K'van introduced me to this ad in the directory called 'Rent-a-Muse'. Unfortunately, none of them suit my liking so I'm stuck with the ones I always have. However Seishirou Muse is very amused by this turn of events while K'van is wilting about it and calling me an ingrate 'cause I refused the help she offered. (K'van: I don't know why I bother helping you in the first place. Oh, right, the readers. –Pause.- Sei-chan, stop smirking and get Comicx to work!)

Comicx weeps as K'van and Seishirou muse stands behind her wielding torture devices as she slaves over desk and drafts of this fic. (Comicx: I don't know why I put up with this.) –PS. Seiun Muse is having a fit of laughter as she witnesses this happening.- (Comicx: Lot of help you are.)

One more thing K'van has been nagging me about. The odd changes with Subaru calling Seishirou 'Seishirou-san' at times and 'Seishirou' at others is due to the standing joke that Subaru likes formality even though he and Seishirou are lovers. Mind, this does not make much difference to the story but K'van insists I put it in so that I would not confuse those who started reading Heirs of the Clans midway for the first time (I have yet to see someone who starts reading a fanfic from the middle though.) and might be confused.

And for those who are confused about the inheritance issue of the Sakurazuka: Both K'van and I would much rather have Seishirou alive throughout the entire duration of this story so we've altered the way Seishirou can pass on his position slightly. In this story, there are two ways to pass on the position of Sakurazukamori. A – kill your predecessor, B – use a complicated ritual that involves the spilling of blood but leaves everyone alive. The difference, A is much faster and more convenient but leaves us short of a Seishirou so we objected to it. There, that cleared up? Now, on with this chapter!

Heirs of the Clans: Chapter 7

Seishirou gave the girl sitting on floor a measuring look. Although it was only three days since the incident that had upset Subaru so, he had taken his promise to his lover seriously and had instructed Seiun to be prepared for a lesson the very next time she was free for some extra instruction in control. Unfortunately, so far the lesson did not seem to be going very well.

Since upsetting Subaru, Seiun had been unnaturally quiet. It was getting to a point where it irritated Seishirou because she was so subdued that it was possible that Seishin could be called animated compared to what she had become. While there were some good points to her downcast state, the general result was worse than ever. She was, in a sense, punishing herself and that self-reproach was starting to affect everyone who knew what her usual behaviour was like. The lively girl with the sharp wit and macabre humour was replaced by a ghost who gave faint smiles and agreed to almost anything.

"Seiun, this has got to stop." Seishirou said firmly for the first time since the lesson started. So far, Seiun had been giving the lesson intense attention - something that he suspected would cost him later – and putting in every bit of effort she could, so at his words, she looked at him, confused.

"Uncle Seishirou? Did I do something wrong?" Seiun asked softly, peering at the assassin, trying to blink away the spots in her vision due to the visual flares of magic.

"The way you act, it has gone on for long enough." Seishirou clarified, ceasing the lesson.

Seiun blinked at him. "Isn't this better?" She asked. "Won't hurt Uncle Subaru any more like this…"

Seishirou moved to kneel on the floor so that he could look Seiun in the eyes. "You are hurting not only Subaru-kun, but Seishin as well, with the way you act. We know you're sorry. That is enough. You can make up for your mistake by paying attention to what Subaru-kun and I teach you. There is no need to change the way you act. You are making everyone else miserable by letting them think that they caused you to act like this."

For a moment, Seishirou half-thought that Seiun would cry. Instead, her expression seemed to open, letting him glimpse at the person within. And that surprised him. The face that looked at him was one of fragility and strength combined, so very much like how Subaru had looked like when the Sumeragi had faced him two years ago as Sumeragi Clan Head against the Sakurazukamori. Only, there was something else in Seiun's features. A facet of personality that reflected the part of her heritage that was not Sumeragi: deviousness.

Seiun closed her eyes. "I thought this would be better, isn't it, Uncle Seishirou?" She queried, sounding lost.

"We are used to having a Seiun who drives us mad by annoying the teachers." Seishirou replied, knowing that he had to phrase things carefully with the way Seiun was now. Right now, she trusted him the same way a chick would trust its mother. "The same annoying Seiun who smiles and does her best to make Subaru-kun and Seishin-kun laugh. There's no need for you to blame yourself anymore."

Seiun opened her eyes. "Really?"

Seishirou smiled. "Yes."

The simple word seemed to invigorate the girl. She managed the first unrestrained smile since he berated her. "Thank you, Uncle Seishirou."

