So, anyone still reading this? *voice echoes* *tumbleweed passes* *insert other cliches*

Well, in any case with this chapter the romantic triangle stuff is more or less decided. If you don't ship the 'winning' pairing, you can always go read PrincexWanderer or Endling ;)

Chapter 14 – The Isolation of the Fragments

A shield has to be staunch and take the hits againand again, without cracking. But nothing on this earth can resist forever, no matter how enduring.

A shield needs something to protect, or else it is rendered meaningless. It safeguards, it cherishes and yet is never remarked upon by those it defends, unless it fails its purpose.

Kaito rested face-down over the bed covers, tracing the wood grain of the head of the bed with a finger. The more he thought of his situation, the more sleep eluded him.

'Defend your friends, no matter what. If nothing else, be constant and true.'

"I tried to do my best, Dad…" he whispered.

And it had been satisfactory, for the most part. They needed one another, Kaito reasoned. He needed to feel he was protecting someone, and his friends needed acceptance and safety.

And that was why Gakupo's reaction barely a half-hour ago had stung so much. Kaito couldn't even begin to understand what had happened inside Gakupo's head to cause this, but he seemed to be genuinely surprised to learn that he had come out of the hut to offer him love. Not only that, he seemed disturbed by it. The tiny hope Kaito harbored was quickly wilting, as he pictured Gakupo's horrified expression in his mind. Why come to Kaito, then? Why light this flame inside of him in the first place? It made no sense.

Luka's anger had been a bit more expected, not that it made it any easier. Kaito had suspected their truce wouldn't last for long after meeting up with Gakupo, despite how accepting she seemed of his feelings. It was one thing to be working together towards a distant objective; it was another completely different to have the very thing she wanted right in front of her. It was funny, in a way. Kaito suspected Luka feared him, and yet she had nothing to worry about. Gakupo had chosen her repeatedly and without hesitation, from day one. Kaito knew better than to try to pull them apart. Only she could cut the link between her and Gakupo, as she had done so before.

Ever since he realized he was in love with Gakupo, Kaito had known his own chances at fulfillment were limited. At first, just keeping Gakupo as safe and occupied as possible had been sufficient. Gradually, he convinced himself that protecting Luka and Gakupo would be good enough for him. But then, the situation had rapidly shifted. Gakupo's powers became known and Luka ran away, leaving the two of them alone. And that's when Kaito had finally found how awful being a shield could be.

He was both happy and sad that Luka was out of the picture, and it tore at him, the constant dichotomy. But he had a duty and wouldn't falter. Even when he slipped into Gakupo's bed and kissed him in the darkness, wishing he would say how much he loved Kaito, he didn't break down. Because Gakupo was about to die, and he needed him, he needed him badly.

And now here they were. Once again he was looking at love from the outside. And he wanted so much to be shielded, just once. Just a fraction of the love and protection he was expected to provide, that was all he wanted.

Dad wanted me to be selfless.

If they were happy, he had no right to ruin it.

Dad wanted me to be loyal.

He had chosen to stand beside two deeply damaged people. He had to be strong for them.

"I wish…"

Kaito recalled once falling asleep on his father's lap, when he was very small. It probably had been somewhat uncomfortable for Captain Fuuga, but he didn't move until his son woke up. The warmth of that day seemed so distant to him now, wrapped as he was in cold finery.

Would Gakupo let him rest his head on his lap, if he asked? Would Luka watch over his sleep?

How had Kaito become so isolated that he had no one that would take this weight from him?

Luka watched Gakupo sitting on the pier from the shadows, biting her lip. From time to time, a sob shook her, but she made an effort to stay silent.

It's not like she didn't know something like this could happen. From the start there was the possibility that Gakupo would realize how little she could support him, in comparison to Kaito. She had tried to be a better woman, to be more open and brave, but all she could do was try.

She didn't know what was worse, the fact Gakupo had gone behind her back, or that he apparently expected Kaito and her to share his affections. Like she didn't how that would end up. They would tire of Luka and leave her alone. Without any malice on his part, Kaito would take everything from her and she wouldn't be able to blame him. It was so easy to cast him as the villain…and an utterly childish idea. She had no doubt whatsoever that Kaito wanted the best for Gakupo and her, no matter the cost.

