Okay, so I know I said in the last one that it'd be a while before this one came out, but I decided to cut it in half. I haven't started the next one yet at the time of uploading this one, so that one will actually take time lol. Anyways, this chapter actually has an Ookami-Kage in it. They're not just rumors anymore! Also, I found a way for my computer to type the O in the name correctly. Unfortunately, typing it in this little tidbit here has to be a double Oo. Oh well. Also, I like violence in stories...

Not long after the incident with the poachers, only a few days later, Shota was once again training in the Tora's forest. After some time, he found that he could hear the ocean and decided to follow the sound until it led him to a large jutting ledge covered in tall grass. With the height of the cape and the lack of trees, he found that it was quite windy. He made his way towards the edge and looked out at the vast ocean. Tsume had mentioned this area before, but Shota had never actually seen it for himself. The sound of the waves crashing below pulled his attention downward, and the sight of the large pointed stones protruding from the water reminded him that Tsume had cautioned him to be quite careful if he ever decided to visit the cape.

Down below, to the side of the jagged stone pillars, was a thin stretch of sand that likely became completely submerged during the hide tides. He examined it all for a while, and just when he was about to turn and walk away, he noticed something move. At first, it looked as though one of the large black stones had begun to move away from the others across the sand, but upon closer inspection, Shota could make out the shape of some large beast leaving pawprints in the wet sand. He stared hard, trying to make out what it was, and finally got a good look once it stepped out onto a slanted stone jutting out from the beach.

The creature was clearly a giant wolf but with some peculiar features. Its fur was all one shade of dark grayish-black, but along the top of its snout, head, neck, and back was a shiny, jet black material that looked hard and sectioned. Its tail was not that of a wolf's, but rather a giant version of a scorpion's, stinger and all.

For a very small moment, Shota was confused, until a felling of dread struck him. That wolf must be an Ōkami-Kage. It had to be. He thought of hurrying back to get Tsume, but upon seeing the wolf turn and begin to walk away, he hesitated. Now's not the time to hesitate, he scolded himself inwardly. Think. If he left to get Tsume, chances are that the wolf would be long gone, but he knew better than to try to confront the wolf himself. Perhaps if he tailed it without getting caught, he could determine where it was going and lead Tsume there later? As the wolf turned a corner out of sight, Shota gritted his teeth and carefully but quickly began to make his way down the cape's ledge.

When he finally reached the bottom, he had to be careful on the wet rocks and shells so as not to slip and fall into the rough waters. Once he stepped down onto the sand, he followed the wolf's tracks, stopping at the corner where it had turned, and carefully peering around it to see. There was no one, but he could see more tracks in the sand that lead into leafy bushes. After determining that the coast was clear, he made his way over and through the bushes. When he came out, he just barely caught a glimpse of the scorpion tail disappearing into a nearby forest.

They were no longer on Tora property; he had to be extra careful as he did not know these surroundings. Quickly and as quietly as possible, Shota reached the trees and entered. He slowed himself, listening carefully as he stared without blinking. Finally, he heard something and turned to see the wolf walking in the opposite direction. Just before he made to move, the Ōkami-Kage stopped to sniff the air. Shota held his breath and watched closely. The wolf raised its head and sniffed, then turned its head the other way and sniffed again. After flicking its right ear, it lowered its head and continued to walk away. Carefully, Shota followed.

He was not sure how long he had been following the wolf, but the path it took was relatively straight, only diverging to move around large obstacles. At some point, the wolf paused beside a small stream and lowered its head to lap at the water a few times before continuing on its way. Eventually, Shota followed it out into a large open area of the woods, but the wolf had suddenly vanished.

He froze and looked around but found no sight of the large beast nor any trace of it having been there. Did he take a turn just before reaching the clearing? Shota remained where he was for a long time, listening and watching carefully, but all he could hear were birds chirping and all he could see was the clearing surrounded by trees. He stood up and took a few steps out. It seemed he had somehow lost the Ōkami-Kage. Tsume was right, they were not called "shadow wolves" for nothing.

