A/N: If you start to feel uncomfortable or triggered during Aiko's first POV, feel free to skip to Kurama's POV. I'll have a brief summary of it at the end of this chapter containing only plot points.

PART V. "Video Games."

"It's you. It's you. It's all for you.
Everything I do."

— Elizabeth Woolridge Grant.

Aiko.

I was at my old apartment again. Our very first one, before we moved into the one that burned down. The silver knob on the door gave it away because every time I'd reached for it, I couldn't help but think how it was perfectly spherical.

I could smell the pollen and what could be comparable to lavender from the plants at the park across the street. It was thick and lingering, and though sweet, it quickly became nauseating until one could get inside to air conditioning.

I was in junior high again.

It was dusk. The eggshell white door and all my surroundings were bathed in the red, setting sun's glow. My hand hovered over the perfect knob, shaking furiously. Blood rushed around in my head, roared in my ears, as my heart throbbed in my throat.

I knew what would happen on the other end of that door when I went in and lied. He had no clue; he wasn't waiting for me, expecting me. He'd just come home and was probably on the phone hassling them some more.

I felt my stomach churn, flip around like an acrobat, as my hand struggled to grip the knob. I had the lie planned and I expected the wrath to come.

Aiko.

But I had another chance. I was in junior high again. I was being given another chance to choose. To live out the ridicule in anonymity or live it out in my family… I could choose, think twice before making the decision.

…What should I choose?

"Aiko."

It was night. My hand, shrouded in the porch's dim light above the door, held the key to our newest apartment and shook furiously inches away from the keyhole. I looked up to Kurama next to me, his somber expression accentuated by the poor lighting.

I wasn't in junior high again… I'd sent Yusuke home to Keiko and returned here with Kurama.

With a shaky breath, I realized how wet my face was. I began regulating my breathing, taking control over the function manually since my medulla was handling it poorly.

"I'll vouch for you," he said quietly, reassuringly. "Unless you want me to handle this."

I shook my head, sniffing mucus back inside my nostrils.

"He's not going to care you're here," I laughed dryly, pitifully. "He won't care what you say."

"Aiko—"

"In fact, I think you should go home." My voice cracked and I internally cursed myself for it. I regained control over my throat muscles. "You won't be able to help and I don't think I want you here anymore."

I wanted him here. I wanted him to stay. But I knew my dad was beyond the point of sanity now. I knew what I did; he knew what I did.

"I asked this of you," he said simply, eyes shifting from me to the doorknob. "I'll stay."

"You won't be able to do anything…" I shoved the key in the hole and gripped the knob.

With a deep breath, I prepared myself. This wasn't me skipping class or breaking curfew. I lied again and it wasn't about my meals.

I stepped foot into the entry way and the two of us gingerly took off our shoes. It was quiet all for the TV in the living room, where I could hear the familiar voice of a meerkat. They were home. Kurama was steps behind me as I travelled down the small hallway.

Jaw trembling as I rounded the corner, I croaked out. "Dad?"

When I stepped foot in the living room, three things happened at once.

First, Kurama called out to my father, voice calm.

Then a sharp, stinging sensation quickly burned into the crown of my head where my ponytail was.

And I was dragged off my feet.

"I don't give a fuck who you brought home!" he roared, dragging my stumbling body across the living room to the hallway. "You're not getting out of this one!"

"Mr. Hojo." Kurama spoke calmly again, steps behind us.

"Fuck off, Minamino." He jerked his arm away from Kurama. "Go home."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Kurama said smoothly, stepping after my father calmly despite matching the brisk pace.

"Shuichi, just go," I hissed as I stumbled along with my dad's fast pace, scrambling to grab his forearm. My fingers worked around his hand, trying to pry his grip from my hair as my lips worked frantically. "Dad—dad, listen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

The wood floors passed swiftly under me as I tried regaining my footing, slipping with each step and returning to being dragged. He yanked me up just as I almost found my footing, scrambling my steps again.

"You're not getting out of this one."

"Dad—I'm not trying to. I'm not. I'm sorry! I'll talk—"

We stepped over the threshold to my parent's room and I looked over my shoulder despite the stinging pain in my scalp to glance back at Kurama, who was now subdued by my mom. She stood in front of him, gently holding him back by the arms and shaking her head.

Mom glanced over her shoulder to me; a sad, disappointed gaze cast my way. Shame surfaced in my gut and I looked up to Kurama, who remained calm, expression stoic. He wasn't leaving.

His image disappeared as the door slammed shut, and I was shoved after it. My face smashed into the white wood door and a sharp pain surged in my nose and lips. Warm liquid trickled out of my nose; I could taste the metallic tinge as it dripped over my open lips and into my mouth.

He gripped my hair again and moved my head slightly. I felt my cheek rub against the door as I tried looking over my shoulder.

"Prefectures!" His screaming reminded me why I often wouldn't mind being deaf—at this rate, I probably would be. "Do you know how many fucking prefectures we crossed to find out it was a lie?"

I couldn't find my voice through the sobs rising in my throat. "I—"

His voice only grew louder. "You think you can bring shame on your family again? Involve another family in your fucking lie?"

"I didn't—"

He pressed his body weight against me, pushing me against the door. "What the fuck are you hiding?"

Tears poured out like from a broken dam. I didn't know what to do. "I'm not—"

"What are you involved in?"

I didn't know what to say. "I'm not—"

He ripped my hair back, yanking me away from the door and pushing me into the nearest corner. I stumbled, slamming my face into the wall. I pulled away, briefly noticing the smeared blood on the wall as my hair was used again.

My head whipped around, curving at a painful angle until my body inched around with it slightly to dull the pain. He cornered me, free hand planting on the wall next to my head.

He leaned in, growling. "You have forty-five seconds to tell the truth. I have no problem owning only one child."

My breathing hitched and I forgot how to breathe properly. The walls were closing in, my personal space was evaded. It was shrinking, everything was shrinking, shrinking and shrinking and shrinking and…

I closed my eyes, hoping to black out from fear—pass out from lack of oxygen—whichever grace came first. He pulled my ponytail again, jerking my head back and smacking it into the wall behind me.

"Speak! You're not a fucking whining dog!"

"You won't believe me!" I finally managed to cry, hands coming up to hide my face from him.

"Try me!"

I tried curling into the wall, hoping to mold into the paint and disappear. "You won't believe me!"

"Fifteen seconds!"

No avail.

The words poured out my mouth in sobs. "A tunnel to Makai was opening—youkai could have run through and killed everyone! I wanted you and Shiori's family safe. To get out while you could."

His breathing was heavy; I could feel the heat on my palms as he paused in thought. "That's what that pillar of dark light was?"

The words caught me off guard and a cry lodged in my throat. He dragged me again, guiding me to the Western style bed and shoving me on the comforter.

I extended my hands, catching myself to make sure I didn't ruin the white sheets with my nosebleed.

His voice rose again. "That's what the fucking pillar of dark light was?"

"Probably" was the wrong answer.

"Sit up!" he screamed.

Like a dog, I quickly obeyed.

