"Thank you for the help. I'll drop my daughter off here again tomorrow," you hear your mother tell Yuko in the living room. In the meantime, you continue to harshly whisper to the apathetic male behind you as you keep eyes on your mother from the slight crack in the door you keep. You hand firmly grips the door knob as you hide in the room besides the bathroom, your excuse for why you had yet to leave.

"So this is quite a lovely spot you have picked out for us, isn't it," the placid voice besides you whispers right besides your ear. You growl in response, then turn and continue with your interrogation.

"Damn it, stop with the weird stuff and just answer! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The face that is so uncomfortably close to yours stays in position, staring you down, then glances at your lips and pulls away.

"Obviously I'm buying china from the best china maker in the area," he tells you. He leans back against the wall, arms crossed as he appraises you. You glare at him, but keep quite. You have no proof that he's lying, and nothing to do if he is.

"You're not with Yuko?" you ask, glancing out, your heart pounding from the nerves. Your heart stutters then though when he replies that, of course not. He's here, with you...

The way he says it, it's like he's trying to imply something but you would rather pretend not to think of the same implication that crossed your mind at those words, and that currently has you beet red. As your mouth hangs in shock and you try to compose yourself, your mother begins to wonder aloud where you are. Shiki for his part stifles a chuckle and suggests maybe you should head out now with that ever smug apathy of his. You huff as you try to quietly open the door, then close the bathroom door loudly to pretend you're barely coming out.

"Sorry about that," you tell your mom as you feign drying your fingers on the inside of your shirt and pick up your things. You turn to Yuko and say thank you as you touch your chin and then pull your flat hand forward. Next, you point at her then hold your left palm flat in front of you, and do the same motion for "thank you" again. Immediately after, you turn your left palm down, keeping it parallel to the floor, and with your right hand you "dive" over and past your left hand.

"Good night, Yuko."

She smiles at you, then returns the sign at you with a slight nod. Her smile is sweet, and it always makes you feel better. Calmer. Your earlier frustration with the mysterious boy almost ebbs away, but not quite as his apathetic eyes cross your mind. They're such a pretty blue. The top half of his face may seem to never be phased, but just that slight pull on the corner of his lips... That smug, arrogant twist that says he knows more than you do, and it's only because you're too slow and dumb that you don't know as much as him. It unnerves you. He gets under your skin, and you hate it. Were your father here, he would tell you he doesn't matter. You're smart, and you persevere. That's how you were able to survive when you were born weak and sick. That's why you were able to get strong when your mother tried to treat you like the china you help Yuko prepare for sales now. That's why despite your difficulties, you still do your best to learn how to communicate with Yuko, and practice using sign language even when you're home alone. And that's how you're going to be able to solve this mystery that your father would've handled before. He trained you for this. He prepared you. With his knowledge, with the skills he made you develop. By connecting you to the best hunter the region over. You can and will handle this. You just have to think critically, be smart.

Your mother always says you attract more bees with honey rather than vinegar. Maybe it's time you start laying it on thick for this mysterious mahogany haired boy, and see if that will make him change his tune.

'Maybe then he'll stop being so snarky too.'

Your mother waves her goodbyes to Yuko, and then you both walk down the path towards the road that leads to your home. It's uncomfortably dark you realize as you walk towards Yuko's gate, but your mother doesn't voice the concerns you know she shares. You chew on your lip, considering how to ask if maybe spending the night at Yuko's could be an option, but Shiki is there. They seemed to have personal business to attend, and Yuko seemed preoccupied with whatever it was he was telling her too before your mother arrived-late, which was unusual for her. But as she's made clear often growing up, she won't talk about people's cases. She can't and more than that, she respects their privacy. It comes then as a surprise when she, unaware it seems, mumbles that he has something to do with Akane's case.

Even more surprising is when a bell starts ringing to the right of the gate's doorway, and then a honeyed voice calls out, "There's Wan-Pi. I thought I was going to have to go searching for her alone. But since I'm out, do you mind if I join you?"

Your mother exhales sharply, sounding accusatory despite the quietness of her voice. Though whether she's saying "oh," or "you," you are unsure. You both remain tense as a small smile that fails to reach his ever apathetic eyes lights Shiki's face. The cat purrs enthusiastically beneath his nimble fingers as he rubs a soft spot behind her ear, and waits for a response patiently. Your throat is dry. You want to scream no, that he needs to go away. You want to protect your mother, and that means keeping him far away from her as you investigate. Preferably indefinitely but something tells you that won't happen. Then there's the issue of protection still...

