getting his blonde locks in place. "Hino is a childhood friend, that's all."

"That's all?" Shuu snorted, sipping his coffee. "She looks like a model and dresses like a snob, and you're telling me you're just friends?"

"She and I are partners for the side job."

"Oh," Shuu said, and suddenly everything made sense. About five years ago, Seiji had suddenly dropped the bomb on all of them that he was carrying his grandfather's legacy. The dojo, they had all thought with a resounding 'duh.' Yes, that, Seiji had responded, but also other things on the spiritual side. There were spirits, apparently, that needed help moving onto the next world. Demons that needed purifying, or curses that needed breaking. His grandfather had worked with a man from Tokyo, but now that they were old, it was up to their grandchildren to continue their work.

So that was the priestess, Shuu thought. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but young, hot and crazy was definitely not it. He drank his coffee to keep warm, absently touching the ends of his hair. It was getting long, but he thought it made him more appealing, a bit younger. No way was he going to cut it.

Just as he thought that, his eyes fell on Chihiro.

"Chihiro, over here!"

A young brunette woman glanced over her shoulder, finding the two of them easily. A smile lit up her pretty face as she made her way over. She leaned down to give Shuu a quick kiss on the cheek (Seiji tried not to frown like an old man) before sitting in the empty seat. "I'm so sorry I'm late! The train was delayed."

"The train is never delayed," Seiji said, ignoring Shuu's pointed glare. Chihiro blushed.

"Just my luck, then, right?"

Shuu quickly introduced the two; Seiji forced himself to nod and accept her second apology. The three of them quickly fell into conversation about Shuu's restaurants, which had been busier than usual lately.

Shuu didn't notice Seiji lightly frowning at the two of them. He was too busy smiling at just how darn adorable Chihiro was. Meeting her had been a stroke of luck; he had been helping out at one of the short-staffed restaurants, and she had been on her way out after lunch.

"Boss," one of the staff members had said apologetically. "You really don't have to! We've got it covered."

"I'm sick of sitting in business meetings all day," Shuu had said, throwing his arm out to put on his chef's jacket. It was at that moment that Chihiro had walked by, and Shuu had almost knocked her over. "Oh shoot, that was a close one!"

"Boss," the staff member had sighed before apologizing to Chihiro. The young woman, however, only smiled and asked that Shuu take her out to make it up to her—and of course he did. Shuu could never say no to a pretty face, and he most certainly didn't want a potential lawsuit. The two went out that night, and they decided to date the following week.

"Hey, what if I cut my hair?" Shuu currently asked, and Chihiro balked.

"No way! You look so handsome with it a little long."

"Aw, Chihiro," he said, thinking she was downright cute when she sparkled at him. Seiji continued to frown, but he said nothing of it, keeping his hands in his pockets. He watched as the two of them continued to peer through the menu, discussing drink and food options. She really was cute, Seiji thought. How unfortunate. He wasn't sure, but if he focused closely enough...

"What do you think, Seiji?"

Seiji pulled his attention back to the conversation at hand. He nodded at the two of them. "That sounds fine to me."

As the couple continued to prod at the menu, Seiji lifted his eyes to the sky. The clouds were drifting lazily, and he felt none of the sun's warmth. It really was a cold day, he thought, his hands tightening around the pouch in his pocket.

x

Two days later, Seiji stopped by one of the restaurants. Shuu didn't even question how his friend knew which one to pick; he greeted him all the same, with a giant hug and a pot of tea. The two of them sat around a small round table, picking at the steamed peapod leaves served with a side of braised beef.

"Shuu," Seiji said, in the serious way that Seiji was about everything in life, "will you go to Roppongi with me tonight?"

Shuu had been waiting for this day ever since he met Seiji. He narrowed his eyes at his friend, who seemed to be placidly avoiding his gaze. "You know that's a hell yes, but why?"

"I want to... Have fun," Seiji answered, sounding as if he were admitting that he wanted to torture himself (which, in his case, going to the club was definitely that). Shuu rubbed his chin, utterly suspicious.

"Okay, well," he responded. "You've done and said weirder things."

"It's fine, forget it. I'll ask someone else, then."

"No way!" Shuu filled both their teacups. "I'll go, but you know I know you're up to something."

"Boss, more rice?"

"Sure, sure," Shuu said, accepting the bowl from a staff member. He scooped a big ladle for Seiji before filling his own plate. "So, what's the deal? I know you'd rather let Shin borrow your car than go out."

Seiji looked as if he wanted to say something. Instead, he picked out a piece of garlic from the peapod leaves. He chewed slowly, as if trying to decide something. Then, "Can we meet at your apartment tonight?"

"Sure, sure," Shuu repeated, drizzling chili oil all over his plate. "Whatever, I'm sure I'll find out anyway. As long as Chihiro's fine with it."

Later that night, as Seiji took his sweet time getting ready in Shuu's bathroom, Shuu called Chihiro and explained the situation to her.

"Well, fine," Chihiro said, and Shuu could tell she was pouting. He smiled at the thought of it.

"I promise I'll behave. He just wants to have fun."

They hung up, just as there was a knock at the door. Shuu made his way to open it, and he stared as Hino stood there, carrying a black shirt in her hand.

"Can I come in?" she asked, as if he were dumb. Shuu nodded, wordlessly moving aside to let her in. His eyes trailed on her outfit—impossibly high heels, patterned tights and a little black dress. Her eyes were sharply lined, and her lips were blood red. Oh no, he thought, was this weirdo going out with them?

"You're early," Seiji said, appearing from the bathroom. Hino threw the shirt at him; he unfolded it, inspecting it carefully.

"Mako spent all day cleaning it, you wretched snob."

"Give her my thanks. It's impeccable."

Hino rolled her eyes gloriously as Shuu marveled that Seiji let her call him that. "Tell her yourself."

Seiji gave a noncommittal noise in response, disappearing back into the bathroom to change. That left Shuu to deal with the weirdo hot chick. He grimaced; usually he could have a conversation with anyone about anything, but Hino creeped him out. He let out a breath of air.

"So, how's it going?"

She raised an eyebrow, looking at his outfit. Shuu had decided on wearing a slate colored shirt, thinking it accentuated his eyes. From the look on her face, it accentuated his bad breath. "Fine."

Oh, yeah, this was already painful, he thought. Shuu pushed out his lower lip. After another awkward silence, he tried again. "You do anything interesting since I last saw you?"

Hino looked up thoughtfully. "No."

"Alright, babe, I'm trying here, but talking to you is as interesting as talking to a rock," Shuu said, exasperated. Hino scowled.

"I'm not a babe."

"I'm just calling it as I see it." Shuu shrugged as she rolled her eyes at him. She didn't even contest the whole rock thing. "You and Seiji kill me sometimes."

"You didn't cut your hair," Hino said instead, reaching forward. Shuu slapped her hand away before she could touch him.

"Yo, cut that out," he said. She made a face but shrugged, making her way to the fridge. Shuu could only stare as she started digging through the fridge—his fridge, with his food and alcohol in it—before pulling out a bottle of wine. Then she started rummaging through his drawers before finding a wine glass. "I really can't stand you."

"Feeling's mutual," Hino said plainly, pouring herself a glass. She leaned back against the counter, watching him again with those piercing, violet eyes. Shuu would have found them pretty if it didn't feel like she was trying to read his soul. For a moment, he wondered if she knew about the armors. Of course she did; there was no way Seiji didn't tell his demon-fighting partner about that.

He felt self-conscious at the thought; her gaze was too probing, and it was as if she wanted to know all his secrets. He glanced away, busying himself with smoothing out his shirt.

Seiji stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in gray slacks and the black shirt Hino had brought. He was adjusting his cuff links as he made his way to them. "You two haven't killed each other yet?"

"Unfortunately not," Hino said. Shuu gave her an ugly look in response. "Very mature."

"Okay, why does she have to come with? She's mean."

Seiji gave them both a wry, quiet stare. It was going to be a long night, he thought, as Hino calmly told Shuu that he was just too sensitive (Shuu finally cracked and flipped her off, not caring if some kind of karma was going to pay him back for being rude to a priestess). Hino proceeded to sip her wine peacefully, ignoring the fact that Shuu was contemplating how to throw her out.

"So he's your bait?"

"Huh," Shuu said, his expression turning confused as Seiji suddenly looked incredibly guilty. "Bait?"

There was half a beat, in which Hino looked incredulous. "You didn't tell him?"

"No." Seiji pursed his lips. "I thought it better he didn't know."

"You're kidding, right?" Hino turned to Shuu, who downed the rest of his whiskey, feeling that he was going to need it. "We're tracing down a demon couple that preys on beautiful people. I have a friend already waiting at the club. Of course, we need two people. Seiji here should have explained that to you."

"Okay, so," Shuu said, and he thought to himself that he knew Seiji was up to no good, asking him to go to the club. As if Kourin no Seiji wanted to have fun. For what it was worth, Seiji did look incredibly remorseful. "Why couldn't you guys just do it yourself?"

Hino raised her eyebrows at him. He was sure she was refraining from calling him stupid. "Weren't you listening? They prey on beauty."

Shuu wanted to point out that she was unfairly stunning, and Seiji looked like he had just gotten off the runway. Instead he poured himself another drink and took a long swig.

"I apologize, Shuu." Seiji's voice was quiet. "I had just thought that if you didn't know, you could have fun without worrying about anything. You can refuse."

"I'm half-drunk already, dude." Shuu slapped him on the back, grinning. "Besides, sounds kind of fun. Let's go entice some demons, shall we?"

The buzzer suddenly rang again; before Shuu could make a move, Seiji answered it. "Come on up."

"Is this my apartment or yours?"

Seiji ignored Shuu, turning back to Hino. "Did you bring the wards?"

"Did you seriously just ask me that?" Hino looked at Shuu, as if asking, 'how do you stand this guy?' Shuu didn't quite want to ally with her, but he agreed that his friend had his condescending moments. He turned back to pouring himself another glass. There was no way he was going to be sober for demon baiting.

There was a knock on the door, and Shuu opened it to find Yagyu Nasuti, bundled up in a puffer jacket and earmuffs.

"Nasuti?" Shuu's face broke into a smile as he hugged the older woman, who laughed pleasantly at his surprise. "What are you doing here?"

It was Seiji who responded as he fixed the laces on his oxfords. "I asked her to wait here for us, just in case."