"I never saw it!" I cried, forcing out words through erratic throat muscles. "I never saw the pillar—but that's probably what it was. It was in Mushiyori."

He growled through gritted teeth. "I want you to explain everything you've gotten yourself into."

I forced my throat to function. "You—won't believe me…"

He lunged towards me, face inches from mine. "Speak!"

I jumped out of my skin and let more words fly out. "MyfriendworksforReikaiasadetectiveandhandlesalotofcasesthatinclude—"

"Speak clearly!"

I flinched as flecks of spit flew on my face. I tried steadying my breathing and spoke slowly, choosing words as carefully as I could.

"My friend… works for Reikai… which is where you go when you die and he. He." I couldn't breathe. The throbbing in my head returned. "He gets put on cases that basically… protect us from youkai, which come from like a different… dimension. And…" I tried taking deeper, slower breaths. "He was assigned to the tunnel case. He told me about it…"

I paused, looking up at his scowling face. In the brightly lit room, the lighting hit his face in just the wrong angle, convincing me further he wouldn't hesitate to swing.

A subtle nodding in my head surfaced as adrenaline coursed through me again. I rocked slightly on the comforter, trembling as I stared at him in anticipation. His eyes narrowed.

I steadied my trembling jaw and tried again. "He told me about it. And I wanted to make sure you guys and Shiori's family could get out safe…"

He sniffed hard, like he was readying some mucus to spit on me. He never did before but tonight was a new night.

"Fuckin' prefectures," he hissed, voice low.

"I know…" I breathed, closing my eyes tight as I hung my head.

"Is it Minamino?" he snapped.

I looked back to him quickly, finding him pointing at the closed door. "No! No, we're all mutual friends."

He wasn't convinced. "Where was Minamino during all this?"

Shit…

"Where was Minamino during all of this?" he snapped, swinging his hand forward.

"With Shizuru, my hairdresser!" I cried as he grabbed my jaw, cupping it tightly. He shook my head, wanting the truth. "We were all at the detective's apartment when everything happened! Before I called you! She got hurt and he went to the hospital with her!"

His grip didn't loosen. "And where were you?"

I whimpered, words refusing to come out.

"Where were you?"

"I tried going to Misawa!" I sobbed, eyes closed tight as I shook my head subtly under his grip. "I really tried, Dad…"

"Where. Were. You?"

I opened my eyes slightly, his face blurred through my wet lashes.

"Mushiyori…" I breathed.

He threw my head back before pacing around the length of the bed. I knew better than to speak, to ask if I could go. He wasn't done.

He walked past the bed and to the window, wiping the blood on his hands on his pants and smoothing back his hair. He watched the quiet, lit streets below.

"You're going to answer everything I ask," he said sternly, arms crossing over his chest. He leaned against the frame. "Do not lie."

"Okay…"

He kept his back to me, watching the occasional car drive by, the casual biker zip past below.

"Reikai. That's where you go when you die. Is that where those oar riders belong? We figured they stayed somewhere."

We...?

I froze as blood dripped off my chin, wondering how much my parents knew. Did he ever hear Yusuke when he was a ghost? We made sure he was never caught; we were careful just out of precaution…

I nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"Makai. Another dimension?"

Another slow nod. "Where youkai live."

"Youkai."

"They… most look like monsters. Some look like us."

He glanced to me over his shoulder. "The tunnel."

"This guy hated everyone and wanted to eradicate humanity."

He turned around, glowering at me. "Why are you involved in this?"

I shrugged, shaking my head. "I'm just… friends with the detective. He told me about it so I could get everyone I could out."

"Does Minamino know?"

I hesitated before nodding slowly. "We're all mutual friends…"

"How many times have you been involved in this shit?"

"I…" I exhaled heavily and hung my head. "Lost count."

I could feel his eyes boring into me. "Who's the detective?"

I inhaled sharply, hiccupping in fright as I glanced up to him again. I didn't want him to take Yusuke away from me. "He's my friend…"

"Who's the detective?" he asked again, sterner.

My eyes stung and the sharp headache surged harder. "He's my friend, dad…"

"I didn't ask that!" he snapped. "Who is he?"

"Don't take him away, dad," I pleaded.

"Who is he?" he yelled, and I flinched at the volume as he stepped forward.

"…Yusuke."

He paused, eyes slanting off to place the name. His gaze turned back to me in confused surprise. "The kid Minoru fucking idolizes?!"

I nodded.

"He's a kid! He's younger than you!"

I shook my head. "I know…"

He stared at me, skeptical, baffled.

"Don't take him away," I pleaded again, more warm salt water spilling down my heated face. "He's my friend."

"I don't want you involved in his shit anymore."

"He's my friend."

"And I don't want you involved in his shit anymore."

"But he's my friend—"

"That's not what I fucking said, Aiko," he snapped. "I don't want you involved in his shit anymore."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, stopping myself from saying: "But I'm the one that gets me involved."

Instead, I mustered: "Okay, just… don't take them from me."

He rolled his eyes and stepped to the bed, gripping my shoulder tightly. "And now you're going to the Minamino household to apologize. I want you to offer to pay for all the expenses they made on that trip."

I nodded, eyeing the hand on my shoulder warily. "Okay."

He guided me forcefully off the bed, and before I hit the ground I managed my footing.

"And if you're not home in an hour I will go looking for you," he threatened, jerking me upright. "Do you want me to fucking go looking for you tonight?"

"No."

"Then go."

My eyes never left his hand. "It takes a half hour to walk there."

"Seventy minutes." He sneered, shoving me from his grip to the door. "Ten straight minutes to get on the floor and beg for forgiveness."

I caught myself before tripping into the door again, hands planting firmly on the wood. I eyed the smeared blood on the door, sniffing slightly before straightening.

"Okay."

With numb hands, I turned the knob. And though I never thought I could be happier to find Kurama on the other side of the door, waiting patiently for me, I was disgusted at the thought of wanting any form of comfort. I was more disgusted that he heard everything.

I was mortified he would think this was something it wasn't.

"She's going to apologize to your mother and Hatanaka, Minamino," my dad said behind me. I glanced to my mother, who stood against the wall next to the door, holding herself and staring down at the floor with a frustrated scowl and tear-streaked face. "I want her back tonight."

I quickly looked away from her.

Kurama didn't reply. Instead, he stepped forward and let his hand hover over my back, ready to guide me away and put distance between me and my father.

"Don't take your purse, either." So I couldn't hop a bus anywhere.

I walked out of the hallway immediately, heading straight to the door.

Kurama.

"I stumbled into the wall." She spoke suddenly halfway through our walk, making it the first time either of us said anything since she left her parent's room. "He didn't hit me. I know you're thinking it."

She held herself in the warm April night air, trembling. I watched her at arm's length, noting the similar expression of disappointment her mother bore while waiting outside the room.

With one arm wrapped around her stomach and her right hand pressed against the wall next to her as she leaned upon it, she felt for the vibrations created by the abuse she couldn't hear. Brown eyes stayed on the floor and she winced at the second thud that hit the wall.

