Me: I'm really sorry for not updating for so long, minna-san! I really struggled with this chapter as it ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T WANT TO BE WRITTEN! But your continuous support helped me and I succeeded! *hero pose*

IE-cast: *sweatdrop*

Me: Now, I usually don't dedicate chapters of my multi-chaptered fics to anyone, but there is someone I really want to thank right now. Fan101, I dedicate this chapter to you. See it as a 'thank you' for all your kind reviews and for letting me know that there are still many people who like this story and that I shouldn't slack off! ^^

Tenma: Alright then, let's get this thing started quickly! Att-chan doesn't own us, just the plot for the story.

Shinsuke: Enjoy!

Shindou had disciplined himself ever since he was a young boy. At first in the farm where he grew up, then in his own mill with Akane and later in the Leader's army; he had taught himself discipline with everything he did. Although the tasks of all three places were very different from each other, one thing was the same. No matter where he had been, he always had to be awake at sunrise to start with his chores and tasks.

Over the years, it had become an instinct for him to wake up as soon as the rays of sunlight enlightened the world around him. This instinct proved to come in handy on a journey like this, where they had to reach their destination as quickly as possible. Of course, the one who took the last watch - in this case, Kirino - was there to wake everyone up at sunrise, but Shindou still prefered to wake up by himself.

He heard someone nearing him carefully and then something blocked the early sunlight from his face. "I'm awake," he whispered before he opened his eyes, spotting Kirino bent over him. Shindou untangled himself from the cloak he had slept in. All six of them carried these cloaks with them, because they were easy to sleep in when it didn't rain at night.

Because tonight had been such a warm and muggy night, Shindou had only slept in his sleeveless tunic and his shorts, leaving his arms and legs exposed whenever he turned at night and the cloak didn't cover him anymore. Only now he realized the mistake he had made.

True, the group hadn't met with any dangerous animals this night, but that didn't mean that there'd been no animals at all. Countless dark-pink humps were the indication that a group of mosquitos had feasted on him last night. He counted at least twenty bites, but there were probably more and they all started to itch when he merely looked at them. Trying to ignore the tingling feeling on his skin, Shindou put on his trousers and sweater.

Meanwhile, Kirino had woken up the other members in the group. One of the boys, the mastermind behind Shindou's and Kirino's awkward moments, eyed his captain for a few seconds and purely occasionally, his eyes drifted over the small, barely visible mosquito bites on the older boy's arms. His lips parted in a sly smirk as yet another scenario for his two senpais crossed his mind.

After he spotted the former merman walk away from the group, Kariya got up to his feet and followed the pink-haired boy, hoping to speak with him in private to initiate his next plan. He eventually found Kirino kneeling down at the riverbank, bringing water to his face with his hands.

"Good morning, Kirino-san~" he smiled innocently as he neared the other boy. Kirino turned around and smiled as well.

"Good morning, Kariya. Did you sleep well?"

Kariya nodded and mirrored the other as he sank to his knees and splashed some water in his face to wake himself up. He spoke up when Kirino stood up and was about to leave. "Ne, Kirino-san, did you see Shindou-san's arms this morning?"

Kirino paused for a moment and recalled the moment when he bent over his captain to wake him up, only to be told that the brunette was already awake. Shindou had only slept in his sleeveless tunic, leaving his tanned, muscled arms exposed to the morning air. "What's the matter about them?" he inquired. For as far as he knew, there had been nothing out of the ordinary with Shindou this morning.

"He is bitten," Kariya shrugged indifferently, raising himself as well. He looked into the slightly startled eyes of the other boy. "Mosquito bites, can be very painful."

"Really?"

Kariya nodded and leaned closer, as if he told Kirino a secret. "At first they are only really itchy, but when you scratch them for a while, they become really, really painful. Like there is a thorn in your skin."

"Hmm..." Kirino mused, staring at the others in the distance. "Like jellyfish stings, you mean?"

Kariya nodded, even though he had no idea how a jellyfish sting felt. He had never even seen a jellyfish, let alone gotten stung by one. But he had the feeling that it might help if he didn't say that, so he kept quiet. Kirino waited a few more seconds before he walked back to the others, a thoughtful expression plastered on his face. Kariya watched him leave and smiled a little mischievously. He absent-mindedly scratched a mosquito bite on his elbow before he used his nails to press a cross in the hump to stop the itching. This is the first time those little pests prove themselves useful, he thought before he made his way after the former merman.

