A/N: I'm sure that by now everyone will believe me when i say i only decided to update cuz i was bored. Seriously, it's a sad day when I have nothing to do. Anyways, it's halfway through spring break, and I have got to stop listening to music when I go to sleep.

So here's the first of two filler chapters, then the end of the first arc. And by that, we move on to part 2 of Unseal. Yes, there's still a part 2. After this fic though, I'm gonna start my next one right away if I can.

Unseal chapter 11: Promises are meant to be broken

Atobe groaned, running a hand through his short, silver hair. It was at least three in the morning and he wasn't through even half the books he borrowed from the library.

It had been three days since their confrontation with Hao, three days since Hiyoshi had last woken up. Choutarou said it was possible that he and Hao were conversing in his mind. Other than that, the demon seemed to prefer staring out the window when he thought he was alone. Atobe , at times that he would peek in to check on the boy, would even see him sitting up and staring out the window, much like his counterpart. He never made a sound, nor any movements, which Choutarou said was probably just his body moving on instinct.

That did nothing to help his restless mind, and the fact that he could do nothing but figure out how to break the seal was what hit him the most. Despite all his power, despite having done things a normal person couldn't have done, just the words 'you can't do it' wounded him. His pride, and his heart.

Three days ago, Atobe Keigo could have said, without a doubt, that demons and ghosts and whatever else were in those picture books they sold at children's stores, didn't exist. Three days, ago, he would have believed his teammate was home sick with a cold, and would be back within a week.

Three days ago he experianced just what it felt like to nearly lose someone to a demon, and how heartbreaking it could be to feel useless.

He sighed, setting his pen down and closing the large book. He had no idea Hiyoshi's interests had so much to tell about creatures he used to think never existed. Was Hiyoshi like this when he first met Hao? He paused in reaching for the next book. A thought hit him, hit him like a ton of bricks falling from a ten-story building.

Was this where Hiyoshi's strange obsession with the occult came from?

He thought it over. All those years that he and the team had made fun of the boy's odd interests, told him things such as UFO's, fairies, and ghost didn't exist. What else could he have said, knowing there was something he probably never thought would be real seven years earlier, living inside of him? He remembered the books he used to see the younger boy reading, stuff about demons and ghost and such.

All this time, could he have been trying to find a way to break the seal himself?

A wave of guilt washed over the silver-haired captain, realizing all this time that they had been mocking something that was indeed real. Of course Hiyoshi believed in all that stuff. With something like Hao living inside him, what could he not believe? He couldn't believe something didn't exist unless he was given proof. No one could.

He sighed again, stretching his arms over his head. There was a shuffling sound from the other side of the room, but he set it aside as the wind. That was, until someone walked over and picked up one of the books, opening it to a bookmarked page. A scoff.

"As if any of this would be useful."

He turned his head slowly to face the figure, eye widening.

"Hiyo-" He stopped when the other looked at him, eyes narrowed. Red eyes. "Hao."

"What, you expected him to wake up?" The demon said, shutting the book as dropping it onto the desk. "You suck at researching, you know that? What made you think this stuff would be useful?" He rolled his eyes.

"It's not exactly a hobby to be looking up ways to break a seal on something I didn't think existed three days ago." He said. He jumped when he felt a weight on his lap. He looked down to see the boy, arms crossed over his lap, using him as a pillow. "What are you doing?"

"I'm tired." He mumbled. "That bed of your's is no good, way too soft. This body isn't used to it."

Atobe paused, unsure of what to do. It may have been someone else's mind, but it was Hiyoshi's body, and this was something he was not used to.

"You seemed to be sleeping just fine for the past three days." He said, attempting to read the book from a distance with the small light on his left.

"That's because this body was tired. I used a lot of energy, of course it wouldn't be able to move."

"You keep saying 'this body' but I'd like to remind you," Atobe said with the slightest growl. "That happens to be my friend, and I don't think I like you using him like an object."

Hao was quiet for a moment, and Atobe thought his words had hit something deep inside the demon. Way deep, he thought. All thoughts that the demon cared for his host were shot whe he heard a laugh.

"You are pretty interesting. I see why he likes you so much." Hao laughed, standing up to face him. "You better do a good job to make him happy, or I can't guarantee his mind being stable." A grin. "Remember your promise."

Before Atobe could question further, red eyes dulled to grey and the boy's body slumped forward, causing him to jump out of his seat to catch his uncoucious kohai. He heard the shorter boy groan, before letting go of his shoulders to allow him to stand. He watched as Hiyoshi rubbed his eyes - grey, he noted with a sigh of relief - and looked up at him.

"Ato... be..." He said sleepily. His eyes widened, head twisting left and right to get a look at his surroundings. "Where am I?" He said, his voice sounding dry. Atobe chuckled.