You can protect your mother. You can protect yourself. But visibility is low, blind spots are high, and the risk of something going wrong right now while you are without a weapon is uncomfortably high. Last time, he fought the creature... he fought the creature... How did he fight the creature? You screw your face in concentration as you try to remember, but it suddenly dawns on you that you never saw him fight. You heard.

And he moved incredibly fast. Almost as quick as the creature. The cat continues to snuggle against his hand as he pets it to her hearts content. The bell continues ringing, lulling you to an almost daze. The sweet lull of the low sung notes begin to blend in an intoxicating melody. His fingers stop, and the cat's fur raises as she begins to shift uncomfortably.

"We would greatly appreciate the company. Do join us," your mother calmly states.

Something's wrong. You shouldn't go out. Even Shiki seems to be alert as his cool eased posture is straightened up, and he begins to scan his surroundings more frequently.

"Mom," you say, unmoving as the kitty squirms out of Shiki's hands and runs into some bushes. "Maybe we—"

"(Y.N.)!" your mother snaps. "Hurry up, and let's go. Don't want to let this nice, young boy wait any longer than he already has."

There's a fire beneath her words and it brings you back to the days when she was the disciplinarian, and your father was always the easy pushover. The fire in your mother's words were always the warning before a spanking. Until your father's work started hitting too close to home, and he decided it was time the only discipline you needed was the discipline of life and not dying. Despite now knowing real fear, hearing your mother's tone does move you, and you're quick to follow her orders with a slightly bowed head. Shiki raises a brow in question, but remains silent. His only words are for the kitty as he bids adieu to the now hidden creature, and moves quickly to your mother's side. He offers his elbow in support as the three of you walk out the gates and into the open, but she laughs him off and walks two paces ahead of the both of you. You take the opportunity to momentarily throw a glare his way, but otherwise ignore him as you remain on guard.

You're antsy, wanting to tell him something, but knowing you can't. It seems that your mother wants to say something too. You know her quirk. You recognize the pattern her ring and middle finger make when she's holding her tongue, and her need to say something comes out in her nerves. As you bite the inside of your cheek, you hear a noise off in the distance. It's slow, and too far away to mean anything really, but you keep your right side prepared for any possible oncoming attack. Then you realize something else...

"Mom, he won't be able to leave once we get home."

She falters for half a step, then turns. You hadn't realized how close Shiki had gotten to you as you were walking until you feel the full force of your mother's calculating stare look the both of you up and down. She remains quiet for a few minutes down the road. In the meantime, you purposefully take two steps away from him and a step closer to your mom. From your position you can see the way your mom bites her bottom lip. Her twitch must be acting up, you realize. Why is she so nervous? He's just a boy. Why did she emphasize that so much?

"He can stay on the couch tonight," your mom finally responds. She then tells him, "That's the best we can do. Can't have you going into the dangers in your own, now can we."

He moves his relaxed right hand up towards his heart and gives a half bow as he thanks your mother. "Your hospitality is much appreciated, Ms. (L.N.). Though I assure you, I am more than capable of handling myself if the situation calls for it."

You think back to your first meeting, and know he's telling the truth. But that was during the day. Could it be possible that out here they might travel in clusters? You hope not, and not just for his sake.

"Regardless, I expect you to stay put until the morning unless you want me to worry for your safety all night. We've had enough of that already if you'd ask me," your mother retorts. You catch his gaze for a minute there and quirk an eyebrow at him. He raises his eyebrows together and quietly huffs out a puff of air.

I don't know either.

You keep him in your peripheral vision, but allow yourself to trail just out of your mother's to continue this wordless interaction.

He reaches a hand up to scratch at his chin then quickly flicks his pointer finger towards you. His jaw is angled to the side, and he looks like he just tasted something sour that he's trying to pretend he doesn't dislike. You feel the corner of your lip tug upwards into a tiny smirk. You let your left hand relax down to your hip, and tap your finger to get attention. After a few seconds, you shake your finger side to side in a discreet "no." You'd never do anything to worry your mother. At least not until recently. But you couldn't help it! It wasn't your fault this job, this life, forced you into these types of situations.