"Just in case what?" Shuu was more than pleased to see Nasuti (being in the presence of two socially-inept good-looking people was really starting to grate on his nerves). Nasuti held up a first aid kit, winking.

"Seiji gets injured sometimes."

"Are you a doctor?" Hino asked curiously, and Nasuti laughed again, shaking her hair out of her face.

"No, no, I'm not that cool. Try eternal babysitter for these boys."

Shuu loved that Nasuti still called them boys, despite the fact that they all now towered over her. He hugged her again before making his way to Hino. With the most obnoxious smile he could muster, he yanked the bottle of wine out of her grimy little fingers. She rolled her eyes, yet again.

"Yagyu Nasuti, this is Hino, my partner." Seiji motioned to Hino, who bowed gracefully. Shuu resisted the urge to push her over.

"Oh, hello," Nasuti said, bowing back. Hino's gaze softened as she played with the stem of her wine glass. Shuu didn't think such an expression was possible for someone as tart as her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hino."

"Call me Rei."

Nasuti's cheeks pinked at the priestess's warm smile. Seiji swiftly cut between them.

"Please don't call her that," he said, shooting Rei a sharp glare. "She is nothing but trouble."

"Seiji, don't be rude," Nasuti said as Rei's smile turned into a smirk.

"Yes, Seiji, don't be rude."

Hino Rei. Shuu thought the name suited her—spiritual, beautiful, and downright creepy. He quietly said her name to himself as he poured Nasuti a glass of wine. The sound of her name sunk into his teeth and fizzed into the air. There was something in the syllables that lurked underneath her oddball mannerisms—something he couldn't quite label.

Shuu handed Nasuti the glass, watching as Rei complimented her outfit. Nasuti wouldn't stop blushing, and Seiji was looking incredibly put-off. When the two turned their backs on her to check the contents of the first-aid kit, Rei met Shuu's eyes and snorted into her wine glass.

Hino Rei, he thought. Nothing but trouble indeed.

x

Rei's bait ended up being an annoyingly beautiful blonde with the personality of the sun. She introduced herself warmly as Aino Minako before taking Seiji by the arm and disappearing into the crowd of people. Shuu found himself yet again wondering why he was left alone with Dangerously Crazy.

"So what now?" Shuu asked, gesturing around. Rei blinked at him.

"You're the bait, you tell me."

"Oh for the love of—"

Shuu promptly ordered a whiskey soda. As an afterthought, he asked for a glass of wine as well. The bartender gave him an odd look (because, really, who ordered wine at a club), but he figured this demon-hunting-priestess would like a drink. And even though she drank half the bottle at his apartment (Nasuti was going to easily polish the other half, along with the other bottle), he still had manners.

They clinked glasses. Rei took a modest sip, glancing around. She seemed casual enough, he thought, but he could see that she was watching. In the crowd, Minako had started to shake her hair around and shimmy to the music. Seiji was nowhere to be seen; he was probably surveying the crowd, just as Rei was.

"You don't expect me to do that, do you?" Shuu asked, gesturing as Minako gathered a crowd around her.

"You're the bait, you tell—"

"Forget it," Shuu grumbled. He didn't miss the way Rei hid her smile in her wine glass. Before he could snark at her, he paused.

Shuu felt like he was being watched. He searched the crowd and did a double take; for a second, he thought he had seen Chihiro. After scanning the room again with no luck, he shook his head. He was feeling guilty, he realized, for being at the club with another (infuriatingly gorgeous) woman.

"I'll be right back," Rei said, placing her glass on the bar, and she disappeared into the crowd. Shuu raised his own glass in the air, toasting her departure.

Yep. This was not how he imagined a night out with Seiji was going to be like. Shuu undid a button at his collar, pulling his shirt a bit loose. It was hot, the music was loud, and people kept trying to bump into him. He wondered how on earth Seiji was faring.

"I'm getting old," he said to himself—and then, Shuu found himself unable to breathe.

He fell back, supporting himself against the bar. The lights started to blur together, and his heart was racing. Shit, he thought, was it the demons? Had they found him, without him even trying? With every breath he tried to take, he felt as if he were being pulled underwater. He tried looking for Seiji, but there were too many people—the music was too loud—he couldn't breathe and no one was even looking at him—

He tried to call his armor, but everything was so hazy. Kongo flared up, just briefly, before settling down again, as if muffled. Shuu felt his breath coming quickly now as he clutched the edge of the bar; the pain in the chest was getting stronger.

Then he felt an intense heat on his chest. His eyes rolled back; someone grasped the back of his neck suddenly, forcing him forward again.

"Xiu Leihuang, stop panicking."

The voice was unfamiliarly familiar. He squinted through the haze of his vision, finding sharp eyes looking deep into his own. Like jewels, he thought, glimmering under the night sky. A hand, startlingly hot, was on his cheek.

"Take a breath."

I can't, he wanted to say. He continued to struggle. Those eyes looked annoyed now, and suddenly he felt something slam into his gut. He gasped for air, heaving.

"What the fu—"

"I told you to breathe," Rei said, as if she hadn't just punched him in the stomach.

"You're crazy," Shuu wheezed. Despite this, he allowed her to swing his arm around her shoulders as she led him to the exit of the club. The air outside bit at his face, but he welcomed it, feeling his senses clear. His vision cleared as he panted; he faintly stared at the moon, wondering if it had always been that bright.

"I also told you to get a damn haircut," Rei was saying under her breath. Shuu was able to somehow let out a weak laugh as they made their way down the sidewalk.

"I look too good with this style, Hino."

"Yes, well," Rei said, gently settling him down onto a bench. Shuu squinted at her. Had she just agreed with him? She sat down, facing him and peering closely at his face again. She really had no idea of personal space, he thought. Chihiro would cry if she saw him now. Despite that, he didn't move away.

"What happened back there?" Shuu asked, his hand massaging his chest. "I couldn't—breathe."

Or call his armor, he wanted to say, but the thought absolutely terrified him and he didn't want to acknowledge it. Rei shook her head.

"It's not my place to say." She cupped his cheek in her hand. His mouth opened at the intimate act, but she seemed to be oblivious to it. She continued to study him, her eyes roaming his face. The feeling of self-consciousness came back, ten-fold, as she focused on his eyes. "Blink."

"Huh?"

"Blink, you giant idiot," Rei said. Shuu made a face and blinked, hard.

"There, happy?"

"Hmm." She finally sat back, releasing him. Shuu, oddly, felt that he missed the warmth of her hand. "You should be alright for now."

Shuu let out a slow breath. "I don't get it."

"I didn't expect you to." Rei fell quiet, simply looking at him for a moment. Then, "That shirt looks nice on you."

Shuu didn't know if he heard her right. "Huh?"

"That shirt looks nice on you," Rei repeated slowly, as if he had trouble understanding their mother-tongue. "It matches your eyes."

"You don't have to say it like that." Shuu ran a hand through his hair, successfully mussing it up. He couldn't make eye contact with her. Between the face-holding and now the awkward compliments, he was sure Chihiro was going to kill him. "Can't you at least smile?"

Rei showed her teeth. He couldn't help it; he let out a bark of laughter.

"You're hopeless, Hino."

"And you have a lot of hope in you, Xiu Leihuang."

Before Shuu could ask what she meant why that (a lot of hope, for what? For who?), the door to the club opened. Minako bounded out, heading directly for them. Her hair was messy and there was a scrape on her arm, but otherwise she looked fine. Behind her, Seiji carried their coats, looking quite undisturbed.

"What happened back there?" Minako flopped down on the other side of Shuu, bewildered. "You left us hanging."

"He needed air," Rei said, nodding her head at Shuu. The two of them gazed at each other across Shuu; a silent conversation seemed to be taking place. Shuu twiddled his thumbs, waiting. Minako eventually shrugged.

"Okay, well, we got their soul orbs, anyway."

"Oh, good."

"Date says I can half your cut."

"Did he now?" Rei cast the approaching Seiji a sour glance. "And why would that be?"

"Because we did all of the work," Seiji said, unbothered by her glare. He nodded at Minako, who grinned brightly at him. "Thank you for your help, Aino."

"It's not my fault your bait was useless," Rei argued. Shuu didn't know what the hell was going on, but he figured he was being insulted.

"Hey, not nice!" he said, nudging her. She turned her glower on him.

"I didn't say I was nice," she started to say, but Minako laughed, patting Shuu's arm.

"That's just Rei's charm, dude, you'll get used to it."

"I don't have charm," Rei said scathingly, and Shuu mentally agreed. She held out her hand, and Seiji placed a tiny, glowing orb in her hand. It almost looked like a yoroi ball, Shuu thought. There was light swirling under its surface, lazily churning energy around. She turned it around in her fingers. "You'll bring this to Setsuna?"

"Do I have to?"

There was something in Seiji's voice that made Shuu squint. Before he could say anything, Rei tossed the orb back to Seiji. "Yes. I'm busy."

Seiji openly frowned, but he tucked the orb back into his pocket. Minako raised her eyebrows. "You got something against tall, tan, gorgeous women, Date?"

"Yes." Seiji ignored Rei's slight glance. "They act like they know way too much."

"Well, in her case, she kinda does." Minako placed a finger on her chin. "Though I wonder if she knew about this..."

"This?" Shuu looked amongst his three companions. "You know a fortune-teller, or...?"

"No, no," Minako said brightly. She gestured at Seiji and Rei. "These two grumpy pants have to get their jobs from somewhere, you know, and she just deals with all of that. Pays them and everything."

Shuu made a mental note to threaten Seiji with no more home-cooked meals for withholding information. How the hell did this shiny blonde know more about the side job than he did?

Minako's wristwatch suddenly beeped; she jumped up, grabbing her jacket. "Shoot, work's calling. Nice to meet you, Shuu! Bye Rei!"

Without another word, she flew off, leaving a trail of glitter and lights. The remaining three fell quiet after she left; Shuu was making a face at Seiji, Seiji was avoiding Shuu's gaze, and Rei was picking at a chip in her nails.

"We should head back," Seiji eventually said.

"Oh, good." Rei stood up, hands on hips. "I wanted to give Nasuti my number, see if—"

"You're going home," Seiji snapped, and Shuu wasn't surprised when rolled her eyes. It seemed to be her signature act.