Whatever had happened back at the hut, it hadn't been his idea. Gakupo had come to him and Kaito had jumped at the chance. Like Kaito said, how could he resist Gakupo, after all he'd suffered for him? In his place, she would've yielded just as quickly.

She squeezed her fists, as wild ideas coursed through her mind. She saw herself shoving Gakupo into the cold waters of the lake, kicking and screaming at him. She could surprise him without trouble. He was utterly vulnerable, leaning against one of the posts with his eyes closed and a sad expression on his face, which rankled her. How dare he look so innocent, after crushing her heart like this?

And to think I felt so proud of myself when I told him that I loved him. It felt like finally we could walk out together into the light.

Gakupo seemed able to understand her without words like no other could. From the first time they met, he saw past her silences and sullen attitude and kept reaching out patiently. Pleasant as it was to be coddled in that way, in a manner that easily accommodated her moods, it felt even better to move past her barriers, embracing Gakupo as he embraced her.

But no, she was still isolated. And even now, as Luka quivered thinking of how much Gakupo could hurt her, her body wanted to run to him and surrender to him. Loneliness was too painful, the cold around her heart too harsh. Fear and desire warred for the movement of her limbs, and she could neither inch forward or retreat. Like so many times before, she remained paralyzed, her throat constricted, her heart weary and pained.

Gakupo sat silently at the edge of the pier with half-lidded eyes. The light of the lantern revealed the slight movement of the water, lapping the many wooden legs of the pier. The constant muttering of the lake seemed like a fitting background for the utter uselessness of his thoughts, bouncing erratically inside of his skull.

What was he supposed to do? He felt too ashamed to go back to the inn on his own and face Kaito, but he was beginning to feel equally unwilling to find Luka. After all, if he had accepted the beast's suggestion, then he had betrayed her. He was continuing to betray her, by being attracted to their friend. And he was mistreating Kaito by accepting his affection with such frivolity.

Gakupo suddenly felt like getting up and simply walking out of Teolene, with no destination in mind. Perhaps it was for the best, since it would mean Kaito and Luka wouldn't suffer for his sake anymore. But no, he couldn't simply disappear without an explanation. He had to make things right somehow, before disappearing.

No. Being separated hurts.

Gakupo gasped in surprise, and stupidly attempted to turn and look behind him. There was no one, obviously. The owner of the voice was inside of him.

Mate with them. Be happy.

A chill went down his back. It felt like a giant claw slowly tracing a line from the back of his head to the bottom of his spine.

"No!"

Why? You want to.

"That's not how it should go!" Gakupo argued.

Who says so? Just take them.

"So what, do you want me to do anything I feel like doing?"

The wind rustled his hair, or perhaps it was the warm breath of a huge animal wheezing above him. A strange sound echoed inside his skull, and he realized she was laughing.

Yes, silly cub. Run, consume, mate, be happy.

"I'm a human. I'm supposed to commit to one person and be faithful to them."

Nonsense, our daughter said humans can take more than one mate.

It took a moment for Gakupo to realize she meant Luka's comment about marrying him and Kaito at the same time. "That was a joke! It doesn't mean that Luka wants that." Not to mention, how embarrassingly egotistic it would feel to ask Luka and Kaito to accept such an arrangement.

Besides, did he truly want that?

The answer came like a knife cutting through the turbulent layers of his mind. It was a single image, the memory of Luka looking lovingly at him, about to fall asleep in his arms. Suddenly, everything was simple. Perhaps it had always been simple, from the first time he saw her at the House of Gifts. Even in the middle of the night, Gakupo suddenly felt the realization warm him to the core.

"I don't want to hurt Kaito, I owe him so much. Maybe...maybe I feared acknowledging what he felt for so long, because of what that entailed. It made me feel I had to love him back just as much, you know? I didn't want to face that responsibility."

Gakupo squeezed one of his hands, thinking back. When was the last time he felt such clarity? He couldn't tell for certain. The prison and the palace were behind him, as well as the weight of the turmoil and the tiredness. And underneath the monster and the mage, who he was and what he wanted remained unchanged.

"I can't give him what he wants. I love Luka more than anything or anyone, that's all there's to it."

You should tell her that, she's feeling very hurt right now.

"I don't know where she went," Gakupo sighed.

She's watching you, from the alleyway to your right.

