A/N: iM SUPER PUMPED FOR THIS CHAPTER LIKE REALLY PUMPED HELL YEAH HELL YEAH ahh its kind of scary to write Akihito atm since he's acting so out of character but I hope its not too wonky. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter! heCK

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Chapter 6

Excuses

Hiroomi sits on the edge of his bed, elbows propped up on his knees, folded hands pressing against his mouth, as he stares long and hard at the duffle bag full of clothes. He's been awake for nearly 24 hours now and his eyes sting as badly as they would had they been wind-burned, the dark bags lining his lower eyelid unattractively, dark hair disheveled and unkempt. There is no question about it: he's an absolute mess.

It makes him anxious that the Society of Spirit World Warriors has called him to a conference at this particular time - Mirai-chan has only been back in the physical for a month and he's afraid that Akkey is a potential goal for the Society. Leaving Japan for a conference in Europe means leaving people he swore to protect. It had never been bad before, with Izumi as the Nase to attend the national meetings, because he had been able to stay behind and watch the area.

This is different. It's not that he doesn't trust Mitsuki to keep up appearances and protective measures while he's gone, it's that he knows her spirit world powers aren't as strong as his. What if someone takes advantage of her weakness because they know he's not around to keep her absolutely safe? His mouth feels dry, throat unexpectedly hot and tight. Sister complex or not, Hiroomi has lost almost all of his family - returning home from Europe to find Mitsuki missing or hurt would be detrimental. He's not quite sure what he would do, then.

And, shoving aside those painful thoughts of his little sister, if his hunches are anything to go by, Akkey is not safe - not even inside the walls of his home. The Society claims that Miroku Fujima had been posing as an Investigator for the Society all along, but Hiroomi can't swallow it - it seems too fishy. Where would Miroku have gotten that scythe that was trusted to Sakura Inami? The very one that was used to soak up the strength of youmu and give power to Beyond the Boundary? As far as Hiroomi was certain, weapons like that came straight out of the Society's armory.

He sighs and drops his head, breathing in deeply through his nose. This had all happened so fast; he wishes that Izumi had never run away from this - nearly all of his respect for his older sister was lying in tatters on the ground, but the worst thing she could have done was run. He'd been well taught in the things he'd have to say and do once the weight of the Nase family's authority had fallen on his shoulders but that didn't mean he'd been prepared to overtake these responsibilities so soon.

His door opens without a warning and despite everything, he smiles because only one person in the world would enter his room without knocking first.

"It's late, Mitsuki," he says quietly, his voice tender and very much unlike him.

She doesn't say anything, but it surprises him when he hears the soft padding of her bare feet across his carpet. He opens his eyes and leans back, looking up to see her standing before him. Unfairly, his chest constricts, her hair damp from her recent bath, those cinnamon colored eyes of hers flashing in the darkness of his room. He's glad that she's angry, because he can't afford to feel that way.

"Don't go," she says sharply, glaring down with the driving force of a dagger. The words stab him thoroughly and he wants to raise his arms and comply, but it's not an option.

"I have to go," he replies, masking the great swell of despair in his chest. He wants to tease her to distract from the real pain of the situation, but the glittering of her eyes forces him to acknowledge the severity.

"No, you don't," she insists angrily, her hands curled into white-knuckled fists at her sides. "You don't have to do anything they say."

He sighs heavily and tries to keep his expression from becoming too harsh. "We aren't on the best of terms with the Society right now, Mitsuki. If I refuse to go to this conference, they'll take it as an act of passive aggression. They might decide that we need to be eliminated by displaying such a blatant disregard for their authority. As much as I distrust them, I can't put you or Akkey in that kind of position." His voice becomes softer. "I want to stay, but staying would put us in more danger than we already are."

"Aniki," Mitsuki quips, "they already see us as a threat, don't they? They already hate us, don't they? We won't gain anything if you leave!" Her voice turns raw and desperate at the end and it takes him by surprise that there seem to be tears welling up in her eyes.

He shakes his head and pats the space of his mattress beside him - she sits and he wants to put his arm around her, or take her hand, but he knows how she despises physical comfort from him and so he only stares at the curtain of her hair when she stares at the carpet.

"Akkey will be here," he reminds her gently. "You won't be alone."

She takes a deep, almost shuddering breath. "Akihito has been weird lately. That's not much of a comfort to me."

Hiroomi frowns. "Weird? How?"

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"I'm scared!"

