Haruka stood in the doorway of the sitting room and looked over the room's occupants. His grandson was busy scribbling out an essay in his notebook for school. His face was smooth and calm and did not appear perturbed, but Haruka knew his grandson well and could see the dark lines of fatigue around his eyes. He had finally taken a break from his research in the library to catch up on his homework.

Watanuki was lying on the couch Doumeki was leaning against, his features lax in sleep. The Reiki healing had taken more energy from him than it ever had from Haruka. The poor boy was doing his best to take care of the housework and make use of himself, but usually he had just enough energy to cook three meals a day then pass out in sleep. The longest he'd been awake the past seven days was four hours at a time.

The priest entered the sitting room fully and took a seat in the reclining chair. Doumeki's eyes lifted up and took note of his presence. "I see you're working on your homework now. You'll finish in time for school?" Haruka asked.

"Yes," Doumeki replied. "Kimihiro insisted. I'll be done in about an hour."

Haruka chuckled. "More like scolded actually, for about twenty minutes. It took a while for him to shoo you out of the library."

Doumeki sighed and lowered his eyes back to his homework. "The library is very large. It's taking a long time to find the right answer for his eye."

"We'll find something soon, I know."

His grandson nodded. "That's good."

Haruka lit a cigarette and puffed on it. The smoke was a little difficult to see in the dim lamp light. The sun had gone down just half an hour earlier. "Your hearing is tomorrow."

"I know." Doumeki paused in his writing. "Do you think it will go well?"

"That… can depend." Haruka sighed. He took another drag from his cigarette. "The school board has asked for Kimihiro-kun to be present at it as well, if he is feeling up to it."

Doumeki drew his eyebrows together. "Why? What do they want him there for? He had no part in my actions against Fujimoto."

Haruka's face was inscrutable for a moment. Doumeki wondered what knowledge he was holding back. "You don't want him there, then?"

That… should have been obvious. "No, definitely not. Kimihiro gets very easily stressed. He's in no state for such a meeting, and there's nothing they need to ask of him."

"Yes, I know." Haruka frowned then, and deeply. "There is a man on the school board that is very new to his position. His name is Kyle Rondart. He's a foreigner and has been acting as an adviser to the president recently. He is a very unpleasant man."

The teenager sucked in a breath and set down his notebook. "You had a dream?"

"Several, in fact." Haruka took another drag from his cigarette. The priest's family knew of his prophetic dreams. While they did not happen often they were still frequent enough to have confirmed that whenever Haruka had a dream of the future it always came to pass unless the priest himself took actions to change it.

"What happens?" Doumeki asked with urgency.

Haruka pulled a thick envelope from his pocket and set it down on the table that was between his grandson and himself. "Kimihiro-kun is a ward of the government. As such, if a teacher or member of the school board were to become concerned about his welfare, the government would get involved and be able to place him anywhere they desired."

The teenager clenched one of his hands into a fist. "Why would they take him from here? Everyone in Kyoto knows our family, there's no reason not to trust in his safety here."

"Yes, everyone from Kyoto," Haruka agreed, "but not a foreigner, especially one that likes to meddle." He pointed to the envelope on the table. "These papers can protect Kimihiro-kun. It's the only way I can shield him from this Mr. Rondart and his wicked accusations."

Before Doumeki could respond there was movement and noise from the couch. Both of them looked and found Watanuki blinking his one eye open. The boy sat up slowly and used the couch pillows to support himself. "Haruka-san?" His voice wobbled with worry.

"Were you awake for much of it?" The priest asked gently.

Watanuki rubbed his left eye and nodded. "About the hearing, yes." He looked at the older man with a mixture of hope and dread. Hope for Haruka's help and dread at what could happen. "What… what would they try to do? You saw it, right? A dream of the future? I know about those."

The cigarette dangled loosely, nearly forgotten between Haruka's fingers. "At Mr. Rondart's urgings they would find your apartment empty, transfer you to a new location with a full time security guard, and file a two week restraining order against Shizuka-kun until their investigation could be concluded."

"Why?" Watanuki cried in panic. "I'm not hurt here! I got more bruises from spirits living alone in my apartment!"

"Because people are fools. They would listen to this man's accusations of abuse and coercion, soak up the drama and waste everyone's time. If these accusations are allowed to be made and given any credence I would not be able to get you back to the temple fast enough."

"Fast enough?" Doumeki pressed. "The blood ward, you mean. Did you see how long it would last?"

Watanuki's trembling fingers found Doumeki's shoulders and squeezed. Doumeki barely noticed. Haruka closed his eyes and frowned. "Sixteen hours."

