Kai had taken the liberty of bringing some tea and breakfast to Zane, hoping that Jay and Cole did not mind that he had retrieved some food from their pantry. The hunter was nervous, unsure why there was such a heavy feeling in the air. There was also the rush of emotions that he had felt the previous night, and all the problems that had been caused by his pesky soul link. He tried to shake those auras off, but they crept at the edges of his mind at all times. He felt jumpy and restless, and decided that perhaps some conversation would help stimulate him enough.
He set a bowl of fruit, toast, and some jam on a tray, along with some of the tea that Jay had left behind. Kai walked through the cozy cottage and reached the guest room. Slowly, he opened the door and peeked inside. Zane was still sleeping, with his wings outstretched to where the human had formerly been laying. His face was just as peaceful as last night, alleviating some of Kai's stress with his serene expression.
"Zane," he whispered as he approached, closing the door behind him with his foot. "Zane, wake up." The falcon barely stirred, eyes prying sluggishly open as he let out a long breath.
"Is it already morning?" the bird softly inquired. Kai nodded and set the tray on a nearby table before reaching out to help him sit up. The yokai took hold of him and slowly maneuvered his body to an upright position, occasionally flinching or groaning as his injury was disturbed.
"Are you okay?" the hunter asked, worried. "I think that the doctor left you some medicine, and I'm not sure where Jay and Cole put it but I can ask when they get back."
"I'm alright," Zane nodded. His lips curled ever so slightly into a sleepy grin. "I'm grateful that you are concerned for me, but you don't need to be. I'm sure I will be okay, as long as you are with me." The human looked away as some turbulent feelings gnawed at his stomach, letting go of his mate in order to retrieve the breakfast tray.
"Right," he replied with as little emotion as possible. "Jay and Cole are out somewhere. I dunno where, though." He did his best not to think about the previous night, and whatever had overcome him. The falcon sat still as Kai placed the food on his lap, then smiled up at his partner.
"Thank you, dar-" His brows flew up and his lips pursed for a fraction of a second. "Thank you, Kai. Would you like to sit and talk? I felt some unease in your soul link last night, and I'm sure that you have many concerns on your mind. Especially in regards to… your sister." The hunter was not sure how to feel about the pause that was left before he said "your sister", but he decided to ignore it. Perhaps talking about the incident in his village would be cathartic.
"Sure," he shrugged. He made his way around the side of the bed, sitting down very carefully and constantly making sure that he would not brush against his bandaged wing.
"I did not know that humans could be affected by Bondless magic," Zane remarked before biting into a brilliant red strawberry. Kai sighed and leaned forward, crossing his arms as he remembered the terrifying state of his hometown.
"What happens when you become like that?" Kai asked. The half-bird quirked a brow, aqua eyes shimmering with intrigue.
"When you become one of the Bondless?" he replied. When the human nodded, Zane tore off a piece of his toast and held it up. "A yokai's soul is born out of love and everything that the parents of that soul believe in. Think of it as some sort of metal ore freshly mined." The falcon then grabbed the knife that had been supplied with the jam, dipped it into the jar, then began to slowly spread the additive over the chunk of bread.
"Now, think of bonding as refining that ore, making it something better and more brilliant than it used to be," he went on. "Bonding allows both souls involved to grow a new, loving connection that can be used in the future to create new souls. However, a yokai that is destined to be one of the Bondless…" He trailed off, tearing another piece of toast off and holding it up next to the other.
"That ore never becomes refined," he murmured sadly. "It is neglected, and because it lacks the refinement that it needs, it begins to tarnish." He set down the toast with the jam on it and started picking tiny shreds off of the other piece.
"Hope, morality, loyalty, respect, even happiness…" Zane listed off before rolling the small remains of the bread between his thumb and forefinger. "The soul creates a shield from everything good in the world, a hard shell that leaves the yokai constantly spiteful." He dropped the ball back onto the tray with a sigh, leaning his chin against his palm.