"Wha-?" Gakupo turned around to peer at the line of houses behind him. It was hard to tell given the scant illumination, but a sudden feeling between his shoulder blades, like a paw delicately pushing him forward, made the location obvious.

We'll keep her from running.

"No, leave her alone!" Gakupo rose, shouting upwards. The beast laughed again, but said nothing. Gakupo groaned and picked up the lantern, then run to the alleyway in question. His light quickly revealed Luka standing in place behind some barrels, an expression of frozen surprise in her face.

"Beast, release her!" Gakupo shouted again, turning his head from side to side as if following the movements of a bug in the air. "Please!" He then turned back to Luka and cupped her face in his hands.

"What…is this?" Luka uttered with difficulty. Her expression barely shifted, but her eyes were filled with terror.

Our daughter fears you'll leave her. Why does she doubt?

"Do you still not get it?! How would you feel if your mate went to other beast to lie with her?" Gakupo asked as calmly as he could. Luka made a strange gurgling sound. Gakupo examined her face, but he couldn't discern from her expression if she was hearing the beast as well. His observation was completely forgotten once the monster whispered her next phrase.

The saint can't leave me, we are bound together.

"The saint?" Gakupo again stared into space. Did she mean El Gris?

If our daughter fears you won't lie with her again, the answer is simple.

Again the laugh came from nowhere, and Gakupo felt the invisible beast nudging him to take Luka in his arms. "Stop messing with us!"

Our precious children, you seem so exhausted of humanity. We see your claws turned inward, your teeth biting at your own fur. We'll guide you for as long as you need it, if lies won't let you follow your true desires.

Luka moved forward stiffly and wrapped her arms around Gakupo's neck. "Love me," she whispered, her eyes glistening feverishly. "We have to be together."

Gakupo gnashed his teeth, pushing against the intangible tendrils coiling around them. "I said stop it!" He had a sensation of fleeting outrage, as the beast retreated, then Luka's body went flaccid in his arms. He knelt on the uneven cobble steps cradling Luka, who seemed more than a little confused. She muttered something barely intelligible; it sounded like a question.

"She thinks she's helping us." Gakupo sighed. "Are you still there, beast?"

We are.

"Please let us solve this on our own. We'll stay together, I promise."

There was a faint rumble in the air; ludicrous as it seemed, Gakupo wondered if the beast was purring.

Then do. And care for your brother as well.

"You mean Kaito? Has something happened?" Gakupo realized the question was stupid as soon as it left his lips. Judging by the whiff of air expulsed by the beast's nostrils, she thought so as well.

He's the most impenetrable of you. We've heard my daughter call him sincere and yet he hesitates. Why? He wants the ones he calls friends to ease his pain and loneliness and yet he weeps alone.

"Is that true?" Gakupo asked shakily.

I don't understand it…I think the saint does, but he doesn't speak anymore. Still, I know one thing: human hearts don't run empty as easily as you fear. The saint loved his fellow humans; I saw his heart overflowing with more and more feeling as he approached me in the battlefield. It was a vision of power I could never match, even if I scorched his body a thousand times.

The beast's voice had taken a pensive tone.

I don't feel like humans do, I believe. But that desire to make him my prey, to tear his heart open and drink from it until I turned to cinder…to me, that emotion was love. You three are its fruits.

We will return to our rest, but we'll be here, if you need us.

And then she was gone. Gakupo knew it for a fact: her absence was as noticeable to him now as Luka's form, feebly protesting his touch.

"Luka, listen to me. She urged me to go to Kaito, to make sure he wouldn't leave."

The young woman met his eyes, trembling with a mix of hope and fear. "Then…it wasn't…she made you say those words, right?"

"Not quite," Gakupo admitted. Luka's expression fell. "Luka, part of me will always love Kaito. The two of you are my family, you know that. So yes, I do want him to stay with me, with us, forever. The beast wouldn't be able to force me to say anything completely untrue."

Luka's eyes began to overflow with tears once more.

"But you are the one I love the most, the one I want to marry. Is that not enough for you? You have the biggest piece of my heart in your hands."

Luka lowered her head, making her pink hair hide her expression. She sniffed quietly and Gakupo waited patiently, as always. After a moment, she looked at him again. Like the sun appearing after a fierce storm, a smile gradually transformed her expression.

"You chose me," she said.

"I chose you," Gakupo repeated. "I'll always choose you."