"Sixteen? After all the steps we've taken, just sixteen hours…?" Watanuki gasped. "Why? Why is this… it's like everything we try makes so little difference…"

The last of the rolled cigarette was burned away as Haruka finished it off. "Because your powers are continually getting stronger. If you'd been anyone else the Reiki healing would have never worked so well. I will need to visit the Anything Store again and locate magic books for you. You have to start training seriously if you ever want to control your aura and travel safely outside of the temple."

"I'm sorry," Watanuki said in a small voice.

Doumeki got up off the floor and sat down on the couch. He drew his partner into his arms. "It's not your fault. Don't apologize." He looked back to his grandfather. "Those papers then, those are what I think they are?"

"Most likely." Haruka made eye contact with Watanuki. "Kimihiro-kun, I know this is a big step for you. Everything I've asked of you has been. These adoption papers would grant me and my daughter the legal rights to be your guardians. If you sign these papers I can protect you from the school, I can speak for you legally, and I can guard you. If you ever end up in the hospital again and are too weak to sign yourself out Akane-chan and I can take you home anyway. If anything happens to all of us then the temple would belong to you."

"I…" This was a lot to take in. "Adoption?" He heard himself ask.

"Legally, yes. Akane and I would be your legal guardians until you are an adult. You don't even have to change your last name if you don't want to."

His single working eye lost a tear. "I've had dreams of the future, too. They're pretty awful, aren't they?" His body shook and he wiped at his face. "I thought I was going crazy when I had my first one. It was a week before my parents died. I kept seeing their faces staring up at me, blank and white. Their skin looked like paper. Just…paper. White and thin like there wasn't anything underneath of it. There was broken glass and blood everywhere and I woke up screaming for three nights in a row. I thought it was only a dream, though. When they finally did die it took me nearly a month before I realized I wasn't still dreaming." Doumeki's hold around him tightened. "Some of the others weren't so bad, like dreaming I would trip on a rock or which alley to avoid that day because of a spirit. I also saw my old land lady in her kitchen in one dream. She collapsed while she was making cupcakes and was too weak to reach the phone and call for help. Two days later there was an ambulance at the apartment building and they were taking her away. She had a heart attack."

"Yes," Haruka sighed, "they can be very awful." He tamped out his already dead cigarette in the ash tray on the table. "While they can be helpful, it is not an ability I would wish on anyone."

The boy reached for the envelope. "If you saw this happening already… I don't want to be taken from here. I don't want to die." He vigorously scrubbed at his tear dampened face. "I trust you, Haruka-san."

Haruka nodded. "I am glad for your trust. You can sign these tonight and Akane will drop them off at the government office tomorrow morning. I know it will be taxing, but you'll need to come with us tomorrow and defend your position. Don't worry anymore about it now. No one on the school board can touch you once these are signed." He stood up and joined the boys on the couch. He placed a hand on Watanuki's shoulder. "You understand what this will mean now? You know what will change?"

The boy nodded shakily. "My apartment will be gone for good. I won't get a living stipend anymore."

"Your living stipend was as small as your apartment," Doumeki remarked. "My monthly allowance is larger than what you received from the government in a month."

"I," Watanuki hesitated. "It was enough. I-I might have even been able to afford new glasses if I didn't need to buy wards all the time. I have nothing to offer, now."

"Nonsense," Haruka corrected. "We are an old and well established family. Money is of no consequence. Your cooking alone is good enough to feed an emperor, and you keep up with the temple work better than Akane does. There is far more to the value of a person than the money they make."

"Yes, but, you already started paying for my food and shelter, glasses for me, Akane-san even bought me new school clothes because…" He hesitated.

"Because of all the blood stains on your old ones," Doumeki finished.

Watanuki blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah."

"Do you like the temple work?" Haruka asked.

The boy nodded. "Yes, very much. It's peaceful, and the gardens are perfect, and the library is practically endless. It's safe. I've never been anywhere safer."

"Temple work is time consuming, and there is a lot of it to do. I would never turn away help with that." Haruka smiled. "But you're not to help at all until you can stay awake for a full day. I'll only allow you to make use of yourself once you're healthy again. It's reckless to undo all of the hard work I put in to healing you."

"I understand." Watanuki nodded. His fingers shook slightly as he took out the thick document from the envelope in his hands. "About these papers… I don't want to tell anyone else at school. I'm sure all the teachers will find out, because they were warned about me before I even started, but none of the students."

"The rest of the students can rot for all I care," Doumeki affirmed. "You don't have to tell anyone anything."

. . . . . . . . . . .

Since he'd been shaking all morning Watanuki felt a little numb as they walked into the office room that Doumeki's hearing was in. Doumeki was right, of course, like he usually was. This was really, really stressful for him. After Haruka had warned him to no speak up unless spoken to and to say as little as possible Watanuki felt he might faint.