I could hear her father through the door vividly, as if he was having a regular conversation with me just less than a foot away.

She frowned, closing her eyes tight and pushing out the tears that pooled in the corners of her eyes.

I eyed her bare arms and shins. She always wore a variety of nice blouses and matching skirts, leaving many areas that could be bruised exposed, but there were none.

I let my arms fall from my chest to my sides, grabbing her attention. She cast a small glance to me across the hall, tears trickling off her cheeks.

"You're fine with letting him treat her like this?" I didn't bother with the roundabout questions I should have asked out of culture courtesy.

Her face fell, emotions on her features just as expressive as her daughter's could be—a trait picked up when one communicated through sight. Jaw hung open in a frown and brows furrowed, she looked at me with wide, fearful eyes before closing them tight and shaking her head.

Her hands moved up to talk, and she hung her head in shame. More tears spilled down her face as she signed.

I watched her mouth the words as her language played in front of me. "No, but… this can't keep happening."

I watched as she tried rubbing the rest of the drying blood off with the collar of her denim vest. She had no shame when she licked the collar and tried rubbing off the blood with the now wet material. I didn't hold the act against her. It actually worked better as most of the blood wiped off, but some smeared to her cheeks and it went unnoticed.

It was easier to watch this than it was to stand idle while she'd centered her nose the moment we'd stepped out of the apartment building. Luckily for her, aside from the swelling, her nose looked normal.

I kept my voice calm and quiet and my tone cautious as I approached the subject she chose. "How long as he had that temper?"

She drew a sharp inhale, irritated, and spoke through gritted teeth. "He only lost it like that once before." And before I could open my mouth, she spoke words laced with venom. "He didn't hit me."

"I understand that," I consoled, treading carefully through the water. "I—"

"He only gets like that when I do something really wrong."

I sighed, knowing it was time to drop the subject. She would only continue to defend him, only settle the idea that something wasn't wrong with this picture.

I didn't think it was him—even now, I still didn't. I had in the beginning, he was the first suspect—but now, watching her defend him pitifully like anyone in an abusive relationship would defend their abuser, it felt off.

The defense wasn't the same, wasn't executed in the same way.

He may not have started it but he exploited it.

"We can talk about whatever you like when you're ready," I replied.

"He didn't hit me—"

"I didn't mean that. We can talk about anything," I said calmly, diffusing her emotions.

"I don't want to talk about anything." She sniffled, bringing her hand up to cover the lower half of her face.

"And that's fine too."

She swallowed a lump in her throat as we rounded a corner, stepping foot on my street. When we stepped up to the front door and I dug for my key she began fidgeting.

I paused, keys in hand, and looked down at her. "You don't have to apologize tonight."

She scowled, repressing tears that I saw glistening in the corners of her eyes. "I have to. I broke her cup on purpose. I sent her hours away—prefectures away on purpose. I made her waste so much time and money on me. On purpose."

"I asked you to do those things," I reminded her, asserting the sentence.

That didn't seem to matter. She hung to the shred of truth that furthered her self-loathing. "I broke her cup on purpose."

I sighed heavily, refusing to use the key. I went to reach out to her, let my free hand rest in the nook of her neck, but with the slight movement she stepped back and put more distance between us.

I let my hand fall to my side. "You don't have to do this tonight."

"Open the door," she ordered, staring me down with pitiful determination.

Pride stood her the way of doing what she truly wanted.

I didn't have to oblige—I wasn't going to—because the door was already unlocking and opening just seconds later. My mother's silhouette stood between us, and she quickly reacted to our arrival.

"Oh, my god, Aiko!" she gasped and practically lunged for the girl, quickly cradling the youth's sore face in her soft hands. "Aiko, what—how are you feeling?"

Aiko tried pulling out of the grip, but the mothering in Shiori was strong. "I—"

"That's such a silly question, oh dear… Your face…" She began ushering Aiko into the house, practically dragging the girl by her head. "Come on, Shuichi, dear. Let's put on a hot cup of tea and get everything sorted out."

"I can't stay long," Aiko said as she stepped inside.

"Have you gone home yet?" Mother asked, and Aiko sighed and took off her shoes as I did.

"My dad wants me home soon."

My mother paused, staring down at the girl dumbfounded. The small brunette's eyes widened when she remembered the blood on her face she couldn't get off was fresh.

With pursed lips, Mother wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders and began guiding her down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"Aiko, we're glad you're okay!" Hatanaka sighed at the sight of the girl and stood from the table. Shuuichi, who had fallen asleep at the table, woke upon his father's movements. "Do you want to press charges? We can find the guys who did this."

"No. It's fine, really," Aiko replied with a shaky voice. She then cleared her throat. "I'm just here to apologize."

"I'm just glad you're alright." Hatanaka didn't push any further. "Way to luck out, huh? Finding a friend's parent at the airport."

"Yeah." She forced a laugh and nodded. "Really lucky. I was really lucky..."

"How'd you get away, Hojo?" Shuuichi asked, excited. "You have to be really tough to get away from thugs in the back of a van."

Hatanaka nudged his son's head, pushing it forward gently. "Now's not the time, son."

"Sorry, Hojo…" Shuuichi said with an apologetic frown. "I really am glad you're okay."

The girl's face twitched as she tried to keep herself composed. Finally, with stiff legs, she bowed deeply at the waist in the middle of the kitchen, taking the soon-to-be family by surprise.

"I'm truly sorry for making you all travel so far for nothing!" Her voice rose. Had her legs not been so stiff I would have expected her to drop to her knees and let her forehead touch the floor. "I'm sorry for dragging you into my personal affairs and making you waste money on a pointless trip! I promise to pay back any expenses."

And in that moment, with Aiko still bowing, my mother turned to me with a look I'd never imagined she could make: one of disgusted surprise, jaw agape. Mother was absolutely mortified.

"Aiko, don't worry about it!" Hatanaka reassured her hastily, worried when he saw her body trembling. She still hadn't straightened.

Shuuichi tried making her feel better. "Yeah, the car ride was actually fun! It was cool to see that part of Northern Japan!"

I'd never seen my mother angry. Frustrated, upset, even irritated, but never angry. But as our eyes briefly met, we shared the same mentality.

With a small huff she leaned to Aiko, bending slightly to see the youth's face as she still hadn't straightened. Brows furrowed and frown deepened, she gripped Aiko's arms and pulled the girl upright before dragging her out of the kitchen, arms wrapping around her shoulders to pull her close.

"Let's get you cleaned up, dear," she said, words becoming quieter with each step down the hallway.

"Shuuichi, why don't you get some tea started?" Hatanaka suggested as he sat down again, and his son nodded and headed for the pantry. "Come on and sit down, Shu-kun."

I seated myself across from him, folding my hands together on the table as I waited for him to start.

"Did she tell you anything that happened?" he asked.

And for some reason, I replied. "She just kept saying he didn't hit her."

He nodded in thought, leaning back in the chair and folding his arms over his chest. "She called me from a cellphone and told her dad she was picked up by a friend's father."

"How did he react?"