"Fine," she said, but her eyes slid to Shuu. "Tell her she can find me at the Hikawa Jinja, in Azabu-Juuban."

"You're not saying a thing." Seiji turned his stern glare at Shuu, who raised his hands innocently.

"I just got suffocated by a demon couple, I don't have the energy to fight both of you at the same time."

Shuu made a face as they both laughed. Rei covered her mouth with her hand, the very image of elegance. Seiji had his hands in his pockets and his head tilted downward as he chuckled. There was no way they thought they weren't beautiful enough to be demon bait. The scene looked like a photoshoot.

"I really, really can't stand you guys," Shuu said, crossing his arms. Seiji and Rei glanced at each other before laughing again.

"You say that until I save you at the last second," Seiji said, clasping Shuu's hand to help him up. Rei, on the other hand, tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"I saved him at the last second. You were too busy preening—"

"You were drinking. Which is still a bad habit, considering you're a priestess—"

"Okay, kids, play nice," Shuu grumbled, literally caught between the two of them. Seiji didn't even bicker with Yayoi like this. Hino Rei, he thought, was definitely trouble.

x

Seiji stayed in town longer than expected. Shuu had asked if there was another job, but Seiji was vague on the details. He said something about helping out at the shrine, and Shuu figured it had something to do with Rei. That was enough to make him drop the subject. Despite the fact that she had helped him, she was still secretive, and he didn't want to hang around that kind of energy.

Seiji never really did explain what happened at the club. A week passed, then two, and Shuu still found himself rubbing his chest occasionally. The thought of not being able to call his armor worried him. What on earth was so strong that it could suppress Kongo? He had mentioned it to Seiji, asking about the demon couple. Had they been strong enough to do that?

Seiji had remained quiet, before shaking his head and promising he would look into it.

"You've been distracted lately," Chihiro said. Shuu started; one look into those pretty brown eyes, and he knew he had messed up. He had been busy with helping out at the restaurants and trying to close a deal for a new building. His mind had wandered considerably during dinner, and now, walking her back to her apartment, he had drifted off again.

"I'm sorry, there's been a lot going on." He tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at her. "You'll forgive this big idiot of a boyfriend, Chihiro?"

Chihiro puckered her lips up. "That depends. How are you going to make it up to me?"

"Whatever you want!" Shuu leaned in and grinned conspiratorially. "I can always make your favorite dish."

"Hmph," Chihiro said. "Maybe. I don't know, I just feel like you're hiding something from me."

"Huh?" The smile fell of Shuu's face. Chihiro avoided his gaze. "What do you mean? I've got nothing to hide."

"I'm not letting you go."

Chihiro held onto him tightly. He rubbed her back affectionately, though he was absolutely confused. Thirty years on this earth, and women were always going to be complicated. "It's alright, Chihiro, I'm not going anywhere."

"No, you're not."

Her words were quiet, but Shuu picked up on them. He tried to pull back, to get a good look at her face, but her arms were locked around him. "Chi—"

"I saw you at the club."

"Huh?" Shuu managed to lean back, finally getting a good look at her expression. She was in tears, he thought, and he uneasily swallowed. He was never good when it came to women crying. "I'm—I'm sorry, Chihiro, please don't cry."

"You were with another woman," she whispered, and Shuu thought—oh, shit. "You said it was going to be you and Date."

"That was his friend," Shuu tried to explain. He mentally cussed Hino out in his mind. "I promise, Chihiro, she's crazy, anyway—"

A gust of wind knocked him forward. Chihiro clung to him still, the tears falling freely down her face. "I thought you love me."

"I do!" Shuu looked around, trying to find the source of the rampant winds. They were starting to pick up, and—was it his imagination, or was it suddenly getting darker? They were being targeted, he realized. Wind like this was unnatural. He felt the energy of his armor pulse, trying to warn him.

Shuu held onto Chihiro strongly. "Stay by my side. I'll protect us, don't worry."

At his words, the wind whirled around the two of them; Shuu grit his teeth and called his armor. He felt a flare of heat in his chest, and the ground under his feet shook. There was a flash of orange—and then a shock of darkness, as the wind fell upon them. He closed his eyes, covering Chihiro, feeling the dark winds tear at his back.

Kongo was quiet again. The unnatural feeling of being muffled returned, and his heart raced. Whoever this enemy was, they were strong. Were they after his armor? He tried to take a step with Chihiro still wrapped in his arms, but the winds were constricting his movement. They were trapped—but he'd be damned if he let Chihiro get hurt.

"That's enough, Chihiro."

Shuu's head snapped up at the sound of Seiji's voice. The bearer of Kourin was approaching them; Rei was by his side, her face somehow more serious than usual. "Seiji, careful—I don't know where it's coming from!"

Rei stopped, giving Seiji a scathing look. "Are you serious?" she hissed at him. Seiji shook his head.

"Not now."

Shuu furrowed his brows. The wind roared in his ears, and he dropped to his knees; still in his grasp, quiet and huddling against him, Chihiro whimpered. "Shuu, you can't leave me."

"I won't," Shuu said, and the wind—so fierce that he could no longer see in front of him—wrapped around them completely, covering them from the rest of the world. He felt the wind tear at his skin, and he grit his teeth, continuing to shield her.

"Seiji, you had one job," Rei snapped, and Seiji tried not to snap back. Instead, he focused on the swirl of dark wind surrounding Shuu, feeling for his friend's presence. Kongo's heart still beat confidently, strongly, in the same way the Shuu lived his life, and Seiji followed the path with his mind.

He swung the Kourin nodachi, and Rei followed his lead.

"Rai ko zan!"

"Akuryo taisan!"

Light burst from his nodachi, slicing through the turbulence of darkness. The ofuda burst into a shock of fire, licking at the winds, trying to swallow them. Combined, the two attacks tore into the winds from the bottom up.

Seiji didn't wait for the darkness to completely clear. He flew to Shuu, who was struggling to sit up. He put his arms around his friend, supporting him, slowly bringing him to his feet. "Shuu. How do you feel?"

"What the fuck just happened?" Shuu chose to respond, swallowing thickly. He was looking around, at the dark winds slowly turning into speckles of light and flame. Rei approached them more slowly, her hands in her pockets, her expression solemn. "Where's—Chihiro?"

As soon as her name left his mouth, he felt dull. Seiji cleared his throat. "She's fine, Shuu. It's better if you forget her."

"Forget her?" Shuu wrinkled his forehead. "What's the matter with you? I mean, I get it, she was late that one time, but she's not a bad person."

Seiji fell quiet, taking a moment to just look at Shuu. Shuu looked at him back, a gut feeling telling him there was something very obvious that he had missed.

"Xiu Leihuang," Rei said impatiently, cutting in between their silence and ignoring the warning look Seiji gave her. "Your girlfriend, this Chihiro... that was her curse that attacked you just now. And at the club."

"What?"

"She's gone now. We sent her away."

The dullness in his heart intensified. He shook his head, turning to Seiji. Forget what this acerbic young woman said. "What is she saying?"

"When humans become... attached, they want to stay attached," Seiji said quietly. He avoided looking into his friend's eyes. "There is power in desire, and even more in wishing. If strong enough, we all have the capability to speak desire into existence."

"By strong, he means obsessed," Rei finished. Unlike Seiji, she had no problem looking right at Shuu—Shuu, who had the ashes of Chihiro's curse scattered around him, swirling lazily in the breeze. Night was starting to creep upon them, and yet the shadows didn't seem to reach his face.

"Obsessed," Shuu repeated faintly.

"Shuu..." Seiji frowned, watching as the ashes started to blow away. "When she met you, she desired you so strongly that she cursed you. Did you not think it was weird that you wanted to introduce her to me right away?"

"So—so why didn't you say anything?"

Seiji felt his heart twinge at the words. He should have, he thought. Shuu had trusted him, and he let it get this far. "I wasn't sure. I suspected, but it wasn't until Rei said something."

"She was fixated on your looks." Rei's lips drew into a thin line for a moment. "I did say to cut your hair."

At Shuu's bewildered stare, Seiji elaborated. "Her curse on you was attached to the ends of your hair. I didn't see it at first."

"It was obvious," Rei muttered, and Seiji shot her a warning glare. She made a face. "Just saying."

"My hair?" Shuu couldn't help but raise his voice. "What do you mean, my hair?"

"That mess of a mop of your head." Her voice was as annoyed as the glance she gave Seiji. "She liked how you looked, and she liked how your hair looked. In her mind, you were perfect, and she didn't want the image of you to change. So she put a curse on your hair. To be hers eternally, and forever. A very reckless binding spell."

"That's—"

Shuu fell quiet, feeling his heart beat wildly. He was angry, he realized—worse than angry, he was furious. At Seiji, for not telling him everything—at Rei, for treating everything like a chore—at Chihiro, for choosing him, and at his own self, for falling for it. His jaw was clenched and his hands were drawn into fists. He was shaking, and he tried to take in a deep breath to calm himself.

Instead, he turned his head upwards and screamed. The ground around them started to rumble. The ashes of Chihiro's curse disappeared into the wind completely, as pieces of pavement started to crack and float in the air. Crackles of orange light filtered down from the sky as the air grew thick. Shuu reached out to Kongo, and his armor responded rapidly.

"Shuu!" Seiji shouted. He took a step forward, only to be thrown back by a large piece of earth. He got to his feet, only to be pelted and brought down again. "Shuu, calm yourself!"

Shuu couldn't stop. There was something pushing him forward, urging him to unleash the strength of Kongo. It was Rei who strode forward, heedless of flying debris. She placed her hand on his shoulder, pulling him to her. "Xiu Leihuang. If you don't stop that now, I will burn you alive."

"Then do it!" Shuu threw his arm out and the earth split right around them, separating them from Seiji. Rei stumbled a bit, and her hand gripped his shoulder more tightly. He screamed again, feeling his overwhelming anger release into the sky. The cracks in the ground deepened, threatening to open straight into the core of the earth.

Rei steadied her footing, looking incredibly hassled. "And I thought I had anger issues."

Shuu, breathing heavily, tears in his eyes, flung his arm into the air. Pieces of earth sprang up, creating a barrier between them and the rest of the world. With another wave of his arm, the earth crashed heavily to the ground. Rei sucked her teeth as debris pelted her.