He still vividly remembered what it was like trying to convince the councilors from middle school that he was not suicidal, that he didn't try to cut or hurt himself, and please, please, please don't send him to a hospital for observation or a mental ward, because then he wouldn't have been able to even run from the spirits. He got really good and cleaning up blood stains on the walls and hiding his bruises when he was very young. The thought of once again defending himself in front of cold, faceless adults was bone chilling.

Doumeki and Haruka both hadn't left either side of him since entering the building. Three hours before hand Akane dropped off the adoption papers at the government building and finalized the rest of the paper work. Watanuki was officially adopted for two hours and twenty six minutes.

Doumeki's strong hand guided him to sit down at a long table. Haruka sat to Watanuki's right, Doumeki on his left, and Doumeki's mother to the left of him. There were several people on the other side of a room, also seated at a long conference table. Watanuki recognized the school principal, Kinomoto, the school nurse was there, the PE teacher Kurogane-sensei, the world history teacher, and a few other people that must have been on the school board.

"Doumeki Haruka-san," the man in the middle of the line of school officials stated, "thank you for showing up a little early today. We all know why we're here, so let's just get down to business. This hearing is in regards to the inexcusable behavior of your grandson, Doumeki Shizuka, when he attacked Fujimoto Hiroto. Our school district has a strict zero-tolerance policy in regards to violence."

"I agree," Haruka stated blandly. "Shizuka-kun's actions were out of line. He is ready to submit to the judgment of this school board. As such, I also hope to see all of the students in question that have harmed Kimihiro-kun will receive proper and corrective disciplinary action."

"Yes, we all know about the acid that the bully in question placed in Watanuki-san's locker," the president stated. "You have also already been informed that Fujimoto-san has been permanently expelled. By all rights we should expel your grandson for equally violent behavior."

"Perhaps," Haruka allowed, "but I'm not referring to Fujimoto Hiroto-san. I am referring to the other students that have harassed Kimihiro-kun for several months now."

There was some murmuring from the school board. "We don't have anything on record," a man spoke up suddenly. He sat on the right side of the president while the school principal sat on the left. The man on the right was very clearly foreign, as Haruka had predicted. "In fact, the only thing I noticed was the sharp increase of harm Watanuki-san has encountered since becoming friends with your grandson."

Watanuki almost jolted out of his chair were in not for Haruka's hand on his wrist, unseen by the other people on the other side of the table.

"I find it strange that Watanuki-san has come to so much harm since meeting your grandson."

"Mr. Rondart," the school principal stood up part way from his chair. "This is the Doumeki family! They are well respected members of this community. You can't possibly suggest-"

"I don't suggest anything," the foreign man said a little smugly. "No one should be above scrutiny, especially since this boy is an orphan. If we do not take a vested interest in his welfare, who will? I even have it on record that Watanuki-san checked himself out of the hospital after the doctors suggested he remain for at least a day for observation."

"I also found myself very concerned for Kimihiro-kun's welfare," Haruka interjected in the sudden noisy cacophony of the room, "which is why my daughter and I filed the adoption paperwork immediately after learning of this poor boy's circumstances."

"What?" The foreign man asked, his face white.

"I'm not sure what files you were looking through," Akane spoke up, "but you must have neglected to check with the school nurse. The amount of times Kimihiro-kun has been sent to the nurse's office with bruises, broken bones and bloody noses from the abuse of his classmates is appalling."

"Akane-san is right," the school nurse spoke up. "I keep detailed accounts of all of the students in the school that come to see me. Watanuki-san has been sent to my office with physical wounds more times than all of the other students put together, and this has been true for years. Shizuka-san has done nothing by try to protect Watanuki-san from the bullies, despite all of my requests for teacher intervention."

"I kept telling you," Kurogane-sensei spoke up next. "Doumeki snapped, as anyone in their right mind should when someone tries to kill a fellow student. Fujimoto was heard by multiple witnesses that he would poison Watanuki next. He served his suspension, let Doumeki-san's grandson return to school."

"This adoption is rather sudden," Mr. Rondart tried next. "For the sake of Watanuki-san's safety, we must make sure there was no external pressure placed on the boy to agree to this arrangement."

Haruka's hand tightened just slightly on his wrist again. Watanuki knew he was going to have to talk soon.

"Perhaps that is best, to find out now instead of later," the board president agreed. "Haruka-san, Akane-san, please step out of the room with Shizuka-kun for a moment."

Watanuki looked to Haruka with a plea in his one eye that said don't go, and Haruka smiled and him and clapped him on the shoulder. It'll be all right. "Very well," the priest said. He stood up and Doumeki and Akane followed him quickly.

The door clicked closed, and Watanuki found himself alone in the face of scrutiny.

"Watanuki-san," the president started, "you are alone now with the trusted members of this school board. We want to hear from you. Do you feel safe in your current environment?"

