A/N: I realized on Sunday that Chapter 21 of HC has a tiny spoiler for Chapter 13 of TPS, so I'm going to schedule around this issue:

Oct. 31: TPS Chapter 10 & HC Chapter 19
Nov. 4: TPS Chapter 11
Nov. 11: TPS Chapter 12 & HC Chapter 20
Nov. 18: TPS Chapter 13 & HC Chapter 21

Just wanted to clear that up so you have an idea of what's ahead. If you hate the idea of waiting 11 days between HC updates, save this for Saturday!

Otherwise, Happy Halloween! Have a few shameless HP & Marauders references, casual Battlefront bonding, and, as a birthday present to myself, one of my absolute favorite relationship tropes. You'll see.


[Chapter 19]: Locus Felicis


A little after 19:00, the graduating group plus Shiina and Yui found themselves heading back to Ayato's. He got out of the car just in time to see Yuri gazing contemplatively at the house, and it hit him. This was the first time she'd seen this place in half a year. Six months since she'd packed a bag, left in the night, and never looked back.

Smirking, he leaned against his car, waiting for her to come up the driveway.

"Who did you think you sold it to?" he asked cheekily. When she approached, he walked her to the front door. "Or did you think you just abandoned it?"

Yuri stepped up behind him on the front porch with a melodramatic sigh. "I guess I just figured I left it up to my parents. And to Ryou," she said. "She and Kyou were the one helping me house-hunt."

He frowned as he held the door open for her. Ryou had told him that Yuri moved, she hadn't mentioned she'd given her a nudge out of town. And he'd let her hug him with those traitorous arms! He fumed about that for a bit until everyone else had made it inside, then Kanade gave him a little tap on the shoulder and he followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

In the TV room, Yuri made herself comfortable on the couch with Shiina and Kanade, while Yui and Otonashi pored over their respective charm books and chatted amiably. Yui had become engrossed in hers during the car ride home. Frankly, Ayato was surprised at how quickly she absorbed the information. He hadn't pegged her for the bookish type, but she read pretty fast. Hinata briefly went on a mattress hunt and set one up in his and Yui's temporary room for Shiina after getting a confirmation from the woman. Yui had looked up from her book to squeal about it being like a sleepover.

Ayato personally appreciated the arrangement. With a stern ninja in the same room, Hinata and Yui would be less likely to… canoodle.

He'd stopped making dinner at the thought, horrified. Canoodle! Disgusting, he sounded like Kimito.

"Do you want any help?"

He glanced up from the cutting board and looked over his shoulder. Yuri stood in the entryway, her hand braced against the woodwork, watching him chop vegetables.

It did make him kind of wistful for the times they'd made dinner together, but he was still skeptical.

"I didn't starve without you, Nakamura," Ayato said, feeling protective of his cooking skills. He eyed her curiously. "Do you remember where everything is?"

"I think so. As long as you didn't move anything." She sashayed into the kitchen and flung open a cabinet. Satisfied, she nodded her approval and ran her fingers along the spices before closing the doors. She moved to the next cabinet and found the cups and mugs. "Did you keep any Key coffee around?"

"Nope!" Otonashi called knowingly from the TV room. "Just tea."

"Uh-oh," said Hinata from his spot on the couch next to Shiina, "did she say the 'Key' word?"

"Shut up, idiot!" Ayato snapped, glaring at him through the pass-through. His face warmed noticeably, and he hoped it was just the heat from the stove.

Turning, Yuri pinched her eyebrows at him.

"You've got a problem with Key coffee?" she asked, as if it was a deal-breaker with her.

"Of course not. I made it for you this morning," he reminded her. Had it really only been this morning? So much had happened today. "I used to make it for you every morning. It's just not my drink. I was tea, and you were coffee."

"Hmm." Yuri busied herself with the greens he hadn't washed yet. "Sounds like we complemented each other."

