A/N- Another chapter! ...Which happens to be twice as long as the first. So, uh, I didn't write this fic in chapters actually, so if the chapter lengths are a little bit...random...I apologize. That's just how the scenes turned out. Oh, and I forgot to mention some things last time; this fic is set post-anime series, in case anyone was confused. I love the manga, but it's just too convoluted for this type of story. Sorry for any OOC-ness...and let me know if I make a mistake with the honorifics; I get so confused... Hope you like it! -OA


Disclaimer: Not mine. -sob-


Chapter Two

Three Months Later

Sumimura Shigemori was more than a little surprised to see his eldest grandson back on his doorstep after so short an absence. Since the destruction of Kokubourou, Masamori had taken up his old pattern from before, staying away for long periods of time. Until another group appeared with the united intention to take over Karasumori, the young Urakai leader of the Yagyou squad no doubt had business elsewhere.

Which was why his presence was so surprising.

"Masamori, what are you doing here?" The old kekkaishi noted absently that one of Masamori's subordinates was accompanying him: the small, young one with curly blonde hair. "Something wrong?"

The taller man rubbed a hand over his short hair with a sigh. "…Let's just say I've made a recent discover about half-ayakashi, and I think you should know about it." A barely-there smirk, contradictorily void of any mirth. "Just…promise you won't kill Yoshimori."

The old man's bushy eyebrows drew down in a scowl. "What's that brat done this time?"

"…Well-" Before Masamori could get any more out, the young blonde at his side choked out a curse and ran away from the front door, across the lawn toward the back of the large house. "Sen!" Masamori hesitated, watching him go, and then sighed again, following his grandfather inside. "Oh well… I guess it'll be easier if he isn't present. Anyway, this is going to take some explaining. Is Yoshimori still here?"

"I think he's in his room getting ready to head out for the night." The old man leaned into the study. "Shuji-san, bring Yoshimori here, will you?"

The bespectacled man looked up from his computer in surprise. "Masamori? What are you doing back so soon? What's going on, Otousan?"

"Masamori has something important to tell us."


Yoshimori squirmed, seated next to his brother at the dining room table, with his grandfather at the head and his father across from him. No one had mentioned the reason for Masamori's relatively swift return, and the teen was getting more confused by the second.

"So…what's this about, Masamori?" the patriarch of the family inquired, steepling his fingers. Instead of answering the question directly, the eldest son of the Sumimura family shifted in his seat, turning to face his brother.

"Yoshimori." The younger boy started, glancing up at him. "When I visited here three months ago to do research on Karasumori, Sen went to hunt ayakashi with you on the grounds." No response; it wasn't a question, just a statement of fact. "What happened that night?"

Yoshimori stared at his older sibling blankly, wondering what exactly Masamori wanted to know. Let's see…three months ago… And it came crashing down on him: that night. The teen started, praying that his face wasn't turning red. Did- did Masamori know about-? Was he referring to-?

He had tried for weeks to stop thinking about it, to stop wondering why Kagemiya had left without saying goodbye after they- He hadn't seen the blonde since that night at Karasumori. By the time he'd returned home in the morning, aching and still healing from his wound, Masamori had already departed, taking his subordinate with him. It wasn't as if Yoshimori could just call and ask the other teen for answers.

…Well, maybe he could have, but… He wasn't even sure what he would say if he were going to try. What they had done together…it was unlike anything he'd ever known. A secret he'd intended to keep forever.

Unfortunately, it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

Ojiisan is going to kill me for sure…

"There…there was a bug ayakashi and-" No need to mention the part about Kagemiya's panic attack. "-I got hurt and Kagemiya had to suck out the poison and, and then w-we-" What was he supposed to say after that? It wasn't even a good summary of the night's events, but there were some things he didn't want to share: the tears that had slid down Kagemiya's pale face, the way the blonde's arms had twined around his neck, the kisses Yoshimori had planted, trailing down the smaller teen's bare abdomen…and everything that had followed…

Um. Slept together? Made love? Had sex? I took him and-

Damn it.