"Quiet," he replied. "Noticeably furious, but quiet." Hatanaka pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he glanced to Shuuichi brewing the tea. "The apologies to me and Shiori were subtle but copious, and he feverishly refused getting the police involved with each offer."

I glanced down to my hands on the tatami place mat, taking in the mat's color and texture.

"We can push to get the cops involved in that family but unless she tells you or Shiori what happens, we can't do anything." Hatanaka kept his voice low. "Have you been able to get her to talk at all?"

"Spare Minoru, that family is ashamed." I glanced up to him, voice matching his quiet pitch.

He cocked his head slightly in confusion but didn't ask what I meant, knowing my vague sentence meant I wasn't sure either.

"Your mother was so worried about her the entire car ride home. Fretted the entire way and then stood by the front door all night," he mumbled. "Does she have anyone else looking out for her?"

I paused and thought back to when we first met. Each encounter and experience we shared ran through my head, all leading up to this moment. She won me over for a reason and with Yusuke's predicament that left—

"I am," I replied, meeting his stare.

Hatanaka nodded slowly as Shuuichi sat next to his father. "Shiori's counting on you, Shu-kun. We both are... I'm sure Aiko's counting on you, too."

The tricky aspect about this was Aiko's boundaries. Comfort and being open only resulted when she gave the green light. But after everything she'd done to keep my human life intact, I would find the necessary balance.

"You don't want to say goodbye to everyone?" Mother's voice carried over from the stairs, and I heard their soft footsteps as they headed for the front door.

"No, just tell Shuichi I won't be going to school tomorrow," Aiko replied hastily.

I headed for the front door to find my mother on the porch calling after Aiko, who was already at the sidewalk. I stopped next to Mother, watching Aiko walk briskly down the street.

Mother's hand gripped my forearm as she sighed, and I watched Aiko pause in her stride and look up to the sky. Her gaze carried through the night, traveling over her shoulder and lingering until her eyes flickered to me. Her glossy gaze met mine briefly, purposefully, before she turned to head home.

"Shuichi," Mother said with force, grip tightening. I turned to her, looking down at the frustrated woman. "I need you to tell me the truth."

I nodded despite knowing I wouldn't.

"Does her father hit her?" she demanded, a disgusted scowl appearing on her face—another feature I'd never seen before.

Then again, my mother never had to deal with the possibility of someone she knew hitting their children.

Though it wasn't right by my mother, I knew I would do right by Aiko.

"No, I don't believe he does. What did she tell you?"

"She didn't say anything," Mother sighed, planting her free hand on her face. "She just… she just cried and apologized and begged me to let her pay for everything."

She looked out in the street, as if watching after Aiko despite her being long gone now.

"If you find out he hurts her…" Brown eyes looked up at me with a fleeting fierceness, one of dangerous determination, that quickly turned to that of sadness. "You tell me, Shuichi."

I nodded, resting my hands on her upper arms and rubbing them gently to soothe her. "Of course, Mother."

She let out a heavy, stressed exhale and guided me inside, locking the door behind her. "I was also worried about you getting home before us and not getting the note I left."

"I came home but Aiko called me a while later," I replied, giving her shoulder a light squeeze to encourage her to stop fretting. "She asked me to meet her at her apartment when she arrived."

She stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, hand flying to her forehead in frustration.

"I just cannot believe she won't press charges…" Mother mumbled. "After everything she's been through she won't even file a police report."

I tried giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure when she goes home they'll call the police."

"But it's been an entire day!" Mother pressed, still vexed. "They won't take her as seriously now that she's home and safe instead of calling at the airport." She pushed her face into her hands, shaking her head. "I should have called right after I hung up! I shouldn't have let her been so scared…"

I pulled her close, embracing her. "It's not your fault."

I wouldn't let her burden this issue too. Neither of them deserved this night. I rested my chin atop her head and she let out a heavy sigh as she rested her forehead against my shoulder.

I glanced to the door at the cold presence I felt wafting around. As I expected, a thin, slender hand drifted through the door's wood, reaching towards me. It stopped at the forearm and beckoned to me, coaxing me to approach its owner on the other side with a gesturing index finger.

I let out a heavy sigh and released my mother to look down at her.

"It's not your fault," I said again, rubbing her back. "Aiko wouldn't want you blaming yourself for this."

Her hands found themselves around her arms. "I know, but…" She stopped talking and shook her head. With a heavy inhale, she gave me a small smile. "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "I'm actually exhausted. I was planning on going to sleep. I have a mock exam tomorrow."

She patted my arm as she walked past me. "Of course, dear. Would you come in and say goodnight to Kazuya and Shu-kun?"

"Of course," I said, heading into the kitchen with her.

My goodnights were quick and easy, as Hatanaka and Shuuichi sipped on their tea tiredly as they returned the gestures.

I made my way upstairs and closed my bedroom door behind me, expecting Botan. Instead, in the dark room, hovering in front of the window and capturing the moon's glow through her transparent frame, was the guide that greeted me once before the tournament.

Suzume.

She sat on her oar prim and proper, ankles crossed with the thong of her sandal dangling slightly from her socked toe. Her pristine, grey sleeves fell far below the oar and her hands rested neatly in her lap. I became wary of her—was there a particular reason Koenma would send her and not Botan…? Unless he didn't send her.

"Lord Koenma's requested you," she said in response to my calculating gaze. "Would you like me to leave while you situate yourself for the separation?"

"Yes, I would," I replied, still slightly cautious.

She floated backwards, drifted through the window, and disappeared from my sight.

I didn't bother changing clothes, aside from removing my uniform jacket. I covered myself with blankets as I crawled in bed and took a deep breath to relax my body. Last time I exited my body to see Koenma in Reikai, I had my human form. I wondered if now, after I was finally able to tap into my youko form on my own, if I would emerge from this body as a youkai.

If Koenma truly had sent her, then revealing myself wouldn't be a problem. If he hadn't, though… No, she was Koenma's employee, taking me to him to cover my identity once before.

Calming myself, I lay still for a moment, relaxed. Finally I began pushing around my ki, feeling its subtle vibration around and under my skin as I moved it, beckoned to control it. A subtle jerk encompassed my body and I felt the separation instinctively. I lifted myself easily, feeling weightless and free.

I emerged from my human body with my hands outstretched in front of me as soon as possible. Surprised, I still found my human hands. On the off-chance I was truly being deceived, I was in luck. I had to focus on the phenomenon another time, though.

I exited the room, floating gently out the window. Suzume looked to me and the ornaments dangling from her hair swayed with the turn of her head. I grabbed her outstretched hand and sat on the oar as she did. She took off slowly, guiding me into the portal in the sky.

The trip to the castle was short but the trip to his office was long. Weaving through hallways and travelling up winding staircases, we finally came to his personal office. She waited patiently by the large, gold doors after pushing on them and letting me walk in.

In front of his desk was a tall wingback chair, cushions threaded red and gold to match his décor. I stepped in front of the chair as the doors closed behind me and I came upon the sight of toddler Koenma. He slid a manila folder across the desk to me and I noted another pile of four next to him.