He blinks, trying to remember the last time his little sister had torn down so many of her walls in front of him. The words he want to say won't come out - it's like everything Mitsuki has admitted to have crushed his vocal cords. Seeing her this way tempts him to stay in Japan, to refuse to attend the conference.

She wipes at her eyes angrily. "Say something, you idiot."

"Hey now," he teases very, very gently. "That's no way to talk to your beloved older brother." When she turns to press her face against his shoulder, he is both very happy and very upset. He never wanted to cause her so much turmoil.

"You're gross," she tells him, her voice muffled against his shirt.

"I'll only be gone for a week," he reassures, allowing his hands to play with the ends of her damp hair.

"You'd better come back in one piece," she mutters, clutching at his sleeve. "Or I'll never forgive you."

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Mirai sighs as she shifts her hips and adjusts the angle of her glasses on her face, arching her back slightly. She knows that her face doesn't display the sultry emotions she ought to be going for right now, but no matter how hard she tries, the creases in her forehead keep returning.

Ayaka leans away from the camera. "Are you alright, Mirai-chan?" she asks in her lilting accent, always sounding so calm and collected in any situation. "You're lookin' a little distressed."

Mirai debates whether or not to brush it off, but since Ayaka is a youmu, she'd probably know better than anyone. With a sigh, Mirai sits down on the prop chair behind her and runs a finger over her bandaged palm. "Kanbara-senpai isn't himself lately," she says in a small voice, the ruffles of her costume dress draped over her knees.

The youmu woman appears completely at ease as she steps into the lighted portion of the studio. "In what ways?"

After a moment of thought, Mirai flattens her mouth into a thin line and removes to glasses so that she can carefully clean the lenses. "I don't know how to explain it. He has these really wild mood swings. One moment, he'll be perfectly himself and then the next, he's angry or irritated over something really small." She takes a deep breath. "I keep telling myself that it's nothing to worry about but. . . "

There's a moment of silence, but she hears Ayaka's smile before she feels the youmu place her hand gently on Mirai's shoulder. "It's good of you to worry about Akihito-kun. Have you talked to him about it?"

Mirai ducks her head. "Not really. He always brushes me off and tells me that he's fine." She clearly brings herself back to yesterday in the club room, when he all but yelled at Mitsuki for the noise her pencil was making as she took notes. Dozens of other instances in the last month follow - the way a harmless comment sets his teeth on edge, how his hands curl into angry fists at the mention of a joke, the anger that flashes in his eyes when she tells him that she has work or youmu hunting to do instead of some other plans he preferred.

This is not Akihito; she knows in her heart that something is not right.

Before Ayaka can respond, Mirai hears the buzz of her cell phone vibrating in her pile of clothes from across the room, and she knows it can only be one of two people. Ayaka remarks that they'll wrap up the photoshoot for the day and goes about cleaning up the props and the area while Mirai loosens the cord at her waist and hurries to answer the phone.

"Sakura," Mirai whispers, feeling slightly relieved as she answers the phone. The guilt gnaws in the pit of her stomach for that reaction. "What's up?"

Sakura replies, sounding bored as usual. "Will you bring home take-out tonight? There's nothing to eat here."

Mirai smiles as she takes her folded clothes into the sectioned off dressing room and kicks out of the high-heeled shoes. "I won't be home until much later tonight - Senpai and I have plans with Mitsuki."

"Oh; I'll call one of my friends from school, then," the Inami girl replies and then sighs. "You know, Mirai, you can say his name in front of other people. It's almost expected at this point."

The spirit world warrior feels her face get hot. "Old habits die hard. I don't know what time I'll be home, so keep the door unlocked? I forgot my keys this morning."

"Roger that," Sakura says, and then the phone line goes dead. Mirai smiles as she places her phone in the pocket of her sweater and then proceeds to strip out of the costume.

When she finally emerges from the back room, fully clothed, Akihito is lounging in one of the booths, tinkering with his phone. Her heart does that funny, quivering thing when she sees him though a part of her is wondering if he's in a good mood or not. His sensitive ears pick up the sounds of her approach and when he raises his head, he smiles dazzlingly at her, almost enough to make her dizzy. A good mood then.

"Hello, bespectacled beauty," he says as if it is the most factual thing, that she is beautiful. "Take any good shots for me today?"

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms as she masks the fact she's sporting a blush."Don't be unpleasant."

Ayaka wanders up to the both of them, and Mirai notices that the youmu gives Akihito a lingering, speculative glance. The spirit world warrior feels a little relieved to have told someone else about her boyfriend's mood swings - at least there's someone else who knows, now, that she can talk to if anything else should happen. She presses her lips into a thin line at the grim thought, hoping that she's only overreacting.

