Truth

A knock sounded on the door making everyone jump. Kakei let go of Saiga's hand to answer it. It was Mrs. Izanagi. She handed a bag to Kakei then bent down and picked up a large pot.

"I brought some food. I know Kei, excuse me; Kazahaya doesn't keep much food out here. There are some bowls and utensils in the bag." She walked in and immediately felt the tension. The two boys were crying on the bed. The shaded-man had his arms crossed, head bent low to his chest and the other man, Kakei was hastily wiping away tears. Things weren't going well.

"Thanks for thinking about us." Kakei said. "As you can see, we still have a lot of issues to work through."

Mrs. Izanagi nodded then unable to help herself went to Kazahaya. As soon as she drew close the teen scooted to the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her heart skipped a bit at the rush of affection she felt for him.

"Don't go. Stay or - or make them leave! Th-they're lying to me!" Kazahaya leaned closer as Rikuo once again got close and laid his head on Kazahaya's back. "Stop it!" He shrugged trying to dislodge Rikuo but the other teen just moved in closer and wrapped an arm around Kazahaya's chest, hand over his heart.

She was at a loss of what to say or do. Kazahaya obviously didn't want to be there with them but Rikuo, she looked at the other two men, and the others sincerely wanted to be here with Kazahaya. Mrs. Izanagi could feel their yearning. What she really wanted to do was force them to leave, wrap Kazahaya up and take him back to the house but she knew that wasn't possible.

Mrs. Izanagi pulled back from Kazahaya and looked into his tear stained face. "Could one of you bring him some water and that bottle of pills next to the sink?" She asked without looking from Kazahaya. Around his mouth were tight, white lines. Kazahaya's arm was paining him and at least she could help with that. "Thank you." She said to Saiga. "Here take two." He resisted but she got the pills and water in him. "There now, those will help you think clearly. Kei, no Kazahaya, I know that you don't want to deal with them but you have to. Clear the air, learn the truth son. You ran from them once and now you need to stand still and see what comes next. They tell us that your arm can be healed." She was a little shocked as he looked away guiltily. "It can be - then if for no other reason, let them help you! They cared enough to come find you so you wouldn't be crippled, that has to mean something."

Kazahaya just shook his head. "Lie. Trick. They just want to use me." He was so warm but not because of fever. Rikuo continued to hold him and Kazahaya could feel the other's tears on his back. He should break the hold but he just wasn't able to.

"He's wrong! Just give us a chance to explain Kazahaya please." Kakei begged.

"You're not being fair kid. Your saying things not based on fact and for you, finding out the truth is a simple thing. Stop acting so damned scared and learn the truth!" Saiga yelled impatiently.

"Saiga!" Kakei reprimanded him.

Mrs. Izanagi had no idea what they were talking about but she knew she couldn't shield Kazahaya from them. He needed to resolve things before he could ever take another step forward without regrets. "Listen to me Kazahaya. I have no idea if you'll ever be close to these men again but you have to let them help you. Once you're better, you can decide then if they're really your friends or not but I have to say you trust them more than you're willing to admit. Look at your hand," She nodded down at his good hand. It was clutching Rikuo's thigh, holding on for support. "You say he's lying about his love yet you accept his touch and take strength from him. No! Its' true, don't try to deny it!" Kazahaya had snatched his hand away.

Leaning down she kissed both of Kazahaya's cheeks. "We love you Kei or Kazahaya. Whoever you choose to be, we love you. If you find you can't work things out with your friends here, then come back to us. You have a home here and anyone and everyone you've spoken to, is also your friend. We'll always welcome you here, this is your home. Okay?" Mrs. Izanagi hated the pain and misery on his face but also knew he was the only one to make it away. She kissed him again and looked to Kakei.

"Try to go easy on him okay? He did work this morning and he gets tired easily these days. I meant what I told him, if he wants, he can stay with us. This is his home. I'll want all your information before you take him off to the city. We'll want to talk to him, be sure he's okay."