As Shota was preparing to head back, he was suddenly struck with excruciating pain as something stabbed him through his left shoulder before flinging him aside. He struggled to get up, a horrible searing pain like fire rushing through his shoulder and down his arm. It was hard to move and he could not help but let out a painfilled yell as he grabbed his shoulder with his other hand.

"Doesn't look like much," a cool voice said.

Shota looked up. His vision was somewhat blurry all of a sudden and he felt dizzy, but he could see the scorpion wolf staring down at him from a few feet away.

"You," the wolf said, "…don't look like much. I was hoping to bait someone more…useful, I guess." He walked over to the boy and sniffed at him before using a huge forepaw to push him over onto his side so he could get a better look. "No… Don't look like much from this angle either. Pity. Sorry then. I should've done more research. That's what I get for stabbing the first one to follow me, I guess."

Shota clenched his teeth. He could not get out any words because the pain coursing through him was so intense.

"Hurts, don't it?" the Ōkami-Kage said, looking down at him with something like pity. "That acid venom of mine… The impact from my stinger shattered your bones, but all the pain's from the venom. Its tearing apart your tendons and muscles at a rapid rate. Eventually, it'll get to your organs and they'll start to fail." He sighed, revealing a shiny black substance coating the interior of his mouth, tongue, teeth, and all. "I'm rambling again… Okay. I'll put you out of your misery now."

He raised his tail and went to strike, but his tail went limp and fell to the ground instead. Surprised, the wolf looked back at it, tried to lift it to no avail, then turned to look curiously back at the boy. Shota was glaring at him, his hair somewhat standing on end.

"Hm? You do that just now? How?" He leaned forward and looked at his eyes. "…Guess I was wrong about you. Sorry then. But now you'll have to come with me. Guess I won't be heading back empty-handed after all. That's a shame…" He tried once again to move his tail but could not. "Hm. You know, I can alter the venom myself and turn it into its own cure." He glanced back at his tail then looked back at Shota. "Can't do that though if you keep blocking my Quirk."

Shota continued to glare but wondered how truthful the wolf was being. Did he have any choice? To his surprise, the Ōkami-Kage sat down.

"Not sure how long you can do that for, but I can wait. Can you?"

Shota winced hard as a wave of pain rushed through him, but he resisted the urge to blink. From what he could feel, the wolf was likely not lying about the venom tearing him apart on the inside. The wolf was going to kill him, but was now waiting patiently instead. Shota remembered Tsume and Michiru's tales of people going missing and the wolf's words. This wolf intended to kidnap him. Die of organ failure, or risk getting stolen away by the Ōkami-Kage? Cursing in his head, Shota shut his eyes.

The wolf's ears perked up as he found that he could now lift his tail. "Oh, I see. All right then." He stood up and arched his tail, lowering the tip of the stinger just above Shota's wounded shoulder before pressing it into the wound.

Shota gasped, feeling an intense wave of cool relief flushing away the searing pain.

"Feels better?" the wolf asked. "Well, sorry for this next part then…"

Before Shota could recover himself, the wolf lunged at him and grabbed his left leg in his jaws. He let out a yell as the Ōkami-Kage bit him, snapping the bone with a loud crunch. Shota swiftly retrieved a hidden knife that he only ever used to cut his capture cloth and stabbed it into the wolf's shoulder. With a yelp and a snarl, the Ōkami-Kage let go then twisted around to bite and break Shota's arm as well.

"Bastard," the wolf growled after tossing him aside. "Hmph. Well, I guess I can't blame you for that one. Still…"

Shota could not move. His left shoulder was severely wounded and his left leg and right arm were broken and bleeding heavily. He cursed himself for his irrational decision to follow the wolf. He could not even get himself to say anything as the wolf picked him up with its jaws on his undamaged shoulder. As stupid as he felt about it, he did notice that the wolf was carrying him very carefully, not pressing his teeth down too hard and not letting Shota's broken leg drag on the ground. After only a few steps, the wolf stopped.