From the TV room again came a deep groan, and Hinata's exasperated voice. "Trying to keep my appetite for dinner over here, Yurippe! Please keep the flirting to a minimum."

Yuri whipped her head around, hair flying. "Didn't he just tell you to shut up?!" she snarled at him.

Ayato swore he felt his heart flutter.

While he and Yuri worked in the kitchen together, Shiina and Kanade struck up a conversation about the movie that was on TV, an animation based on what pets do when their masters aren't looking. Hinata seemed perfectly content to just kick up his feet and watch. Apparently he already identified with a shaggy black talking dog named Inuhoshi, and would point to the screen occasionally, saying, "That's me" or "Hey, Otonashi, that one's you. The wolf-like one."

Otonashi and Yui were still invested in finding something useful in Yukine's books. Every once in a while, Yui would excitedly read a charm out loud. Not ones they were looking for, just something she thought was cool.

"This one helps you find someone just by saying a spell or pouring a potion over something that belonged to them!"

"Yui, we don't have anything like that," said Shiina.

"I know! But if we're ever in danger—like maybe if you leave behind your scarf—"

And then there was:

"No way! If you have a melody stuck in your head but you don't know the lyrics or the title, all you have to do is tap a surface and say the note scale twice! Then it'll come to you somehow, like you'll see or hear part of the title somewhere."

Kanade hummed in interest, peering over Yui's shoulder. "That one sounds really useful."

"No kidding, Miss Earworm," Yui retorted. "Miss 'Hums A Million Tunes 24/7 and Never Tells Me The Names.'" Kanade just beamed guiltily.

They took a break to eat, and honestly it felt like being part of one of their old Afterlife cafeteria meals. Hinata, the walking garbage disposal that he was, had plenty of room for it, his appetite clearly having survived two occasions of fast food and the oh-so-horrendous "flirting" that had transpired earlier. Ayato knew he had been all talk. Otonashi didn't show any flirting discretion, happily sharing some of his portion with Kanade. She'd stolen a piece of fried shrimp from him and he'd looked absolutely besotted.

When Yui turned the topic to charms, Shiina made an offhanded comment about making pinwheels out of dirt, and Hinata and Yuri had laughed appreciatively for some reason. Ayato didn't get the joke, but he liked watching her laugh. Then Hinata started making mention of lost limbs, which had Shiina giggling. Good God – either he needed to tune back in, or that woman had a terrifying sense of humor.

Hinata saw his face and tried to explain – something about how they met Shiina in the Guild – but Ayato tuned out again because nostalgic was a good look on Yuri. It made her face soften and her eyes twinkle.

"—and you know, I don't think you've ever heard the time Yurippe threw me off the roof—"

"Wait, what?" Ayato snapped to attention.

Hinata rolled his eyes heavily. "See? He only cares when it's something about me being the victim of violence."

"You could tell him about the time I stabbed you," Kanade offered helpfully.

"What?" Otonashi blinked, looking affected and weirdly jealous. "When was this?!" Apparently his wife was not talking about that time in the Guild, when it was a clone and didn't count.

"Back before you were there." Kanade touched his hand, as if comforting him. "It was an accident. I was aiming for Yuri."

Ayato hid his bewildered expression behind his tea mug. What a strange couple... Tragic and loving and fated, but downright mystifying sometimes. He looked across the table at Yui and Shiina, who were exchanging the same puzzled glances. Oddly enough, from his recollection those two were the only ones at this table who had never enacted some sort of violence on each other.

Otonashi and Kanade weren't strange – this whole damned friend group was strange. Not that he was complaining.

Later, after Hinata and Shiina did the dishes, everyone was either huddled up on the couch (Ayato, Yuri, Kanade, and Shiina) or lounging on the ground. Otonashi and Yui were back to studying, their backs pressed against the bottom of the couch, while Hinata had his head propped up on Yui's shins and was half-watching the news, half-listening to his wife mumble charm descriptions to herself.

Their group downtime suddenly got interrupted when Yui gave a jolt of excitement.