Kakei felt a measure of relief at her words because they would have no trouble from the Izanagis. He moved forward pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "This is our information, our numbers, address and people you can call if you want to check us out. If you or your husband want to travel with us, that's okay too. We want him to feel safe and if he needs you then that's fine by us." Kakei took her free hand. "Thank you for understanding."

They had already planned this far ahead. She could go with them if she wished and make sure they did nothing to harm her boy. Mrs. Izanagi felt somewhat reassured knowing they wouldn't try to prevent them from staying in contact with Kazahaya or traveling with them. They did love him. "You're welcome. I'll leave you to work things out then. Goodnight." Mrs. Izanagi turned to leave and she saw Kazahaya had again touched Rikuo and was leaning into him. She hoped Kazahaya wouldn't put them through too much pain before he realized what his body already knew – that he was in love.

Kazahaya sat still trying not to move as if to deny Rikuo but this time he knew he was touching Rikuo. His body was tired and he leaned back into the hardness of Rikuo's chest. Mrs. Izanagi had told him he had a home here. If they were lying to him, if Tsukiko was more important than him, then he could live here on the coast with them and fish.

"So let's go already. I just gotta kill Black Shadow and then I can come back here. Okay, sounds good. Where's the car?" He tried to move but Rikuo wasn't having it.

"Sorry babe, it's not that easy. We've got to talk." Rikuo lifted his head and spoke into Kazahaya's ear. We're not going anywhere yet." He held Kazahaya tighter when he felt the teen respond to the touch of lips against his ear.

"No way, kid. Lots more to say before we hit the road. But first," Saiga lifted the lid on the pot and sniffed. "Mrs. Izanagi was kind enough to fix us some food so let's eat. It smells good."

"Yes. You could use the energy Kazahaya-kun. Rikuo, help him wash his hands and I'll heat this up a bit." Kakei took charge.

In about twenty minutes they were all sitting quietly and eating the stew Mrs. Izanagi had fixed for them. Since Kazahaya couldn't entirely manage on his own, they all helped him either by feeding him or cleaning up after him. Not much was said as the stew was consumed because they were so uneasy with the situation.

As they ate, Kazahaya felt the weight of their stares but didn't look at them. In his heart of hearts he was glad to see them but he remembered the feeling of being ignored and used and it was hard to think that wouldn't happen again.

They finished every last bite of the stew. Kakei and Rikuo cleaned up while Saiga went to get the car. Because of Kakei's vision, they had come prepared. When Saiga entered the little shack once more, he carried a couple of duffle bags and some sleeping bags.

Kazahaya's mouth dropped open. How long were they planning on staying? "You're all going to stay here?" This was his place and here they were taking over.

"'Fraid so. None of us are leaving this place again until we've worked some things out. So basically, it depends on how stubborn you are." Saiga stated. "That gift you've ignored for the past few months is working now. All you have to do is use it and find out the truth but that's not all. Once you have the truth, you have to decide what you're going to do with."

"You see Kazahaya-kun; we can't take you back to face that shadow without you knowing for certain what you want to do. If you face Black Shadow with all the doubts and insecurities that you have now – we will all die. It has grown in power since you left. It would take you over easily if you tried to face it now. No, we can't leave yet." Kakei said gently.

Kazahaya tried to take that in. The shadow's power had grown? Had swallowing Osawa made it stronger? It already had the power to affect the weather inside the warehouse and it could control the movements of our bodies…If it's got more power – what can it do now?! "If it's more powerful than before then how can I stop it?" The question was a tremulous whisper. "Wait…is it my fault? I left. If I had stayed and done the spell then it wouldn't have grown." Rikuo was standing next to the bed but looking away from him as if hiding something so he reached for Rikuo's arm to get answers for his questions.

Gasps of horror escaped Kazahaya as he learned that people were missing and that the mere existence of Black Shadow was threatening the entire city. "Me? I did this. My fault. Dead - gone because of me! We should go now! I'll do it now! No more people missing. It should have been me!" Kazahaya stood quickly and made for the door only to have Kakei and Rikuo stop him.