"Now," Seishirou shifted into a more comfortable position. "I need to know something, Seiun-chan."

Seiun tilted her head to one side, exhibiting her long suppressed curiosity. "What, Uncle Seishirou?"

"Subaru-kun told me that you can get past wards without setting off defensive spells. Show me." Seishirou's request was blunt.

Seiun nodded and stood, the playful smile she wore indicating that she was very much back to her usual self. Within moments, one hand was pressed against the wards of the study, with Seiun showing none of the effects that the protective spells should have affected her when she tried to breech the wards.

"Interesting." Seishirou examined the method which Seiun used, noting just what Subaru had, that Seiun had made use of the wards' own energy lines to pass through. "How did you learn this, Seiun-chan? It's not something the Sumeragi know, let alone teach."

Seiun stepped away from the wards, looking at the floor. "'Tou-san taught me how to do that." She said evasively.

"Seiun-chan, what was your father's name?" Seishirou asked, sounding curious despite his attempt to be neutral. Seiun had made an effort to hide the name of her father from both Subaru and him. Also, his inquiries about her parents had been effectively stalled by both the Sumeragi Clan as well as an unknown third party, which had annoyed him.

Seiun looked up at Seishirou, eyes wide as she shook her head. "I can't."

"Why not, Seiun-chan?" Seishirou persisted. "No one else other than Subaru-kun and I will know."

"'Tou-san made me promise. He said that…" Seiun snapped her mouth shut so suddenly that Seishirou could hear the 'click!'.

"He said what, Seiun-chan?" Seishirou queried, seeing Seiun massage her jaw, which had to have hurt with the force of which she had shut her mouth.

Seiun shook her head, mutely refusing to say any more.

"Seiun-chan, what happened then is the past." Seishirou's curiosity was fully aroused now. What secret could Seiun be keeping about her family that she meant to uphold even after their deaths?

Seiun closed her eyes, clearly weighing what Uncle Seishirou had said. She knew that he was right but 'Tou-san had made her promise to keep his… their family alive by swearing her to secrecy. She was only supposed to reveal her true name when the time was right, when she took over his place… "I-I guess I can tell you, Uncle Seishirou."

Seishirou nodded.

Seiun took a breath. "'Tou-san married 'Kaa-san and took her name cause he loved her and he knew that the old bat would rather lock 'Kaa-san away for life than let her marry him if she knew his real name." She swallowed, looking nervous. "And I promised 'Tou-san that I wouldn't let anyone know his name until I took his place but… I am the last now."

Seishirou blinked at her words. "The last what, Seiun-chan."

The whispered reply Seishirou heard shocked him. "'Tou-san's name was Hajime. Kageyama Hajime."

Seishirou's eyes widened a little in surprise. That was one of the most unexpected things he had heard for a very long time. The Kageyama Clan was one of the few clans that the Sumeragis disapproved of due to their choice in the development of their onmyoujitsu. All Seishirou knew about the Kageyama was that they were considered dark onmyoujis although they, unlike the Sakurazuka, did not kill. That he did not know any more was unsurprising, since they were even more secretive than the Sakurazuka were.

"Your father was part of the Kageyama Clan and married a Sumeragi?" Seishirou inquired, wanting to be certain that he heard correctly. At Seiun's downcast nod, he paused in thought. "I presume that the 12th Head was unaware of who he was, or like you said, she would never have allowed your mother to go through with the wedding. Does she know about your father now?"

Seiun started to nod then shook her head. "She knows that 'Tou-san isn't the 'clean' onmyouji he's supposed to be but doesn't know that both of us," her eyes blazed with pride as she spoke. "Are Kageyama."

Seishirou had no trouble believing her. If Subaru's grandmother knew that Seiun was a descendant of a dark onmyouji clan, there was no doubt that she would rather have the entire Sumeragi Clan die out than let Seiun be appointed as Subaru's heir.

"So your father was the one who taught you how to create illusions," Seishirou stated. "And this trick of getting past wards."

Seiun nodded, smiling faintly as she recalled her time with her parents. "He said that there was no use for a Kageyama who didn't know the basics of their trade and that to take his place, I would have to be even better than he was."

Upon hearing the child's words, which were clearly quoted, Seishirou paused. "Why would your father want you to take his place?"

Seiun blinked at him. "'Tou-san was the best of the Kageyama and he said that if I worked hard, I'd be even better."