"I cannot imagine what the Jiandapo Kiri can do to a human, nor can I even think of who would be crazy enough to let it loose against anyone," the half-bird shrugged. "All I know is what I have seen, and it's clear that whoever released the fog is on the warpath. That miasma is potent enough that someone with great magical power could use it to puppeteer any peaceful society into becoming a raging army." Kai went over all of the information, thinking about everyone he cared about and what that Bondless magic might have done to their souls. If that mist was really as dangerous as Zane had described, then Nya might be used as a weapon.
"Is there any way to fix it?" he asked his companion. The yokai took a deep breath and closed his eyes, taking a few long moments to think.
"I apologize, but I'm not sure," Zane shook his head. "While Pixal and I were archiving that jar, I was tasked with the actual age of the container. She was the one trying to figure out what was inside without unleashing it. If we want to find a way to reverse the effects, I think Pixal is our best bet."
"Then we should-" Before Kai could continue, the sound of the front door opening reached their ears. The human placed his hand on Zane's shoulder and nodded to him before getting off the bed. He added a quick, "Stay here and get some rest" before stepping out into the main area.
Cole was allowing Jay to lean against him, and a sling held up the bear's left arm. The hunter flinched when Jay looked up at him so that his hair was no longer blocking the right side of his face. A black patch was blocking the place where his eye should have been, and the brow above it was now cut into. Both of them were covered in red scrapes and fresh bruises, and they were slowly moving across the wooden floor. The ursa helped his partner into one of the kitchen chairs, whispering something that Kai could not hear. As soon as Jay was sitting comfortably, the predator yokai reached for the tea kettle and put it back on the stovetop to heat up again.
Shocked, the human remained silent, surveying the two of them and their new injuries. Jay's expression remained so downtrodden that he looked like he was on the verge of tears. The bunny did not seem to be looking at him, but rather through him, and he wrung his hands nervously. Finally, Kai snapped out of his daze and walked towards the bear.
"What happened?" he asked. Without warning, the yokai suddenly whirled around and slapped the hunter across the face, knocking him clean off of his feet. As he landed on the floor, Jay jumped up in terror.
"Cole stop!" he cried out, wincing as his injuries overtook him.
"You know damn well what happened! Your sister attacked us again! She almost blinded Jay in one eye!" the ursa yelled. His pupils seemed much larger than usual, almost completely overtaking the whites of Cole's eyes. "If you hadn't ever come to yokai territory, then nobody would have gotten hurt!"
"Cole, calm down!" Jay pleaded, tugging futilely at his partner's good arm. "It's not his fault!"
"But it is!" his mate snarled. "Everything has gone wrong since he showed up! He almost shot you, he bonded with a yokai, he brought his murderous sister to our home, he left Zane, got Zane hurt, and now his sister's almost killed both of us, probably because she's trying to look for him again!" Kai's hand deftly reached up and touched the place where Cole had hit him. The skin felt like it was burning, but he did not feel any pain from the blow. Rather, the bear's words were what hit him. Nya had hurt more people, and he was sitting here useless. It only confirmed his thoughts from last night, when he watched Zane while they ran from Jamonikai. This had to be his fault. He had done so much wrong recently, and now he felt like there was nothing he could do to make things right.
"Sit down!" the bunny sobbed. Kai had not noticed that Jay had started crying. "He didn't put all the fog stuff in the village! He… He didn't do this. He wouldn't! Just please… sit down." The partial rabbit was now clinging to his husband, and the atmosphere only got thicker with tension when the guest room door opened. Zane was horror-stricken, clearly fighting through the pain in his wing as he tried to step out.
"What is going on?" he grunted, attempting to fold his wing so that he could make it through the doorway. The blond surveyed the scene, looking from his mate to the other pair of yokai, then back to the human. Zane then outstretched his uninjured wing and dropped to his knees, protecting Kai and looking up fearfully at his friends.
"Why did you hit him?" the falcon croaked. His sad tone took everyone back, and in some manner of worry, the hunter shuffled backward. The avian yokai then took the opportunity to reach out and clutch his mate. Kai felt strangely safe with his back to Zane's chest, although he was sure that the half-bird was straining himself with his impairment.