For some reason, having this quiet interaction made him feel more... trusting. Your earlier reservations against him have faded. He seems just as confused over your mother as you, and he looks like he's on a mission too. You want to know more. Actually, you need to know more. Don't forget that your mission is to find out what's going on, and as you remember the files, you need to remember that he's connected to everything somehow.

"So, how come you're buying china? Birthday present for your mom or something?"

Shiki smiles at you, and for once it seems like a genuine one. It's rather disarming you realize as your heart sputters in response. You swallow, trying to hide the way you lose your breath. He smirks in response, but kindly looks towards your mother then back at you when he responds that it's actually for a friend. Her birthday is coming up soon, and she has a soft spot for beautiful things.

You surprise yourself even as you retort, "Well then no wonder she's your friend."

You don't realize your words until your mother hides a chuckle behind her hand, and you see a cocky glint in his eye as he reevaluates you. Quickly you add, "I mean, with that sass, I don't know how anyone can handle you for more than a minute."

"Well you've been doing just fine the past two days, so I guess you're a softy for beautiful things too. Or is it just me you're like that with?"

Your face burns brightly as you try to sputter out a response. You can feel your brain malfunction as you try to respond, but all that comes out is little croaking noises until you finally scoff and turn away angrily. Your mother really does try to remain calm and neutral, but even she can't help her laugh at your unprepared reaction. There's a sadness to her eyes if you play close attention, but there's much more excitement to see that you can't deny that someone likes you! You've always been very quick to dismiss when she would suggest a person was fond of you or had romantic inclinations towards you. But those all had been pretty shy boys. The bravest of your potential suitors was an older girl who had been upfront about her liking "cute things." In her mind, it was your own fault she had such a crush on you. After all, who told you to be so dang adorable every time you reacted to anything?

Unfortunately for her, your heart was already attached to someone else at the moment, so you regretted to inform her that you were unable to return such feelings as it was unfair to her when you felt like that for someone else. She understood, though she dramatically sighed and said, "See even as you're rejecting me, you do it so preciously. How am I not supposed to fall more in love with you now?"

Everyone else you'd been able to explain away, to dismiss, to pretend it wasn't the case. You were unprepared for this upfront sort of flirting. You were unable to handle this direct accusation of interest, because to be honest, he'd been running through your thoughts much more than you would have liked... How do people typically respond in this sort of situation? The only thing you can think to do is ignore him and pretend this is all in your head. After all, who in their right mind flirts with someone right in front of that person's mother? There just can be no way he is honestly flirting with you now! Right?

Your hands are crossed tightly under your bosom, and you keep your nose turned up and away from the unfair flirt—mostly to hide your blush, but also to feign disinterest before your mom. Don't need your mom to start obsessing over something that will never happen, but unfortunately it's too late. Her eyes sparkle mischievously as she looks back and forth between the two of you. She keeps quiet for a while, letting you both settle down.

As your home comes into view however, she clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, then slowly begins speaking. "So I hope you realize, I will be keeping tabs on the living room now. No sneaking into my daughter's room when you think I'm sleeping young man. Understand?"

You stop walking at that point and openly gape at your mother. Your hand is clutched to your chest, and all you can do is blink rapidly in distress. You have half a mind to yell "what the fuck!" but this is still your mom you're talking to. Respect, even when she's playing. But then you also have half a mind to double over laughing because Shiki looks taken aback as well as his eyes widen and his nostrils flare in surprise.

It doesn't take long to reach the front door, or for your mom to unlock the entrance and step in. But it seems torturously long as she fiddles with the keys and pulls open the door. You try to avoid looking at Shiki in that time, but like a moth to a flame, you can't help glance towards him. Your face still burns but when you look towards Shiki again to see how he's fairing, eye contact happens yet again. And he winks.

You inhale deeply as you look away, but your flustered response is evident from the sudden stiffness in your shoulders and your tightly locked jaw as you hurriedly rush in past your mother and towards the kitchen for a glass of water. You take a deep breath before downing in six big gulps the large glass of water you shakily poured while your mother begins telling Shiki that the living room isn't much, but the couch is comfortable and to please feel at home.