"I finally got everything to Mastumoto so if I see a new request in my inbox from that jurisdiction I'm going to tear my hair out," Koenma all but grumbled as he gestured for me to sit down with a curt wave. "All that's left is Akane's personal request."

Taking a seat, I reached over and picked up the first file. I sifted through it, not surprised to find it was mine.

"You remember the modified files I sent, right?" Koenma asked.

"Of course," I said, placing the open files back on the desk.

"I erased the part of your ties to Reikai," he said, putting his chin on his small hand. "You weren't supposed to have ties with us."

"But then I was seen participating in the Dark Tournament," I noted.

"Doesn't mean you necessarily had ties with us or helped Yusuke on cases. You could have been chosen or volunteered like Genkai did."

I nodded. "Then?"

"I modified the papers to get the Natsume family off your case but it was also as a precaution to just keep you off other official's radars," he said. "But now that Akane's caused a stir and you've been seen helping Reikai with the Sensui incident, my question is whether you want to stay in Ningenkai. You disappearing may be a red flag but Reikai's powers are limited in Makai."

I knew what I wanted. "Is there a possibility that this will all blow over with ease?"

"With other officials, I presume so. Things should eventually go back to how they were after the tournament for you." He shrugged. "If you want to stay you can just keep avoiding them as you have been. But with Akane, there's no telling her actions."

I had many reasons to stay now. She was not going to stop me. "Of course I want to stay."

He nodded. "Until this all blows over, which could take weeks to months depending on how much influence and energy Akane puts into searching you, you can't use your youki at all. I was able to pass it off as reiki before but if you're being observed by officials with care now—"

"I'll know when someone is watching me," I replied.

I evaded Reikai for millennia and now would not be the time they caught me.

"Just keep an even lower profile," Koenma said. "Make sure you're suppressing any and all aura." He then turned his eyes down at my open file and contemplated what would be appropriate to write.

"Then," I said seconds later, drawing his eyes back to me. "If anything else were to occur, I would be absolved of obligation."

He paused. "That's right."

I didn't want to use that as an excuse to get out of the battles that came our way, but I wanted to make sure he knew he couldn't request my help in Ningenkai from hereon if he were to restrict my youki.

"The last thing I need is to find out some official recognizes you from the tournament," he groaned, whined almost. He then quickly clarified. "That doesn't mean I won't do what I can to keep you alive but with your history, the odds aren't in your favor."

I smiled. "No, I understand, Koenma. You can only do so much."

"Good," he said simply, switching gears.

He then hopped on his desk and walked over to the file, stopping in front of it. "Moving on, I wanted you to be the one to write your file. Inclusive of whatever you want. The reason for this is when I send those files we're both aware of what was put."

I nodded. "So when Natsume flies into a rage and I'm confronted, I'll know what to say ahead of time."

He handed me a square sticky note and pen, and I quickly jotted down key points in small font. Friends with Urameshi, Yusuke; minor spiritual abilities since early youth; abilities developed once introduced to Urameshi; given pointers and trained occasionally out of intrinsic motivation.

"I'm looking over your human ancestry," he said, making subject small talk. "Just to double-check, is all. Making sure we don't have a repeat of Yusuke's background check."

I nodded. "You want me to include my involvement with Sensui? The Dark Tournament?"

"Yes and no."

I wrote again. Visiting Urameshi during day tunnel opened; was dragged into situation through means of self-defense and Urameshi's need for physical support.

When my pen pulled away from the paper, Koenma picked up the note and read it.

He shrugged and turned around to walk back to his chair. "Sounds good enough."

Good enough. I was placing my human life in the hands of someone who said my proposals were "good enough."

I let out a sigh and Koenma began laughing.

"I'm kidding, Kurama!" He sat down, reading it once more. "No, this does sound good. We need to leave the Dark Tournament out of this because then they can trace Youko Kurama directly back to you. But luckily no officials saw you in your youko form when we dealt with Sensui so this can pass."

He then gestured at me for my file and I handed it to him. He took it quickly and slapped the note inside before closing it and setting it aside. I readied myself to leave.

His voice caught me just as I planted my hands on the arm rests. "I have two more questions for you, if you don't mind, Kurama."

I paused and watched as he grabbed another folder. I knew whose it was instantly and settled in the cushion in defense.

"Hojo, Aiko, wants to be a police officer, right?" he asked, voice tainted with innocence as if he were a curious classmate.

I glared at him, seeing right through him. "Yes."

"Would you consider her trustworthy?"

His questions brought the reality of Reikai's corruption to light, that it was begging on its own to be exposed. But why he thought she should be involved in their corrupt politics was unfathomable. Her ties shouldn't bring her in here. She was far from fit to be involved in whatever he had in mind.

I didn't respond fast enough, so he spoke again. "I'm asking you because I knew despite your romantic involvement with her you'll be honest."

"Her loyalty to me, Yusuke—to us all—does not mean she is capable of being your employee," I asserted, tone sharp enough to warn him of treading where he shouldn't.

"From her, loyalty is all I need," he said dismissively. "You're free to go now."

I stood. "She shouldn't be involved in whatever it is you're planning."

"I'm not forcing her into anything, Kurama," he replied calmly. "She can refuse if she wants."

That was the issue of finding the necessary balance. Aiko had autonomy, could make decisions for herself. I could only watch over her through each decision, hoping she picked whatever was safest for her well-being and future.

Suzume's voice carried from the doors, and I turned to find them open with her standing in the middle. "I'm under the assumption we're ready to leave?"

I sent one last glance over my shoulder to Koenma before heading to the guide.

Aiko.

I shoved my now thoroughly wet pillow off my bed and heard it hit the floor with a soft, unsatisfying thump. I pushed my face in the mattress, instantly wetting the sheets and thanking the left over Vicodin for dulling the pain in my nose.

I always knew this ending was likely to happen. I knew and I went through with it—someone may say I wasn't allowed to complain but I was allowed to feel horrible. Because though I knew another drastic lie would set them off… I had to do it.

I couldn't risk it. I had to do it.

Even in the quiet apartment, with my parents sleeping in their room, the disappointment and anger was still palpable, evoking a fear and shame in me I'd wished I'd never feel again. Guilt gripped hold of my throat and stomach and heart and just squeezed—suffocated me.

I lifted my face from the warm sheets, breathing clear, cool air, and let my heavy lids close to soothe my tired eyes as I found a new, comfortable position. With a small sniff and a quiet exhale, I was almost lulled to sleep by the silence of our apartment until Minoru's voice murmured from the top bunk.

In English, he whispered. "I can see what's happening."

…What?

Rolling on my back, I tried to keep my eyelids open to stare up at the top bunk as I whispered in English. "What?"

Now, more dramatic. "And they don't have a clue!"

What?

My eyelids were too heavy; I closed them and furrowed my brows. "Who?"

"They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line: our trio's down to two!"

… The Lion King.

"Oh." He really had me going.

