Chapter 5

"One's friends are that part of the human race with which one can be human,"-George Santayana.

The evening sun cast an orange glow upon everything as the students left the dojo. Jirou made her way down the worn path, enjoying the cool air. She heard someone running up behind her and stopped to see who it is.

"Jirou! Mind if I walk you home?" Renji asked her as he came up to her energetically.

"No," she smiled and continued on as he walked beside her.

"Here, let me carry your gear," he said as he took her bag from her hand.

"Thanks Renji," she told him. He did this almost every time his father had to work late, when no one was expecting him at home.

"No problem," he smirked.

As they walked through the field, she took several sidelong glances at him. He would glance at her with his blue eyes through his long, dark hair, and then he'd look away awkwardly, trying to think of something to say. They didn't talk much outside of class or in school. Because of their schedule, they never even passed each other in the same building. But she considered him her best friend no matter how much or how less she knew about him.

"Jirou," he started when they crossed a wooden bridge, nearing the city.

"Yes Renji," she answered, waiting patiently.

"I was wondering… maybe you'd like to, I don't know. Do something tomorrow, after class?" he asked her, trying not to sound anxious.

"That would be great," she smiled at him. She had been on dates with other guys before, but a date with Renji, she actually looked forward to.

She heard him let out a sigh of relief and she could feel his anxiety leaving him. He was always full of energy, and you could tell when something was bothering him.

"Maybe a movie?" he asked as they came closer to the city.

"Maybe."

"Or maybe we can get something to eat?" he brushed his hair back with his hand.

"It doesn't matter to me, Renji," she told him.

"Okay," he sighed, shoving his free hand into his pocket.

It reminded Jirou of Kaguro, they way he'd slouch over with his hands in his pockets. Then she realized how much Renji did look like Kaguro, or Kuroda, or whoever the hell he was.

"Renji, what did you think of that guy earlier? Kuroda?" she asked curiously.

"That creepy guy? I don't know who he is, but I hated the way he looked at you. He stared at you ever since he came in," he spat.

"Really?" Jirou wondered if he was really that readable.

"You don't like him, do you?" he glared at her expectantly.

"What? No! He creeped me out too."

They walked quietly into the suburbs as Renji began kicking an empty pop can along. Some dogs began to bark in response.

"I don't know. There was something weird about him. It's just the way he looks. Something doesn't fit right," he grinned. He was right, Jirou thought. After seeing Kaguro before, she knew that whatever this was, it didn't seem right compared to his demonic form. But for Renji to see through that, that was something.

Jirou felt safer with Renji by her side as they crossed the main drag. They crossed the street where she had encountered Kaguro before, and much to her surprise, he wasn't there. She wanted to tell Renji about it to feel even safer, but he wouldn't believe her. Not after how the conversation about him had went so far.

They soon came to Jirou's house. She noticed her bedroom window opened, but she assumed she had forgotten to close it this morning. Renji handed her her bag with a smile.

"Thanks again for walking me home," she told him.

"It was my pleasure," he scratched the back of his head. Jirou grabbed for the doorknob; it was locked. Her father wasn't home yet.

"Jirou, if you see that Kuroda guy again, don't go near him," Renji warned her, his eyes narrowed.

"Don't worry Renji, I'll steer clear from him," she smiled and reached for her keys in her bag.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he seemed to not want to leave.

"Yeah," she smiled slightly and unlocked the door.

She opened the door as he turned to leave. She watched him go out the gate and she closed the door. Jirou tossed her bag on the floor and went upstairs to her room to change. She didn't bother to turn on the light in her room because her father wasn't home. She grabbed some clothes out of the dresser and began to unbutton her blouse.

Someone coughed behind her and she stopped at the fourth button.

"Who was your friend?" a voice asked as Jirou whirled around to bump into Kaguro. He wasn't in his handsome form at all, rather his casual kimono and mummy look. Those eyes… She almost wanted to scream from the fright and because she didn't want to see him at all.

"Why do you care?" she asked, glaring back at him. Some light from the street creeped in through the window, shedding sickly yellow light on them both. She caught Kaguro staring down at her breasts hanging out of her shirt, and she quickly redid the buttons and turned away.

"I've been thinking…" he started after a few minutes of silence, the spell broken.

"About what?" she asked as she undid her hair, letting it fall about her face.

"I want it to be a challenge for me when I kill you," he approached her from behind.

"Yeah?" she gave him a quick doubtful look as she tried to take out her earrings.

"So I thought it would be useful to you… after the assessment earlier… that I give you some pointers," he came up to her side at the dresser to try to get her attention.

She tossed her earrings onto the dresser and turned to face him. Who did he think he was to make an offer? She narrowed her eyes at him and dug her nails into the palms of her clenched fists nervously. He didn't smile; his face was almost expressionless, save for those huge wandering eyes. He was dead serious.

"I don't need your help," she hissed at him. His lips twisted into a smile.

"Suit yourself," he pushed past her towards the window, "Just so you know there's something special about you. You're different than other people. Humans like you and I are rare."

Jirou froze in place. What did he mean by that? Humans like her and him? But he was an ayakashi. Could he have been a human once? "Wait, what do you mean? Were you a human too?" she asked as she spun around but he was gone. Her shoulders sagged while she gazed disappointingly at the open window.