After they ate a piece of hard bread, drank some water and filled their flaskets in the river, they continued their way towards Mount Tenshi. They would travel at the same pace as the day before: thirty minutes of running, followed by twenty minutes of walking. Every three hours there was a thirty-minute break, where they ate a little or even took a short nap.

Kirino glanced sideways at Shindou, who walked next to him. They walked in front of the group once again, with Kariya and Hikaru in the middle and Shinsuke and Tenma behind them. Shindou held the straps of his backpack with his right hand and his left hand swayed back and forth as he walked. They had run for thirty minutes and just started walking, all panting slightly from the exertion.

The former merman's eyes processed how Shindou's arm brushed past his side, again and again. The movement became more forceful after a while and Kirino realized what Shindou was doing: he was scratching one of those mosquito bites.

Kariya had said that mosquito bites were just like jellyfish stings, which Kirino knew more about. Jellyfish stings were small red bumps that itched, but soon started to hurt. Depending on which type of jellyfish had stung, one could also vomit and feel nauseous and some cases even resulted in death. Merfolk usually stayed away from jellyfishes, but it happened once or twice that someone got stung by accident.

Since the young teal-haired boy had acted relatively unfazed at the knowledge that Shindou was bitten by these so-called 'mosquito's', Kirino assumed that mosquito bites weren't deadly. But they were really painful when they were scratched, as the young boy had said, and Kirino didn't want Shindou to be in pain. With jellyfish stings, it was important not to rub or scratch because the venom spreads if you do. Assuming it was the same with mosquito bites, Kirino made a decision.

He reached out and firmly grabbed Shindou's left hand. The latter looked up in surprise, to which Kirino merely smiled. Shindou tried to pull his hand out of the strong grip and when it didn't work, he looked to the right side. Kirino couldn't see his eyes anymore, but he could see his cheeks and noticed that they were getting dark again. Why was Shindou feeling embarrassed about this? A while ago, when he and Kariya visited that little town to sell one of the horses, Kariya had told him that holding hands was nothing strange between two friends. Rather, it was a sign that they respect each other. That was nothing to be embarrassed about, was it?

"You shouldn't do that, you know?" Kirino said, feeling the sudden need to explain his actions even though his intentions should be perfectly clear. Shindou looked back, showing Kirino his face that was indeed beet-red.

"W-What?" The brunette's voice sounded insecure and Kirino could even hear the embarrassment in it. He shrugged it off, though. This was something that needed to happen if he didn't want Shindou to feel the extra pain of the mosquito bites.

"Scratching," Kirino clarified. "You'll spread the venom if you'll do that and it'll only get worse."

Shindou was literally dumbstruck and he didn't know what to say for a while. Kirino did this so he wouldn't scratch the mosquito bites? Sure, they would only itch more when he scratched, but nothing serious would happen if he did. He could hear a faint chuckle from behind and knew that at least one of his juniors had noticed what was going on. He tried again to pull his hand out of Kirino's grip, but to no avail. Kirino only held him tighter.

"Kirino," he half-spoke, half-whispered while trying to forget his embarrassment. "It's okay. You don't have to be worried about trivial things like that." But Kirino didn't listen to him and they kept walking hand in hand, much to Shindou's discomfort and to the others' amusement.

Kirino let go of his hand when they started running, since running hand in hand proved to be too difficult for him, seeing as he only learned how to walk recently. But as soon as they slowed down to collect their energy, Kirino's hand was sure to find Shindou's. Shindou always blushed furiously when this happened and tried to free his hand, but Kirino was persistent and eventually, Shindou let him have it his way. He felt that it wasn't the right moment to tell Kirino what the things he did made them look like to an outsider. Or to an insider, he thought sourly as he caught sight of Shinsuke, who tried too obviously to hide his own grin.

During the breaks, they all ate some of their dried supplies and drank some water, after which they filled their flasks in the river. That's the good part about traveling along a river, Shindou thought. There is always enough water to quench one's thirst. He wished he could have a moment with Kirino, but the merman was never completely alone and Shindou didn't want to embarrass him by pointing out his odd behaviour in the presence of the others. There's nothing I can do but tell him tonight, he thought.