"The sweet caress of twilight! There's magic everywhere…" He paused when he heard my tired bout of giggling that quickly morphed into the earlier gut-wrenching sobs that exhausted me. Desperate to make me stop, he tried continuing… only furthering my chagrin. "And with all this romantic atmosphere… disaster's in the air."

Quickly, I inhaled sharply, controlling my crying and silencing myself. His innocence and ignorance only took me back. He was so young the last time.. he didn't understand what was happening.

"Sis…" I heard him shuffle on the bunk above, ready to roll over and peak over the edge to see me.

I quickly planted my face back in the mattress. "Go to sleep, Minoru."

The shuffling stopped and soon I could hear his soft breathing. Steadying my own, I rolled on my side and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I settled into my exhaustion staring at the white wall against my bed.

Thoughts drifted around aimlessly from one to another until my dreams took focus on the walls. The color scheme was similar to the tiled floors at the precinct. Black shoes I wore to Hino Junior High stood out drastically against the floor.

Aiko.

I glanced up, finding the tell-tale sky blue uniform shirt and small badge shining brightly under the left clavicle. The officer bent at the knees, squatting slightly to be eye level with me. A soft, white-gloved hand lay gently on my folded hands in my lap. She gave me a reassuring smile.

I remembered the heart-shaped, full lips well; she adorned them with a soft, pink lip gloss. The heart split open to speak, but no words came out as the halves moved.

I asked her what she was trying to say.

Aiko, dear.

"That's not what you really said," I tried, forcing my mouth open. "I don't remember you saying…"

Aiko!

I stared at her lips, noting the pink contrast against the dark olive color of her skin. She tucked a lock of straight black hair behind her ear as she continued smiling, talking.

"What are you saying?" I tried again and watched as her words and lips stayed out of sync.

Oh, please wake up!

I frowned, staring hard at her, confused.

My eyes trailed up from her mouth to her button nose, trying to remember her face in full. But what I knew to be sharp cheekbones on dark olive skin molded, morphed even, into soft cheekbones on warm ivory skin. The dark brown almond-shaped eyes that had been so consoling were now a wide, bright… amethyst.

I blinked away my groggy vision and let my eyes adjust in the dark room to find the grim reaper hovering on her oar in her pink kimono next to my bottom bunk.

I stared at her in a daze, wondering where the police officer went and why she had the same face as… oh.

She sighed. "Good, you're finally awake."

I blinked a few more times, glancing around my room tiredly as I lay still. Finally, my eyes landed back on her.

"Everyone here's spiritually aware," I mumbled, feeling my throat was rawer than it was before I fell asleep.

I'd breathed through my mouth. Great.

She squeaked and put her hand over her mouth before quickly hovering up to the top bunk to slyly check if Minoru was awake. She then floated down in front of me again, hand over her heart in relief.

"Did you make it out of the apartment?" My voice was ragged, dry. "Shizuru?"

She nodded with a small, reassuringly bright smile and whispered. "Yes! We were healed—like brand new now!"

I sighed in relief, eyes closing and desiring to stay shut.

"I need you to come with me," she whispered, words registering slowly as I opened my eyes again to look at her translucent form.

"Where?" I whispered back, feeling the heaviness of sleep leaving my eyelids.

"Lord Koenma wants to speak to you."

"…I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

She shook her head. "He would just like to speak to you in Reikai."

I propped myself up on my elbow. "How?"

"Well… by separating again." Her words truly woke me up—all sleep still in my eyes and head were thrown out the window.

"I can't do that," I hissed, fear caught in my throat. "What if I can't return?"

She clasped her hands together in a prayer, a plea, as she floated off her oar towards me. "Oh, Aiko, you can. I promise you."

I stayed still, wary and unsure.

"Koenma just wants to see you," she whispered.

"Why?"

She shrugged slightly. "He said he would tell me when we were both there. It's important, though. All I know is you're not in trouble."

I trembled, staring down at the white sheets beneath me. What if I couldn't get back in? …But who would know how to leave a body safely better than Botan?

"Lie back down and relax," she said, and I slowly agreed. "Then concentrate on feeling your ki."

Taking a deep breath, I relaxed my body.

"You'll be able to return to your body, Aiko!" she whispered at the sound of my heavy exhale. "I promise!"

She waited through the darkness with me to relax, and then, once I found myself drifting slowly into the blackness of sleep again, she spoke.

"Remember the way you channeled your ki into the ring, into your hands?" she asked quietly, voice drifting away. "Do it again. We'll do the same thing."

In my lucid-like sleeping state, I was suddenly more aware of my flowing ki traveling throughout my body like on a freeway, flowing erratically. A soft yet strong presence under my skin I could recognize as myself, my essence. Everything I was—from when I was an infant in the high chair and sleeping next to my mom to when I was sixteen and scribbling down the in-depth process of the calvin cycle in second hour.

Bound atoms that made everything I was tangible—to make everything about me that was now gone and developed anew, everything imperceptible.

"Now." Her voice was now hollow, distant. "Beckon your ki forward, up, but leave your body still."

My hand twitched, and I stilled, realizing I had to separate myself mentally, figure a way to tell my nerves not to respond. Again, I tried, and my hand twitched. Again. And again.

"Baby steps, Aiko," she reassured me. "Focus on your fingers first."

I did as she said, focusing solely on my fingers. I beckoned them forward, and a cool chill met my digits as I exposed my ki to the night air. This time, I wasn't on fire. I wasn't in pain.

I began focusing on my hand until it exited too, then my arm, and I continued the pattern until I could pull my head out of my body. I watched as a replica of my form slowly pulled out of my physical body, leaving slowly and calmly until I could pull out entirely with ease. Gravity disappeared again and I had trouble controlling my body. I merely twisted and turned for a while under the top bunk once I found myself floating freely.

Botan reached over and steadied me, helping me roll over slightly to see myself—my vessel—once more.

I stared down at myself, surprised at the unfamiliarity. And it wasn't just the cut in my lip or the unsightly bruise or new shiners under my eyes or the swelling around my nose, but the way that without fear clogging my attention, I was able to see myself.

For just a moment. In silence, numb.

And though I knew it was me, I couldn't recognize myself. The curves of my cheeks weren't the same. They weren't what I saw in the mirror every day. The slope of my nose, the arch of my brows, the dip of my cupid's bow, and the soft point of my chin… were all foreign.

Even now I couldn't fathom how the body below was mine.

"Let's go," she said, breaking me from my trance. She'd floated away from me, and I realized I'd been floating freely on my own. She extended her hand to me. "We need to hurry. Koenma's very busy."

Slipping my hand into her soft ki's form, she guided me to sit on her oar like her. We floated through the window of my bedroom and ascended into the night. Clutching the wood of the oar, I looked down as Botan soared through the air, flying into the cloudy sky.

I watched the lights from the city below grow smaller and smaller, turning into a constellation of stars in its own night sky.

"Hold on tight!" she warned. "Going through the portal can be a little rough for newcomers!"

I looked over her shoulder, finding a large black cloud in front of her.