Turns out he didn't even have to say it. Somehow, the message was plenty clear enough, if the shock on certain faces was any indication.

"Oh dear," Shuji murmured, blushing himself on his son's behalf. "Yoshimori, why didn't you tell me?"

"You idiot!" Shigemori exploded, fists slamming down on the tabletop. "How could you do something so stupid? You're the legitimate successor and- and-!"

"Ojiisan, please, calm down," Masamori said flatly. Yoshimori gritted his teeth, hands clenching underneath the table.

"How the hell did you find out about this? Did Kagemiya tell you?" he demanded. His brother fixed him with an icy glare, and something shrank within the younger man.

"He had to tell me," the Urakai leader said. "That's why I came here to talk you. It has to do with what we discovered about half-ayakashi that's so important." He paused. "To state it bluntly, it appears that in spite of their half-breed status, they're designed for effective reproduction. In short, they're breeders: very fertile." Another pause. "This applies to the males as well."

Yoshimori's heart dropped into his stomach.

His grandfather gaped. "What do you mean by this, Masamori?"

The oldest Sumimura son never was one to beat around the bush.

"Sen's pregnant."

Damn it. Damn it all to hell.

"P-pregnant?" Yoshimori echoed, eyes wide. "Are you- are you serious, Aniki? How can he be pregnant? He's, he's a-"

"He's male, yes," Masamori said, unperturbed. If any of these shocking developments had surprised him, he was obviously over it by now. Yoshimori idly reflected that this was one of the things he hated most about his brother. Nothing ever seemed to faze the older man. "That would be the immediate reaction. And I'm not denying it. But there's no question that Sen is male. There's just this little extra…" He made a rather helpless gesture, the rest of the sentence trailing away; it was clear and yet mercifully vague what the 'extra' referred to.

"S-so, when we…" Yoshimori's voice faded into the silence. Kami, are you playing on prank on me or something? Please, say yes… How the hell can Kagemiya be pregnant?

"Yoshimori," the older Sumimura said seriously. "Listen to me. Whether or not what you did was irresponsible, there are more important things to think about right now. It doesn't matter that we didn't think something like this was possible. It is, and we have to deal with it. You have to deal with it."

The dark-haired teen choked. "How am I going to deal with it?" he demanded, panic rising at the thought. "I don't know anything about babies! I'm not even in high school yet!"

"I know that," Masamori said calmly. "That's why you're going to need help. But first, you and Sen need to talk about this. He needs support right now."

The younger sibling looked around. "Kagemiya's here?" Why…why is my heart pounding like this…? Just because he's here?

"He ran back behind the house when we first arrived," the older one said. "Go and get him." The middle-schooler rose without a word and left the dining room, heading for the exit. Masamori watched him go and rubbed a hand over his closely-shaven head. "Kami-sama…"

"Masamori, how could this happen?" his father wanted to know, hands pressed against the tabletop. "Yoshimori is so young…"

"Stupid boy," the grandfather growled. "Stupid boy, messing with things that he shouldn't know about until he's older. Kids these days… What's going to happen if Karasumori's enemies find out about this? They'll have a field day, taking advantage of our distraction."

"I understand your concern," Masamori said gravely. "But I have a responsibility to the members of Yagyou as well, and Sen is one of those. Don't think I'm going to put his well-being on the shelf simply because it would make things easier." He stared down idly at his palm, tracing the place where the Houin hadn't appeared. Sometimes it still made him wonder, thinking that, for some reason, the mysterious symbol was present on his little brother's palm… "Yoshimori and Sen have done this, so there's obviously something between them that no one saw before…"

"So young…" Shuji repeated in a dazed murmur.

Yoshimori reappeared in the doorway, confusion written over his face. "He's not there," the dark-haired teen said shortly. The three adults turned to look at him. "I looked all over the place, and he isn't. I thought you said-" He cut off as Masamori was suddenly on his feet.

