"My...brother?" I tipped my head to the side inquisitively. "You have news of my brother?"

He stood from his desk and held a hand to the leather chair in front of it. "Have a seat."

"I don't believe I'll stay - "

"Sit."

I almost hissed in annoyance, but sat down crossing my legs and kept a cool steady gaze. He sat down again and set some papers aside before pulling out a dark box and setting it in the center of his desk. I was curious of course, but kept silent. It was a dark wood carved with intricate designs and painted with flecks of gold. I lifted my eyes to the centerpiece on the lid and lifted an eyebrow. A seal...very ancient from the looks of it. Something from my early days and very powerful as well. He swiveled the box towards me and spoke in a hushed tone.

"You want to retrieve your brother, correct?"

I snorted. "Is it not obvious?"

"Yes or no?"

I almost rolled my eyes. "Yes, headmaster."

"Then we will have a fair exchange."

"Fair exchange? What on earth are you rambling on about old man?" I narrowed my eyes. "You have news of my brother, so you say...but I see no evidence of this. What have you brought me here for? What is this really about?"

"My niece Amu...she's dear to me, but even I know she is no ordinary human." He leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on the armrests of the chair. "It was kept a secret before she was even born. A, ah, family legend mostly. Some of the hunter lines have more magic than others...that means more "gifts" than other families. My line, the Hinamori's, we are of a very ancient line. As much as I loathe to admit it, we have the similarity of keeping our lines the way they are by...intermarrying the the family and such."

"Human genetics aren't exactly built for that," I mused lightly.

He cleared his throat and continued, "I was the first of my line to decide to marry for love and my younger sister followed the same suit. Amu's mother. At first there was an outrage, but times have changed and vampires, other beings of your kind, we have settled into this "peaceful" agreement."

As strange as it was, I had eventually seen the wars between "supernatural beings" and humans come to an almost complete peace with each other. Old resentments rose up every now and then, but that was really the nature of greed. This era was unsettlingly quiet and there was less bloodshed than I had ever had in my life. Some humans and "beings" have even married or joined forces; usually it was just one or two every now and then in the past, but now it seemed as common as daylight.

"I have made enemies of many," he said with a small frown, "and I know most feuds will only end with bloodshed and loss on all sides."

"What does this have to do with me?" I was starting to get antsy with all of this. "What's the point?"

"I'm saying many would like to take a stab at me the moment I show any signs of weakness," he lowered his eyes to the box. "My only weakness being my niece."

"And you're telling me this why?"

"I come from a strong line Utau," he didn't look up. "Amu is...unnatural. Her abilities have always been nullified as to not draw attention. I've now put thought into it...would she have been safer if she wasn't raised to be ignorant of her heritage?"

"Amusing," I replied flatly. "She doesn't know anything and you expect her ignorance to save her? That was honestly the stupidest plan I have ever heard of in my entire existence."

"She's very powerful, or at least, she would have been had she been raised as any other huntress would have been brought up." He closed his eyes. "The unnatural abilities before she was even born...Amu is a witch."

My heart stopped. (Metaphorically of course.) "That's a very serious statement, Hinamori."

Witches seem so petty nowadays, but they're one of the most powerful beings out there. Or at least they had been a while back. Most of them died out as time passed (with idiot humans hunting them down and all) or simply fled into hiding. If any were out there they kept a low-profile. They were all so different though, it's hard to pinpoint which side they're on. Part human, part something else, they could blend on either sides of the natural/supernatural kind.

"That's the only explanation," he sighed and pushed the box towards me. "Amu will be in more danger soon - I can feel it. When she was small she'd talk to the all the animals and that seemed normal because our kin can do that though it's exceedingly rare. But she began talking to anything living and started to cause problems with the magic in her. She couldn't even walk; she would make inanimate object move and so many other things only your kind can do."

"But she's human offspring."

"I know. My sister and I decided that we would just have to nullify her abilities with old hunter practices. It was something uncommon, but we poured over every book, document, and paper we could find until we finally found what worked. We don't know how much longer the seal will hold on her powers, but I want someone to be there when they do. An aura like hers won't be hidden easily. She'll attract attention from all kinds of beings and because of that she'll be in danger."

"You're not suggesting I...protect this thing of yours, are you?"

"I want you to protect her and teach her how to survive."

