AND THE BETA HATH DECIDED!

Now I would like to inform you all of the pairing poll's results so far

Original Four: 5 VOTES! (including my own...what can I say, I like seeing Maru-chan and Ji-chan together. It's so cute! I'm also an active Ato/Ryo fan so yeah)

Maru/Niou/Kiri: 3 VOTES!

WOW I HAD A TOTAL OF SIX PEOPLE WHO VOTED BESIDES MY BETA AND ME! (feel the sarcasm people).

Honestly, I am begging you, please vote! I'm giving you all another chapter before I decided everything, vote or re-vote if you don't like your first choice.

Hajimari: Tomodachi ni Nare!

Marui Bunta had seldom been completely bowled over (he was a tensai after all

Marui Bunta had seldom been completely bowled over (he was a tensai after all. A tensai just doesn't get completely bowled over). In fact he could count all of those occasions (the ones he could remember anyway) on one hand, well until now that is.

First, it had been getting to know Niou in the fourth grade. It wasn't so much of what he did that bowled Marui over. It was just him, all of him (actually it took his mother a week or so to finally convince him that the new kid next door wasn't some kind of ghost. It took him about another week to convince her that there wasn't any medical issues with Niou's head……and that the boy didn't use hair gel).

The second had been the very first time he played Yukimura……and lost 6 – 1 (he was actually lucky to have even wrestled one game from their buchou). It was the first time he had lost so hopelessly against anyone within five years of his age.

The third time was his first encounter with Sanada's famous Tarundoru (read, bitch slap of DOOM. Niou would like for every one to keep in mind that it's not doom, but DOOM). That smack had probably been the hardest hit he had taken to the face (short of the time he tried to slide down the railing at age 6 and ended up falling down the stairs).

The fourth time was Yanagi's fault……he introduced Marui to Seigaku's second scariest person, the one you never accept anything from (he had made the mistake of taking a piece of licorice the other boy had offered and regretted it dearly)

The fifth and final one (before this particular incident of course) had been Akaya's sudden intrusion into his life (a bit like Niou did……except that more stuff was broken and a poor stray cat had it's tail trampled on)

So as you can see, Marui isn't easily impressed (if you could pop in and out of places at will, trust me, neither would you).

This however, was ridiculous. Marui had been expecting a dark gangster-like hideout place. You know complete with crates and random junk, just barely lit; in other words, a typical abandoned safe-haven-for-delinquents type of thing. He did not expect to see what might have been the inside of someone's grandmother's quaint little house in the countryside.

The shock acted fast and froze Marui where he stood, jaws hanging, with the exception of his sporadically twitching right eye.

That was the state Sengoku found him in as soon as the red-head walked through the door. Now it was his turn to laugh at the other boy's expense.

"Yare yare, you didn't think kaachan would let his precious kitten stay in a run-down old dump did you?" the Irish boy chided gently, "You have far too low an opinion of us cat demons."

"Ah, sumimasen," one of his hands ran through his scarlet hair (much like Niou's knuckle cracking habit, it was just something he did). He followed Sengoku down the hall, after taking off his shoes in the genkan (basically a place for taking off and putting on shoes. I'm sure you've seen one even if you've never heard of one). "Wait, Kaachan?"

"Don't let him hear you call him that though." Sengoku pressed a finger to his lips.

"Can do."

In the room Ryoma was just trying to sit up (trying, because there was a heavy black paw on a relatively fine portion of his chest making sure he stayed down) when the other two boys came in. The younger boy blinked owlishly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, before trying to roll on his side so he could see better. Again he was held down by the paw.

"Now, now Ryo-chan." Sengoku piped cheerfully but kindly. "You don't want to make those bruises worse. We can't help you with that you know."

Ryoma rolled his eyes, or he was going to but then he caught the stares of a certain newcomer. For a moment his pupils dilated and the room went completely black (well to him anyway). The only things visible were the figures of his friends, each glowing with a faint shade of pale yellow, and Marui who was clear and sharp as if he was looking at him normally. Surrounding Rikkai's tensai was a bright green aura.

Well that eliminated the possibility of a demon intruder. Marui was perfectly human, but he wasn't normal either. The boy wondered what he could want with them.

Said tensai meanwhile had moved closer and grimaced at the damage.

Akaya had been bad. Wounds covered his torso, arms and legs. He even had a twisted ankle. And his arm had been bent a strange way (Niou had set it thought as he bandaged the wing). It would have taken Akaya a lot longer to heal it if it were out of place.

Ryoma was worse. Scars crisscrossed his body, rough and raw (like deep cuts are likely to be after about a week). The areas near his collar bone and his shoulders looked as if they were covered by pinkish spider's web. A large bruise colored his abdomen and there was one on his chest (actually there might be a couple of cracked ribs as well). The delicate-looking too pale skin was proof enough that he had lost a lot of blood. Marui honestly feared for the boy's life. He didn't want to think of what might've happened had the three cats not been there.

The next thing he did surprised all the occupants of the room (including himself).