"Seiun-chan, sit down. I want you to tell me all you know of your Clan." Seishirou said persuasively. He needed to fill in his knowledge of the Kageyama if he was to be able to teach Seiun properly. Also, he was curious about this elusive Clan that had managed to stay hidden from even the information network of the Sakurazuka.

Golden-brown eyes looked at him, gauging how Seishirou would take her reply. Seiun nodded and sat, cross-legged on the floor. "The Kageyama Clan is the Clan of secrets. If the Sumeragi are the Light and their Opposite, the Sakurazuka are the Dark, then the Kageyama is the Clan of Shadows." Her tone became slightly detached, as she fell back on the history she had been taught from the time she was able to understand speech, something that had been drilled into her memory. "We, the Kageyama, are information. And information is neither good nor bad. Even the Sumeragi, though they de-despise us, call upon us for aid though they know it not. We provide knowledge and contain what is improper to pass on, at all costs."

So the Kageyama were - in their own fashion - guardians as well, Seishirou mused. But what did they protect? "And what do the Kageyama consider improper?" He probed, knowing that, Seiun, in the state she was in, would reply as best she could. "Dark onmyoujitsu spells?"

"No. Spells, like knowledge, are neither dark nor light. Whether they are used for good or evil depends on the one who wields them. The Kageyama take away onmyoujitsu-touched objects that harm from those who know not their intent or purpose. If we are unable to do so, then the task falls to the Sumeragi to seal them away." Seiun answered, her voice wavering, tiring in the state of recollection she was in.

Seishirou shook Seiun, bringing her out of that almost-trance before she could hurt herself. He recognized the induced condition as a way for someone -probably her father- to leave Seiun with a way to access her Clan's history, by imprinting her memory with an oral account. "Seiun-chan, that's enough."

Seiun shook her head and winced. "Ouch… Where did I hit my head?"

Chuckling to himself at Seiun's immediate assumption that she had hit herself, Seishirou answered. "Nowhere. I think you've strained yourself too much today. Go have some rest. We'll continue this lesson another time."

Seishirou watched Seiun as she left the room, looking tired. He needed to do some research concerning what he had just learnt about the honey-eyed Sumeragi heir.

"Up late, Seishirou?" Subaru asked softly when he realised that the dark onmyouji was still awake, reading in bed when he returned home from an urgent job involving a rogue protective spirit of a shrine.

Seishirou looked up from the aged journal to smile at the Sumeragi. "You're back earlier than I expected, Subaru-kun." He glanced at the page he was once more and closed his eyes. "I found out something interesting today." He said simply. "And I believe that it is something you need to know." He handed the book to Subaru.

Subaru took the book and began to read. He paused after the first few paragraphs. "Seishirou-san, why are you reading up on the Kageyama? What does this have to do with anything?"

Seishirou chuckled. "Subaru-kun, what do you know of the Kageyama?"

Subaru blinked. "They are one of the Clans still practicing dark onmyoujitsu and are dangerous." He stopped, thinking. "However, no one has seen proof of their existence for a good three generations. So the Kageyama are presumed as an extinct Clan. And according to Obaa-chan," Subaru made a wry face. "They are to be avoided if encountered. Not hunted down like the Sakurazuka but avoided."

Seishirou smirked. "What would you say if I told you that Seiun is a member of that Kageyama Clan?"

Subaru stared. "Wh-what?" His mind whirled. Just when he thought Seiun had provided all the surprises he thought she would, she came up with another that was at least as shocking. "Seishirou, tell me that you're joking, aren't you?"

Seishirou shook his head, his expression one of extreme amusement. "I found that out in today's lesson. She gave me her father's name and by extension, part of the creed he obviously followed and wanted her to keep to." He grew more serious. "Seiun has been taught to keep an account of the Kageyama whenever she is in an induced trance to recall whatever she needed to know. I wonder why her father did that. He had to be fairly desperate if he trained a young child to be the container of his Clan's history."

The Sumeragi absorbed what his lover said and sat down beside Seishirou. "It could be that she is one of the last of the Kageyama." Subaru suggested hesitantly. "That would explain why Seiun's father did that, as well as the reason he took to hiding among us."

Seishirou nodded. "It sounds plausible." Personally, he could not think of a reason why a member of one of the onmyouji Clans hiding his background and taking the name of another unless there was grave danger. However, given the way how the Sumeragi had taken to alienate Clans they were not allied with or did not approve off, it would justify what Seiun's father had done. "Subaru-kun, I would like you to join me for Seiun's lesson tomorrow."

Subaru looked at the older man in surprise, halting in the removal of his sweater. "Why?"