With a deft wave of her hand, the dark grey of the cloud glowed a surreal tint of colors. Greys, greens, purples, and blues swayed around the definition of the cloud and meshed together psychedelically, pooling around in a vortex.

We entered the portal quickly and the second we flew into its threshold, I felt the pressure shifting. Force was exerted on me, pressuring me uncomfortably and straining my posture and body. The dark, psychedelic experience was short, as if the moment we entered the portal, we entered the night of Reikai.

I felt my bottom press against the oar with the new dimension's gravity and I found myself quickly moving one hand to clutch the sleeve of Botan's pink kimono. She flew with haste as my eyes adjusted to the darker night.

There was no city, no town, no artificial light to illuminate the world. Just the moonlight and far ahead, on the horizon of the barren land, the dimly lit figure of a large, marvelously huge castle that seemed to span forever in length.

"Is this all of Reikai?" I asked, looking around the night as my eyes adjusted to see the mountains and canyons below in better detail. There was a soft roaring noise muffled in with the wind rushing past us.

"No, this is just near the castle!" she replied. "Not many employees need to travel farther away from the River Styx."

River Styx?

I looked around again for the river, finding nothing but land until I realized what the roaring noise was.

Looking below, I could see the faint glimmer of the moon's shine along the flowing water below.

"The River Styx spans all across Reikai, it guides you straight to the castle. It's our path!" she said with a smile as she glanced to me.

Hair whipping behind us as she flew faster, the castle grew nearer and larger until we came to two large, elegant front doors. Landing upon the small cliff in front of them, Botan rapped her knuckles against the metal, sending a small echo through to the other side.

"It's Botan!" she called.

And with the crane and creak of metal, the doors opened slowly, slightly, just enough for us to walk through.

Marble walls and white tiled floors greeted us inside the large hallway. As soon as we stepped into the clearing, nothing could be seen but the seemingly never-ending bustling of Reikai's employees.

Scurrying around desks and cubicles were ogres, humans, and even some youkai in suits and kimonos heaving stacks of paperwork. Guides weaved their way through the busy floor with their assignments. We passed through the chaos unnoticed and stepped into another hallway.

Winding, extravagant hallway among winding, extravagant hallway was accompanied by curving staircases and more chaotic floors. The walk was long but it felt very short as I took in the interesting sights, so when we stopped in front of a large pair of gold doors it felt like a nice little adventure that I wouldn't mind being my last before being sentenced to hell.

She knocked once, but with how soft it seemed to be I couldn't hear an echo on the other side. It cracked open, enough for me to squeeze through. She stepped in behind me.

She closed the door quickly and it shut loudly as I looked around the room. Royal red and gold décor bathed the walls and minimal furnishing of the large private office. Botan stepped ahead of me and I trailed behind her slowly, eyes glued to the tall-backed wood chair in front of the desk.

"Come sit, Hojo." The Prince's voice came from behind the chair.

As I stepped next to it, I looked down to the red and gold cushioning against the dark-washed wood, finding it empty. I glanced up to the desk in front of me, finding towering stacks of paperwork.

"Go on, sit." His voice appeared again.

Glancing around the room, I slowly sat in the chair, sinking into the soft fabric. He was nowhere to be found.

Before I glanced around the room some more, the towering stacks of papers shoved aside to the edges of the desk to reveal the acclaimed toddler Prince. His face was softer, rounder, and his stature was definitely that of a two year-old.

A year ago, I would have screamed with laughter and let a trail of urine spill down my leg. Tonight, as I sat still and returned his steady gaze, I waited patiently for what had to be my punishment. Botan said I wasn't in trouble, but I had no reason to believe I was needed here otherwise.

Botan stood on my left at the arm of the chair, hands held together as she waited patiently for the Prince to speak.

"You knew it was me at Yusuke's, didn't you?" he said suddenly.

I stared at him, blinking slowly. So I was in trouble.

I refrained from glancing at Botan as I replied. "Well…"

I did, deep down. That was why I was so angry—that someone in his position couldn't do his job and do the right thing.

"You're not in trouble," he said with something like a childish sigh.

…Then why was I here?

"Part of me knew… yes," I replied slowly. "I had a feeling it was you."

He leaned his small fist on his chubby cheek as his elbow rested on his desk. "Otherwise you wouldn't have outed Kurama like that, right?"

I tensed and nodded hesitantly.

"So then I'm assuming Kurama's the one that introduced you to the other realms?"

I paused, confused. Didn't he…? I thought he knew it was Yusuke.

"No. Yusuke."

Botan bristled next to me.

He jumped up on the desk, showing his extremely short stature—shorter than I thought. Confused, he quickly spit out. "How?"

He said he knew I was friends with Yusuke since he started…

"When he was a ghost," I said as he walked to my edge. "He was trying to tell his mother not to cremate him but he didn't think he reached anyone with whatever it was he did. He noticed I could see him and asked me to help."

"And where were you, Botan?" the Prince asked, pointing an accusing finger at the guide.

"Probably ferrying someone over the River Styx at the time, sir," she replied hastily, hands flying up in defense. "I didn't see her until the next day, and by then it didn't matter if I tried lying to her since Yusuke told her a lot."

The Prince grumbled to himself a bit, and so I said. "I didn't know all about Reikai at first. I just understood the concept of it being a place of sentencing, I guess. It wasn't until Yusuke fought with Gōki that I guilted him into telling me everything."

"Gōki?!" the Prince snapped. "Why were you involved in that?"

"My brother's soul was a victim," I replied quickly to defend Botan as his eyes set on her. "It was saved thanks to Yusuke, but Gōki took his soul to begin with and I wasn't going to let him get away with it. I went with them to the park—"

"What?! Why?" he screamed, completely bewildered. "Did you not know he was an ogre?"

"I didn't," I said with the shake of my head. "At the time, I didn't know about much other than humans and souls."

He fully turned to Botan, who was beginning to crack under pressure. In just seconds she bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, Lord Koenma! I let her come with us to defeat Gōki even though I knew she couldn't fight!"

He gripped his head in confusion as his voice turned shrill. "Why, dumbass?!"

"Because I would have followed them," I replied, almost jumping out of my seat to stand in front of her. When he looked back to me I slowly sat back in the chair. "She wanted me to be close but stay clear. If I had followed them—which I definitely would have—I could have ended up in the middle of their battle."

He didn't need to know what really happened...

The Prince sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, fine!" He threw his hands up in something of a tantrum. "What's done is done. Whatever." He let out another frustrated sigh and looked over at me. "Now I want to know how your connection with Natsume came to be."

So this was about her…?

The words flew out easily. "We were… 'friends' before I knew about Reikai. I became aware of her involvement with Reikai when she threatened to expose Kurama."

"You were the one who tried getting information out of her," he said with a nod and walked back to his end of the table.

"Tried," I agreed as he sat back in his seat. "Failed."

He rested his elbows on the table and linked his fingers together, resting his hands in front of his binky. He stared at me for a few moments—moments that felt like hours in the quiet, large room.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking, his cheeks were plump and pressed against his eyes when they rested, masking any true expression I could have read. We stared at each other for a while with Botan fidgeting next to me in anticipation every few seconds.