Kakei pressed his hands against Kazahaya's chest while Rikuo grabbed his shoulders. "We can't let you go Kazahaya; we don't want you to die!" Kakei exclaimed.

"But people died because I wasn't there! What right do I have to live if they died because of…me?" Kazahaya stepped forward and into Kakei's arms crying. He was responsible for people dying and the pain was unbearable.

They let him cry then sitting on the bed with Rikuo on one side and Kakei on the other; they explained what had happened while he'd been gone.

The shadow had grown while searching for Kazahaya. They told him of Hikari-san's explanation of how the mark connected him to the entity. Because of that connection, it was now able to cross dimensions easily from its world to this one and affect everything around it. Kazahaya took that really hard so they had to explain that none of it was his fault. True it could have ended months ago had he stayed but who knew things were going to get this bad? Black Shadow was already living in that warehouse when Kazahaya stumbled in looking for a place to hide. There was no way to know what was going to happen when you were dealing with the supernatural. Kazahaya couldn't blame himself for the actions of an entity from another dimension or people who were warned to stay away.

The building had been condemned and boarded up but people would do what they chose to do. Homeless people had looked for a place to sleep and teenagers had probably dared each other to go inside. Everything had been done to keep people away; even the police had been involved up to the point of increasing their patrols in that area but there was no way to absolutely control the actions of every person. None of what happened was Kazahaya's fault, it was just life at its most difficult and he had to forgive himself and move on. The time had come to forget his mistakes and to now do what he could to fix things.

Kazahaya was exhausted. He'd experienced unbelievable joy and crushing disappointment. He'd felt hatred at himself and sorrow for the loss of lives. As they tried to convince him of his innocence and lack of blame, the teen grew quiet and finally dropped off to sleep.

Saiga had been sitting in the chair directly in front of the bed and when he realized Kazahaya was asleep he dropped his own head on the back of the chair. "He's asleep guys. God, just saying that stuff out loud and knowing that it's true, is freaking unreal! And we haven't even gotten to the problems he has with us yet! The shadow, the spell, the people, the mark – that's all we've done. We still have to talk about how badly we behaved and our search for Tsukiko. If this was hard, how much worse is that talk going to be?" Saiga stood and roughly put the chair back at the small table.

Kakei sighed as he stroked Kazahaya's pale cheek. "I don't know but it will have to wait until tomorrow. We should get some sleep too."

Quietly they prepared for bed. Saiga and Kakei put their sleeping bags together and took turns in the small bathroom. Then Rikuo took his turn but instead of settling down in his sleeping bag, he joined the sleeping Kazahaya on the single bed. It was a tight fit but Rikuo made it work by having Kazahaya lay on top of him. Lights out they tried to sleep.

Rikuo lay awake for a while. A smile touched his lips and he stroked Kazahaya's back. He weighed more than he used to and there was more muscle tone in his body. If things were okay between them, Rikuo would enjoy exploring Kazahaya's new body but they weren't. So just for tonight, he would take his pleasure in holding him and in return offer as much comfort to Kazahaya as he could.

It was very early. The sky was still dark and Kazahaya was in that place where one knew he should be waking up but the sleep was just too good to be interrupted. Beneath his ear was a loud thumping sound. It was steady, strong and reassuring. He was comfortable and pleasantly warm. Kazahaya smiled softly, relaxed even deeper into that warm place and let his mind wander.

I loved Tsukiko, I really did and I still care for her. I would like to know what happened to her. I would like to understand why my life was turned upside down. What was the deal with the blood? Had she been hurt? These questions burn in my heart and mind and I will always want to know what happened. She left me with all these questions and for the longest time my life was nothing but confusion. I will always want to know but now I have…him.