Seishirou smirked. "So we can clarify things with Seiun tomorrow, of course."

Both Seiun and Seishin were present as Seishirou brought another chair into the room for himself as he had already given the only other seat to Subaru.

"Uncle Seishirou? Is this about what I told you yesterday?" Seiun asked, sounding uncertain as she watched the dark onmyouji sit down.

Seishirou nodded. "Subaru-kun and I need to know a little more, Seiun-chan. Mostly about what your father did as an onmyouji."

Seiun blinked. "You mean you don't know?"

Both adults were taken aback by her surprise, although Seishirou did not exhibit his expression the same way Subaru did.

"What do you mean by that, Seiun?" Subaru inquired.

Seiun stood, with her hands on her hips. "Aren't you two supposed to be good that figuring things out?" She demanded, as if what she said was self-evident. "I told you what we do and I even showed you what we do best!" The girl sounded indignant.

Seishirou raised his eyebrows. He certainly had not expected Seiun to take this manner at Subaru's question. It was apparent that the 'we' she used was referring to her father and herself rather than those in the room with her. However, what did she mean, 'showed'?

Seishirou's head snapped up a split-second later as all the pieces fell into place. "You're thieves." His words, soft though they were, overrode what Subaru was saying. "The Kageyama is a Clan of thieves who use onmyoujitsu."

"What?" Subaru gasped, staring at his counterpart.

It was remarkable how much Seiun could look like Seishirou despite their lack of a blood connection. She smirked at Seishirou's words and looked proud that her uncle had puzzled things out.

"Is he right?" Subaru turned to Seiun. The instant he saw her face, he knew that Seishirou was right in his assessment. Seiun's visage confirmed what he heard.

"Why do you think I needed to learn how to slide through wards?" Seiun answered.

Seishin, who had remained silent until now, spoke up in bewilderment. "If Seiun-chan is a Kageyama, then why is she from the Sumeragi?"

Seishirou turned to explain things to Seishin, only to have Seiun beat him to it. "You know that my mother's a Sumeragi?" She asked, sounding exasperated. "Well, my father's a Kageyama."

Seishin blinked. "Ah." He answered, unperturbed. "Can you teach me?"

The unrelated question stumped Seiun for a moment. "Teach what?"

"To slide through wards." Seishin replied. "You said you could do that."

"Why'd you want to learn that?" Seiun asked, baffled.

"If… I have to take Uncle Seishirou's place, then… it'd be useful, right?" Seishin looked at his uncle for approval.

Seishirou looked at Seishin then glanced at the Sumeragi, who was looking surprised at how calmly Seishin had taken this. It seemed that both of them had underestimated the kids. "It would."

Seiun grinned. "Would you want to learn too, Uncle Seishirou?"

Seishirou smirked at Seiun's observation. "If you don't mind me joining Seishin."

"The more the merrier, right?" Seiun laughed.

Subaru blinked as he met Seishirou at the door. "You're early today, Seishirou."

Seishirou smirked at the onmyouji. "I wanted to meet you as you came home, Subaru-kun. I was thinking, perhaps we could go out for dinner."

Subaru shook his head with a smile, recognizing his lover's way of changing the subject whenever he did not want him to probe too deeply. "If you say so, Seishirou. It does sound like a good idea. I doubt I can cook tonight."

Seishirou smirked. "So what do you have in mind, Subaru-kun?" He stepped up to the door, preparing to unlock it when both of them heard a shout. "Not that! SEISHIN!"

Alarmed, Seishirou unlocked the door and pushed it open, to be greeted with a billow of thick, grey smoke. "Seiun! Seishin! Where are you?"

Subaru followed closely behind, coughing as the smoke wafted past him, rushing for the open doorway as fresh air poured in. His eyes watered as he called out the names of his two charges.

"-here!" The weak reply from Seiun was accompanied by coughs and hissing. "Kit…"

Correctly interpreting Seiun's words, Seishirou made his way to the kitchen, where he saw the two children standing next to a foam-covered pot that was still spewing smoke, albeit much less now. "What happened?"

Seiun coughed as she set down the small fire extinguisher she had used to put out the small fire. "It's entirely my fault, Uncle Seishirou, Uncle Subaru." She blurted, at the same time Seishin did.

Seishirou moved over to the now-white pot and peered into its… charred depths. He turned to see Subaru checking the lids over for any burns or injuries. "Seishin, you explain." He picked the green-eyed boy because he believed that Seishin was the more responsible of the two.