"That's it, you giant crybaby—"

"Rei, don't! He can control it! Shuu, you need to calm down!" Seiji yelled, but she ignored him.

"Fire soul bird!"

A large flame burst into the sky, sharpening into a phoenix. As if guided by the armor, chunks of earth flew in front of Shuu, shielding him from its heat. The phoenix spread its wings wide; for a moment, it seemed to roar, its neck stretching wide into the night sky. Then it soared down, finding every crevice in the makeshift earth shield, slamming into Shuu and sending him flying back.

Shuu remembered Seiji holding him—the Kourin nodachi hovering above him—the dullness in his heart fading—wisps of dark smoke curling away—and Hino Rei's jewel-like eyes, cutting into his soul.

x

Shuu was floating.

There was fire there, as well as light. The ocean seemed to be right under his tongue, and he could almost touch the stars. It was the earth, though, that felt real to him. He dug his toes into the dirt, breathing in sea foam and moonlight. A charge filled him, zapping his instincts; when he opened his eyes, he felt hot.

He reached up, trying to find his way out of the dark. He found nothing everywhere he looked. The air was smoky, he thought, and thick. The ground beneath him gave way; he was silent as he fell, his mouth open with no sound, his eyes wide but he couldn't see.

"Cut it out, you big baby. You're stronger than that."

He could hear, though. Shuu strained to hear that soft voice that somehow resonated throughout his body Slowly, he stood. There was ground under him, he realized—solid, steady ground.

"Good. You'll be fine."

That's right, he thought. He was Kongo no Shuu.

"Xiu Leihuang. How many times do I have to remind you to breathe?"

Shuu let the dense air fill his lungs, and when he exhaled, he watched the darkness fade away.

x

Shuu woke up to find that he had been sleeping for a week straight at his family's house. His mother fussed over him for a few moments, yelling at Meiling to bring up some congee. Shuu tried to say he was fine, but when he tried to sit up, he fell right back down.

"Yes, they said that would happen." His mother smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "Take it easy for a bit."

"Mama, I'm thirty. I don't need you to baby me."

"Oh?" His mother leaned forward, a gleam in her eye. Shuu gasped, knowing what she was going to say. She always said this whenever he feigned independence from her. "I guess I won't make tomato egg and rice, then."

"Aren't I your favorite?" he wheedled, eyes wide. "Don't you want to spoil me?"

Meiling entered the room with a tray holding a steaming dish of congee, scallion eggs, you tiao and soy milk. "I thought I was her favorite."

"That you are, son!" They both laughed as Shuu's expression fell.

"I'm half-alive and you can't even pretend with me?!"

"You're such a big baby, dage."

Meiling excused himself after a moment, leaving mother and eldest son alone again. Shuu managed to sit up; he took the tray of food, breaking the you tiao in half before dipping it in milk.

"So," his mother said with an impish smile as she watched him move onto the congee. "Who was the beautiful young woman who helped bring you here? Seiji said she was single."

Shuu absolutely made a face as he blew at the steam on his spoon. "You talking high heels, a mouth that probably eats men for dinner and spooky eyes?"

"That is not the way you speak about your future," his mother scolded, smacking him. The congee spilled a bit; he tilted his head to lick at the spoon.

"Ow, mama!"

"She took care of you for a week." His mother smacked him again. He flinched, wondering how he managed to survive a whole childhood of her slaps. "She came here every day, made sure your spirit was still alive, kept this protection barrier around you—even blessed your armor, you ungrateful, spoiled punk."

"Wow, mama, really?" Shuu rubbed his head, trying to focus on his pain instead of the fact that Hino Rei had nursed his soul back to life, let alone saw his Kongo armor. "I am not ungrateful."

"So you don't deny being spoiled." His mother clucked her tongue, crossing her arms and sitting back. Eventually her ire smoothed out. "Your soul was split into pieces."

"Was it?" Shuu rubbed his knee, choosing to stare at the large Persian rug on the floor instead of his mother's worried eyes. "Seiji was there. I'm sure it would've been fine."

His mother let out a long sigh, as if she had been holding it in for thirty years. "I will never get used to my oldest son coming home like this."

"Mama, come on now..."

"You're strong, I know." Her hand patted his head, and the melancholy left her eyes. "Just an old woman wishing for some grandchildren, that's all."

"She is way too hot for you," came Chunfa's voice down the hall.

"That's very true," his mother said matter-of-factly, as Shuu gaped at the betrayal. "I'll make some dishes you can bring to her. It's the least you can do."

Shuu didn't know how to explain to his mother that while he was more than thankful that Rei had been there, he was also completely ashamed at himself. He had lost his temper, and she had been caught in the crossfire. If it hadn't been for Seiji yelling at him (even though, at the time, he had ignored him, a small part of him was listening), he was sure he would have lost control of himself completely. How did one both give thanks and apologize at the same time?

His thoughts drifted to Chihiro, and he was unsurprised that the dull ache in his chest hadn't gone away. It was as if she was a memory now—a fragment of the past, a voice being carried away in the wind. It had been true, he realized now. His infatuation with her hadn't been something of his own volition. The way he smiled and laughed with her, or the little things that he had liked about her...

Shuu breathed, not really wanting to focus on what had been real and what hadn't. First thing was first; he had to find out where crazy shrine lady lived.

x

"I didn't thank you."

Rei glanced up from feeding the crows. Shuu, dressed warmly with a hat on his head, peered down at her. He had a large paper bag in his arms. She blinked. "For what?"

Shuu puckered up his lips as one of the crows took off into the air. The other one stayed still, watching him. Then, with a great sigh, met her gaze. "For saving my life."

"Well, you could pay," Rei said, and she actually laughed when Shuu glowered at her. "I'm just joking, you oaf."

"You are such an asshole," Shuu complimented. He closed one eye, leaning back and looking at her. "But you really helped me out there. I appreciate it."

"Mm."

Rei fished in her sleeves for a moment before she pulled out a small decorative pouch with gold threads weaved around it. She placed it into his pocket; he started, wondering, not for the first time, how she could get away with being so forward. He took the pouch out of his pocket, blinking. "Omamori?"

"Always keep that on you." She eyed him for a moment. "Have you spoken with Seiji?"

"Sorta. He explained things and just went back to Sendai. Pretty sure he's avoiding me." Shuu made a face as she turned and motioned for him to follow. The two of them made their way into the shrine; she led him down a few halls before opening the door to the living quarters. He took off his hat, welcoming the warmth and turning to her. "Can you explain to me this whole 'soul breaking apart' thing?"

"You cut your hair," Rei said. Shuu ran a hand over his head briefly, still getting used to the shorter style.

"Well, yeah, duh."

"What's in the bag?"

"Oh, my mom made food." Shuu started pulling containers out, noting that his mother had cooked all his favorite dishes. Too bad he was giving it all away, he thought glumly as he placed the dishes on the counter. He turned back to Rei; she seemed genuinely surprised.

"She didn't have to do that," she murmured, peering at the dishes. Shuu thought she looked like a child amazed at a gift.

"Well, I am her favorite child."

"Funny, she told me it was Meiling."

Shuu threw the bag at her. She caught it, of course, and threw it right back at him.

"After we broke you free of that girl's curse, your spirit was vulnerable."

Shuu, in the middle of organizing the dishes, realized she never looked away from him. She always held his stare, even if it made him uncomfortable. In that moment, however, he was thankful for her honesty, even if the word vulnerable made him wary.

"When you called your own powers, your spirit became... overwhelmed."

"So I did it to myself?" Shuu flexed his fingers, looking at his hands. He didn't think he was capable of hurting himself. The armor had come to him the second Chihiro's curse had lifted, but his rash actions had led to more harm than good. It was his own power that had almost killed him, then—a sign that he needed to train again, to get his mind straight, to focus. He had become complacent in running the family business and trying to date.

"I did tell you that you're strong, you lunkhead." Rei seemed to acknowledge the doubt in his eyes; she placed a hand on his arm. "Xiu Leihuang, that isn't a bad thing. Your spirit is as strong as you are. If you had been any weaker, there was nothing I could have done."

"Strong, huh." Shuu stayed quiet for a moment, mulling over her words. "And that phoenix you called?"

"Called?" Rei flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I created it."

"Of course you did." He gave her a side-long glance. "And then you sent it charging at me—that's not a compliment, stop smiling!"

Rei reached over, reorganizing the dishes. Her smile stayed, despite his pout. "Purification flames."

"And then when my soul split... What did you even do? My mom said you healed me."

Rei waved the question away. "Just a protection spell. You needed to rest without anything trying to break through. You healed yourself. That's all."

That's all. As if he hadn't felt the darkness try to swallow him. He vaguely remembered the others trying to reach out to him—Seiji, Ryo, Shin and Touma. It was as if they had felt that his spirit was in trouble, through their connection. But it had been Rei's voice, hadn't it, that dragged him back out of the abyss?

"Come get a coffee with me," Rei said abruptly, pulling him from his thoughts. Shuu blinked as she started down the hall, not even bothering to wait for him. Placing his hat back on his head, he rushed after her, slipping on his shoes. She was already descending the steps of the shrine.

Shuu easily caught up to her. He linked his arm through hers, slowing her down just a bit. "Jeez, what's the rush?"

Rei gave him a sour look, but she didn't pull away. "My grandfather just came back home. I don't need you two to meet and start plotting on how to drive me crazy."

"Grandfather, huh? I'm great with those—ow, stop hitting me!"

x

A week later, Shuu found himself hiking up the steps to the Hikawa Jinja, a coffee in each hand. He stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the kids that were hurtling themselves down the steps. Their parents yelled after them, stopping to apologize to Shuu.

He grinned their apologies away, feeling his spirits lift. It satisfied him, seeing people leave so light-hearted. He had known shrines to be a place where people came with their troubles. It satisfied him to know that there was such a place that reassured people that the future was still bright.

He found Rei at the top, selling a charm to a young couple. They thanked her profusely, and she waved them away. Her eyes fell on him, then at the coffee in his hands.

"Those robes fit you well," Shuu said, grinning as he neared. "Adds to your whole spooky vibe."

"Oh shut up," she said, reaching for a coffee. He danced out of her way, eyebrows raised.

"Oh? Really now, Hino? You're just assuming it's for you?"

"You are insufferable." Rei shoved him aside as an old man asked her about the different types of charm on display. Shuu drank his coffee, feeling it warm his insides as he watched her work. After the old man left, he held out the spare coffee.