"Ooh, I found something!" she said, pumping a fist into the air victoriously.

"Watch your legs next time," groaned Hinata, rubbing his head.

Yuri leaned over Ayato and Kanade to see over Yui's shoulder. "What'd you find, Yui?" she asked, sitting up on her knees.

Pointing to the page she was on, Yui traced a header with her finger. "This section in here – it's called 'Soul Friends!'"

"Soul friends," Otonashi repeated, rubbing his chin. He mouthed it to himself again, grinning. "I love it."

Ayato regarded the title for a moment and found it fitting. The header did have an air of fate and destiny to it. "Soulmates" had always sounded silly to him, but considering the group of people hanging out in his TV room right now, he would say he was a believer in people who were meant to be in each other's lives.

Yui's eyes scanned the page so fast it was almost cartoonish.

"The charm is called... Unmei no Basho," she read. "There's a powder called Locus Felicis, which is just Latin for the same thing - 'location of luck or destiny.' You're supposed to sprinkle it on the ground and walk in it, or get it on your shoes somehow, and walk around a building in the town where you want to run into someone. It creates an epicenter of fate that radiates through town."

"What if stalkers use this?" Yuri asked absently.

"The spell knows if your heart is true!" Yui argued, hugging the book to her chest. "Stalkers aren't soul friends. It just says you'll run into the friends of your past, present, and future. The ones you're meant to meet."

Yuri dug a piece of paper out of her pocket, then her phone out of her purse. "I know one way we can find out more about it," she said, punching in a number.

Moments later, they had Yukine's voice on speakerphone.

"Yukine," Shiina said when the woman answered, "what can you tell us about Locus Felicis?"

Their charm-loving friend sounded interested.

"Locus Felicis?" she said. "I know it's a variation of a potion called Felix Felicis! More commonly called Liquid Luck. When you drink Felix Felicis, you'll be very lucky for a few hours, and everything you do will be successful."

"Including finding the people you're looking for?" Kanade asked.

"That's right. But it's a potion, not a charm, and it's much more complicated. I've heard it takes six months to make." Yukine laughed easily. "It's lucky you're only asking about Locus Felicis. That's a much more specific version. It gives fate a little nudge. Some people think it's a lazy way of finding your soulmate, but really, it's just a way of bumping into someone special. Location of luck makes it more likely for you to be at the right place at the right time."

Yuri looked pleased. "I think this is exactly what we're looking for."

"I think so too," said Yukine, cheerful. "It takes about five to seven days to make the powder. Maybe less. Will that be a problem?"

"Not an issue," Yuri replied automatically. "We'll be seeing each other on weekends mostly anyway. Shiina can drop by and pick it up when it's ready."

"Alright, that's perfect. The charm's effectiveness wears off after six hours, and should be used sparingly. Lucky days can get to a person's head!" A thoughtful pause on the other line. "Is there a lucky location you have in mind?"

"Here in Mizuzaka," said Ayato, slightly thrilled when he remembered they were establishing their home base here. No more driving back and forth, not for him!

Yukine hummed in approval. "Mizuzaka is such a magical place," she said. "I'll start making the powder when I get back home. But maybe we can meet up again beforehand."

"Sounds good. Thanks for the help, Yukine," said Yuri. They gave their goodbyes and hung up.

Although it was a shame to give up planning who they would find next, the bizarre Battlefront managed to find a whole new way of making it interesting – betting on someone. Hinata and Shiina guessed Ooyama. Otonashi had his money on Matsushita the Fifth. Yuri and Kanade were almost positive they'd find Fujimaki, then Ooyama. Yui earnestly hoped for Iwasawa. Ayato wasn't a betting man, but he decided to guess Noda anyway.

"Just so it'll be the first time I'm happy to lose money," he said with a grin.

"He's not that bad," Yuri told him, rolling her eyes.