"Where are you two goin' off to with Mitsuki-chan?" Ayaka asks.

"To see Hiroomi-senpai off at the airport," Mirai offers up as she readjusts her glasses with the back of her wrist.

"Ahh, headed to the conference, yeah?"

"Yeah," Akihito supplies as he stands and pockets his cell phone. "Which we should probably be going..." He looks a little twitchy suddenly, the anxiety bundling itself in his shoulders. The creases in Mirai's forehead are hidden by the fringe of her bangs, but she feels herself tense up too.

"Oh, wait," Ayaka says as Mirai and Akihito begin heading toward the door. "Mirai-chan, I have your paycheck in the back. If you can spare just another moment, I'll bring it out."

Mirai brightens at the prospect, but Akihito takes her hand and grips it tightly. "No, we'll be late."

The bespectacled beauty frowns and turns to look up at him, her stomach jittering with nerves when she sees the suddenly very sharp look about his eyes, and in the light, they look almost orange. "It'll only take a minute," she insists stubbornly. Akihito would never hurt her, she knows, and a part of her almost wants Ayaka to see the burst of outrage, to validate Mirai's claims and see if the youmu woman can understand what's wrong with him.

"We can't afford a minute," he snaps at her, his hand growing tighter around her fingers.

Mirai pulls her hand away and furrows her eyebrows severely. "Yes, we can. It's a five minute walk to the Nase manor driveway from here and I need that money for grocery shopping and rent, Kanbara."

He scowls fiercely at her before throwing up his hands. "Fine! Whatever; make it fast. I'll be waiting for you outside," he nearly growls out at her and then stalks to the front door, slamming it shut behind him. Mirai takes a deep breath, willing her anger to cool - Akihito was more levelheaded and lenient than that; he would not have a problem waiting around for her paycheck. He knew how important it was for her to get paid regularly and on time.

She turns to Ayaka. "You see what I mean."

It seems that the youmu woman had retrieved the check in the meantime. "You'd better keep a close eye on him, Mirai-chan," she says gravely, pressing the money into Mirai's bandaged hand. "And let me know if things get worse. I'm goin' to get in touch with his mother and see if she has anything to say on the matter."

Mirai feels a weight on her chest lighten and she folds the money and sticks it into her pocket purse. "Thank you so much, Ayaka-san."

Ayaka smiles as the spirit world warrior dashes out the door, stumbling a little over the threshold before she disappears.

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Akihito takes her hand gently when they reach the Nase manor, shattering the silence that existed between them since leaving Ayaka's shop. "That was extremely unpleasant of me," he murmurs as he runs the pad of his thumb over her knuckles. "I'm sorry."

Mirai pauses to stare up at his face, watching him as he studiously avoids her gaze, his eyebrows knit together, his bottom lip red from chewing on it. "You're sure you're feeling okay? You don't have to come tonight; Mitsuki and I can see Hiroomi-senpai off on our own."

He shakes his head and tightens his hold on her hand pulling her toward the doors of the mansion. "No - I'm okay. I want to come."

She wants to insist that he just take time to himself and sleep, but there's something haggard about the look in his eye that keeps her mouth shut and urges her to walk closer to him. Is he aware of something that he's not telling her? Is that why he's acting weird? Her mouth tastes bitter - she decides that she won't let this go.

"I'm. . .I'm worried about you," she tells him honestly, pulling him just short of the doors.

There is an agonizing beat of silence, when all Mirai can hear is the rush of blood in her ears and feel the tangible anxiety perched on her shoulders. She keeps her bespectacled gaze on the line of his jaw from over his shoulder, willing him to turn around and look at her. If he doesn't look at her, she thinks she might scream. Her fingers tighten around his, her free hand reaching up to fist the fabric of his shirt at his back and her heart pounds.

Finally, he slowly turns his face to hers, looking at her over his shoulder. He's smiling a painful smile similar to the one he first wore on the rooftop of the school when they met, and she'd sent her blood blade through his chest. "There's no need to worry, Mirai. I'm fine."

She sighs and pulls her hands away from him. "I don't believe you." He doesn't respond and after another quiet beat, she squares her shoulders and opens the door of the Nase household. "We will talk about this later, okay?" It takes everything to keep her voice from trembling, to keep her hands steady as she marches into the house and calls for Mitsuki.