"Yes, Uncle Seishirou." Seishin gave the worried girl at his side an apologetic look. "We were… trying to cook dinner and… I burned it."

Subaru examined the quiet boy. "You didn't hurt yourself, that's what mattered." He assured.

"It wasn't Seishin's fault." Seiun cut in anxiously. "I mixed up the bottle of vinegar and the bottle of cooking wine and poured it in."

Seishirou looked skeptical. "That would not explain what happened. Why do you say it is your fault, Seishin-kun?"

"I gave Seiun-chan the wrong bottle and… I bumped into her… that's how the fire was started." Seishin gulped.

Subaru looked the two. "At least no one is hurt. And it was an honest mistake, Seishin-kun, there's no need to blame yourself that much."

Seishirou agreed. "Now, both of you get changed. We're going out for dinner."

Seishirou unlocked the door to the apartment, only to bump into Subaru as he turned to hang up his coat. "I'm home, Subaru-kun." He smirked when Subaru smiled back at him, looking tired.

"Welcome home, Seishirou." Subaru murmured as he moved slowly towards the living room – an indication that he was exhausted.

"You've been working too hard again." Seishirou admonished, pulling the Sumeragi into a hug.

Subaru sighed, leaning into the embrace and tilting his head up for a kiss, which Seishirou obliged at once.

They pulled apart when a door opened creakily, to be greeted by Seishin. "Welcome home, Uncle Subaru, Uncle Seishirou."

The table was spread with several dishes that looked steaming hot when they entered the kitchen. "I made them. I thought that it was for the best since you two would be back late and Seiun isn't back either." Seiun explained. "Looks good, doesn't it?"

Seishirou and Subaru sat down and the older man took a healthy spoonful, to cough softly as the horribly intermingled flavours killed every taste-bud in his mouth. However, all he could do was warn Subaru about the horrible food. Neither had the heart to tell Seishin that, especially since that he seemed to happy about being able to prepare the meal. They watched in horror as Seishin eats what he cooked, with no apparent mishap.

"Tadaima!" The door closed as Seiun returned home from school, joining the dining table, looking pleased at the spread, ignoring the frantic look Subaru gave her. Cheerfully, she took a bite of the food and choked, sputtering and spitting out what she could taste. It was nasty. Sweet and salty and spicy and bitter all in one mouthful. "What… is this? Poison?" She rasped between gulps of green tea as Subaru let his head hit the table.

All Seishin could do was listen as Seiun scolded him colourfully for 'poisoning' her as he found out how her opinion of his cooking, accompanied by low chuckles from Uncle Seishirou and sympathetic looks from the Sumeragi.

Subaru watched as Seiun fussed over Seishin, making sure that he wore some protective gear and had several ofuda with him. "Seiun, why are you giving Seishin ofuda? We're just giving him a lesson."

Seiun's answer was anything but helpful. "It always pays to be prepared, Uncle Subaru." She turned to face Seishin again, checking to see if her brother was suitably armored against his trial. "Now, remember. Follow exactly what Uncle Subaru or I say and if anything goes wrong, use the ofuda to create a barrier."

Seishin nodded, looking serious. He was covered in what Seiun had termed 'preventive measures' - his hands enclosed in oven mitts, an apron on his front and another on his back. The only part of him that was unprotected was his face since Subaru had vetoed the face-mask Seiun had managed to procure from somewhere.

Subaru drooped at the sight. "Seiun, I still think you're overdoing things."

Unaffected, Seiun looked Seishin over once more and nodded in satisfaction. "You'll be safe now."

"Seiun… This is too much…" Seishin protested faintly. "We're just preparing dinner."

"And dessert. Never forget dessert." Seiun reprimanded, her eyes seeming to smolder. "Dessert is very important."

Subaru sighed. "Seiun, we're just teaching Seishin how to cook some stir-fry."

Seiun sighed. "Fine." She brought out several dishes from the fridge, all containing food that was already neatly sliced and prepared. "Here. First, you have to heat the pan…"

The dish of goya chanpuru(1) turned out fine with no mistakes, so Seiun, under Subaru's insistence, allowed Seishin to remove the oven mitts.

The preparation of the soup was a disaster. Seishin had, under the impression that the tofu miso soup required a large amount of the said ingredient, emptied an entire container of aka(2) miso paste into the pot, which made Subaru scramble for the pot to try to remove most of it before the soup became too salty for consumption.

Seiun, upon seeing what her brother had done, raced to add more stock to the pot in hope of diluting what damage Seishin had already done. Fortunately, Subaru had managed to take away most of the excess miso, so the soup was just a little saltier than usual. No harm done.