"I'm just teasing you."

"Hmph." Rei pinched his side as she took the coffee. Shuu yelped, bewildered.

"Is that how you give thanks?!"

"Yes, it is," she said with a scowl. "So, to what do I owe this honorable visit?"

Shuu stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugging. They watched as the crows perched in the softly swaying trees. "Just got out of a business meeting and didn't really want to go to another."

Rei was quiet. Shuu gave her a sidelong glance. She was looking straight ahead, face blank, as she sipped her coffee. The wind stirred her hair a bit; he felt, for a moment, oddly comfortable in the presence of her silence.

"Just don't break anything," she finally said, giving him a withering glance. Shuu broke into a smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

Of course, half an hour later, he knocked over two bird feeders. Just at that moment, Rei's grandfather, a jolly old man with a sparkle in his eye, returned from a doctor's visit. The old man forgave him, but only if he returned weekly to keep his miserable granddaughter company. Rei threatened to hit both of them with her broom; Shuu took that chance to fly down the steps, promising to come back soon.

When he ascended the steps two days later, Grandfather Hino pulled him aside. They walked around the grounds of the shrine, away from the visitors.

"Shuu, you seem like a good boy."

Shuu nodded his head, offering his arm out. Grandfather Hino held on lightly. "I try to be."

"I'm sure you've noticed Rei is awfully mean?"

They both turned to where Rei stood, arms crossed and dreadful frown pulling at her lips, glaring at them. With mirroring grins, they waved at her. Her eyes narrowed even more; before she could yell at them, her attention was pulled back to a visitor with a question, and they were spared.

"Yeah, she's kind of horrible," Shuu said. Grandfather Hino roared with laughter, slapping him on the back.

"That's the kind of spirit I like! You'll do just fine."

Shuu helped Grandfather Hino step over a patch of ice. "Do, sir?"

"Oh, yes, I'll be leaving for vacation for a week. You'll keep her out of trouble, will you?"

"I'll do my best, sir." Shuu paused for a moment. "Actually, no, I'm the wrong person to do that. I'll probably get her in trouble."

"Good! She's way too serious for her age—"

"I can hear you," Rei snapped from afar, startling the visitor she was selling a fortune charm to. Grandfather Hino shed a fake tear.

"See how she nags me? It's like I have a mother, not a granddaughter!"

Shuu couldn't help but laugh, especially as the visitor turned and basically ran from Rei. She was starting towards them, hands clenched in fists. "You two, stop conspiring!"

"Conspiring?" Shuu tsked, shaking his head at her. "We're not conspiring, Hino-chan. We're admiring."

"Admire somewhere else," she replied. And then, catching him off guard, she looked up at him with a slight pout. He mentally reeled; someone as mean as her was not allowed to be so cute. "You didn't get coffee today?"

"Shuu," Grandfather Hino said, eyes wide as he reeled back. His smile was sly. "You didn't bring her a coffee? She was looking forward to that!"

"I was not!" Rei actually flustered, and Shuu laughed again. Underneath all the demon-slaying, spirit-saving and curse-breaking, he had to remind himself that she was still a young woman. An incredibly difficult and snobby one, true, but she was easy to rile up—and he might have discovered that he enjoyed that.

"I'll bring you one next week, Hino-chan. I promise!"

"Don't call me that!"

Shuu caught the broom she threw at him, winking at Grandfather Hino. Rei turned on her heel, stomping off to the visitor who had just arrived.

"If you're going to hang around, then at least sweep!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

(Shuu broke another bird feeder, somehow, while sweeping; Grandfather Hino helped him hide the evidence)

x

As the earth turned and the days flew by, Shuu found himself incredibly busy. Shin had visited for a week, on his way back from a trip in Tokyo. Apparently his mother was in need of a live-in doctor, and Ryuusuke had mentioned a friend of a friend's daughter in the city, who was looking for a less hectic schedule. Shuu took time off to catch up with his old friend, promising that he would visit in a few months with the other Troopers, and did he know Seiji's Spooky Partner?

(Shin feigned innocence, but Shuu knew better—Date Seiji had been hiding this miserable girl from him, most likely because he knew they wouldn't get along and would probably kill each other)

Once Shin left, Shuu was thrown back into his hectic lifestyle. He spent all morning in back to back business meetings (he was close to securing the new building for Yunfat to run his own establishment, as well as a partnership with San-X in promoting their new character at his flagship restaurant); in the afternoons, he rushed to one of the restaurants to help with the short staffing. His staff always told him he was working too hard, that they could manage, but he only winked at them every time.

"I can't have you guys running out of energy now. What kind of boss would I be?"

In the late evenings, if he wasn't at dinner with his family or out entertaining business clients, he was at the Hikawa Jinja. Grandfather Hino's week-long vacation had extended to two months, and winter was starting to pick up. The commute gave him good time to clear his mind, and honestly, spending time at a shrine reminded him of his youth.

And currently, on this evening at the Hikawa Jinja, Shuu found himself staring at the abomination clutched in Hino Rei's hands.

"What is that?"

Rei paused, looking down at the package in her hands. It was instant curry, her favorite brand. "Is that a serious question?"

"Please don't tell me that's dinner."

"It's dinner." Rei leaned away from him as he snatched the package from her. "Hey!"

"You are not eating instant food in front of me." Shuu threw the package in the trash; Rei's mouth dropped open as he started opening cabinets and pulling out cans and boxes. "You're hopeless, Hino. Is this what you feed your grandfather?"

"Of course not." Rei quickly snatched the instant curry package from the trash before he could see. When he turned to gesture at the food on the counter, she slipped the package in her sleeves. "He eats well."

"So what's with all this crap?"

"It's not crap! It tastes good."

"Wait, hold on." Shuu held his hand up, staring at her now empty pantry. Then he threw open the fridge. "You have a fridge full of food!"

"I'm busy." Rei frowned with a shrug. "Usually Mako makes us dinner for the week, but she's been out of town."

Shuu looked at her as if he couldn't possibly quite understand how she had lived so long without starving to death. That was why she was so damn skinny, he thought. He started pulling things from the fridge—a pack of chicken thighs, some scallions, a bit of garlic and cucumbers.

"What are you doing?"

Shuu, sleeves already rolled up to his elbows and headband pushing his hair back, winked at her. "Just you wait, Hino. You're gonna want me to stay and cook for you forever."

"Doubt it," Rei said, and she caught the stalk of ginger he threw at her face.

An hour later, after much yelling (Shuu had tried to throw away all the instant meals, and Rei had threatened to curse his unborn children if he even got near them), Shuu stepped back and looked at his table spread. He had decided to make Hainanese chicken over a bed of steaming rice, with a side of chili-smashed cucumbers. Comfort food, he thought, since her grandfather was out of town and she was a sour little witch living by herself. Rei peered over his shoulder, head tilted as she surveyed his work.

"That looks good," she said, and Shuu sighed, untying his apron.

"Why does everything you say sound like an insult?"

"I said it was good!"

Shuu turned and poked her in the cheek. She scrunched her face up. "It's the way you said it."

"I said it in a way that meant it looks good," Rei said, pinching him. "And don't poke me."

"Then don't pinch me." Shuu threw the apron over his shoulder as he continued to set the table with their plates.

"How did you learn how to do this?"

"I own restaurants, Hino-chan. If I didn't know how to cook, I'd be the laughing stock of the family."

"Hmm," Rei said, and Shuu couldn't help but noticed that she didn't yell at him for calling her 'Hino-chan.' The two of them sat on opposite sides of the chabudai; he was almost leaning over the food as he watched her take a bite. She chewed slowly, face blank, avoiding his gaze.

"So?" Shuu finally said when she swallowed. Rei scrunched up her forehead.

"Are you watching me eat?"

"Don't make me sound like some kind of pervert," Shuu said, waving her concern away. "How's it taste?"

"Good." Rei sighed when Shuu threw his arms in the air. "It's amazing, best thing I've ever tasted, I can't believe I have lived twenty six years without this in my life."

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, but I'll take it," Shuu replied as he started to fill his plate. He peeked at her for another second, watching as she ate another piece of chicken with a smile. Good, he thought. No one deserved to eat that sad excuse of prepackaged instant meals.

"Oh, this is spicy."

Shuu smirked and raised his eyes to look at her—only to be pleasantly surprised that she was smiling and scooping more chili oil onto her plate. "Be careful, it sneaks up on you."

"That's the best part," Rei said, dipping a chopstick in the oil just to taste. Her gaze brightened. "Where did you get this?"

"I made it." Shuu was full on preening now, brushing off his shoulders as Rei blinked. "Secret family recipe. I carry a bit around for emergencies, you know. If I knew you liked spicy, I would have brought a full jar."

"Hmm," Rei said, yet again, but she was smiling so he let it slide. The two of them continued to eat in their own version peace; more than once, she chided him for eating so fast. In retaliation, he stole the piece of chicken she had been aiming for.

x

Shuu hurried along the sidewalk, shouldering the bag with the prawns his mother had Linfei pawn on him. He hoped Rei had indeed gone to the grocery store to get vegetables. The last time he had requested something like that, the priestess had forgotten in lieu of a soul-sucking spirit she had to banish. He shook his head at the memory; he had arrived at the shrine to see her haphazardly tending to her bleeding arm. Aghast, and appalled at the awful job she was doing, he grabbed the bandages and properly tied up her arm.

Rei had thanked him, looking almost amazed that a bandage could be applied so neatly. Then she had remembered that she had forgotten the fish, and he had to play around with canned mackerel.

Shuu came out of his thoughts as he tried to maneuver around the person in front of him; in doing so, he knocked into the person coming up behind him. "Pardon me," he said, stepping aside to let the person go.

"Shuu?"

Shuu stilled, recognizing the voice, but not the gloomy feeling that accompanied it. He drew in a breath and turned around, smile ready. "Chihiro, hi."

Chihiro, smiling that sweet smile of hers, tucked her hair behind her ear. She stepped off to the side, letting the foot traffic flow around them. "You look well."

"So do you," Shuu had to admit. He wasn't sure what she knew and what she didn't. After he had woken up from his week-long soul slumber, he had met up with Chihiro to break it off in person. She had accepted gracefully, understanding that he was busy with the restaurants. Seiji had said something about her memories being tainted, that she wasn't going to remember that night. But Shuu still couldn't understand how one person could curse another without knowing.