"Karasumori," the older Sumimura said darkly. "He must have gone to Karasumori." Narrowed eyes settled on Yoshimori. "Go find him, Yoshimori. Quickly. He's had a hard time accepting what's happening to him, even after the test results confirmed it. If he's at Karasumori in this state, who knows what he might to do? If you don't stop him, he might do something to hurt himself and the child."

The dark-haired teen was gone from the doorway almost before Masamori finished speaking. The older brother stood there for a moment and then sat down again, shaking his head.

"You're not going after him?" their father questioned, concerned.

The eldest son gave a thin smile. "I think Yoshimori can handle it."


Yoshimori panted, running toward Karasumori at full speed. He could only hope that Tokine wasn't there yet, that she hadn't found Kagemiya…that Kagemiya wasn't doing something stupid.

"He's had a hard time accepting what's happening to him, even after the test results confirmed it. If he's at Karasumori in this state…"

Yoshimori grimaced and ran faster. His head was spinning around and around, sending his senses off-kilter. All he knew was that somehow, his one-time lover was pregnant. His one-time, male lover, can't forget… Pregnant. It was a relatively foreign word to a fifteen-year-old boy, one he hadn't wanted to be exposed to for a very, very long time. So why…?

"…Who knows what he might do…"

Wait, Kagemiya. I don't understand what's going on, and sure, I really don't know anything about babies, but…we'll figure it out. Together.

Yoshimori leapt over the gate to Karasumori in a single bound, sprinting past the entrance faster than he normally did. He was earlier tonight than he'd ever been, but that didn't stop him from rushing. It was important, so important that he get there as soon as possible…

"Kagemiya!" the dark-haired teen called, one hand raised to his mouth. "Kagemiya, where are you?"

"Yoshimori!" His heart sank. What was Tokine doing here so early? Though, he shouldn't have been surprised, since she almost always beat him to the job every night. She ran toward him, her staff held tightly in one hand. "What are we going to do? Do you know anything about this?"

He raised a brow at the girl he considered his older sister. "About what?" he wanted to know.

"About that boy," she said, frowning. "The one from the Urakai who followed us into Kokubourou, what was his name…"

Damn. "Kagemiya? Where is he?" the middle school student demanded, peering over her shoulder.

"He's over that way," she replied, pointing. "But something's wrong with him, I think. Do you think he's trying to go rogue and absorb Karasumori's power?"

Please, not that. Don't do that. "You take care of any other ayakashi, Tokine," the younger teen ordered. "I'll take care of Kagemiya." He started running in the direction that she'd pointed, heart pounding heavily in his chest, ignoring the confused calls she gave of his name. I can't explain it to you right now, even if I was sure that you'd believe me. Even if I was sure that I understood it… Right now, reaching Kagemiya was more important. Whatever this is, it's my fault, and I'm going to make it right. Kagemiya… I'm not going to make you do this on your own.

He came around the corner and skidded to a halt. It was the same place they had been three months ago, the place where the bug ayakashi had wounded him, the place where Kagemiya had sucked the poison…the place where they'd made love… Yoshimori blushed furiously, taking a cautious step forward. Kagemiya was sitting against the trunk of a tall tree, knees drawn up to his chest, just like before. Even from where he stood, Yoshimori could tell that the small teen had been crying. Just like before.

"If you don't stop him, he might do something to hurt himself and the child." Masamori's words echoed in his ears. Yoshimori was determined not to let that happen. He was young and inexperienced, but he knew what terms like miscarriage and abortion meant. Maybe he didn't understand everything that was going on, or what was going to happen; he just didn't want it to be either of those.

"Kagemiya." The blonde's head came up sharply, narrowed brown eyes fixing on him. A menacing aura filtered into appearance around the smaller boy, like the one he used when sniffing out ayakashi. Only worse. Yoshimori was inclined to think that this one had more to do with a distraught half-breed letting the power of Karasumori slip past his defenses.

"What do you want?" the other teen spat, arms tightening around himself. "The Chief already told you the whole story, didn't he? Did you come to point and laugh at a freak?"