Kaito was still unsuccessfully chasing down sleep when Luka and Gakupo returned, hand in hand, red-eyed and with fresh tears down their cheeks. And yet their faces were shining with such happiness that it was dazzling spectacle, like two of the Goddess' own helpers, descended from the heavens. For a moment, Kaito wished the earth would swallow him up. He sat up wearily, wondering if it was too late to jump out the nearest window.

Luka stepped forward, but her words were completely unexpected. "Kaito, I'm sorry if I've seemed jealous of you. Um, no, not seem…"

"….I was jealous." She gave out a little nervous giggle and stole a quick glance at Gakupo before continuing. "I, um, I'm glad you were next to me, the past couple years. Please don't leave us, ok?" She was in serious danger of tearing one of the long sleeves of her dress, with the way her fingers were twisting it, but there was something new in her tone; whatever had happened downstairs, it had definitely made a huge mark on her. Kaito nodded numbly.

"The beast spurred me to go outside and do anything you wanted to keep the three of us together. I think that's why I can't exactly remember what happened. When she interferes with me directly, she sometimes scalds my mind so much that my memories are all muddled up." Gakupo explained, fiddling with a tuft of his hair.

The implications of his words had barely begun to sink into Kaito's mind when his friend continued. "But she didn't conjure up any feelings I didn't have." Gakupo rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I'm thankful for your presence in my life, I'm truly am. Please forgive me for all the times I took your feelings for granted. Outside of Luka, there's no one I love more than you." His face twisted into something that was a mix between a smile and a cringe. "…That was a stupid way to phrase it, wasn't it?"

Kaito laughed, running his fingers through his hair. "You never do anything in a normal way, that much is for certain." His brains were too soaked on alcohol to process the things he was seeing and hearing, and he certainly wasn't prepared for what came next.

Luka sat stiffly by his side and bumped her upper arm against his, staring ahead with a neutral expression. Kaito watched her for a few seconds, perplexed. Luka sighed dramatically and draped his arm around her shoulders.

Gakupo hugged them both much more naturally a second later. "We'll stay together," he said softly.

"Together," Luka repeated.

"I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to be with you two weirdoes," Kaito said, his voice cracking with emotion, despite his attempt at levity. He tried to open his mouth to make another quip, but all that came out was a choked sigh. He sank his face into Gakupo's shoulder, perfectly content with the idea of remaining where he was, sandwiched by his friends.

The night was much warmer than he thought only a while ago.

"Luka! Luka, wake up!"

Someone was shaking her shoulder. Luka grumpily rose, rubbing her eyes, and glared at Kaito. All around them, the room was full of daylight. It was morning already, by the looks of it.

"Do you know where Gakupo went?" Kaito asked nervously.

Luka's mouth dropped. "What?! He was right here with us!" She patted the bed next to her. The three of them had ended up piled together over the covers, like old times.

"Did he say anything yesterday about going out in the morning?"

"No! Nothing at all!"

"I'd better go look for him, then," Kaito mumbled, and ran outside.

Luka pounded her fist against the bed, annoyed at everything, including herself. No matter how lucid he could act at times, Gakupo was still scarred by his years imprisoned. She had to keep a closer eye on him. With a groan, she put on her boots and rushed after Kaito. By the time she caught up to him, he was already outside in the gardens, going for the main gate.

"Kaito!"

He turned towards her, startled but relieved by her presence.

"Did you ask the people of the inn?"

"He isn't inside, as far as they know."

"Yesterday we were by the lake. Maybe he dropped something there and went looking for it. That way." Luka pointed towards the route she had taken the night before. Kaito took off running and she followed him, hitching up her skirts.

They were half-way down the slope of the hill when a strange noise began to grow in volume, drawing Luka's attention. It seemed to be a cross between the buzzing of an immense insect and the grinding of metal against metal. She looked around them, confused, and then finally turned her eyes towards the pier, just in time to see a group of flying machines rise towards the skies. The swift machines looked like a mixture of human and wasps, with wide bodies and huge transparent wings. Their metallic skin shone in the morning sun against the blue of the sky, with a bright copper varnish. They almost seemed like toys, were it not for the size and the complexity of the design. One of them had a net hanging from its mid-section, with Gakupo huddled inside. He was perfectly still, just staring ahead emptily. Luka had the distinct impression he simply didn't feel like resisting his captors.