I stood with disbelief. "Why on earth would you think I would do that? I owe you nothing - "

"I know where your brother is, Utau."

I turned away from him. "You lie of course, as humans always do."

"Don't be absurd," he scoffed and looked to me. "I would not call you on such a flimsy reason; I know where he is and I will tell you if you swear an oath."

"Don't talk lightly of such things," I let some age creep into my voice. "Blood oaths cannot be undone. They need only be done in the most desperate of situations."

"Your family is dying," he said matter-of-factly. "Your brother is all that's left to keep your line alive. To preserve your power."

A truth even I couldn't ignore. My searches became more and more desperate as time went on because my family was dying and everything Hinamori said was true. I needed my brother. And if everything else was true as well...I exhaled slowly before I said anything else. His heartbeat was steady and even. Had mine still been beating it would have been pounding like a train. "What is required of this oath of yours?"

Tension melted from his shoulders. "It's a simple request: protect my niece for the remainder of her life."

"And in exchange...?"

"Receiving the location of your brother to save your dying line."

"How do I know - "

"It's up to you whether you believe me or not."

"Hey, Ikuto?"

"Hmm?"

I ran my fingers through his soft hair, twirling it between my fingers and untangling the loose ends. He rested his head on my lap while I studied my notes, but I couldn't really focus. Between all of this crazy chaotic stuff going on, I still had exams to study for and nothing was going to stop me from doing that. Or at least, I wish nothing would. I was insanely curious about so many things, but I had no idea what to ask. We sat near the back window of the library that was mostly secluded. Late afternoon, I had just had a snack and was studying before he came to bother me again. I didn't mind too much since these numbers were giving me a migraine, but I wouldn't let him actually know that.

"So...you remember, Nagi-san?"

One eye opened at this as he gave me a lazy glare. "What about him?"

"Well..." I set my book down and looked down at him.

"He's like me if you're wondering."

"Ah, okay..." I pursed my lips to keep from asking anything else, but I couldn't help myself. "Is he dangerous?"

"Not particularly," he closed both his eyes again.

I furrowed my eyebrows quizzically. "Then why - "

"I was jealous," he said matter-of-factly. "Very jealous my kitten would be stolen away by another man."

"D-don't call me that!" I stuttered as my face heated up with embarrassment.

"What would you prefer then, my little princess?"

"Amu is just fine!" I tried to ignore how fluttery my stomach got when he referred to me that way.

"Amu is too boring," he frowned. "Everyone else calls you that."

"Because it's my name, Einstein." I scoffed. "But all that aside, who is he?"

"A brilliant mathematician, haven't you heard?"

I paused in confusion then shook my head with annoyance. "No, I mean Nagi-san."

"Oh, him," Ikuto sighed and sat up looking out the window. "Do you really wanna know?"

"Yes!"

He groaned, but continued. "You probably won't stop bothering me about this so listen well and try not to fall asleep because it's dreadfully dull."

"I won't," I pulled my knees to my chest and smiled.

"I met Nagi as a small child a long time ago," he began. "I was on the run of course and while resting, this little orphan punk is asking all sorts of questions. Next thing you know he's following me everywhere I go. And he got some kind of flu a while back and...well, I kind of saved his life. We went our separate ways years back and he's kind of got this bonding thing between us so I'll probably never lose that kid now. His first name was Yoru."

I punched his shoulder lightly, crossing my legs. "Aww, you're a softie."

He snorted. "I'm the most hardcore guy you'll ever meet in your life."

"Softie~" I teased. He harrumphed and fell back on my legs without a word. I smiled to myself and pet his hair. "You act so tough, but you're one of those softhearted guys aren't you? That's so adorable!"

"I am many things, princess," he murmured, "but 'adorable' is not one of them. I prefer terms like 'flawless' or 'handsome.'"

I laughed softly. "A big adorable, tender hearted softie."

[A/N]: So hey, guys, there have been some messages by some readers that have motivated me to write again! I don't know how it happened, but I found myself typing up another chapter before I could stop myself. I'm a million years late, I know aha, but I hope this chapter made some clarification on some of my crazy tangents. Thanks so much for the motivation, you have no idea how much it means to me! ((And I'm sure some of you are excited to see an update, amiright?))

~lonelybutlovely