"My house." He said, and Hiyoshi looked up in confusion. "I carried you back here after the whole... thing... that happened. You've been asleep for three days."

"Three days?" Hiyoshi cried in disbelief. He slapped a hand over his mouth when Atobe gestured for silence, glancing at the digital clock on the desk. "Seriously?" Atobe nodded.

"Ootori said you were tired, so I just let you sleep in my bed for a while." He wasn't sure if he was seeing things or not because of the dark, but he could have sworn he saw a faint blush on the younger boy's cheeks. He would have pointed it out, if not for the many questions running through his head. "Are you okay?"

Hiyoshi nodded, turning to look at the books piled up on the table. He picked one up, and much like Hao did, opened it up to the bookmarked page. He raised an eyebrow.

"Is this a joke?"

Atobe groaned, covering his face with a hand. "You two, do you have nothing to do other than critisize me?" Hiyoshi looked at him. "I went to the library to see if they had anything on seals and demons, and took everything they had." Hiyoshi was quiet, reminding him too much of the demon he had just spoken with.

"Why?"

He dropped his hand, looking at the younger boy across from him. Did he just ask him why? he wanted to say 'I'm doing it for you' but he had the feeling his words would either be taken the wrong way, or used against him by a certain demon. He thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"Do I need a reason to help a friend?"

Hiyoshi stared at him, right into his eyes, as if looking for any hint of doubt. He sighed, closing the book and placing it on the table.

"You can't do anything." He said softly. Atobe opened his mouth to speak, but stopped upon seing the pained look in his successor's eyes. "If I couldn't do anything, you can't."

"You don't know that." Atobe said. "You can't decide something can't be done unless you try. I don't know about you, but I'm trying. I'm trying my best. Remember Wakashi, nothing his impossible, just difficult. And just because it's difficult doesn't mean it can't be done. I can at least try." He reached forward, placing a hand on the shorter boy's head. "I promise I'll breka that seal, I'll keep trying until I can't try anymore."

Hiyoshi looked up at him, and for a moment, he thought his words had gotten through to the light-haired boy. His hopes were quickly dashed when Hiyoshi gave him a small, pained smile, his eyes dimming. He reached up, lifting the larger hand off his head and holding it tightly.

"Atobe." He said, eyes sparkling with unshed tears, squeezing his hand. "Don't make a promise you can't keep, please."

He watched as the younger boy dropped his hand, turning around and walking back to the bed. he clenched his fists, watching as his teammate settled under the covers, falling asleep almost immediately. He took a deep breath.

"I'm not."

He wasn't sure if the other boy heard him, but he sighed and sat back down, opening the next book. He felt a tingling in the back of his mind, and a mocking voice.

"Promises are meant to be broken."

xXxXxXx

Humans are social creatures. They can't stand the feeling of loneliness. The need to interact with each other in order to grow, in order to feel. They form relationships, bonds, and friendships, in order to avoid the pain of loneliness. If they get too lonely, their resolve begins to wither and eventually they become cold, heartless. Nothing.

Then what does that make us?

Shīzi strode through the halls, back straight, the perfect figure of authority.

Anyone who knew him would know this was all a lie.

They crave light, they can't stand the darkness. But where there is light, there is shadow, no matter how small, it's there. They try to pretend like it's not, but they know it is. Yet they pretend not to know. Pretend that nothing is wrong. Why do they do this, when they know they can't hide from it?

And what about us, the one's who feed off the darkness of one's heart, the one's who need not interact with one another? Do we not feel?

He stopped in front of a pure white door, the fading words on the wood fading away. He reached for the handle, and not even thinking twice before entering the dark room.

There is always something. A question, an answer, another question. Will it ever end?

He stopped in front of a desk, the sunlight from the window raining down on the blue-colored book.

What are we, we who do not feel? We have no emotions, yet we speak. We do not feel loneliness, yet we live.

If this is true, then why do I feel as though the world has closed in on me?

He sighed, the small diary in his hands feeling as though it weighed far too much. He read the words on the yellow pages, the words written by the room's past inhabitant.

it's painful, this feeling.

It's as if I don't exist, as though I'm looking at a picture that I'm not in.

Is this what they call loneliness?

He sighed again, closing the book and putting it inside the pocket of his coat.

If so, then what am I?

xXxXxXx

A/N: Well, seeing as it's another one of those nights, it seems I won't be sleeping anytime soon. See if you can guess who's diary entry that was at the end.

I hadn't meant for that part at the end to make it in there, but seeing as I fealt likt the chapter was too short, I decided, why not? That's actually something I had planned for Hao's actual story, where every chapter has a diary entry by him. Since it's technically not a fanfic, I'm not gonna put it here, but I might put it up on Fictionpress.

Two more chapters to go, then we get to go into part two.