I cared for his life first, for his survival. I lived with him, learned how much he didn't know about life and found it was fun teaching him. Everything was new and an adventure for him, life for me changed. I no longer woke each day with dread in my heart instead there was hope and excitement. I knew Kazahaya would bring me laughter and I couldn't wait to see his face each morning. When did the love happen? I don't know but I'm so happy it came to me. I love him. My life, the world I live in but most especially my soul became a brighter place because of my love for him and his for me but…I hurt him.

I hurt Kazahaya but I never meant to. When the chance came to finally get some answers…I became obsessed with Tsukiko. I would finally, finally learn the truth and all I had to do was use Kazahaya to get my answers. With his help, I would know. Kazahaya used his power just as I asked of him but I hurt him because I was blind and stupid.

I never realized just how much he loved me until he was gone. He'd endured my obsession. Kazahaya tried with all his might to help me and instead of telling him my feelings and sharing my thoughts, I ignored him. He was my tool, my way to Tsukiko. Oh God how I regret that now. If only I'd told him, thanked him for his help, shared my hurt and loss with him then he'd never have left me! All along I'd been scared somewhere deep in my heart that he would leave me and because of my fear, I caused him to do just that.

I hold Kazahaya in my arms now and I never want to let him go but I don't have that right anymore. I think he still cares but I may have hurt him too much for him to want to come back to me. The damage may be too great to repair but I'll try. I'll do whatever Kazahaya wishes of me to gain his forgiveness. I owe him that. But…how will I explain about Tsukiko? I still want my answers, I can't deny that. If the chance comes again, I will try to find her but I won't make the same mistakes. If Kazahaya gives me another chance, I won't ask anything of him. I'll tell him everything, include him and let him know that it's his presence in my life that keeps me sane.

Kazahaya, my world. He's my life now if he will have me. How will I tell him of my love? Will he ever believe in me again? Will he let me take care of him and love him? All I want to do is be there for him, share my life with his – to be one. Kazahaya, my love…

Kazahaya woke on a gasp. He lay still breathing quickly. After a moment, he cautiously lifted his head and looked down at Rikuo's face. A tear slipped from the corner of Rikuo's eye as a tremulous sigh left his body. Kazahaya felt his own eyes become moist as he once again put his head down and listened to Rikuo's heart.

He was shocked because he now knew the truth. Rikuo was sleeping unable to hide his real feelings and everything had been there for Kazahaya hear and feel. Rikuo loved him and wanted him. He called me his world! A deep sense of pleasure started in his heart and moved along with his blood throughout his body. Kazahaya smiled as tears of joy now left his eyes.

These past few months had been difficult and lonely but maybe it was worth it for this moment. Singing birds announced the new day and Kazahaya felt like joining them and telling them of his love. Carefully lifting his head again, Kazahaya placed his lips against Rikuo's chest and kissed his beating heart. They had a chance now, a real chance to make things work. Tsukiko still lingered for him and that would always be hard but as long as Kazahaya knew Rikuo's feelings for him were real and strong – they should be able to make things work.

Kazahaya wanted to wake Rikuo and talk but he was still so very tired. It could wait a bit longer, talking could. Right now he was where he wanted to be and hoped to be from now on. Kazahaya let sleep take him again with a smile on his face. As light chased away the night, hope saw the door was finally open enough for it to come through.

Mrs. Izanagi waited until ten o'clock before knocking on Kazahaya's door. When she didn't get an answer she cautiously opened the door. For a moment she panicked, thinking they'd slipped away in the night but her fears dissolved at the scene before her.

On the floor, the two men were curled together still sleeping and in the bed, Kazahaya lay on top of Rikuo. She figured they must have stayed up very late to still be sleeping. Clearing her throat loudly and knocking again she said, "Good morning! Umm, hello! Is anyone hungry?!"

Saiga turned quickly and picked up his shades and put them on while Kakei reluctantly sat up. "Oh, hello. It's morning already?" He combed back his hair and tried to smile at the woman.