"He…" Cole trailed off as Jay gripped his jacket.
"Sit down," the bunny sniffled. The ursa made an animalistic growl, then pulled up his own chair before helping his partner into the one he was previously seated in. Kai nodded to Zane, and he helped him stand up before crossing to another pair of chairs.
"I think I can give you a quick run-down," Jay proposed, wiping away his tears and clearing his throat. The group waited patiently for him to continue. "Cole was assigned to investigate what happened last night, but I got really scared after he left, so I went after him." Kai nodded, recalling how he had randomly leapt up and bolted out the door.
"When I ran into the forest, Nya suddenly attacked me," the half-rabbit went on, causing fear to well up within the human. "Thankfully, Cole was there to save my life, but… His arm got cut into by a knife, and Dr. Skales says that I'm going to have to magically heal my eye once a day for a while before I can see out of it again. She cut really deep, but I think my eye will make it out okay eventually. Cole was just… frustrated. He didn't mean to hit Kai, he's just upset about the whole thing. He's never done that before, I promise."
"I know," Zane nodded slowly. "Cole, are you feeling better now?"
"Yes," the bear huffed. Jay leaned as far as he could towards the ursa, and his mate followed suit by hugging him with his unimpaired arm. A long, stifling pause followed, and the air grew heavy with unspoken wariness until Zane suddenly shifted in his seat.
"I think it would be safest if we all got as far away from here as possible," he piped up. The others stared at him, waiting for further explanation. "Perhaps it would be best if you two stayed at our place, for a little while. It's not safe for you so close to the border." Kai watched an array of emotions cross the bear and rabbit's faces, with Cole looking resolute in the end and Jay seeming unsure.
"You're right," the ursa nodded. "Chief gave me some time off due to my arm, but just in case I'm called in, shouldn't I be a little closer to the ground? Besides, Jay will need to help his parents with their anniversary."
"But what about our home?" the bunny nearly interrupted with pure anxiety in his voice. "Cole, we built this place together. We've been living here since we were bonded. What if something happens, and we're not here?" The hunter could see the indecisiveness in the bear's expression, and was surprised to see his toughness wilt away for a brief moment.
"I know," Cole nearly mumbled. "I'm scared something might happen to this place, too, but I'm more concerned with you getting hurt again. You and I have already had two close scrapes because of the humans. I don't want next time to not be a close scrape, Jay. I don't even want there to be a next time. We should take Zane up on his offer. Or, maybe we can see if Skylor can let us stay with her for a bit. Then you'll be closer to your folks, and I'll be on the ground. We can take our most valuable stuff, okay? Then there won't be as big of a risk if something goes wrong here." The smaller yokai seemed to shrink in place, and he was breathing slowly so that he could hold back his tears again. Cole noticed and embraced him tighter.
Kai took a look around at all of the things that the two had accomplished together. A bear and a rabbit, polar opposites, could somehow create a wonderful life filled with devotion. Their bond was so strong that they could overcome the large obstacle of such a vast difference in species. The human tilted his head towards the falcon, who was studying the other pair with grief and empathy. He wondered if they could create such a strong love too, if given the proper time.
This new life had been thrust upon him so suddenly, and his mistrust of these creatures had entirely overwhelmed him at first. Now, however, seeing the rich trust that they put in one another, and the vast, beautiful society that he had refused to pay attention to for all of his life, his perspective had changed. He asked himself why humans had never gotten along with yokai. Sure, there was a war hundreds, if not thousands of years ago that separated the two groups into different territories, but that was so long in the past. Why did another war have to surface?
Zane obviously sensed his unease through their soul link, and turned towards him. With a gaze cast downward, the blond very cautiously reached out and placed his hand on top of Kai's. The hunter considered the gesture for a brief moment.