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Hiroomi doesn't glance back as he checks in and sends his luggage to the baggage area, knowing good and well that seeing Mitsuki's seething expression (she hadn't lightened up on him at all about this matter) would probably be enough to convince his reluctant body to stay back in Japan and ditch the Society. Of course, had his eyes slid over Akkey and Mirai-chan, his resolve would have strengthened.

He's the one in charge now, he tells himself as he takes a seat at his gate, pulling a book from his carry on to read so as to pass the time. It's crucial that he do everything in his power to keep the Society off their backs while he tries to figure out what their deal is and who is behind it all. Something tells him that Izumi and Kanbara Yayoi have more than just an inkling of the corruption he suspects, but that does no good since both of them have simply vanished.

His eyes glide over the words on the pages, but he's not retaining the story. Hiroomi's mind keeps wandering over many things. Mitsuki and the others should be fine with Nino-san and Ayaka-san keeping an eye out like he asked. Akkey knows better than to go out anywhere alone these days, and he's practically attached to Mirai-chan at the hip anyway.

He did notice something seemed tense between the two of them tonight in his quest to distract himself from the reality of what he was doing. Mirai-chan was studiously ignoring Akkey, who had a strange look on his face. Mitsuki had told him that Akihito was being weird, but Hiroomi hadn't really had time to figure that out for himself. It seemed unlike the blood wielding warrior and the half youmu to be on such awkward terms with each other, but he supposed that things between them couldn't be perfect always - relationships were never easy, even if they both happened to be cut from the same stone.

With a sigh, Hiroomi closes his book and checks his watch anxiously - it's almost time to board the plane. Mirai-chan was nothing short of amazing, admittedly. It was no wonder that Akkey was so enamored by her - she is a fierce warrior. She fought for three months inside Beyond the Boundary, and the only one Hiroomi knew who could rival that strength against such a monster was the boy that the youmu resided inside of.

The Society must know how amazing she is - its really kind of strange that they haven't contacted her or offered her a job. Then again, he knows how they fear anyone with a power too strong. If pushed, he has no doubt that Mirai-chan could take on an army of spirit world warriors and come out the victor.

Something nibbles at his thoughts - the Society's perspective of Mirai-chan is unsettling. If they think that she's so dangerous, its uncommon for them to leave her alone - they killed off the rest of her Blood clan, hadn't they? An entire massacre. Hiroomi remembers reading reports of the event in a file some months ago when he was researching the validity of the Society's actions.

If they truly wanted to erase the Blood clan from the earth, why was it that Kuriyama Mirai was still walking around completely unharmed?

He sits up in his chair as the horrible realization dawns on him, the woman at the front counter of his gate signaling that its time to board the plane.

They do want Mirai-chan dead. He remembers Miroku Fujima and the youmu-eating scythe. If that scythe came from the Society, then that means it was passed into Fujima's hands with complete consent, who in turn gave it to a young girl under the condition that she kill Kuriyama. When Inami Sakura failed to complete that mission, Fujima came after Akkey, even knowing that Mirai-chan was still alive.

Hiroomi remembers with a horrible clarity that night Akkey went into Beyond the Boundary to bring Mirai back, how Fujima used the knife-like weapon to strengthen the monster so that she would never return to the surface. Even though he disappeared, at least, at the end of the night, Mirai-chan had disappeared, too. The Society must have thought that she was gone for good.

But she's not dead. She's alive and well and probably really happy for the first time since Hiroomi has met her - and she's been youmu hunting with her official Spirit World certification, seeing Ayaka-san about the youmu stones she brings in. His stomach begins to sink. He's been so careless! So stupid! If Mirai-chan has been using her registered license and Ayaka-san has been keeping records in the database, then the Society knows that she's not dead. Why didn't he see it before?!

The Society is after Akkey, but in order to secure him and be sure that they can use Beyond the Boundary without any possible resistance, they'd have to get rid of the one thing that can subdue the youmu. Suddenly everything makes sense - the cryptic, uncooperative phone calls, the sudden conference called into meeting out of nowhere, the awful, awful feeling that he was missing something obvious. . .

Hastily, Hiroomi reaches for his phone, shoving his book back into his carry-on, determined once and for all that he would leave the airport and stay back in Japan, Society be damned. He curses under his breath, curses his stupidity. At least he realized it before it was too late, he thinks with a raw sort of desperation as he goes to dial Mitsuki's phone number.

He prays to all the gods that she'll answer before the Society can set into motion whatever plan they have to kill off Kuriyama Mirai once and for all.