"Just not too at home though. I realize there's something going on between you and my daughter, but you need to at least take my daughter out on a few dates before we're at my-home-is-your-home level. I mean, I only just heard about you briefly yesterday."

"Mom!" you yell hotly, ready to cry as the lack of control hits you hard. You crumple down into a ball, face inside your shirt as you work to control your breathing and let the few pesky tears that have been fighting you finally come out. When you feel yourself finally calm down, you wipe your face from inside your shirt, take a deep breath, and try to discreetly shoot up. But you go up too quickly, and suddenly you're lightheaded. As you reach your hand to the counter to catch your balance, a cool hand with long fingers gets hold of your free hand and another wraps around your waist. You're held steady for a moment but you can't make yourself look up. You recognize those long black pants. You can see the edge of that lavender-gray button up. You had eyed it up when he first got to Yuko's. It shouldn't have looked so good on him, but with his pale skin and blue-gray eyes, it worked really well. You bite down on your lip as you pull your hand quickly back to your stomach and mumble out a thank you.

"Don't mention it. I'm here to help."

He's very close to you. You need some space, but you're already against the counter. His hand is still around your waist too. Your mouth is very dry so you can't find your voice to tell him to back off. But it's a nice feeling having his hand wrapped protectively around you. When was the last time you had been in a protective hold? The last time you had been in a position of protection rather than trying to protect someone else?

There's a bit of guilt underlying your thoughts because you don't mean to be so selfish. And catching the line of your thoughts, you can't help but feel like your father would be so disappointed in the selfish nature of it. You should be protecting your mother, the community. You should be out with the kids again to train them. You should put the Seed away, and be figuring out who it was that moved it at all. And you need to figure out what case your mother is investigating, and how that relates to everything now. But the more all these obligations fall on you, and the more you feel them weighing you down, the more his hand on your hip feels nice. The more his closeness and proximity make you wonder if this is what your mother used to feel with your father.

'Is this what she's missing now?'

These thoughts all run through your head instantaneously, and then you're stuck on your mother. She's going to read into this. Hell, you're reading into this and it doesn't even mean anything. It can't. You literally just met the guy. So you do what you can, pivoting then leaning away from him, and reach for a clean cup in the cupboards as you ask if he would like some water. You think you hear a huff from behind you, but when you turn to check, Shiki has already pulled away.

"That'd be good, yeah," he responds, suddenly refusing to look at you. He has pulled away completely and is leaning on the opposite counter as he looks out the doorway towards your mother who is currently busy laying blankets and a few extra pillows on the couch for Shiki to rest on. It had been a while since you last had a guest spend the night. And a proper guest at that, not just hunters who suddenly crashed on the floor the moment your father opened the door, or those that needed to regroup before moving to attack a troublesome nest. He swallows loudly, and you wonder if his mouth was as dry as yours had become in that moment.

Was that a moment? You couldn't be sure as you'd never had one before to compare it to after all.

No, no. You have to focus. Even if it was a moment, you need to get your mind on task. You're a strong, independent woman. You don't need to be protected; you can protect yourself. You don't need to connect with him; you already have enough connections. And you don't need to get attached. You learned well enough from your mother considering how her loss affected her so deeply.

Love exists. True love like the one between your mother and father exists. You grew up seeing the most beautiful romance imaginable, and so you don't need fairytales or romantic fantasies to know what true love looks like.

But you don't want to deal with the sad parts of a love that deep. You can't. You loved your father dearly. His loss was a pain you can never forget. But it became more tolerable each day, especially as you fought to stay strong for your mother's sake. But your mother, despite her strength and resilience was still not able to fully function. Not like before. It's only been by throwing herself completely into her work and trying to make you find your own version of your father that she's been able to get out of bed at all recently. And her nervous ticks had only gotten this severe since his death. You can't bear being that broken if you ever loss your significant other. You can't. You refuse.

So now, as you hand Shiki the water, you try to hold back. You try to remain calm, and neutral. Don't let him know how he affects you. Don't show any interest. Focus, and do what you need to do.

"We're just down the hall if you need anything," you tell him as you slip past him to help your mother finish setting up. It's late, and you need to rest. You doubt how possible that will be though now, considering the night you've had.

'I seriously only met him two days ago. I can't seriously be this sprung already!'