Yoshimori shook his head. "You're not a freak," he said firmly. "And yes, Aniki told me what happened. I…" He stared at the ground. "I'm sorry. I didn't know, but- but if I had, I would have been there for you. I never would have wanted you to go through this alone."

Kagemiya glared at him, breathing heavily. The pupils of his dark eyes elongated into narrow slits, like the eyes of a cat. A furious, tormented cat. "You don't have any idea how it feels," the blonde snarled. "You don't know how they looked at me when word got out, as if I were some kind of- of monster! I didn't know anything about this, alright? I-it wasn't my fault-" Yoshimori watched as the smaller boy's shoulders shuddered.

"I know that," the dark-haired teen said calmingly, taking a few more steps forward. "What does it matter what they think? Just so long as you and I know the truth…" He didn't really care for the fact that Masamori suddenly knew all about his love life, or the extent of it, anyway, but there was nothing that could be done in that department now. Besides, as much as it galled him to admit, they would probably need the older kekkaishi's help in the near future. "Come on, let's go back to my house and we'll just talk about this."

"No!" Kagemiya snapped. "I'm not going back there; I'm not going to have your father and your grandfather look at me like I know they will. I'm not going to have Chief pity me anymore. I can't take it!" The boy gave a hysterical laugh, one that actually sounded more like a cross between a sob and a groan. Those dark wild eyes fixed on the other boy, radiating pain and confusion. "Don't you get it?! I'm pregnant! Pregnant! Guys aren't supposed to be able to get pregnant, and I- I-! I must be some kind of freak for this to be possible! There's no way I can ever…" He paused to catch his breath, shaking all over. "There's no way Chief'll let me stay in Yagyou. There's no way I'll even be able to stay in the Urakai. And Shuu, and Hiba-san, and Mukade-san…none of them will ever look at me the same way again." The teen's face twisted briefly and then went blank. The nail of his right index finger extended suddenly, a long, slender blade. The blonde lowered his knees slowly, staring down at his midsection. Yoshimori felt fear swarm over him, stepping closer again. "There's only one way to fix this," the half-ayakashi murmured absently. He shifted the blade until it was aimed at his abdomen, barely centimeters away from covered skin.

Yoshimori didn't feel his legs move, but suddenly he was standing in front of the blonde, hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was furious, heat racing through his blood. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, seizing hold of Kagemiya's hand and wrenching the blade away from the other teen. The blonde looked up at him, wide-eyed; his pupils shrank back to normal. "Y-you can't just kill it, or kill yourself, or whatever you were planning to do! It won't do any good to run away from this! Just-" His thoughts were getting away from him, and the other boy was close, so close… "-Just let me help," the dark-haired kekkaishi begged, getting down on his knees next to Kagemiya. He barely registered his grip on the boy's arm loosening, or the fact that the blade was receding into nail once more. The ominous aura derived from Karasumori's power vanished, but he hardly noticed that either. "You don't have to be alone," he repeated. "I want to help you. I know I can't really feel what you're feeling, and I bet it's really scary, but… As much as possible, I'll be here for you."

There was a moment of silence. Yoshimori realized he was breathing heavily, adrenaline pumping through his system. Kagemiya was staring at him as if he was insane- maybe I am- those wide eyes dilated and glazed over.

Well, that was…I don't know what that was, actually. Is this really happening?

Indrawn breath. Kagemiya wavered, pressing one hand to his flat stomach. Yoshimori caught the other teen before he fell over, leaning the blonde against him. He was worried, seeing the half-ayakashi closer up; Kagemiya's face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. His breathing was loud and harsh in Yoshimori's ears.

"I…I don't think I can do this," the young Yagyou member whispered, head resting on Yoshimori's shoulder. "This isn't like facing a really tough ayakashi." He gave a bitter laugh. "This isn't even like facing a whole bunch of bug ayakashi. This is…so much scarier."

"I'm going to protect you," the legitimate successor said firmly. "Everything's going to be fine."