He had been so focused on shutting him out, even last night as he was looking at the injured form of the winged yokai. Zane had only wanted to see him again, after being separated for days, and even when he was injured by his own sister's hand, he refused to acknowledge the connection that the half-bird was desperately trying to make with him. Purely out of ignorance towards yokai in general, Kai had cast him aside and only compromised to keep him happy. Perhaps the best course of action was to try to meet him halfway, at least just a little bit. Maybe then he would feel less guilty.
He gingerly turned his palm upwards and intertwined their fingers, unable to ignore the sudden movement of his partner lifting his head to look at him with surprise. Kai looked into Zane's aqua eyes, and how they were now glimmering with some sort of emotion that he could not put into words. For lack of a better term, he seemed hopeful.
"Okay," Jay finally muttered as he nodded slowly to himself. "I think we should call Skylor first, so that we might have a chance at sticking close to the ground. Did your crystal get out safely, Cole?"
"Um, lemme check…" the bear said, fishing under the collar of his uniform. When he pulled the pendant out, there were no scratches or chips in the stone. With a sigh of relief, the ursa stood and began to cross the room. "We'll start packing, and I'll call Skylor. Just go ahead and pull the tea off the stove if you want some." Cole beckoned his partner to follow him, and the bunny hopped up from his chair. He scrunched his nose at the sudden lurch, as if he had forgotten that he was injured.
The two of them were left in silence, and in order to keep things from becoming too awkward, Kai slipped his hand from Zane's and reached for the teapot, grabbing some of the cups that were still left out from when Jay had prepared the first brew that morning. He poured the beverage into the small china dishes and set the kettle back on the stove. He held out the cup for his partner, who took hold of it with an appreciative nod.
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Zane mumbled as he brought the drink to his lips.
"This isn't your fault," Kai immediately replied. Flashes of the previous night went through his head, and he slumped his shoulders just a tad at the weight of the memories. "Actually, I'm pretty sure you saved me. If I hadn't gone out to meet you in the woods, I would've breathed in that fog too. Then I'd be just like everyone else. So, uh… thank you." The falcon's feathers ruffled a little, and he could see a slight pink tinge in his pale cheeks.
"Of course," Zane spoke softly, taking a long sip. "But I wish we hadn't gotten so far from the village so soon. If we had stayed just a few moments more, we would have been able to see who used the Jiandapo Kiri, and we could have reported them or something."
"Well, what if they were human?" Kai asked. He was unsure where the question had come from, as it just suddenly popped into his head. Zane's confused look confirmed the odd nature of his inquiry.
"What if they were?" he responded. "I would still want to see that person brought to justice. What they have done is illegal, here in yokai territory. It is ancient magic that has negative effects on whoever is subjected to it, therefore it is forbidden to even be created, let alone used. That's why so little of Jiandapo Kiri remains, because it's been archived by people like me and Pixal so that historians know to never use it." Kai took a slow drink of his own, savoring the earthy yet rich flavor of the tea.
"But that means you would have to talk to human law enforcement, and I'm not even sure that we have laws against using that mist. Plus, they're a lot less liberal with yokai than yokai have been with me," he told him, running his thumb along the rim of his cup. "Just being in the human territory could get you arrested, or worse." That made the winged beast go silent, and suddenly his soul link lit up with restlessness. He tipped his cup back and drank heavily from it, trying to sip for long enough that Zane would talk so that he did not have to.
"Is that why you didn't want me to come back with you to Jamonikai?" the falcon inquired. The question made Kai start choking on his beverage. The half-bird rushed to his aid, putting one hand on his shoulder while the other went to his back. He waved him away as tears stung at his eyes, but he wiped away the drops before they fell too far down his face.
"Sorry," he spluttered. "What kind of… What do you mean?"
"It's an honest question," the bird replied, tone going fretful as Kai coughed a few more times. The human immediately knew that the answer was no, but the last thing he wanted was to tell him that he did not want to bring home a yokai at all. In fact, he had originally wanted to just leave Zane back in Kyoboku and never think about him again.