"Yes, I'm sorry. You guys look worn out but Kei is usually up by now so I thought all of you would be awake. Breakfast will be my apology, all right?" She noticed Kei, no Kazahaya stir and even though he wasn't alone in bed, she went to him.

"How are you this morning?" She asked softly but caught her breath as she looked into his eyes. They were different. The color hadn't changed but somehow there was a light in them that wasn't there before. It was a wonderful sight. "Hmm, right. Come up to the house once you guys get dressed." Mrs. Izanagi kissed his lips lightly then rested her hand on Rikuo's shoulder briefly and with wet eyes left the men alone.

Kakei and Saiga stared after her then looked to the bed to see if they could see what she saw. Kazahaya was staring down at Rikuo intensely.

"Tell me you love me." The teen commanded.

"I love you." Rikuo said easily while his eyes searched Kazahaya's face. Something was different. "Kazahaya I…" He couldn't speak because Kazahaya kissed him deeply.

"I love you too." Kazahaya said minutes later smiling. "And I'm hungry. Help me get dressed!" He was awkward getting up but managed it and held out his good hand to Rikuo.

"O-kay. What…?" Rikuo stopped when Kazahaya shushed him.

"After breakfast, I'm starving." He turned once he had Rikuo's hand and with the biggest smile wished Kakei and Saiga good morning. "We won't be long, promise!"

The two men sat dazed in their sleeping bags staring at the closed bathroom door. "What happened? Something happened; I know it did but what?" Saiga asked as he rubbed his beard.

A half laugh escaped Kakei, "I have no idea but let's hope that smile means things have changed." He happily leaned into Saiga when they heard laughter come from the bathroom.

Full of miso soup, rice and grilled fish, the four walked down the beach together. Kazahaya was leading the way. He was staring down at his brown feet and rubbing his arm still in the sling. Kazahaya was aware that everyone was curious about his behavior this morning and now after eating he felt a little better to deal with his emotions.

"I'm sorry I ran away. You all were so…consumed with Tsukiko. It felt as if I didn't belong anymore. There was nothing of me you wanted but my gift." Kazahaya stopped and turned to stare out at the ocean. He was supposed to work that morning but Izanagi-san had to go out without him today.

"It seemed the only time you guys needed me was when I could touch something. It…hurt. You knew Tsukiko long before I ever showed up and to me; I thought that if you found her, well I thought that eventually you would ask me to leave. Even if you didn't, I couldn't see staying there and watching all of you with her, especially Rikuo." Kazahaya played with his blackened fingers.

"No, we're the ones who're sorry. I hate to say it but we were consumed by Tsukiko. We've been on her trail for a long time and finally through you, we had a good lead. We did use you and we were wrong. Kazahaya your power is amazing and instead of treating you as person and involving you more, we took advantage of your power and ignored you. God I'm so sorry." Kakei moved to stand beside the teen. Carefully he wrapped an arm around Kazahaya's shoulders, afraid the teen would pull away. When he didn't Kakei sighed with relief.

"We were just starting to realize how badly we were treating you when you left. Those days you spent with Saiga and I were our clumsy way of apologizing to you. We should have tried talking to you instead of treating you like a child."

Kazahaya nodded, "That might have helped but then it was also the way Rikuo was treating me. He never looked at me anymore with affection or love. He'd left me without any real explanation and then returned talking about love only I never really felt loved." Kazahaya rested his head on Kakei's shoulder.

The words cut Rikuo but he couldn't deny the truth of them either. He moved slowly to stand before Kazahaya. "I was scared to love you. After Tsukiko…after everything I went through with her, I was scared. Then Aisha showed up and all the clues you found, it seemed we were about to find her and that's all I could think about. I wanted to see her again and know she was well. Tsukiko was all I could think about but at the same time I knew I was hurting you. Kazahaya, as lame as it sounds, I was giving you and me time. You needed to get used to having me back and I was – obsessed with Tsukiko thinking that we would work things out after we'd found her." Rikuo felt the weight of Kazahaya's gaze and wondered if he was getting through to him at all.