Kagemiya snorted, sounding a little bit more like his usual self. Yoshimori was relieved enough to ignore the solitary tear that slipped down the blonde's cheek. "Idiot. You probably don't even know what a baby is, let alone what to do with it."

"Of course I know what a baby is!"

"Hn. Then you should also know that I shouldn't be carrying one."

Yoshimori hesitated. "…Aniki talked about that," he said carefully. "He said that half-ayakashi are really, um, fertile and stuff."

"Yeah. Fertile. That's why you and I only had to do it once, and I'm already knocked up."

The taller one turned a deep shade of scarlet. "A-about that," Yoshimori began, trying to frame a delicate question. "That morning… Why…why where you gone when I woke up?" It all came out in a rush, but he figured it was best to get it over with sooner rather than later. Kagemiya went still against him and for a moment Yoshimori worried that he'd stepped into a land mine of some sort. But when the blonde spoke again, his voice was quiet.

"It was my first time," he said softly. "I…didn't know what to do, what I was supposed to do…and I knew that Chief was going to leave early that morning, so I…left." He avoided the other teen's gaze. "Later I wished I hadn't, 'cause I thought maybe you had gotten attacked again or something stupid and couldn't get away because of your wound… I made Chief call home as soon as we got back to Headquarters, just to make sure you hadn't died like an idiot in Karasumori."

Yoshimori grinned. "I don't die that easily," he said confidently. "But I did think it was strange that Aniki bothered calling to ask. Should have known it was you, I guess…"

The blonde flushed, looking away. "Y-yeah, well, don't read too much into it." They sat there in silence for a little while, each lost in his own thoughts. "I thought I was going insane, throwing up every morning," Kagemiya muttered finally. "I even passed out during training once. Chief probably thought I was insane too, 'til he went and had all those stupid tests done and they found out what was wrong."

Yoshimori frowned. "Is the throwing up normal?" he wanted to know, concerned. He only had vague memories of his mother's pregnancy with Toshimori, and puking wasn't one of them.

"Apparently. Morning sickness," the blonde said briefly. "The doctor at Headquarters said it might get better soon, since I'm already three months along."

"Three months…" Yoshimori murmured. Had it already been that long since the night they shared together? A separate thought occurred to him, one more foreign than the last. "Are you, y'know, showing already or anything?" He had one picture in his mind of his mother sitting by the dining room table, the gentle curve of her stomach filling her lap.

Kagemiya shot him a glare. "If you're trying to tell me I'm fat, I'll stab you," he threatened. Considering Yoshimori's panic and frantic backpedaling, the blonde snorted softly and sat up, turning to face the other teen. He yanked his shirt up above his diaphragm and tugged the waistline of his khaki pants farther down. "You can barely tell," he said off-handedly. Yoshimori stared, fascinated. Maybe a stranger really wouldn't be able to tell, but the young kekkaishi was well aware of how flat and muscular the blonde's abdomen normally was. It was still flat for the most part, except for the small bump cradled between narrow hips. It was one of the strangest things he'd ever seen, that subtle rise of smooth flesh where it wouldn't usually be. Yoshimori realized his hand was outstretched toward the bump and Kagemiya was watching him silently.

"S-sorry," the dark-haired teen stammered, jerking his hand back. Kagemiya muttered something under his breath and grabbed Yoshimori's hand, pressing it against the slight swell of his stomach.

"It's not like you're not going to feel anything," the blonde warned. But he made no move to interrupt the other boy's touch as Yoshimori rubbed his palm over the bump repeatedly, face cast in wonder.

"I can't believe there's actually something in there," the middle schooler breathed, dark eyes shining. Kagemiya hned.

"Let's hope it really is a baby, and not some weird ayakashi hybrid," he said morbidly.

Yoshimori frowned. "Of course it's a baby," he said reproachfully. "Do I look like an ayakashi to you?" He patted Kagemiya's middle gently and removed his hand, letting the blonde roll his shirt back down to cover the bump. "Let's head back to my house, okay? Tokine will take care of any intruders here." He climbed to his feet, holding out a hand to help the other teen up.