Ayato made a small dubious noise and let Otonashi change the subject to their plans for tomorrow. The more he mentioned his aversion to Noda, the more likely she was to sing his praises. He, for one, didn't care to hear about how Noda was the fifth original member of the Battlefront. According to Hinata and Shiina, Ooyama had been the third, and Ayato was more than willing to lose bet money to find him first. He liked him well enough, after all – he was upbeat and easily suggestible.

When he tuned in again, Otonashi was talking about Mizuzaka.

"—but we might not have to wait around for fate," he was saying. He looked to Ayato just then, who mentally patted himself on the back for his timing. "What do you say, Naoi? Maybe you can show us around town. If it's going to be our main base, we'll want to know the area."

Ayato nodded. "I can do that."

"I can, too," Yuri reminded them.

"That's right." Kanade glanced at Yuri contemplatively. "Maybe there are some places here that could help jog your memory."

Yuri didn't look too against the idea. She lifted an eyebrow in Ayato's direction. "Anywhere in particular?"

He hesitated, absently rubbing his throat. Of course there was somewhere in particular. That was another thing he'd been mulling over on the drive back from Noroi. For some reason, he felt like Yuri wasn't ready for the bridge after all. Or maybe he wasn't. As a last option, maybe he'd try the bridge again – for memories, or for him meeting that magic man. Still, he needed to at least sleep on it first.

"The park, maybe," Ayato said after a moment. "And a road a few minutes away from our neighborhood. Maybe the bookstore and the coffee shop."

"I thought you made me coffee at home."

"You like their pastries," he replied, undeterred. When was she going to learn that he would never lose at her trivia games?

Once everyone agreed that the memory-based itinerary for Sunday sounded good, operation discussions fizzled out and they took to a medley of randomness. A werewolf yokai TV horror movie played in the background that only Shiina, Hinata, and Otonashi were really paying attention to, while Yui and Kanade huddled over the charms books and started reading more of them aloud for fun. Yuri listened absently as she sat behind Kanade braiding her hair.

"Ooh!" Yui yelled, making Kanade jump and accidentally tug too hard on her braid. "This one can amplify a sound! It can make music or voices even louder!"

"We do not need you any louder," said Ayato, horrified. Yui made a face at him, while Kanade frowned and rubbed her scalp. "How does that have anything to do with location?"

"They're not all location charms. Just a few sections," she sniffed. "And besides, smarty God guy, it could something to do with sound localization! Or throwing your voice." The woman went starry-eyed. "Imagine using this stuff for Girls Dead Monster concerts!"

Ayato was a bit affronted by her rebuttal – and by being called "smarty God guy" – but he let it go. So did she, after a few more minutes of researching for music-related spells, when Shiina and Hinata coaxed her into watching the werewolf movie with them.

"I'm more of a vampire girl," she said with a toothy smile (Ayato nervously noted her sharp eyeteeth again), but she squeezed in between them happily and laughed at Hinata's jokes about the werewolf being Otonashi when he didn't shave. She let the book slide off her lap and onto the floor, then started to kick it out of the way much to Shiina's chagrin. Kanade gently reached over and picked it up, thumbing through the pages. The ninja looked appeased.

However, sometime after the credits rolled and Hinata and Shiina both agreed Yui was yawning too much (and too contagiously), Yui snagged one of the books from Kanade as a bedtime story and started reading it again on the way to their room.

"You better have a very small and inconspicuous flashlight," Hinata warned, guiding her upstairs.

Kanade, who had only stayed awake long enough for Yuri to finish doing her hair, nearly dozed off on the carpet curled up next to her own book not long after. Shaking his head fondly at the sight, Otonashi decided to take her upstairs too. First, at the foot of the staircase with Kanade leaning against his arm, he turned back to Yuri.

"Didn't anyone grab you an extra mattress, or blankets?" he asked, eyeing her thoughtfully. "Where are you going to sleep?"

Yuri glanced up at him, tired and lazy. She and Ayato had claimed the couch the moment the other three disappeared upstairs. Now she had her arms wrapped around a pillow and cared more about the crime show episode that had come on a few minutes ago.