"No!" Kaito sped up, at a pace impossible for Luka to match in her fancy dress.

As it turned out, she didn't need to. The trajectory of the machines was leading them in the opposite direction of Kaito's desperate sprint, directly towards her.

"Luka, shoot that thing! Shoot it!" Kaito doubled back, shouting.

He hardly needed to tell her that. In an instant, Luka produced her bow and shot an arrow that cleanly decapitated the machine carrying Gakupo. A second arrow perforated the thing's chest, and the machine and Gakupo plummeted to the ground. To Luka's horror, Gakupo made no attempt to protect himself with his magic. A second before crashing, a blue bubble surrounded him, severing the cable connecting the net and the machine; the metallic device exploded against the ground, while the ball of fire bounced lightly away, until it came to rest a few meters from Luka.

After this, the other machines stopped and began to shoot metallic pellets at Luka and Kaito from small cannons mounted on their forearms. The pellets impacted all around them, making a harsh sound against the stones of the road. Before the pellets could pierce their flesh, Kaito wrapped himself and Luka with coats of fire, and the pellets bounced crazily in all directions, impacting in nearby houses. Shards of brickwork and glass added to the confusion, as well as shouts coming from the homes.

Out of the corner of her eye, Luka saw Kaito enter the bubble where Gakupo was tangled in the remains of the net and cut it with a dagger. Oddly enough, Gakupo just sat there unresponsive, while Kaito tried to call his attention. I guess it's up to me for now, Luka thought. Fair enough.

One by one, she began to shoot the things from the sky. It wasn't easy, given how quick they were. People began to pour out from the closest homes, and even a group of guards appeared at the end of the street, but they all kept a reasonable distance when they realized magic was involved.

After a while, it became clear that some of the devices were able to survive the crash with the ground; they began to creep tortuously towards Luka, dragging their ruined bodies. Kaito had to leave Gakupo alone and support Luka by bashing the machines away with his shield. At no moment Luka felt the presence of the beast inside of her.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the street was littered by smoking bits of machinery. Kaito lowered the shields around them and crouched down, exhausted. Luka felt rather wobbly herself, but her curiosity compelled her to approach Gakupo. He was still sitting in the same place where Kaito left him, and barely seemed to be aware that the attack had happened.

"Hey," Luka tried to call his attention. "Hey!"

Gakupo turned to look at her, with the same inexpressive, fixed stare. He said nothing.

"Are you ok?"

Gakupo nodded.

"We should go away from here. Can you walk?"

Gakupo nodded again.

"Get up then, come on." Luka extended a hand, but Gakupo ignored her and rose on his own. That small gesture irritated her tremendously, for some reason. Why was he acting so strangely?

"Gakupo, what's wrong?" She tried shaking him, to no avail. "Answer me!"

"Let him be, Luka." Kaito placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please." He looked as worried as her, however.

"It's my fault," Gakupo whispered. "I left her behind."

"What? Who?"

Emotion came back into his face all of the sudden, as if a dam had broken. Sadness and horror filled his eyes, as he glanced from Luka to Kaito and back repeatedly. "She called out to me, but she's dead. I killed her!"

The other two stared at him, eyes wide.

"What do you mean?" Luka asked with dread.

"Verdigris used Maika's life essence somehow. I…." Gakupo hid his face with his hands. "Maika guided the constructs here, she called out to me! It was her voice! But she's dead, because of me!"

Luka brought a hand to her mouth, sick to her stomach. Verdigris had used that woman as an ingredient in a spell to find Gakupo? How was that even possible?

"Guys, let's discuss this later, ok? There might be more of those things on the way," Kaito said trying to adopt a normal tone.

Around them, the people of the city were beginning to cautiously approach the remains on the street. The guards were marching towards Kaito, Luka and Gakupo, obviously expecting some answers.

"Sorry, we have to go!" Kaito called another ball of fire and the three of them sailed over the nonplussed soldiers. When the inn came into view, he added, "Ok, we get our things and hire or buy a carriage. No more fooling around, until we get to Shinwa. Do you agree?"

"All right," Luka uttered. Maybe the relative peace of the road would give her an opportunity to calm Gakupo down and get a more detailed explanation of what had happened.

Gakupo nodded absently.

They landed in the garden of the inn, startling the servant girl sweeping the porch. She pressed herself against the wall, stammering, as they neared the entrance.