Kagemiya looked up at him uncertainly. "You…you're really not going to leave, are you?" the half-ayakashi whispered, almost to himself. Yoshimori raised a brow, confused.

"What do you mean? Leave Karasumori?"

The blonde shook his head, gripping the young kekkaishi's hand and rising to his feet. "Never mind," he muttered. "Let's go." I thought he would be disgusted. I thought he would never want to see me again… What's with this guy?

They walked around the school grounds, back to the gated entrance. Yoshimori hesitated, glancing back at Karasumori. The two teens faintly heard a cry of "Ketsu!" from somewhere in the trees. Kagemiya shifted.

"Maybe you should stay and help her out," the blonde mumbled, looking down.

Yoshimori shook his head. "Tokine can handle it," he said quietly. "She'll be fine." He grinned. "She always beats me anyway." They jumped over the gate easily and landed in the street, starting to head in the direction of the Sumimura home. They'd only gone a few steps when Kagemiya swayed and dropped to one knee, a hand pressed over his mouth. Yoshimori got down by his side, worry flaring. The dark-haired teen flashed back to their time in Kokubourou; Kagemiya had looked very much like this back then, panting softly as if he were trying to keep down his most recent meal.

But things were different now.

"Are you alright? Kagemiya?" The blonde nodded wordlessly, but his other hand was holding his stomach. Yoshimori hmphed, swinging the smaller teen into his arms. "You're a terrible liar. Don't worry, I can get you home."

"P-put me down, you bastard!" Kagemiya gasped out, releasing his mouth to grab onto the fabric of Yoshimori's robe. The young kekkaishi ignored him, leaping agilely from the street onto the nearest roof. "Gah!" The half-ayakashi clung to the taller boy tightly as they soared over the neighborhoods below. "You're going to drop me-!"

"There's no way I'll drop you," Yoshimori said firmly. He felt the blonde go still and risked a look at the other teen's face. Kagemiya's mouth was a thin line, and his eyes were closed. Yoshimori almost said his name, worried that something worse was wrong, but then he spotted the glitter of tears slipping from those closed eyes. There was quiet between them after that.


Masamori was waiting outside the Sumimura home when Yoshimori walked through the front gate with Kagemiya still in his arms. The eldest son muttered something under his breath and walked forward to meet his sibling, face tense.

"What happened?" the Yagyou's leader demanded. Yoshimori flushed, trying to think of a succinct explanation. He didn't feel inclined to give his brother a play-by-play of the whole conversation.

"Ah… I don't know," the dark-haired teen said finally. "He got kind of tired after we left Karasumori, so I decided to carry him here…" He realized, looking down at the small figure in his arms, that Kagemiya had lost consciousness somewhere along the way. This discovery elicited a stab of panic, but the blonde seemed to be breathing easily, sleeping for all practical purposes; Yoshimori forced himself to relax. "Is he going to be alright, Aniki?" The older man gave his brother a long look and then turned away.

"Let's get him into the house so he can rest," Masamori said. Yoshimori nodded and followed his sibling up the steps to the front door.


The tea sat cooling on the table, untouched by the four men present. Yoshimori stared down at the tranquil greenish liquid in his cup, wondering if Kagemiya was alright. The sleeping teen had been settled into Yoshimori's room, stretched out on the floor on a spare futon. The dark-haired teen worried his lower lip between his teeth, reaching out to turn the tea cup in his hands. Should he have given up his own bed for the blonde? Would the futon be comfortable enough…?

"So, what have you decided to do, Yoshimori?" Masamori asked intently, watched the younger man. Yoshimori took a steady breath and returned his brother's gaze levelly.

"I don't run away from my decisions, Aniki," the young kekkaishi said with equal seriousness. "I told Kagemiya that I was going to be there to help him however I could, and that's what I'm going to do." No matter what. I'm not going to let him be hurt.