"That sounds like a problem for Future Yuri," she said.

Ayato snorted appreciatively, but Otonashi just stared at them like he was trying to figure something out.

"Alright," he said at last, turning with a light wave. "Goodnight. Don't stay up too late."

"Yes, Mother."

"Goodnight," Ayato said, more politely. Otonashi smiled over his shoulder at him before climbing up the stairs and rounding the corner.

He wasn't sure what those looks were for. It wasn't the first time he had been alone with Yuri. Not even the first time today. They could carry a conversation. Not that they'd need to. If this was anything like their old movie nights together, the TV would soothe her to sleep sooner or later.

The thought made him frown suddenly. "Do you want me to get a mattress for you?"

A grunt from Yuri. "Are the mattresses and blankets where they always are?"

"Yeah."

"I'll get it myself," she mumbled, leaning back against the cushions. "Later."

He couldn't help but grin, watching her move and adjust the pillow and snuggle into a cozy position. Her hair was getting mussed. "You don't want the mattress, do you?"

Her eyes closed. "Couch is more comfortable," she said drowsily.

"I'll take the mattress," Ayato said decisively, starting to pull himself into a better-postured sitting position. Then he did a double-take at the screen and thought better of it, resting his head against the pillow on his side's armrest. "After the episode is over."

"Good choice. They're about to do a number on the mom's murderer."

On the screen, the detective partners ripped off the ski mask to reveal the woman's killer – the controlling, jealous husband – and then wrestled him into submission. Satisfied, Ayato rested his eyes. He couldn't remember a good enough reason to leave this spot.

Maybe there wasn't one.


Ayato could feel the morning upon him before he even opened his eyes. A tranquil quietness in the house mixed with freshness and energy. It was like a liminal space, nothing really existing or moving, but at the same time he felt more awake and well-rested than he had in months.

He also felt a heavy weight on his chest.

Glancing down, he tried to keep his heart rate as slow and steady as Yuri's breathing. She had fallen asleep after he did, and he should have seen this coming. Whenever they passed out on the couch together, she ended up unconsciously using him as a pillow. Now, she'd tucked her head just beneath his chin, her hand resting on his chest while his arm had draped over her shoulder in his sleep.

The TV was off. He wondered briefly if or how she could have been conscious enough to do that and still inadvertently fall asleep on his chest. But then, from the looks of it, the remote was on the other end of the coffee table, too far beyond the reach of a lazy Yuri. Someone must have come downstairs and done it for them. While they were snuggled up together on the couch.

Damn, he hoped it wasn't Hinata. He would never hear the end of it. Unless it was just traumatizing or creepy enough for him not to want to bring it up. Worse, what if it had been Yui? He almost cursed out loud just thinking about it.

Maybe whoever it was had come down before they'd ended up in this position. Or maybe it had been too dark to see. He could only hope.

For now, he needed to think about how a more awake and alert Yuri would react to waking up in his arms. After all the flirting he'd done, she'd probably blame him and bludgeon him with a pillow. Good thing she was such a heavy sleeper. Hesitantly, he freed his arm and rolled her off, scooting out from under her and moving her into the cushions. She stirred and grumbled a bit, as she always did when he had to move her off his arm, but settled after a few seconds. He breathed a sigh of relief, slowly getting to his feet.

She made a few peaceful sounds in her sleep and nuzzled a pillow. Ayato caught himself staring, and shook his head to snap himself out of it. There was no guarantee she'd be this peaceful when she woke up.

He thought for a minute, then headed down the hall. Stepping into his shoes, he slipped quietly out the front door and started making his way towards town. There was something at the grocery store he needed to pick up.


Preview:

"Don't do that!"

"We thought you were never coming back!"

"I blew the place to high hell."

"Anything seem familiar?"

"Our explanations would confuse you too."

"What do you know of the afterlife?"

[Chapter 20]: Morning in Mizuzaka.