Chihiro looked him up and down, almost wistfully. He was still dressed in his suit from his meetings earlier in the morning. Shuu adjusted the bag of prawns, catching the appreciation in her eyes. Now that he wasn't cursed, he saw it clearly. Chihiro really admired him, more than he ever thought. Too bad he never really knew what it was like to actually fall for her.

"I'll see you around," Shuu finally said, and he turned away from the way her smile seemed to drop.

The train ride to Minato seemed longer than usual, and Shuu tried to breathe easy. Seeing Chihiro left him dull again, and he didn't want to bring that energy around Rei. Eventually the train pulled into Azabu-Juuban, and he found himself at the steps of the shrine. He took one last deep breath before exhaling and feeling the dullness leave him.

He made his way up the steps, past the 'closed' sign posted by the door, and into the shrine. He could faintly hear music playing, and he followed the sound to the kitchen.

Shuu stopped, not sure if he was processing the scene quite correctly. The soundtrack he had conveniently left from last week was playing in the background. It was an old track, a wistful piano ballad that his mother used to play on weekends. And while the familiar notes were comforting, it was the scene that accompanied it that had him pause.

At the counter, with a grimace so wretched that he wanted to keep the image in his mind forever, Rei was chopping carrots. Shuu felt something stir within him—a terribly nostalgic feeling that softened his gaze as he simply watched her. She was entirely out of her element, he thought; she was holding the knife as if it were a weapon, and the pieces she was cutting were far too thick. Despite that, she still had put on that stupid yellow apron he had gotten her, and she was trying.

She was humming under her breath, he realized after a few heartbeats, and he had to swallow the twinge in his chest.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me or help?"

"I'm in shock," Shuu said, pushing his thoughts away. He set the bags on the counter. He made his way over to her, gently taking the knife from her hands. "I've never seen carrots butchered so awfully."

"It's that bad?"

The two of them stared at the cutting board, where thick chunks of carrots sat pitifully.

"Yeah," Shuu said. "It's that bad."

Rei sulked. "Shut up."

"How about you get some drinks and I'll finish the rest?" Shuu grinned at her, poking her forehead. She swatted his hand away, turning to take off the apron and toss it aside. Wordlessly, she made her way out, and Shuu was left to his own thoughts as he made to clean up her mess.

He had gotten used to her, he realized as he tried to trim the carrots, and his stomach flipped. He was utterly and hopelessly used to her. He was comfortable in seeing her often; Shuu tried to think of when he was not looking forward to coming to the shrine, and he found that he couldn't. Even after a long day of non-stop work, he always wanted to travel to Azabu-Juuban. It was worth it to see her eyes soften at his dishes, to see her smile with every first bite.

Shuu didn't let himself get any further with the thought. He really didn't want Seiji coming back from Sendai to kill him.

An hour later, the two sat in a comfortable quiet. Rei had brought back a fancy bottle of wine that didn't pair at all with Thai prawns and pickled vegetables. He had lectured her about the importance of drink and food pairings, and she had ignored him and poured them both glasses. They clinked their glasses regardless, settling down and peering at the meal.

"What is this song about?" Rei asked after they had started eating. The melody of the song hung in the air; the singer's voice was wistful, longing.

"Star-crossed lovers, usual Chinese stuff." Shuu stuffed his face with pickled mustard greens, allowing himself a moment to appreciate the kick of chili he had decided to add last minute. "She had to leave him without a goodbye, he spends his days missing her, they have to wait a thousand years to reunite, blah blah."

"Why did you give me such a depressing song to listen to?" Rei muttered, reaching forward and grabbing a prawn from the center plate. She delicately popped it in her mouth. Shuu raised his eyebrows.

"Since when do you listen to what I give you?"

"Since you started coming here uninvited, blaring it without even asking."

Shuu, hand at his chest, gasped. "I am offended. I was invited. Grandfather Hino said so."

"Xiu Leihuang, I swear—"

"You can just call me Shuu," he interrupted. Rei made a face as she took another prawn.

"Why would I do that?"

Shuu shrugged. "Everyone does. It's easier, I guess."

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, Xiu Leihuang, but I don't necessarily like easy." She set the prawn down, and Shuu felt that she was hesitating. That was ridiculous; Hino Rei never hesitated. Then, "Your name is very elegant. I like how it sounds."

Shuu blushed. He cleared his throat and sipped at his wine, not sure what to say. This bullheaded woman was turning his world upside down, and he was sure she had no idea she was doing so.

"Thanks," Shuu ended up saying quietly, and he stole the prawn off her plate. "You can drop the family name, though. You sound like my mom."

"I like your mother," Rei said with a slight shrug. Shuu decided right then that there was no way he was going to tell her that his mother wouldn't shut up about her. Once his mother found out where he disappeared to after work nearly every day (thanks to Chunfa's big mouth), she tried to pawn off all sorts of meals on him to bring to her.

Shuu tried to explain that there was no need, that he had manners, of course he was feeding her, what kind of son did she think she raised? In hindsight, that might have made it worse; Yunfat had taken to filling his fridge with groceries their mother had bought. He contemplated changing his locks, especially when he came home one day to find Yunfat stealing his beer to make room for two whole ducks.

(Rei, however, was quite pleased with the ginger duck soup, so he had to thank his mother for that)

"So when is this Mako getting back from her trip?" Shuu glanced at Rei, who furrowed her brow. "She's not mad I've taken over her job of making sure your miserable ass is fed?"

"Why, are you getting tired of feeding my miserable ass?"

"I could never get tired of you, Hino-chan." Shuu smirked as her nose wrinkled; he knew she hated that he called her that, even if she stopped yelling at him weeks ago. The irritation on her face was too endearing.

Then, as cool and casual as the snow falling outside, she said, "Rei."

Shuu's heart skipped three beats. "Huh?"

"If you want me to call you Leihuang, then I want you to call me Rei."

Her tone was nonchalant as she picked a few carrots to put on her plate. He wondered if she knew the power in her words—in her allowing him the right to use her name, to cross over the line from friends to something more personal. She trusted him with her name, her person, her identity. This was twice now in less than ten minutes that she left him speechless, and he was startled to realize that he didn't mind it.

Shit, Shuu thought, stifling the stirring in his chest as he watched her dump an obscene amount of chili flakes onto her vegetables. Seiji was definitely not going to hear about this.

x

Shuu decided that he liked the markets in Azabu-Juuban. While he had friends that offered discounts in Yokohama, Azabu-Juuban had nice middle-aged women selecting the best meats and vegetables for him. On his first market run with Rei (he had forgotten onions, distracted by the pig head Yunfat was trying to shove into his fridge), he had ended up with half the store trying to shove radishes and leeks into his arms.

On their latest market run, they ran into Mako, who ended up being cute, friendly and giant. She squished Rei in a hug before greeting Shuu with a genial smile. "It's great to finally meet you!"

"Finally, huh?" He smirked at Rei, who pretended to be very interested in the selection of apples. Mako, realizing that she had let something slip, nervously laughed.

"Oh, you know, I was on a retreat in the mountains for a month, I was worried who was feeding her so I just asked, not like she said anything, I definitely had to pry. I'm sure you've noticed she can't cook a thing—of course you've noticed, you've been chefing up all kinds of dishes, that grilled mackerel last week looked great!"

Shuu waggled his eyebrows at Rei, who tried to throw an apple at his face. Mako caught it without even blinking and placed it in her basket.

"Now, Rei, be nice—"

"I'm not nice," Rei muttered, avoiding Shuu's gaze. She swiftly changed the subject. "Did Ami decide to take the job in Hagi?"

"Oh, she's on the fence about it, you know her and handsome men. I told her it'll be right by the ocean, but she's nervous." Mako shrugged, picking up a head of lettuce and placing it in Shuu's basket. "Yakiniku tonight, right? She's pretty excited abou—"

"Mako, show me the perilla leaves," Rei said a bit loudly, taking her friend by the arm. Shuu swore he heard her hiss at her friend as she led her away, "Can you not be so obvious, please?"

Shuu shrugged, deciding that he didn't want to think much about it. It was probably all very innocent; Rei was most likely just excited at having free Michelin-star level meals. Besides, he still hadn't come to terms with how he felt, so soon after Chihiro. The priestess annoyed him beyond all measure, but at the same time her presence comforted him. There was also the thought of Seiji's overprotective glower looming over his head...

Rei came back with a bundle of vegetables in her hands. The two of them paid for their groceries and made their way back to the shrine quietly. Something had changed, Shuu thought—meeting Mako, hearing her basically say that Rei talked about him, about their meals—that had changed their comfortable dynamic, staining it with an unsaid question.

Then Rei stopped and grabbed him by the elbow sharply. "Where is the omamori I gave you?"

"Huh?" Shuu dug through his pockets before cursing. "Shoot, I must have changed jackets—sorry—"

"You dumbass," she hissed, and she grabbed him roughly by the chin and yanked his face close to hers.

"Woah! Hey, be gentle!"

"Gentle my ass—you are a walking disaster."

Without warning, she reached into her pocket, pulled out an ofuda and stuck it on his forehead. Shuu made to rip it off; Rei grabbed his ear and twisted.

"No, you are going to keep that right on your giant forehead until we get back to the shrine."

"Why are you hurting me?" Shuu squirmed out of her grasp. She sighed heavily, grabbing his hand and stalking off. "Rei!"

"You can't walk three steps without getting cursed, can you?" Rei paused at the crosswalk, waiting for the traffic signals to change. Shuu adjusted the bag of groceries with his free arm, trying to stare at his fringe. His hair was too short, however, and he just ended up looking cross-eyed.

"What's with the hand holding?" he asked, noticing a few stares from passersby.

"Do you like curses?" Rei chose to answer, staring straight ahead of her. "I can let go of you and you can get swallowed up again."

"Hmm," Shuu said, and he couldn't help but give her a mischievous smile. "You know I can't see these things. So how do I know you're not making it up, just so you can hold my hand?"

"Yes, you're absolutely right," she deadpanned. "I am just such a clever and tricky girl, aren't I? Too bad you saw through my plan."

"You said it," Shuu responded, and he grinned as she rolled her eyes. Still, she continued to hold onto him as they made their way to the shrine.