As soon as he decided that for himself, he reacted more calmly to Kirino's actions. The pink-haired boy simply misunderstood a few customs, that was all. There was nothing behind these actions, so there was no reason for him to feel embarrassed about it. When the merman reached for his hand once again, Shindou didn't struggle anymore and simply smiled kindly at Kirino before they walked in silence. Besides, the merman's soft hand did help to forget about those annoyingly itching mosquito bites.

To say that Kirino was happy was an understatement. When he had first grabbed Shindou's hand and the brunette started to struggle, Kirino's confidence had wavered. He remembered clearly that Kariya told him that holding hands was nothing strange for good friends, so did Shindou's resistance mean that he didn't see the merman as a friend? That sole realisation would usually be enough for Kirino to let go of the other's hand as if he had burned himself. But knowing that Shindou was bitten by these 'mosquitos' and that he would be in pain if he scratched the bites, Kirino held on despite Shindou's struggle. He didn't care what it looked like to the others, as long as Shindou didn't endure more than he had to, Kirino was content.

But now, after their lunch break, Shindou accepted him. No struggles, no blushes, nothing. He just held Kirino's hand and squeezed it now and then. It seemed like his worries unfounded, Kirino concluded with relief.

The day continued with periods of walking, periods of running and short breaks alternating each other. As one of their breaks came to an end, Hikaru looked up at the sky. He squinted his eyes when he looked at te sun, which was already far on his way down. "I'd say the sun sets in one hour," he imparted, nodding afterwards as if to underline his words.

"How do you know that?" Kirino asked. "The sun already disappeared behind the trees."

Kariya was the one to answer. "If you are a lot outside, it becomes some sort of instinct."

"That's right, I often slept outside if I had gone too far on a hunt."

"You're a hunter too?" Kirino asked curiously while switching glances between both boys who, apparently, had the same occupation. Kariya snorted.

"He wishes. Hikaru's a poacher."

Kirino was puzzled. "And that's... different?"

"Of course," Kariya almost exploded as he pointed at the purple-haired boy who listened to the conversation with a neutral expression. "He never learned how to use a weapon, except for a filleting knife and the swords we used in the army."

"You didn't know how to use that sword, either, Kariya-kun," Hikaru cleverly countered. Kariya's ears got a little red.

"Maybe, but at least I knew how to use a slingshot, a sling, a bolo and a bow and arrow."

"If I had had the means at the time, I would know how to use them too."

Kirino had heard some dispersed details about the purple-haired boy's background. His parents were fishermen who died when their boat hit some rocks while rounding a headland and sank. Hikaru was only three. His uncle, a merchant, took him in and raised him, until Hikaru became twelve and found out about some of his uncle's darker customers. Since Hikaru had always held onto his childlike innocence, he decided to part ways with the man who had been like a father to him. He kept himself alive using snares and his knowledge of edible plants. After wandering around for a few years, traveling from town to town, he settled in a secluded cottage near the sea. Even though he was only one year younger than Shindou and clearly old enough to be married, Hikaru didn't seem to have a wife. At least, Kirino had never heard him talk about a girl in that way.

"And if I had gotten a crown on my head and grown up in a castle, I would've been a prince," Kariya retorted. He wanted to say more, but got cut off by Hikaru.

"God forbid. We would be fighting with six or seven countries for having such an insolent prince. At least." Kariya's ears got redder and he quickly stammered his next reply. Kirino watched the scene with growing astonishment, wondering whether these two friends were really fighting or only teasing each other.

Shindou dryly cleared his throat. "Right, back to the matter at hand." He turned his body a little to exclude the two quarrelers from the conversation. Neither Kariya nor Hikaru seemed to notice as they threw remarks at each other. "It'll take one more hour until the sun sets."

Shinsuke jumped up from his sitting position and threw his fist in the air. "That's more than enough time! Let's go, ne Tenma?"

"Y-yeah," Tenma smiled shakily in reply. Shindou squinted his eyes when he saw that the boy wobbled after he got up from the ground.

"Tenma, come over here, will you?" Tenma obliged and Shindou put a hand on his forehead, startled by the other's high temperature. "Your fever has gone up." Those five words immediately dragged the attention of everyone at the clearing. Shindou frowned at Tenma, who guiltily looked away.

"Only a few degrees," he countered weakly. "It'll be alright."

But Shindou was inexorable. "We set up our camp here for the night."

"But I can still-" Tenma started, but he was cut short by an angry look from his captain.

