Sparkle

It sparkled in the sunlight, just like the vender had promised. Haruka quickly glanced around to make sure that Kantaro and Yoko weren't anywhere to be seen as he entered the house and went to his room. The door shut with a click and he leaned heavily on it, his new treasure clenched in his hand.

"Why does it sparkle?" He wondered out loud, holding up the crystal to the light. "Why does it give my heart hope?"

"Haruka!" Kantaro's sing song voice called. "Do you want to go demon hunting?"

"No!" Haruka yelled, making sure that the door was barricaded. "Go by yourself!"

"But Haruka," Kantaro whined, trying to open the door. "Yoko's making fish for supper."

Haruka instantly froze and cringed. "Fine, I'll come." He growled, angry at himself for allowing his "master" to find out about his fear of fish. Glancing around quickly, he placed his new treasure in the top drawer of the bureau and then went out the door.

--

The day was a total waste of time. The times when Kantaro wasn't bumbling around like and idiot he was in the clutches of a demon or an ugly old hag. Haruka had ended up saving his worthless master ten times in one hour that day, the grand total well over fifty. Kantaro didn't seem to care, and that, above all, ticked Haruka off the most.

"What would you have done if I wasn't there to save you?" He growled at Kantaro's back.

"I've managed to survive without you for almost twenty-eight years, thank you very much," Kantaro made a face at the black-winged tengu.

"Oh, and you survival instincts just disappeared when I showed up, did they?" Haruka growled.

"No, it's just easer to let you do all the hard work." Kantaro grinned.

Haruka stopped outside the front door, his hands clenching and unclenching. "Kantaro," he growled, this fingernails starting to grow longer. "Am I your slave? Do you use me like you use Yoko?"

"No, no, you aren't," Kantaro waved his hand. "Come on, Yoko's waiting for us."

"I'm not hungry," Haruka growled, pushing past his master and entering the house. He went straight to his room and shut the door with a loud slam, not caring that Yoko and Kantaro had very sensitive hearing. "Damn that man," he hissed, opening the drawer that had his newly acquired treasure in it. "He is the most annoying, arrogant, selfish..." He trailed off when his fingers came into contact with empty space. "Where is it!" He exploded, wrenching the door off it's frame in his hast to get to his master and strangle him.

"He's coming," Kantaro said in an eerie voice just as Haruka burst into the room.

"Where is it?" He yelled.

"What's wrong, Haruka?" Yoko asked.

"My treasure!" Haruka boomed.

"What does it look like?" Kantaro questioned as he sipped his sake.

"I put up with you and you ridiculous schemes, and I put up with you making friends with every demon you can find and I even put up with the fact you like to make fun of me at every turn, but this is where I draw the line! Give it back!" Haruka yelled, grabbing the front of Kantaro's shirt. "Now!"

"Haruka," Suzu's soft voice came from across the room. "What is the matter?"

Haruka turned to see the daughter of Edogawa-dono standing there, her hands clenched over her heart.

"Kantaro stole something of mine," he sighed, releasing the man and turning away.

"Haruka," Suzu giggled, going over to him and taking his hand. "I have something for you."

She turned his hand over and allowed something red with a chain attached to fall into his open palm. "I saw this sitting on your dresser when I was helping Yoko clean and thought that it needed a chain on it so you could wear it around your neck, so it could always be with you." She tilted her head to the side and smiled.

Haruka slowly picked the chain out of his palm and gazed at the red crystal dangling from it. "Thank you, Suzu." He said humbly.

She gave him her best grin. "You're welcome."