Masamori nodded. "I thought that's what you'd choose," the older Sumimura said, the faintest note of approval in his voice. "Of course, you understand that it's going to be difficult. There are a lot of uncertainties in this equation."

Yoshimori frowned. "What do you mean?"

The leader of Yagyou folded his hands on top of the table. "The physician at my headquarters who conducted the tests on Sen is very knowledgeable, but even he wasn't able to say for sure how the pregnancy would fare. It's unclear how Sen's body will react to the presence of the fetus, in spite of the fact that there is obviously room for it to develop… There are countless other factors that could determine whether Sen will be able to carry to term or not, how the birth will proceed, things of that nature."

Yoshimori blanched at his brother's words. With Kagemiya's crisis at Karasumori averted, the thought hadn't occurred to him that the blonde might lose the baby anyway, that something else might happen. And even if nothing like that did happen… Birth. It was a terrifying thought, made even more so by the self-reminder that Kagemiya was a boy. The miracle of getting pregnant aside, boys couldn't give birth.

Masamori took a sip of his tea and set the cup back down with a muted clink, distracting the teen from his thoughts. "The one thing that is clear is that things have to change," the eldest sibling said firmly. "Obviously, Sen can't simply return to Headquarters and resume training and missions as before." He looked at his father and grandfather. "If it is permissible, I would request that Sen be allowed to stay here for the time being. There are things I need to organize at Headquarters, arrangements that need to be made. And…" A quick glance in Yoshimori's direction. "…I think it would be best for him if he stayed close to Yoshimori."

Shigemori gave a brief nod. "I have no problem with the boy staying with us," the old man said. "Shuji-san?"

Yoshimori's father started. "What? Oh yes, yes, of course. We'll take care of Sen-kun here, Masamori. Don't worry."

Masamori nodded. "I entrust my subordinate into your care," he said formally, bowing his close-shaven head slightly. "I will be returning to Headquarters in the morning. In a few weeks, I'll come to take Sen back with me to the physician I mentioned." He stood up, followed by the other three.

"Where are you going, Masamori? It's late," Shuji queried, eyeing his eldest son worriedly.

Yoshimori's brother rolled his neck idly, working out the kinks. "I think I'll head over to Karasumori and make sure that Tokine-chan is alright tonight."

Yoshimori started. "Ah- That's my job, Aniki," he protested. "I can still go-" He stopped as Masamori's hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Stay here," the older one said. "Stay with Sen for tonight and make sure nothing happens."

Studying his brother's serious face for a moment, Yoshimori nodded silently. He watched as Masamori excused himself from the house and disappeared into the night. Shigemori sighed and rubbed his mustache, standing in the open doorway for a while. He didn't seem inclined to say anything to his middle grandson, which rather surprised the teen. The teen had expected a raging lecture the moment his grandfather had time to squeeze it in, but none was forthcoming. Shuji merely hugged Yoshimori briefly before heading towards his study and the novel-in-progress, likely wishing for a distraction and space to think. Yoshimori went to his room finally, wondering at the strange atmosphere.

It was almost…peaceful.

…Which was not normal in his home. Especially considering the recent news they'd received…

Kagemiya was still asleep on the futon, resting on his side beneath the blanket. Yoshimori stood and watched the blonde for a while, taking in the tangled mess of golden curls, the way closed eyelids flickered restlessly even in slumber, the slight parting of lips for an exhalation. The dark-haired teen took further note of the smaller teen's position, curled in on himself as if he were protecting something. Someone.

This definitely wins as most bizarre day of my life…

The young kekkaishi carefully navigated around the futon and climbed into his own bed, but sleep seemed illusive. Maybe it was because he was usually guarding Karasumori at this time of night; his eyes seemed unwilling to close. Thoughts whirled through his head in tumult, keeping his mind too busy for surrender to the unconsciousness. One thought in particular remained in the background, chiming over and over.

How am I going to explain this to Tokine…?

Yoshimori didn't know how long he stared at the ceiling before slumber finally took him.


A/N- Like? No like? Review? Pretty please? -OA