"Well, uh… Not exactly," he tried to be truthful. "I guess I just knew that my village wouldn't really be ready for an inter… interspecies relationship?" He had not meant for it to sound like a question, but his own uncertainty caused his voice to slip. Zane's brows dipped just slightly, and it seemed like he was not satisfied with Kai's answer. Could he tell that he was trying to dodge the question? Maybe it was the soul link that tipped him off.
"Would you mind clarifying?" the falcon asked. Kai gulped at the unfamiliar tone of implied accusation, rubbing the back of his neck before reaching for the kettle again.
"I just mean that maybe, uh, maybe I wasn't the one who was ready to be the first person in history to be bonded to a yokai," he tried to answer, although he was desperate to backpedal and forget the conversation entirely. As he refilled his cup, Zane settled in his seat and looked at a wall on the other side of the room.
"I'm sure there is at least one record of a bond such as ours," the bird said with confidence. There was another pause, which the falcon used to fold his arms and look at his mate out of the corner of his eye. "Even if there wasn't, what difference does it make?" Kai could feel his palms heating up, and his lips pursed together as he took hold of Zane's cup.
"Want some more?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Zane replied almost sharply. Kai could feel a dagger twisting into his gut, and he quickly sat back in his original position, although he was now as stiff as a board from his head to his toes.
"So, uh… Think the guest room will be ready for Cole and Jay when they get back to your place?"
"Kai, you're not being honest with me." The charge hit the hunter like an arrow, and he had to avoid physically wincing. Normally, he was a fiery spirit when he was being accused of something, especially when it came down to an argument between him and his sibling, but here he was at a loss for words.
"What do you mean? Why don't you think I'm being honest?"
"I can feel it."
"Oh," Kai nearly squeaked. He took a long sip, then set the china down with a tensed hand. "Well… Um…"
"Just say it. You're ashamed of me," Zane growled. Unraveled, the hunter folded his arms as well, although he was doing it out of distress instead of anger.
"Okay! Yeah, I am!" he pushed out. The words felt like red-hot coals on his tongue. "Happy?" He wanted to clap a hand over his mouth, seeing as he just could not seem to shut up. Of course, he still had to be that same, tempestuous person as always and spit out whatever crossed his mind.
When he dared to look back at Zane, he was crushed. The avian yokai's wings were drooping, and his fingers were digging into the fabric of his shirt. His eyes were glazed over and he was working his lip between his teeth, adding to his melancholic emotions that Kai could feel buzzing mercilessly in the back of his mind. He felt horrible, knowing that he had spoken the truth. He had treated the beast like garbage, just because he was a yokai trying to win his affections, and where did that get either of them? He felt karma washing over him, making him doubt every decision he had made over the last few weeks.
Then, it struck him.
"Or… At least that's how I used to feel," he said just loud enough for his partner to hear. The bird's fingers relaxed, and his face turned back towards the hunter. "I mean, yeah, I was expecting to marry a human. I didn't think I would end up with a yokai. You even told me when we first met that you thought I was a yokai. So we can both admit that we didn't get what we thought we would get, right?" Zane nodded, and Kai turned his entire body to face the half-bird.
"So, I was obviously a little shaken up. Er, a lot. I was shaken up a lot. I tried to push you away, but I guess you didn't mind that I was a human, and you just kept on trying to help me adjust, but I was…" The next words were hard to say, almost excruciatingly difficult for someone like him. "I was being stupid, and I kept trying to get rid of you, and ignore you, and tried to only meet the bare minimum of whatever it is that I was supposed to be." The falcon nodded, adding another hit to Kai's self-esteem. Thankfully, it did not seem like he was nodding to mock him. The human breathed deep and forced himself to get to the point.
"So… I guess you can say that I've had a bit of a, uh — a wakeup call," Kai went on. "I guess it took an invasion of my hometown to get me to realize how much of an idiot I am." He laughed, trying to dispel his overanxiety. Zane remained silent, however, and suddenly placed his hand on his shoulder, making him go quiet as well.