"Sorry about that," Kaito said amicably as he passed her by.

The receptionist seemed almost as startled to see them enter in a rush, though he quickly composed himself. "Good morning. M-may I be of service, sirs, lady?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Kaito turned to Gakupo and Luka. "Go get our things while I talk with him, please."

Gakupo and Luka nodded and climbed upstairs. The room was unchanged, with the backpacks and potion box still neatly lined against one wall. Luka quickly shouldered one of the backpacks (which clashed wonderfully with her elegant gown) and then walked around the room, wondering if anything else was worth taking. Gakupo watched her in silence, with the potion box and one of the backpacks hanging from his body, the other awkwardly held in his hands.

"I guess we don't need anything else," Luka muttered. She briefly glanced at Gakupo and then looked away with unease. "We should go."

Gakupo nodded and walked outside. Luka hurried to walk beside him on the corridor, growing more and more apprehensive as seconds passed. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Gakupo, if you need to say anything…"

"I don't wish to speak any further at the moment, Luka." Gakupo began to descend the stairs without looking at her.

"Wait!"

Gakupo stopped half-way down the stairs and looked up at her. "If I think about her right now, I'll crumble. And right now, we need to escape from here, right?"

"I guess you're right. I didn't mean to pressure you," Luka blushed.

"No, of course not." Gakupo said morosely. "It's just that…" He bit his lip, pale as a sheet. Without finishing his sentence, he began to descend the rest of the stairs.

Luka watched him, with fear gripping her throat; couldn't they go one day without more problems piling on their shoulders?

Kaito was waiting at the entrance, fidgeting with his muffler. "Come on, the carriage is waiting outside." He pointed over his shoulder.

"Already?" Luka stuck her head out the door, incredulously. And there it was, a barouche with its driver waiting at the main gate.

"It belongs to the inn, but they can take us to the next town over. Let's go." He stepped outside and Luka followed him. Behind her, she heard Gakupo mutedly apologize to the receptionist before he trotted after them.

When they reached the carriage, Kaito helped Luka get in. She took off her backpack and placed it next to her. Good thing we're carrying just the basics, she thought, watching Kaito and Gakupo squeeze in front of her and struggle to find a comfortable way to carry their bags.

"You can place one more here," she pointed next to her. The other one went on the floor, forcing Kaito to bend his legs in a rather uncomfortable-looking manner. He shrugged it off with a relaxed smile, as if he had not a care in the world.

"So we're going east, sir?" The driver, a young man with dark hair turned around to ask Kaito in a respectful but jovial tone.

"Yes, get us to a town big enough to buy some horses or at least hire a bigger carriage;" Kaito replied.

"Aye, sir."

As the barouche started rolling down the road, Luka looked over her shoulder, half expecting the troop of soldiers to appear from behind the street corner and pursue them. But nothing happened. Perhaps they simply didn't dare to meddle with a trio of mages. She exhaled in relief, massaging the back of her neck.

So many things had happened in just a couple of days and so many things were still unresolved. She glanced at the young men before her, pensive. Kaito kept watching the skies, obviously waiting for another attack. Next to him, Gakupo had his potion box on his lap, and his fingers played with its strap while he grimly watched the landscape go by.

Maika was dead. She barely knew anything of the woman, except that she seemed to be incredibly devoted to serving 'her mage.' What had she hoped out of life? Would they able to get along, under different circumstances? Luka had no idea.

She pictured Gakupo's awakening that morning, guided away from his friends by the voice of a dead woman. How strange, that the ones that no longer belonged in the world had such a big role in their lives. First the beast, now the servant; they were constantly haunted by the strangest of ghosts.

"We'll get through this, Luka," Kaito suddenly spoke.

"Huh?"

"You looked really worried just now," Kaito explained.

"No, I'm alright." Luka casted her eyes downwards. "I'm sorry about what Verdigris did to Maika, but we need to keep going."

"I agree," Kaito replied with a warm smile, rubbing Gakupo's shoulder.

Gakupo didn't look particularly comforted by the gesture or their words, but he nodded.

"Maybe try to rest for a while? We'll keep an eye out," Kaito said.

"…Sure." Gakupo leaned back and closed his eyes. He spent the next couple of hours in frozen silence, either asleep or lost in his thoughts, as the barouche traversed the road without incident.