"It's nothing serious," she said after a moment. "Probably just another admirer with hidden desi—"

Rei abruptly stopped; Shuu stumbled, almost running into her and dropping the groceries. "Woah, what's the deal?"

Her grip on his hand fell slack, but she didn't let go. She was staring at the tall man smoking a cigarette at the base of the steps. The man seemed to catch sight of them, and he gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Rei," he said, and her fingers tightened around Shuu's once more.

"Kaidou."

This Kaidou man looked Shuu over; Shuu tried not to puff out his chest, even with the ofuda on his face. Whoever he was, his presence was enough to have Rei on edge. Shuu was well aware that his jeans and hooded jacket paled in comparison to the fitted sport coat and business suit this man wore. Despite that, Shuu wasn't going to let this man make him feel inferior, especially as his gaze fell on their hands.

Then Kaidou gave a sigh. He dropped his cigarette, stubbing it out with a shiny leather shoe. "I was hoping it wasn't true."

"What do you want?" At her sharp tone, Shuu glanced down at Rei. This wasn't a side he had seen from her before; the venom in the voice was real, and the look in her eyes was too guarded. Kaidou placed his hands in his pockets leisurely.

"Your father caught wind of this visitor you are... welcoming frequently at the shrine." Kaidou's eyes flicked to Shuu again, and this time Shuu was sure the other man was sizing him up.

"It's none of his business," Rei said, drawing Kaidou's attention back to her.

"He's a foreigner."

"Come again," Shuu interrupted, eyebrows raised. "I'm what, now?"

"You can leave," Rei snapped at Kaidou, who didn't move.

"Rei, you need to think of his position. Elections are coming up. How would his reputation look if the public knew his daughter was frolicking with a foreigner? His family might have money, but they will never be accepted by the public."

Before Shuu could punch this pompous man in the face, Rei marched up to him and stabbed him in the chest with her finger. "And who should I frolic around with? You?"

"Didn't we, at one point?"

"Get out," Rei said, and Shuu wondered if she wasn't holding herself back from slapping him. He gave the man one last glance as Rei pulled him up the steps. Kaidou met his stare evenly, still holding onto that fake smile.

"So," Shuu said as casually as he could, once he thought they were safe within the shrine's walls. "Ex-boyfriend?"

"No," Rei spat, her movement jerky as she unloaded the groceries onto the counter. "And if Seiji heard you say that, he would kill you."

"Oh, okay." Shuu was going to phone Seiji the second he got back to Yokohama, regardless of the risk of homicide. Rei let out a long, slow sigh.

"I was very young and he took advantage of that." A muscle in her jaw twitched. Shuu wondered what exactly 'took advantage' meant, and if he should stomp down the steps to kick this Kaidou in the ass. She whirled around, facing him. "I apologize for what he said about your background. It was disgusting and I don't condone any of it."

"I know you don't." Shuu shrugged, taking the can of quail eggs from her hands before she crushed it open in her ire. "I'm used to it, don't worry."

"You shouldn't be."

Shuu saw the honesty in her expression. It made him uncomfortable, almost; it wasn't her burden to take on the subtle discrimination of the nation. He swallowed, searching his mind for a way to change the subject. "So can I take this off my face now?"

"Oh," Rei said, and the apologetic expression deepened. "I forgot. Go wash your hands and mouth with the purification water and you should be fine."

"Don't start on dinner without me," Shuu called over his shoulder as he made his way down the hall. He hurried to the water pavilion, hoping she was going to listen for once. He grabbed the ladle, scooping up water, when he noticed Kaidou standing off the side, watching him.

"Shuu Reifang." Kaidou nodded at him. Shuu didn't return the gesture, instead choosing to continue with his water purification. He poured a bit of water onto his left hand, focusing on its touch against his skin. Shin always took his time, and he had tried to instill that within Shuu as well. Water was healing and calming; it was hard, however, to appreciate that when Kaidou was watching him.

Shuu cupped water into his mouth, swirled, and spat. Then he straightened up to his full height and turned to Kaidou. "Can I help you?"

"Please, leave Rei be."

"Dude," Shuu said, shaking his head. "Seriously, come on."

"I understand," Kaidou said, and Shuu tried to channel Shin's peaceful nature. "She is very alluring, and you can't help yourself but to be drawn to her. But she isn't someone you can tame. She never will be."

"She's a person, not a horse," Shuu snapped, despite himself. Think of water, he tried to think, but he felt his temper rising. This pompous man was bringing out all of his bad old habits. Was Seiji aware that Kaidou was still ahgning around Rei?

"Please reconsider."

I'm reconsidering breaking your face in half, Shuu wanted to say. If Ryo were there, he probably would have. Instead, he drew his shoulders back. "You need to leave."

The two men regarded each other, both unyielding. It was Kaidou who finally broke eye contact as he turned and walked off. Shuu watched him go, huffing. He almost wished that he had punched him, even if he was on holy grounds.

Shuu returned to the shrine's living quarters, making his way to the kitchen. Rei, of course, had rebelled against his one wish that she waited for him; she was slicing the meat in thick chunks.

"You never listen, do you?" Shuu nudged her aside with his hip, taking over and trying to thin the cuts.

"I was just trying to help," she grumbled, and Shuu took a moment to look at her—in that yellow apron, hair tied back, face twisted in an unwholesome frown. He smiled, sighed, and shook his head.

"That was a compliment," Shuu said, and he didn't miss the way her face bloomed into a blush.

"Shut up," Rei grumbled with a smile as she pinched him.

x

A week after his confrontation with Kaidou, Shuu decided with finality that he very much was attracted to Hino Rei. She was mean, she was gorgeous, she liked his food and she laughed at his jokes. She was everything he never thought he would let into his life, a far cry from cute and sensible, but she just fit in so well that he couldn't imagine not cooking for her.

The two of them were sitting at a coffee shop before a market run. Shuu decided it was now or never.

"Are you dating Seiji?" Shuu blurted out. Rei scowled.

"Ew, no. I've known him since I was born."

"Isn't that a thing?" Shuu pressed. "You know, childhood friends to lovers and all that—"

"Please stop before I hit you." Rei gave him a slight glance. "Why?"

Shuu feigned innocence, although he felt his heart race. Lord, he thought, he really needed to re-evaluate his standards. He almost missed the cute girls that hung outside the restaurants just to compliment his hair and muscles. "Why what?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

Shuu cleared his throat. He sipped his coffee, taking to watching the crowd around them. "Just wondering."

He chanced a glance at her, and was surprised to see fleeting disappointment on her face. Rei cupped her hands around her own coffee, staring into her cup, silent. Then she sighed, and Shuu sensed that disappointment leaving her to catch onto a wind and fade away.

"Our grandfathers are friends. It might be in our lineage to be associated with each other."

"You make it sound like a business transaction."

Her brow furrowed. She took a sip of her drink. "You misunderstand me. Seiji and I are kindred spirits. I care for him deeply, but there is nothing romantic."

Shuu stuck his tongue to the side, leaning back and studying her. She seemed to let him, her eyes now on the city skyline. She was so serious, he thought. So stern and stoic, and yet... There was a warmth in her, a warmth that was slowly becoming obvious the more he met with her. An awful temper, too. Maybe even worse than Ryo's.

Her gaze flicked to his suddenly. He thought he would never get used to her sudden actions (and maybe, if he were being honest, he liked that she startled him).

"Wanna go on a date?" Shuu said casually, despite the fact that the longer he held her gaze, the more he felt himself redden. Rei's eyes widened.

"What? No!"

"Oh," Shuu said lamely. Then, "Why not?"

"You're too large."

He spat out his coffee. "Excuse me! This is all muscle, I'll have you know, lots of girls like thi—"

"Not your appearance, you idiot—"

"Wh—when did you see my—my—"

Shuu gestured at his lap. Rei's face turned as red as her shoes.

"Shut up!" Rei actually screeched, smacking him over the head. "I was talking about your aura, you—imbecile—"

"Oh," Shuu said, rubbing where she had hit him. She was as bad as his mother. "Well, why didn't you just say that?"

"I didn't realize you had your mind on your private parts," Rei said, and Shuu decided that he very quickly wanted to change the subject.

"Okay, so my aura is—uh, large?"

Rei huffed at him. "Yes, it's very attractive."

Shuu blinked a few times. "So isn't that a good thing?"

"No, it's not." Rei crossed her arms, looking him up and down. He didn't miss that she was still blushing, though. "That means many others will want you as well, and I really don't want to fight anyone for a dumb man like you."

"Okay, first of all," Shuu said, pointing at her, "you need to stop calling me dumb. It's not nice. Don't roll your eyes at me!"

Rei lowered her eyebrows. "I can roll my eyes at you if I want."

"Your eyeballs are going to fall out," Shuu sniped. "And second, are you attracted to my aura?"

"What does it matter?" Rei grumbled. She glanced at her watch. "When is Seiji getting here?"

"He's not. I told him to stay at home so I could ask you out."

"What?" Rei's mouth fell open. "You did—not!"

"And now that I know for a fact that you're into me—" here Shuu ducked another swat to the head, grinning wily as he peered down at her, "then you're going to let me take you out."

"Ugh," Rei said, crossing her arms and looking at him sourly. That, he decided, was not a no, so he winked at her.

"Just you wait, Hino-chan. You're gonna want me to stay in your life forever."

"Doubt it," she said, and she pinched his side when he poked her cheek.

"Ow! Stop pinching me!"

x

Looking back on it, Shuu decided that he was entirely innocent in the situation.

He had arrived at the shrine twenty minutes early. Grandfather Hino, finally back from vacation, had welcomed him with open arms.

"I knew you had it in you, Shuu," the old man had said, tears in the corners of his eyes. The two embraced each other, Shuu squatting down to properly hold the old man. Rei had appeared at that moment, eyes narrowed at the two of them.

"I don't like this."

Shuu, however, was speechless for a moment. Rei had always been gorgeous, that was obvious, but somehow—in her slinky navy dress, her hair hanging free over her shoulders, eyes looking at him as if she wanted to share a secret with him and only him—somehow, tonight, she seemed ethereal. The world stopped, his heart beat, and he breathed.

"Holy shit," Shuu eloquently said, and Rei smirked as Grandfather Hino coughed.