"You need to rest. If your condition gets worse, you'll end up delaying us more than if we stay here for now. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Captain," the younger boy replied after a few seconds, to which Shindou's expression softened. Tenma walked over to where they had stalled the backpacks and took out a small, in leather wrapped package.

"What is that?" Shindou inquired.

Tenma looked like he was caught red-handed. "These are, ehm... antipyretic herbs. Shuu-san gave them to me, in case this would happen."

Shindou took a deep breath. Of course Shuu had expected this, the shadow seemed to know everything. Shindou himself was the one who should have thought about it. Shaking his head to clear the thought away, Shindou raised his voice to include the four other boys in the conversation. "Alright, there is still one hour left until sunset. Make this extra leisure time useful, alright?"

Kariya and Hikaru walked away with Kariya's bow and arrow, his sling and a pouch full of pebbles. Before the interruption, their 'argument' had reached the point where Hikaru said that if Kariya knew it all so well, then he should teach it to Hikaru. The teal-haired boy had smirked in agreement, but that smirk quickly vanished once Hikaru tried to shoot with the sling. Kariya used the weapon a lot and had practiced for days to perfect his technique. Hikaru was more like a natural talent. Of course, there were many things that he could do better, but nothing that couldn't be solved with a few advises from the other hunter. It was Hikaru's talent to quickly pick things up and practice them afterwards. Now all that was left for him was to practice his aim.

Shindou walked towards the river with the purpose of filling the pitchers. The bank was a little higher here and covered in rocks, so he had to be careful that he didn't slip. He climbed with one pitcher at a time while he used one hand to keep his balance. As he had reached the top of the bank for the fifth time, he placed the last pitcher near the other four and took a moment to catch his breath and admire the view.

Then he saw something white in the corner of his eyes.

Kirino looked around from his kneeled position. He was currently bent over a small pile of dry branches and Shinsuke was busy teaching him how to ignite a fire with a stick. The trick was to press the stick against a branch and rub your hands together so that the stick spun rapidly. That would create enough warmth to eventually light some of the dry leaves they had draped around the stick. It was easier to do with two people, because your hands gradually traveled south once you spun the stick and if another person took over when you were at the end, you could keep spinning the stick around without having to pause every three seconds.

Tenma laid a few feet away from them and seemed to be asleep. Hikaru and Kariya were still practicing with the sling and it seemed like they were having fun. Shindou had walked towards the river a long while ago. When Kirino had focussed solely on the spinning stick and the smoke that came from the dry leaves, he hadn't noticed, but now he grew a little worried. He knew that Shindou was strong and smart, that he could handle himself, but accidents happen, right?

"I'm going... there..." he let his voice trailed away and made a vague gesture in the direction of the river. Shinsuke looked up from blowing at the small flames and gave him an approving nod and a smile.

Kirino walked carefully towards his destination. The sun had long disappeared behind the treetops, but the whole forest was still coloured by its orange light. The warmth still lingered, too, and he took a moment to enjoy it for he knew it would disappear soon.

Shindou sat on the slope. He had pulled his knees up and held his arms around them as his chin rested on top of them. He stared at the passing water, but it didn't seem like he actually saw it. Kirino gently sat down next to him and looked at the water too, not saying a word. The flowing water had a calming effect on him and all his worries and problems drifted to the background as he looked at it.

He was snapped out of his daydream when Shindou moved his arm and placed something on the ground between them. It was a white flower which he had held in his fist. Kirino slowly picked it up and studied the fragile leaves. On the three outer leaves were dark brown spots that were surrounded by a small orange rand, but over all the flower was purely white.

"It's called an iris," Shindou said. "She has always liked those, ever since she was a little child." Kirino didn't need to ask who he was talking about. It was clear from the loving tone his voice and the small tears in the corner of his eyes that didn't drop down his cheek yet.

"It suits her," he smiled in reply. It was true: everything about the flower - its sweet smell, its elegant shape, its pure colour and its simple looks - reminded him of Akane. And he hadn't even known her for a long time! To Shindou, who had known her much longer, the flower must bring back many memories of her. Shindou took the flower back and held it as if it could break any minute.