When he'd woken that morning and Kazahaya had kissed him and told him that he loved him too, Rikuo was ecstatic if confused. Kazahaya had been playful in the bathroom as they'd washed up but nothing had happened. He'd talked constantly through breakfast but only to Mrs. Izanagi about her husband and fishing. He, along with Kakei and Saiga had watched in disbelief at the change in Kazahaya since last night. Now they were finally talking and Rikuo wondered if this was a sort of goodbye to all they had shared before. He felt sick to the stomach.

"I-I need to tell you that I'll always want to know what happened to Tsukiko. She was a huge part of my life and the way she left…it shook me. No it scared the hell out of me!" Rikuo turned and walked a few feet away before whirling around and going back to Kazahaya. "I can live without her now because of you! You gave me everything and it made life worth living again…but I will always want to know. If I can know that she's alive and safe, that will be enough. I'd like her to answer my questions as well but I don't need her anymore. You're all I need now Kazahaya." Rikuo was shaking as he stared down into the tanned face of the boy he loved. "I know – I know that you may not be able to accept that or be able to forgive me for…everything I've done but you have to know that I'm in love with you and always will be. And I want you to know how sorry I am for how I treated you. If-if you decide to come home with us, I promise never to ask you to help me find Tsukiko again and I promise to always treat you with respect." The tears finally fell as Rikuo made his vow to Kazahaya. Wrapping his arms around his waist, Rikuo gave in and let his tears fall.

Saiga went to him and rocked the young man as he looked down at Kazahaya trying to see how all this had affected him. "He's being totally honest now you know, we all are. Hurting you was the last thing on our minds. It was as they said – we were so close to finding her thanks to you that we didn't think of anything else. We miss you kid. The customers and Hinata too! She comes by at least once a week looking for you."

Kazahaya had been hiding his face against Kakei but hearing about Hinata perked him up. "She has? I miss her too, I wanted to call her but I thought she'd tell you guys and that was too risky." He spoke without looking away from Kakei's collar bone. It was then he noticed the crystal just under Kakei's sweater. Kazahaya touched it and felt its warmth. "Was I right Saiga? Does the crystal look like Kakei's eyes?" He peeked over his shoulder.

"Damned eerie, that crystal is! Not only does it look like his eyes but it glows when he's having a vision. I guess you didn't know but that thing allowed Kakei to see everything you did."

Kazahaya jerked and looked up at Kakei surprised. "Nuh-uh. Everything? Then…why couldn't you find me, if you've been looking all this time?" He was starting to pull back, cold covering his flesh.

"Shut up Saiga! This is no time for teasing! Kazahaya listen to me!" He held tight to the teen's shoulders. "The crystal allowed me to see through your eyes but because of the charm you have, I never saw things when I should. My visions were always of things you'd already done. By the time Saiga reached one of the places you'd been, it was days if not weeks later. That very night you left I had a vision – you were on the train staring down at your CD player but it was afternoon. Hours had already gone by when I had that vision. We've been chasing you ever since. It was only when you put the charm away that I was able to see that you were here." Kakei had bent down so that he and Kazahaya were face-to-face only inches apart.

"It's the truth Kazahaya. Say you believe me!" Kakei was scared that Saiga's unthinking words had messed everything up.

"I am an idiot!" Saiga lifted his head and yelled. "Listen to Kakei, kid! I chased your skinny butt all over Japan! Never did we stop looking!" Saiga dragged Rikuo closer to the other two. He was just in time to see Kazahaya pucker his lips and give Kakei a smacking kiss.

"Okay." Kazahaya smiled and laughed at their dumbfounded expressions. "What? Didn't you tell me last night that I had the power to find out the truth? I just did what you said Saiga." His smile disappeared as he looked the faces of the three men who meant home to him. "You looked for me, you worried about me and you found me. I'm glad. Very glad." Kazahaya gave Kakei a one armed hug and let out a watery laugh when Saiga and Rikuo joined them.