"Be a good boy, Shuu," he hissed, and Shuu cleared his throat and held out his arm. Rei graciously accepted, even though she looked like she wanted to tease him for the rest of his life. Whatever, he thought, she could do all that—as long as she was still holding onto his arm and smiling at him.

Forty minutes into their date (they had just parked the car outside of a fancy restaurant one of Shuu's friends owned, for some fancy event with some fancy celebrities), and Rei suddenly whipped out a handful of ofuda, scanning the area. Shuu, hair prickling on the back of his neck, seamlessly called his subarmor without hesitating. The two of them stood, quiet and still.

Then a giant shadow loomed over them.

Shu swung his arm up, chunks of earth shielding them from the shadow's sudden gust of wind. Rei's eyes wrinkled up. "That omamori I gave you... Is there any chance it was opened?"

"I'm not that stupid," Shuu said, nudging her behind him.

The shadow morphed into a giant, indistinct figure, stretching up towards the sky. There was a large flash of light, and suddenly the shadow became a giant tiger. Rei tsked, drawing her left arm back while stretching her other arm in front, resting on Shuu's shoulders. An arrow appeared in her left hand, with charms on the end of its tassels.

"At the same time," she said, and Shuu readied himself. He felt an immense heat from the arrow, almost overwhelming his senses—but it was warm, soothing. He held his arms out to the sides, awaiting her signal.

The tiger lunged at them. Rei let the arrow go, her arm steady on his shoulder to aim, and Shuu clapped his hands together, calling two slabs of earth to entomb the tiger. The arrow struck the tiger in the eye; the charms glimmered, briefly, before the tiger burst into specks of shadow.

The tiger faded into smoke, curling up into the sky. The earth crumbled back to the ground, and Shuu waved his arm to scatter the slabs into dirt. "Was it supposed to be that easy?"

"Must have been called with a weakened will," Rei said, and she stiffened suddenly. Before he could ask, a voice spoke up from behind them.

"Shuu." He whirled around to see Chihiro. She was holding the omamori he had lost in her hands; it was indeed open, and he could see the tendrils of shadow fading from it.

"Chihiro..."

"Case in point," Rei said quietly to herself, and she approached Chihiro, motioning for Shuu to stay back. Chihiro clutched on to the omamori, eyes watering.

"I didn't mean to take it from him," Chihiro said, her pretty face marred with sadness. "It fell out of his pocket, and I just picked it up... And I..."

"You opened it," Rei said plainly. Chihiro nodded miserably, and Shuu exhaled. Was he the cause of all this?

"I just thought... He said he was so busy, but... I wanted to see him again."

Rei sighed, gently placing an ofuda on Chihiro's forehead. "You need to forget about him."

"I—I can't!" Chihiro cried out, dropping the omamori. Shuu's stomach twisted at the anguish on her face. "I love him!"

"I know." Rei smoothed the girl's hair back, and the ofuda glowed. "But that's not the kind of love you need."

The ofuda burst in a shock of light. Chihiro flinched, stepping back—and then, tears down her face, she nodded. "I understand. I—I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Shuu."

Shuu wordlessly watched as she turned and made her way down the street. The omamori, opened and useless, lay on the ground. He swooped down, picking it up and looking inside. It was empty—like the guilty feeling inside him as he tried not to picture Chihiro's grief-stricken face.

He handed the omamori to Rei. She clenched her fist over it, and it caught fire instantly, succumbing to ashes.

"If I'm going to have to constantly fight your ex-girlfriend's curses, I'm dumping you right now," Rei said. Shuu let his subarmor subside.

"Aren't I the victim here?"

"You're the problem." Rei held onto his arm, and she peered closely at his face. "You're fine."

"Yeah." Shuu held her gaze, searching her eyes. "Whatever you did to her... Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine. Don't feel guilty," Rei said. She surveyed the scene for a moment. Despite the loose earth on the ground, the sidewalk looked untouched. She turned back to Shuu, still holding onto his arm. "Really, none of this is your fault. You can't carry the weight of everyone, Xiu Leihuang. It's fine."

"I can't help but—"

"Feel like you're wrong for taking me out while she's mourning?" Rei raised her eyebrows. "That's not very considerate to me, is it?"

Shuu grimaced. "Come on, when you say it like that..."

"We can call it a night, if you want."

Shuu took in a deep breath. And then, letting it out with an audible sigh, he fixed a grin onto her. "Nah, my mom would kill me if she knew I wasted a date with you."

Rei laughed, slipping her hand into his. "Then let's get to this fancy event."

"We actually missed it," Shuu said, glancing at his watch, and Rei actually cursed. "Hey, it's fine! You just wanna do yakitori and drinks?"

Rei muttered something that sounded oddly like, 'am I on a date with Minako,' but she waved her arms regardless. "Lead the way."

And that was how they found themselves at a hole-in-the-wall yakitori-ya, peering over the grill, letting the smoke overtake them. Shuu had thrown his suit jacket over Rei's lap, mindful of the way everyone was looking at them. Rei didn't seem to care that they were dressed in their finest at a dive bar.

"We do yakitori a lot," Rei said, seeing his impressed look as she flipped the skewers sizzling in front of them. Of course she could cook on a grill but not chop carrots. "After a late battle. Usagi and Minako's idea."

"We do okonomiyaki," Shuu grinned. "Touma's idea. Oh, when you meet him, you're gonna flip. He's worse than me."

Rei was quiet for a moment, taking a sip of sake. Then, "I've met him."

"Huh," Shuu said, mouth full of chicken skin. He didn't remember Touma telling him about any mean and gorgeous girls. "When?"

"Ten years ago, about. Mouri, too. I only met Sanada a few years ago."

"Huh," Shuu said again, reeling back. He stared at her, brow furrowed. "What the hell, was Seiji hiding you from me?"

Rei laughed openly at that as she took a couple of skewers off the grill and placed them on his plate. "He probably was. You and Nasuti."

"Nasuti I get, he's been secretly in love with her forever, but me? I'm amazing."

Rei gave him a weird look. "He doesn't like Nasuti, he... Oh, you idiot, you have food all over you."

Shuu wasn't even embarrassed as she leaned over to brush off his shirt. In fact, seeing the envious gazes from other diners, he wanted to kiss her right there. Screw what Kaidou thought—Hino Rei was troublesome, obstinate, and had the worst sense of humor, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

As their date went on into the night, Shuu discovered that Rei had an oddly romantic side to her. He was ordering a last round of yakitori when she spoke.

"Do you think," Rei said, "that two people could wait a thousand years for each other?"

Shuu refilled her cup, squinting at her question. "Is this about that song? It's just a song—"

"Is it?"

He raised his eyes to meet hers. Her cheeks were flushed, but her gaze was bright. Again, he was reminded of jewels—sharp, and glittering, reflecting all of the night sky and its secrets.

"A thousand years doesn't seem that long," Shuu replied, and the answer seemed to warm her as she lifted her cup to cheers him.

Full with good food and drink, the two of them eventually made their way back to his apartment. Shuu didn't even pretend to be mad as she immediately pulled out his finest bottle of wine and opened it. He sat on the couch, watching her with a soft gaze and a warm smile. She handed him a full glass as she curled up next to him so naturally, and he draped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her close as the movie he chose started.

Then, halfway through the movie, he decided that none of it was his fault, so if Seiji wanted to kill him, he couldn't.

It was, after all, Rei's hand that grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close—and her lips that pressed fervently against his. Sure, those were his hands roaming every inch of her body, and maybe he was the one that pressed her up against the wall, but she was the one that took it to the floor.

The door opened. "Shuu, do you know where..."

Seiji trailed off, taking in the sight of the two of them on the floor. Rei, on top, had Shuu's arms pinned to the ground. Shuu, grinning feebly, had lipstick all over his neck.

"Please tell me you're wrestling."

"We're wrestling," Shuu said as Rei dropped her face into his shoulder.

"I'll just leave."

"No, I'll leave," Rei grumbled, getting to her feet. Shuu looked incredibly put out as he sat up. "Can you run me through with your sword, first?"

"I don't want my sword anywhere near whatever you two were doing," Seiji said.

"Call me!" Shuu hollered as they shut the door in his face.

Seiji tried not to laugh as he and Rei made their way down the street. It was only a matter of time, he thought, despite his best efforts. He wasn't sure when he thought that the two of them were oddly compatible; over the years, he had realized that he was subconsciously preventing them from meeting. Maybe it had to do with Kaidou, and maybe it had to do with Shuu aimlessly dating around. He was overprotective of Rei, he knew, in the same way he made sure to meet all of Satsuki's suitors.

So when Rei had suddenly appeared in Yokohama, months ago, with his payment, he knew it was Fate that had intervened.

"You get along well," Seiji said, as if he had not just walked in on them. Rei pinched his side. "Ow!"

"We do not get along," Rei grumbled. "He's loud and he smells."

"Is that really the best you have?" Seiji smiled at her, and, in a rare display of affection, rested his arm around her shoulders. The two of them continued down the street peacefully. "Your insults become generous when you start to like someone."

"I don't like him."

"Hmm." Seiji glanced down at her, not at all surprised to see the gentle look in her eyes. She had her arms folded across her chest, but the lightest of smiles was spreading on her lips.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh," Seiji said. "We've got a request from the Youjakai. It came from Kayura directly."

"Is that your way of avoiding Setsuna?" Rei said, and she smirked when Seiji suddenly withdrew from her.

"I'm not talking to you anymore," Seiji said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Rei rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, stop denying it. We all know I saw you two kis—"

"Portal's that way," Seiji said, cutting her off and motioning towards a large red tori conveniently in front of them. "Try not to flirt with Shuten, please, since you're so involved with Shuu."

"Only if you ask Setsuna out," Rei said, and she sighed when Seiji said nothing in response. "Seiji, stop playing games. You've been attracted to her since you met her, it was obvious."

"Just like how you were attracted to Shuu?" Seiji chose to respond. "I didn't introduce you two for a reason."

"Cut it out with that older brother act—"

"I wouldn't have to act like that if you weren't such a younger sister—"

"You have a younger sister, named Satsuki—"

"And she's far more sensible than you—"

The two of them, bickering all the while, made their way through the gate, feeling the power of Time-Space whisk them away from the human world and into the Youjakai.


an this monstrosity started off as a one-shot dare that got way out of hand ;;;;; still no clarity or blink 2.0 sorry but here is a crack rarepair!