"As soon as spring came, she went on a two-hour trip to pick some to put on the kitchen table. She would be gone for an entire afternoon, but she was always back in time to prepare dinner. I once asked her why she did that, why she went all the way to pick those flowers..." He momentarily choked on his tears and for a moment it seemed like he would cry, but he quickly recovered himself and managed a brave smile. "She said that spring was the season of love, and that she did it because she didn't expect much romance from me." His smile widened at those last words. "I guess she was right about that, I never acted very romantic or gave her flowers or something. Now I wish I had done that at least once... I wish I had told her more often that I loved her..."

Kirino made sure not to look at him while Shindou told his story. He didn't want to intimidate the brunette and knew that when one let all his walls come down, one would feel so vulnerable that even a glance can be intimidating. "I don't think that was necessary." At the sound of Shindou's confused gasp, he turned his face to smile kindly at him. "Do you still remember the day that I met her? When I woke up in your house?"

"Yes."

"Akane was the first one I met that day." He looked back at the river, softly smiling to himself. "She was amazing, I never met a more selfless person than her. Even though I gave her much trouble, the first thing she did was apologize that she couldn't give me something bigger to move around in. And when she introduced herself, I was shocked to hear your surname. But still, I saw in her eyes how proud and happy she was to be called 'Shindou Akane'. She loved you deeply, and she knew that you loved her too. I don't think telling her more often would have made her happiness any bigger."

Shindou was silent for a couple of minutes, processing the former merman's story. "Still, I'm scared that I'll forget her someday. What if someday, I can't remember what she looked like or what her voice sounded like or how she smelled? Worse, what if I will fall in love with someone else, someday?"

"I don't think she would call that 'worse'. If there is one thing in the world that she cared for, it was for your happiness, Shindou."

"But wouldn't I betray her? And what if I forget her?"

Kirino didn't say anything for a while and when he spoke again, it seemed like he started a completely different conversation. "Have I ever told you that I would have had a younger brother or sister?" he asked.

"Eh?" was all Shindou could bring out due to his confusion.

Kirino smiled to himself. "Of course not, I don't tell that to anybody. Yes, I would have a younger sibling. He or she would have been six years younger than me."

"Would have been?"

"My sibling was born dead, and my mother died in childbirth."

"I'm sorry," Shindou said, but Kirino shook his head to dismiss the words.

"Don't be, it's fine. At the time I cried a lot. Even though I was still young, I somehow realized that my mother wouldn't come back to me anymore and that thought was so big that it threatened to destroy me. I wanted that pain to disappear, but in order to do that, I would have to forget her and I didn't want that. Do you know what my father said at that time?" Shindou shook his head. "He said that it was fine if I stopped thinking about her all the time. He said I would never forget her, because I loved her and thus she had been carved in my heart. Eventually the pain went away and I stopped crying whenever I thought about her. I know that, wherever she is right now, she loves me and she wouldn't want to see me cry."

"Kirino..."

"So it's okay if you don't always think about her, Shindou. She is carved right here," Kirino softly pressed his palm against Shindou's chest, where his heart was, and kept it there for a few seconds, "and you can't forget her even if you tried. From now on you can either dwell in the past and keep on blaming yourself for her death, or you can face your loss." His hands traveled to Shindou's hand that held the flower, the iris. "Gradually, the pain will fade away and you'll be able to love someone else. That doesn't mean you stop loving her, it just means that you are slowly letting her go."

Shadows grew longer and longer while both boys sat at the slope and watched the passing water, each occupied with their own thoughts. At some point, Kirino stood up and stretched his legs muscles, which hurt because he still wasn't used to running so much. Shindou shot him a curious glance, to which Kirino replied with a soft smile.

"I'm going back, the others might be worried about us. Come join us whenever you're ready, alright?"

And then he walked away, carrying the five flaskets that Shindou had filled earlier today. The sun had almost completely disappeared and the world around him turned darker, though he could still see fine. He heard the talks from the others in the group. The sounds traveled through the silent forest, though they weren't loud enough for him to understand the words.

When Shindou got up, his legs were stiff from sitting in the same position for so long, but he paid no heed to that. He looked at the iris in his hand. The flower looked less pretty than when he'd picked it, because he had held it in his hand all this time and it had slightly dried out. He descended the slope a little and smiled gently as he placed the white flower in the dark water of the river. He kept looking at it as the river took it away, a white spot in the water.

"I love you," he whispered and blinked a single tear away from his eyes. Then he turned around and made his way back to the camp.

Me: Wow... That turned out differently from what I had intended... But I kinda like it, so I'm keeping it like this!

Review please?