"Thank God. Are we…forgiven? All of us?" Saiga asked and looked from Kazahaya to Rikuo. He tightened the arm that held Rikuo in case the kid was about to drop another bomb on them.

Rikuo steeled himself before raising his head to meet Kazahaya's solemn gaze. What would he say? Were they rushing him? God, where did all these nerves come from?

Kazahaya broke eye contact with Rikuo to look up at Saiga and then Kakei. "You two are forgiven. I understand now, you never meant to hurt my feelings. It's okay, really. You guys do love me."

"We do!" Kakei was quick to say. "We love you very much. Will you come home to stay? Or maybe it's too soon to ask?" Kakei frowned. He wanted Kazahaya home but didn't want to pressure him either.

"Wait, don't leave Rikuo hanging kid. Tell him something." Saiga said already believing that Kazahaya would tell him it was over.

Kazahaya blinked several times before focusing on Rikuo. Quietly he spoke, "You hurt me Rikuo. I felt like nothing when I was with, do you know that?"

"I was wrong. I won't do it again. Kazahaya…" Rikuo stopped when Kazahaya shook his head slowly from side to side. "You won't – you won't forgive…me?" Rikuo's chest expanded and deflated as disappointment crushed him.

"No, I won't because I forgave you this morning. Didn't that kiss tell you that?" Kazahaya grinned at Rikuo's confused expression. "I left you hanging because you deserved it! But, yeah I forgive you. Just make sure you tell me that you love…" This time it was Kazahaya being cut off, knocked to the ground and covered in kisses.

"That was…so…mean!" Rikuo said as he kissed each cheek. "But I…don't care." More kisses on Kazahaya's chin and neck. "You'll come home? To stay?" Rikuo asked as his lips hovered over Kazahaya's.

"Yes."

Mrs. Izanagi stood in her bedroom watching the scene happening on the beach. It seems that they had truly made up. It had been nice having Kazahaya around to help her husband with his work and for her to spoil. She would miss him but it looked as if his real life was with those men out there. Mrs. Izanagi dabbed at her eyes as she left the window. "Maybe he'll come back to visit us sometime." Going downstairs, she prepared to call her husband and give him the news.

They spent the afternoon with the Izanagis. Kazahaya thanked them for taking him in and giving him a home. Kakei did the same, praising them for the tender care they'd given Kazahaya. The Izanagis were invited up to the city to visit and they in turn invited the four of them back to their home.

Kazahaya went into town and said his goodbyes to everyone he'd taken a liking to and was told many times to call, write and come back soon. His friends were waiting for him on the beach. Sitting in the sand Rikuo, Kazahaya, Kakei and Saiga all watched the water lapping at the shore. There was a peace between them that had been missing for a long time. No one spoke; they just enjoyed each other's companionship.

"It's time to go. We should be back in the city by morning." Saiga spoke breaking the silence.

"I know. Hikari-san said she would come by the store at noon. She wants to go over the spell with us – to practice. It has to be done just right or there will be unpleasant consequences." Kakei responded to Saiga.

"Do we have to do it tomorrow? Can it wait a day? We all need some rest. How can we do the spell correctly if we're all tired?" Rikuo asked as he looked at Kazahaya yawning.

"I don't know Rikuo. I don't want anyone else to die because I'm too tired. Maybe we should just go and get it over with." Kazahaya rested against Rikuo when an arm circled his waist.

"How about we just wait and see. Hikari is the 'expert' in dealing with spells and such. We'll go by what she says." Kakei stood and dusted the sand off his clothes. "Shall we go home?" He smiled down at Kazahaya.

Kazahaya put his hand in Rikuo's and let himself be pulled to his feet. "Let's go home and put the devil in his place!" He said with delight and determination.

Four sets of footprints were clearly seen in the moonlight. Each step was side-by-side as if the bodies the feet belonged to were connected and they were…