:: Whew. Safe. :: Seiun eyed Seishin as he obediently poured the cut tofu into the pot at Subaru's directions. :: At least not much can go wrong now. Not with the dishes we have left. :: She would regret what she thought later.

The vegetable dish was prepared swiftly, with little problems since it was a western salad, which only involved tossing and mixing the dressing.

Dessert however, was a catastrophe in the making. The initial dessert both Sumeragi had in mind was the relatively simple sugared sweet potato. They ended up having to throw away the dish they ended up with when Seishin had added not only a healthy spoonful of salt to the frying potato, but plenty of pepper as well.

Subaru could not help but groan as the sweet was thrown away. It was such a waste. Then again, the memory of the taste test made him shudder. He opened various cupboards and began searching, hoping that he could find an alternative. He ended up with a packet of red beans and some jelly mix. "How about some anmitsu(3) instead?"

"Do you think we can stop him from destroying it?" Seiun asked in an undertone, sounding conniving as she helped to wash the beans swiftly under running water.

"He can at least stir the beans." Subaru whispered back, not wanting to hurt Seishin's feelings at their lack of trust in him and yet, unable to deny that the younger Sakurazuka was appalling in kitchen chores. "It's easy enough."

"If you say so, Uncle Subaru." Seiun sounded skeptical.

The next half-hour was spent scrutinizing every action Seishin made and doing their best to prevent any ill that would befall their second attempt at dessert.

Seiun managed to prevent disaster befalling the dessert purely by accident when she guided Seishin into making melon balls with the fruit left in the fridge, safely distracting Seishin, who had been attempting to add pepper to the cooking beans. Later, Subaru's swift motions stopped the jelly from burning when Seishin left it boiling on its own, believing that the jelly would form on its own.

:: There's no way anyone can cook that badly:: Seiun could not help thinkingas Seishin was nagged gently by Subaru about the jelly. :: How does Seishin do it::

More than an hour later, dessert was finally prepared. As Seishin happily set the table, glad to be free of Subaru's and Seiun's 'fussing over nothing', the two Sumeragis laid their heads down on the kitchen table and panted, finally relieved that they had survived the 'kitchen 'experience' as Seiun termed it.

"How does he do it?" Seiun murmured, mystified as her eyes followed Seishin, who was humming cheerfully as he laid down forks and spoons. "How can he cook so badly and still be so… HAPPY about it?"

"I don't know…" Subaru answered his 'daughter'. "Maybe we should get him to practise more?"

His suggestion was met with a horrified look from Seiun. "No! Never ever! Do you want to burn the block down?"

"You're right." Subaru agreed, even as he heard the 'click!' of the front door being unlocked, the sign that Seishirou had returned home. "Okaeri, Seishirou-san." His exhaustion led him to address his lover as he always did when he was younger.

"Tadaima." Seishirou's voice held a smile in reply and was followed by a sniff. "Dinner smells good."

Most of an hour later, dessert was served to a pleased-looking Seishirou. "If this is the way you cook, Seishin-kun, perhaps you should spend more time in the kitchen." He teased.

"Not," Seiun muttered. "Unless you want to die of food poisoning."

"It can't be that bad." Seishirou knew what had happened earlier but had every intention of teasing the more volatile Seiun rather the milder Seishin.

"I wouldn't mind doing it again if you want me to, Uncle Seishirou." Seishin said quietly.

At those words, Seiun collapsed, hitting her head hard on the table with a loud 'Thud!'

-end chapter 7-

(1) Stir-fried goya and pork.

(2) Aka or red miso paste is salty, unlike the sweet shiro or white miso paste.

(3) Jelly with red bean topping and fruit.

Yay! I finished the chapter! K'van can't scold me now, not with both of us being busy at school! One more thing, (K'van forced me into this!) I took longer to update cause this fic is in my laptop and I was out of the country for a short while without it… (Comicx grins widely, to get smashed in the back of the head by a mop wielded by K'van.) Also, thanks to our reviewers - although I appreciate your reviews, Hatori Soma, please do not bring down your reviewers' wrath on me by saying that you would only update when I do! (Looks at Hatori Soma with wide, tear-filled eyes.) I'm co-writing with K'van, darn it. She writes the plot outline and I do the editing and writing! So it takes a longer time to write… (Never mind that Seiun Muse seems to be trying to take a holiday lately…) Anyhow, please, if you like, REVIEW!