Marui wasn't completely sure what brought it on. In fact one could have called it an instinctive reaction (maybe he was just spending too much time with weird people). All he knew was that one second he had his hands clenched appalled at the state the chibi was in, and the next he was telling the cats (who moved between him and their kitten before any one could blink) to move so he could get a closer look, a familiar white box in his hand. It took a while but they did back off though having them hovering just over his shoulder, his throat within biting distance wasn't exactly calming. Carefully, he set down to work, dabbing alcohol where it was needed (regeneration is no good if there's an infection), bandaging where the cracked ribs might be and probably a sprained wrist, and smearing Vaseline on Ryoma's face and neck (can't have the boy scratching and making it worse).

As he did his thing Muromachi handed the other two some money (which they promptly handed back) and sent the two of them out to bring back a variety of food that would help the boy recover all the blood he lost as well as anything else Marui might need. He, himself, tried to keep Ryoma as still as possible (a great effort went into this because the younger boy did NOT seem to like being treated) and whispering soothing words into his ears.

Of course Marui wasn't one too keen on work silently, and decided to answer Ryoma's continuous complaints on why he needed to be treated when nothing is bleeding. "Some of the body parts need certain conditions to heal properly. I'm here to make sure those conditions are met. You don't have super-healing you know, not like Muromachi-kun here, or even Akaya."

"Kirihara?" Two pairs of eyes widened. Although you really could only see Muromachi's sunglasses. "Was he……"

"Attacked?" Ryoma bit his bottom lip. Akaya was crazy but he didn't want anyone to have to suffer anything like he did (this includes the humiliation of Marui and Touji mothering him to death).

"Oh don't worry," Marui smiled at the expression on the young tennis player's face. "He wasn't nearly as bad as you were. And like I said, he has super healing. Actually that's what I wanted to talk to you guys about. Not the super healing, the attack."

"Fire away." The Yamabuki boy invited. The tense air was back, but Marui had struck their curiosity.

"Are there like demon hunters or something?" Touji let out a sigh, he had hoped that Marui would have information, but the red-head didn't even know as much as they did.

"There are no demon hunters left in Japan." He stated flatly.

"But then what do miko and priests do?" The red head demanded. "Isn't it their job to try and get rid of you?"

"You've been watching too much anime Marui senpai." The prodigy muttered. "The miko nowadays are only there for publicity, there's hardly any ounce of real magic in them at all."

"And besides," the dark boy continued. "If they were, as you say demon hunters, why would they attack Ryoma and not me or Eiji or even Kiyosumi?"

"Cuz he's small?" Apparently there were limits to his tensainess.

"Ryoma's not a demon Bubblegum-kun." Sengoku walked back in with some miso soup in a Tupperware container. He began to feed his kouhai, who scowled at the prospect of not being able to eat by himself (you try to eat with two people pinning you down.) "He's human, like you just with powers. Now, now ochibi, my mom made this soup especially for you. You just have to eat it or she'll be sad."

"Yadda."

"Aw come on. Don't be mean."

"………."

"Sengoku-senpai, that doesn't work on me."

"Kiyo, you know Ryoma's immune to the cute face."

"I know but it was worth a try."

"Nya, ochibi is too much of a brat to care."

"EIJI-SENPAI!"

"What?"

"Drop it guys."

"But……"

"I said drop it." Though he was physically the smallest and most inconspicuous one of the three in both his cat form and his human form, Muromachi Touji could be as intimidating as hell itself when he really wanted to (it kinda reminded Marui of his sisters actually).

Any who, even though Marui was certain he'd used up all his mischievousness for the day on Akaya and Niou. He couldn't help but add his two cents. He blamed it on Niou's Petenshiness having rubbed off on him.

"Yeah guys. Listen to your mother." The reaction was instantaneous. Muromachi squawked indignantly, and the three roared. Ryoma tried to but laughing too hard hurt his chest so he settled for a low chuckling.

"I'M NOT FEMALE!"

"You act like my mom" Marui chortled inwardly with joy. Suddenly he could feel the glare piecing through the blue glass.

"I said that aloud, didn't I?"

"Yup."

"Crap. You're not gonna kill me are you?"

"Depends really." The other boy tucked Ryoma safely under the covers. His fangs peaked out from beneath his upper lip.

(The following scene contains violence not suitable for young readers……actually I don't think it's suitable for anyone.)

A half an hour later everyone was sitting down sipping their own respective cups of tea (chibi Marui had huge chibi tears going down his face, bandages on various parts of his body and a large boo-boo on his head. Sengoku and Eiji were sporting similar injuries, one because they laughed along, the other because they had been unlucky enough to be used as a human/demon shield by the other two.)

"Alright Marui-kun." Touji was civil and reasonable again. "Let's talk about that alliance now."

Miles away in the ridiculously large bed room in a ridiculously large mansion of two ridiculously rich kids, grey eyes opened to a pair of frightened brown ones.

"Keigo."

"Is something the matter, ah?"

"The shadow's hurt. It's bleeding again." A hand patted soft blond curls affectionately.

"I'm sure the shadow can hold out for a bit longer." It was only due to years of etiquette training that he was able to stifle his yawn. "It's lasted until now right? It's mostly likely a very tough, stubborn little shadow."

"The green bubble on the other side of the room's coming to save it." The younger boy buried his face deep into the elder one's neck. "I hope it gets there in time. I hope I get there in time."

For once, Jirou realized, his adopted brother fell asleep before he did.

Looking out the window he sent a quick prayer to the lucky charm Gakuto had bought him for his last birthday.

"Please let them be alright."