"You're not an idiot," the bird said. He spoke with such a sureness that a little bit of the huntsman's fear went away. "When you went away, I told myself that it was all my fault. I thought I had pushed you too hard, that I was being too selfish. And, to a great extent, I was. Well… we both were. I hope you don't mind me saying that." Kai reflexively placed his palm on the back of his partner's hand, holding it in place as he looked at Zane with awe.
"Not at all," he shook his head slowly. The half-falcon's lips twitched into a smile for a second, then returned to an equally surprised expression. "Something wrong?"
"No, no," Zane assured him. "It's just that you weren't lying." Kai thought for a moment and knew that he had spoken from the heart. It was a strange feeling, but it was certainly relieving.
"Neither were you," he chuckled sheepishly. They simply stared at each other for a long while, and then the brunet was struck with an idea. He cleared his throat and took held his partner's hand a little more firmly. "Do you maybe wanna start over?" The falcon smiled and gazed bashfully at the floor. When he shook his head, the human looked at him with puzzlement.
"No," Zane replied as he tipped his head back up towards his partner. "Everything we've been through, I never want to forget it. We have experienced so much already, and I only want this to add to our future together." The word 'future' stuck in Kai's mind, and he felt a little more at ease than he normally would have been hearing it.
Cole then emerged from the main bedroom, holding an ornate bag that Kai had never seen before. Jay trailed behind him, carrying an identical one. The bunny was busy pushing something rather large into it, and the hunter was bewildered to see that the giant book even fit into such a small object. The bear held up the elixir that Dr. Skales had given to Zane, then tossed it to the bird.
"Alright, bags are packed and Skylor says that she would love the company," the bear said as he entered the room. "With all this invasion talk since last night, she'd actually prefer to have some friends around just in case things get hairy."
"She's always been one to prefer companionship during stressful times," Zane agreed as he stood, a little blush in his features. "Shall we get going, Kai?"
"Oh, before you leave!" Jay cut in, rushing to turn off the stove before grabbing something from a nearby drawer. The rabbit took out an old, slightly tarnished key and handed it to Zane. "If something happens, Cole and I will use this."
"Right," the falcon nodded as if Kai was supposed to understand why a rusty piece of metal was so important. Zane stashed the item in his pocket and leaned towards his partner. "It's an emergency transport key. They'll be able to teleport to us right away if anything happens. They only have one use per key, and they're quite expensive for the amount of magical power it needs. That's why it's never been used."
"And hopefully we won't have to use it," Cole almost interrupted, alleviating a sense of foreboding that hung in the air. "Now, let's get a move on. Skylor's waiting for us, and I wanna leave this area as soon as possible." Jay nodded, and the two pairs headed for the door. Kai took note that the rabbit and bear were still wearing their winter wear and that both of their outfits were wrinkled and cut in some places, most likely from the fight with Nya. He shuddered at the thought of his sister and her ghostly eyes, forcing the image out of his head as quickly as it appeared.
Cole and Jay both transformed into their fauna forms, bidding them farewell with quick animal sounds. The hunter dipped his head in thanks to them, shouting, "Stay safe!" over his shoulder before walking over to his mate. The pair took off, with the rabbit nestled into the ursa's back as the large black bear ran into the forest path.
"Do you think you can fly yet?" Kai asked. "If not, we should probably follow them." Zane's face contorted with unease, and he slowly flexed both of his wings. The bandages were now dark with the color of dried blood instead of covered in scarlet like last night, which was a good sign that the medicine was working. However, the sadness in his soul partner's expression told a different story.
"I'm afraid not," the bird sighed. "The next teleport gate is not too far from here. It can take us to the hub for the treehouses in Kyoboku in no time. Maybe thirty minutes, by foot?" The hunter nodded solemnly and waited until the yokai started walking before matching his pace. They began their trek through the winter landscape, filled with a strange combination of hope and cautiousness. Around a minute or so into the journey, Zane brushed his fingers again's Kai's. At first, the hunter retracted his arm, but then remembered everything that he had talked about just a little while ago, and decided to surrender and hold his mate's hand.