"Yes," Watanuki replied earnestly, because he did, safe like he'd never known before.

"Are you now living with the Doumeki family?"

"Yes." He remembered Haruka's advice. Say as little as possible. If he spoke too much that foreign man might find a way to manipulate what he said into something terrible.

"Has Shizuka-san or Haruka-san ever hurt you?" Mr. Rondart asked, fake concern dripping from his words.

Watanuki tried not to shiver at that voice. "Never, they have never hurt me. I love the Doumeki family."

"Was the acid really so bad? I see that you have an eye patch on, but your skin looks fine. Tell us, has Haruka-san instructed you to say anything to us? Anything you feel might not be true?"

The school principle looked flabbergasted as the questions he was hearing from the board advisor. Kurogane-sensei looked livid.

Watanuki stood up, removed his glasses and ripped on the eye patch. Gasps leapt up around the room. "I've been all alone for ten years. Ten years ago my parents died and this is the first time someone has cared enough to notice what happens to me at school. The acid may be the most notable of all of the bullying I've received but it's far from the worst. The Doumeki family is the best people I have ever met, and I don't want to be alone anymore." He tried to control his breathing and his heart. He felt he might pass out from nerves.

Haruka's idea had been brilliant, and it didn't even take any actual lying on Watanuki's part. Playing up the spirit attacks as incidents with bullies wasn't a far stretch, and for every bruise the boy had ever received from a spirit he had an equal amount of both verbal and physical abuse from his classmates. Akane had even gone so far as to call the nurse that morning and request that she bring Watanuki's medical file with her.

The nurse stood up after he said this and handed a thick file over to the president. "This is Watanuki-san's medical file. The nurse from his middle school thought maybe the wounds were self-inflicted because Watanuki-san refused to name anyone when asked. After a thorough medical examination it was determined that there was no way the amount of abuse he received was from self-harm. None of the teachers ever realized just how many of the students were bullying Watanuki-san because he wouldn't say. Fujimoto-san was the first to ever act out during school like this. The other teachers always assumed the bullying was off school grounds, so there wasn't anything we could do."

"The evidence is clear," Principal Kinomoto spoke. "While Shizuka-san overreacted, I think we can all agree that it was a very human mistake. Watanuki-san has not been treated well by his peers, nor has he received enough protection from the teachers. We should all be thankful that Doumeki-san adopted Watanuki-san so graciously."

The president frowned as he looked through Watanuki's file. "Very well. So long as Watanuki-san is not opposed to the adoption there is nothing else we can do for him. Please bring back in Doumeki-san and his family."

One of the board members stood up and ushered the three back in. Watanuki nearly collapsed in relief when they sat back down next to him.

"Doumeki Shizuka-san, while your actions are reprehensible and will not be permitted a second time, the board has come to the conclusion that you acted with momentary irrationality because of your peer's abuse. You will be permitted to return to school but you will be restricted from participating in any of the student board activities and the school festival coming up soon. Upon the request of the Kyuudo instructor you will attend every archery practice without fail and compete in the national tournament. Failure to comply and you will be banned from the archery team. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Doumeki nodded. "Thank you."

The president stopped a moment, almost as if he wasn't expecting a 'thank you' from the teenager. "Very well. You may go. This hearing is adjourned."

. . . . . . . . .

Haruka knew Watanuki would not want to linger but found himself unable to leave immediately. Principal Kinomoto managed to find him and ask for a moment before they left. The priest granted the man's request and walked with him a ways down the empty hall.

"Haruka-san," the principal started, "I am sorry for what the board advisor said. He was out of line suggesting such things about your family."

"What's done is done," Haruka replied. "It is neither you fault, nor the teachers. I know your powers are limited to what the school board allows you to do."

"Still, it was wrong." Kinimoto clasped his wrist in a western style shake. "Thank you," he said honestly. "Thank you for taking Watanuki-san in. I've been very worried for him for a long time. He's very lucky to have you. You and your grandson."

"Kimihiro-kun is very special," he said. "I only wish my grandson had met him sooner. We could have saved him years of grief."

Kinomoto smiled then. "He's still very young. He has his whole life ahead of him to make up for that, at least." He bowed slightly and stepped back. "Please be well, Haruka-san. I will see Shizuka-san in school on Monday." It had already been discussed that Watanuki was going to be kept home for an extra week. At the sight of his empty right eye not even the advisor protested to that.

Haruka smiled and replied in kind. By the time he got to the car Watanuki was hopping back and forth on his feet, eager to be gone. Doumeki decided to change his train of thought and ask for crème brulee when they got home.

"I don't have a blowtorch at home! Not even those little kitchen sized ones! Stop asking for impossible things!" He heard Watanuki yell in exasperation.

"Edo-era udon then?" Doumeki bargained.

"That doesn't even exist anymore!"