A/N: So I decided right before starting the new episode of ShinTeni that I would write this while I wait for my movie to load. Since the next extra chapter for On the Other Side is taking it's time to write itself, I thought 'hey why not update Unseal?'

Unseal chapter 8: Awakening

"Pudding~ Pudding~"

"Hao, shut up and get it yourself."

Hao pouted, pausing in his fourth loop. He'd been circling Hiyoshi for the past ten minutes, trying to get the boy to tear himself away from that history textbook and get into the kitchen. Trying being the keyword. So far, he hadn't been sucessful.

"You know you're mom hates it when I take things from the fridge, she doesn't like things she can't see walking around the house."

"Well that's a lot of thisngs now isn't it?"

Hao continued his begging, he had taken to clinging to his arm and whining all the while, before the boy finally conceded.

"Fine, but this is the last one." He said, wondering just how many cups they had gone through in less than a day. Hiyoshi kept quiet on the short walk to the kitchen, thinking. Hao had been even more demanding the past few days since the last incedent, his mood seemingly worsening every day. It had been two weeks.

"-and the culprit still seems to be on the lose. Since the murder of Minamoto Keiji has slowed down progress-"

"Aniki, could you turn that off?" Hiyoshi said as he stepped into the kitchen, where Watari had been preparing to cook dinner.

"Why?" He asked, but a glance at his brother's nervous expression answered all. He grabbed the remote and flicked the tv off before he returned to his task. "What are you getting?"

"Pudding." He said simply. He heard a chuckle from the older male. As the whole family knew of Hao's presence, his mother had begun stocking up on the snack. He reached forward, yanking open the fridge. His eyes roamed over the contents, deciding whether or not to take something for himself. He picked up the cup of pudding and moved to close the door, when his body froze. A wave of pain hit him as he crumpled to the floor, clutching his chest and throat as his heart felt like it was being torn in two and his lungs began constricting. He glanced to his side slowly, his eyes meeting the image of Hao clutching his head in pain.

"Wakashi!" He heard his brother cry, running to his side. "Oi, what's wring? Is it an att-" He froze, watching the transparent figure next to his younger brother. "What's going on?"

"I don't know..." Hao said weakly, clutching his head, a pained cry escaping him. "Take him somewhere secluded, now!"

xXxXxXx

Choutarou hummed thoughtfully, math homework spread out in front of him. He hated the subject, he really did. It didn't help that his best friend was always so reluctant to lend him his notes, which were written in much better detail than his own. Speaing of Hiyoshi...

He glanced at his phone, lying by his computer. He hadn't gotten that promised call from his younger friend, who said he'd help him with his homework. Choutarou thought he probably forgot, but that was highly unlikely. He never forgot when it came to homework.

he quickly grabbed the blue devide, flipping it open and scrolling through his contacts. He pressed the call button and held it to his ear, hearing the ringing. After four rings the phone was picked up, but not by who he expected.

"Choutarou? Yeah, this is a really bad time, and Wakashi's kinda-" Watari? Wait, what was that?

"Wait, what's wrong with Wakashi?" He asked, panic lacing his voice. There was a pause on the other end, along with some shuffling, before he was answered.

"Remember 'that'? You know, what happened when you guys were seven?" He asked in a shaky voice. Choutarou nodded, then remembered they were on the phone. "Y-Yeah?"

"Something's up. We don't know what, but we're working on it. Tell everyone tomorrow that he's got a bad cold or something and that he won't be in for about a week, depending on how this goes."

He didn't get a chance to respond before there was a click, followed by beeping.

xXxXxXx

This is bad, this is bad...

He repeated that sentence in his head several times, unable to stop his hands from shaking. What was going on? Was hao-kun okay? Will it affect them in any way? Questions flew through his head as he walked through the school gates, not responding to any of his classmate's greetings.

"Oi, Choutarou!"

His head snapped up, and he hadn't even realized he had been slouching. He looked up to see the team walking up to him, a look of confusion on Shishido's face.

"dude, we called you,like, four times and you didn't respond." Shishido said, eyebrow raised. "What's up? You looked like you'd seen a ghost."

Oh they have no idea... Choutarou thought, quickly shaking his head. "It's nothing! I'm fine!" He said cheerfully. There must have been something off with his voic, as his teammates didn't seem very convinced, more like thay were suspecting something. If they were, they didn't say anything. They'd drop it for now.

"Where's Hiyoshi?" Atobe asked, looking over his shoulder, noticing how the tall boy flinched. "Don't you two usually walk to school together?"

"H-" Choutarou's throat caught. "He has a cold. His grandparents said it's really bad, so he'll be out for at least a week. No visitors either, they don't want it to spread."

This seemed to get a different reaction from them. "Is that why you looked so worried?" Gakuto asked, "Don't worry about it! A little colds not enough to kill Hiyo!"

At the 'k' word, Chotuarou had to supress a gasp. If he didn't know what was really going on, he'd have laughed it off like the others, but he did. He knew all too well...

"Don't let him die! Please, don't let him die!" A young Choutarou wailed, clinging to Watari's jacket. The older boy took ahold of his shoulders.

"He's not going to die, Ohtori!" He said, trying his best not to yell or let his voice crack. If he were anyone else, he'd probably be crying his eyes out just like the small boy in front of him. But he was himself, and he had to be there for his little brother's best friend. "Don't say that, okay? Wakashi's strong, it'll take a lot more tha this to get to him."

Choutarou sniffed, but nodded his head, wiping his eyes. "What's going to happen, Watari-nii?"

"I don't know..." He said, biting his thumb. "If they can't get it out of him, then I guess we'll just have to live with it."

"It won't hurt him though, right?" His voice bagan shaking again, the thought of something more happening to his friend bringing him closer and closer to his breaking point.

"No, of course not." Watari said, trying to sound reassuring. "There's no way it'll hurt him. We'll make sure of it."

That day was burned deep into his mind, the memory of finding his friend in that state after the kidnapping. It was something he hated to think about, something that would only appear in nightmares. And not to good ones.

"We'll go visit him once he gets a little better, okay?" Shishido said with a grin, causing the sinking feeling in his heart to become a fall into darkness.

If he got better.

xXxXxXx

"Sir?"

Shīzi turned away from the window, facing the lower-ranking demon.

"You may go now, I've heard all I need to."

A nod, before it left the room, passing by Húlí on her way in.

"What was that about?" She asked, watching the other demon cross the hall.

"Something happened to Yán luó." He said. She turned to look at him, eyes wide.

"What did?" She was beginning to panic. If something was happening to one of their strongest...

"His sleeping power." He said. "It's awakening." Her eyes widened.

"But, if that happens in his state, he'll-"

"He'll break, yes." Shīzi seemed lsot in thought, staring at the wall. He close his eyes, sighing. "Tell everyone to prepare, we leave for Japan in a week."

xXxXxXx

I don't know how long I made this, since my wordpad sucks, but there you go. I wanted to save the rest of this for the next chapter, but I hope you liked a look into the past from Choutarou's POV. Watari too, kinda. Anyways, a few more chapters before we get to the post ending and the epic - or fail - battles it brings. Yes, there is technically a part two, which I don't wanna bother putting in a seperate story cuz it's pretty short.

So bye bye and see you next time.