Finally, his voice snaked out from behind his hands. "Would you like another chance?"

My jaw slacked. I felt Botan tense next to me.

"…What?" I stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

"Would you like another chance to extract information from Reikai's Barrier Regulation and Enforcement personnel?"

My eyes shot up to Botan, who looked just as shocked as I was as she stared down at me with doe-wide eyes. She instantly turned to him.

"But, sir! She's not a fighter; she can't—"

"That's not a problem," he said quickly.

"Are… are you sure I'm the right person for this?" I questioned. "I mean, there has to be someone else who's better skilled than me to do this. I spent two months trying and couldn't do anything."

"There can be someone better," he said with a nod. "But you've already worked your way into their circle. I could send another down in disguise to infiltrate their posse, but to get them to where you are now would take longer."

"But with my outburst at the cave's entrance—"

He waved his hand dismissively, voice calm. "She won't hold that against you, remember?"

I paused, revelation settling in heavily like a ton of bricks.

I licked my lips in thought, unsure of what to do. "What… what information are you looking for?"

"I'm suspecting foul play with… Border Patrol," he said. "Natsume's requests earlier are only reinforcing my thoughts. I want any information you can give."

I already had some.

"I…" I paused, remembering in the car. I swallowed a lump in my throat. "In the car on the way to Mushiyori, she held a conference with other heads of jurisdictions. She asked to handle the case." He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest as he listened, binky twitching slightly in thought. "They protested at first but when she said she could ask you to destroy the tape, she said you were more likely to dismiss her reasons because she was 'young and hot-headed'."

"'Defamation', she said." He nodded, striking a cold chord in my chest. "Asked to put it under my father's care instead of back in the archives if I didn't want to destroy it."

I exhaled shakily, and Botan stood next to me stiff as a board.

"I don't expect much from you, Hojo," he said. "But if you're able to get anything that shows foul play with them, I want the information. Will you do what you can, outside of Reikai's employment?"

"But, sir, you're giving her a job almost like a Messengers," Botan interrupted him. "So if you're not putting her in the books and something happens to her, she… why, that's it."

"That's it?" I looked up to Botan and then back at the Prince.

"Messengers deliver information." Botan drew a small breath and asserted herself best she could to the ruler. "And if that's what she's doing for you then she should be put in the books so she could have a back-up if she ever… If she's risking her life, then she deserves another body or chance like we do!"

"She's not going to be a Messenger, Botan," the Prince snapped. "I don't want Reikai to think she has ties to anyone that she doesn't already have!" He jabbed his stubby index finger at himself. "So I can't update her files. I can't just give bodies, idiot!"

He turned to see me and I swallowed another lump in my throat.

"But, I understand," he sighed, tinted with a slight whine.

Another body… something I'd only need if I died… I could die.

I knew I could die—that was why I'd been so scared all those months ago. But now I was expected to pursue this—expected by someone other than myself.

"I'm not updating your files and your employment won't be on the books," he said. "But I will make a formal agreement with you—like an incentive or a stipend. An agreement between the two of us that I will honor. But it has to be within reason."

I felt an eyebrow quirk up. "…Meaning?"

"Nothing grandiose like immortality," he replied with an exasperated wave of his hand, like he heard the request daily. "Something I'm not able to do."

I wanted to say that if I were to do this, I would do this altruistically. But if I were to agree and lost my life… what about my family? What would happen to them?

I knew what I wanted.

"I want security for my family," I replied in a heavy exhale. "In every sense really, but mainly financially. I want to know that if something happens, if someone gets sick, dies, loses a job, that they can have a roof over their head and food on the table."

It wasn't as if my family wouldn't survive without my paycheck, but my parents would be lying if they said it didn't pay a bill or two. But that wasn't the point—I wanted them to be safe, secure. I didn't want them to lose sleep at night over bills anymore.

"I want them secure until each of them dies," I declared. "I want them protected if my information is leaked. I don't want them to be used as blackmail."

He didn't give away an expression and merely listened on, as if there was something else. Of course, there was. Just one more thing.

"And lastly, I want my brother put through college," I finished. "I don't mean get him in, because he'll earn his acceptance. I mean put him through."

After a moment of silence, he hummed thoughtfully and drummed his thick, stubby fingers on the desk. I waited patiently, waited for the binky to move once more. Finally, with a nod, it did.

"You've actually asked me for something I can accommodate. Money."

"Then I want it in writing; I want proof."

If I died and he didn't hold up the deal because it was just between us…

"Botan!" The Prince gestured to her, waving her closer. She stepped up next to his desk. "Write it out and be our witness."

She was given a clean sheet of white paper and a pretty, thick blue pen, and she began writing. When she finished, she presented it to the Prince first, who didn't even so much as glance at it as he whipped out a custom-made ink stamp and slapped his signature under the fine print.

He handed the paper to me and I scanned over it as many times as I could, reading the words over and over until I felt I had the paragraph memorized. I looked over to the pen Botan placed next to me minutes ago, feeling an overwhelming sense of anxiety suffocate my heart and throat.

Could I really do this…?

I wanted this from the moment she threatened me: to find out why she was so hateful to youkai, so hellbent on Kurama. I wanted to know why they were covering up Chapter Black so desperately.

But… could I do this?

I always ran head first into things that could have gotten me killed, but this was more than a "could have." The chances of dying were so much higher than before—than anything I'd ever gotten myself into before. If this was as serious as it was becoming, I wasn't likely to make it out alive.

So could I do this?

I tried before—I failed. I didn't know what I was doing; I didn't know what was happening. I was blind, alone, scared. I failed on my own.

But now… I would have a guide, instructions, a plan. I wasn't alone.

I could do this.

So… did I want to do this?

"Hojo, you don't have to do this," the Prince said, his words distant in my train of thought, fuzzy in the background. "It was a request, not an order."

I exhaled shakily, letting out the heavy breath I'd been holding as I stared at the slightly slanted dotted line Botan made for my signature.

An "order."

Something was wrong, corrupt, and I was being given the opportunity to expose it. And with the realization that I could die for this, a sense of warmth enveloped me. A cocoon of security, comparable to peace, wrapped itself around me, relaxing me.

I glanced up to the Prince, finding him waiting patiently.

"But just know if you decide to go through with this, you won't be alone," he said. "We'll find people to help you and the cause."

Because this isn't a game. This is something big, my conscious whispered to me as I looked back at the line. Something so much bigger than you could imagine.

And I knew as I picked up the thick, round pen that I found my right reason.

Natsume's actions have affected me, Kurama… and now Yusuke.

Kurama and Yusuke protected me; they risked their lives to save me and everyone they love many times. In return, I would protect them… and everyone else like them.

I printed my name on the dotted line, pressing the pen hard against the paper to see my signature clearly in dark blue ink.

A/N: Summary – Aiko reveals Makai and Reikai to her father and that Yusuke is Reikai's detective, and manages to keep Kurama's identity and alibi in check. He believes her but tells her she's not allowed to be involved in Yusuke's affairs anymore.