"Sorry," a familiar voice said, "but I'm afraid you won't be taking him with you."

Shota managed to turn his head and spotted Tsume standing several yards away in his tiger form. Michiru was there too, also in tiger form, and looking very tense.

The Ōkami-Kage stared calmly at them for a moment before gently placing Shota on the ground. "Sorry. Didn't know he belonged to you."

Tsume's tail twitched with annoyance; he was looking very serious. "He does not belong to anyone. Especially not to the likes of you. From your appearance, you must be Ōkami-Kage, yes?"

"That's right, Tora. I am Sasori-Kage." The wolf was very calm.

"Sasori," Tsume said carefully. "I cannot allow you to take that boy."

"Of course not…" He curled his tail around and twitched the stinger. "You know, one injection of my venom and it's certain death. Slow and excruciating, but still death. Whether it's you, her, or him," he pointed the stinger down at Shota, "or even all three, you won't get out of this without someone dying."

"That so? I suppose I will have to test your honor, then. How about a Kemono no Tatakai?" Michiru looked surprised.

Sasori looked a tad surprised as well. "Oh? I see… Well, I guess my answer depends on your conditions. I won't say yes if losing means I have to get arrested…"

Tsume nodded. "Naturally. I only want these two getting out of here safely. If I win, you must leave the boy with me as he is. No further harm. You must also leave the girl alone as well and never try to take either of them again. In fact, you must leave them even if you win."

"How's that fair?"

"If you win, then I will go as your prisoner in their stead."

"Tsume!" Michiru gasped.

Sasori pondered the conditions for a moment. "Hm… Fine then, I guess." He walked away from Shota and stopped to wait as Tsume approached.

Michiru hurried over to Shota, turned into her human form, and looked him over with obvious concern.

As the two beasts met up in the center of the clearing, they stood a yard apart and stared at each other. After a few moments, they both turned, walked the same number of steps, then paused. A few more moments passed, and, suddenly, they spun around and lunged at each other. There was the loud snarling and growling of tiger and wolf as the two fought like wild animals. Neither used any Quirks aside from their animal forms, and they fought with fangs and claws. Shota's vision was beginning to blur again as his consciousness faded from blood loss. He could hardly make out what was happening and the sounds were deafening. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the wolf dodging below Tsume and darting to the side.

Tsume twisted himself and brought down a heavy forepaw on the wolf's face, causing Sasori to stumble. It was just enough time for Tsume to pounce and pin him down by the neck and stomach. Sasori struggled a bit but quickly fell limp and laid there catching his breath. After several seconds had passed, Tsume released and stepped away from him.

"Why didn't you use your claws in that last swipe?" Sasori asked from the ground.

"I saw no reason to scar you, despite what you did to the boy."

"Trying to save my face from the rest of my clan?" Sasori got to his paws. "Heh. You Tora have always been too sympathetic."

Tsume watched him carefully as the wolf began to walk away. "Sasori!"

He stopped and looked back at the tiger.

"…I thank you for holding true to the clans' laws."

"Ah well… Not like I really care about getting more fodder for Chino-Kage. Hope I never see you again. No offense." He continued to walk away.

Tsume immediately turned his attention over to Shota.

…

When Shota came to, he found himself laying in a hospital bed. His left leg and right arm were in casts while his left shoulder was wrapped tightly with bandages. He felt groggy and a bit out of it, but the pain was somewhat dulled. Must be due to medicine, he thought. He turned his head slightly and stared at the IV in his left arm.

"You're finally awake then?"

He looked up at Tsume as the man stood up from a chair and approached him. He was not smiling like he usually did.

"Tsume…"

"Explain," was his only response.

"I… I was at the cape, looking down, when I saw him. I was going to go find you, but I thought he would be gone by the time I did. So, I followed him instead. It was foolish of me."

"Yes, it was," Tsume said, rather sternly, surprising Shota. "Very. You almost got yourself taken away by the Ōkami-Kage, Shota. You, of all people, I expect to know better and to have made a better decision than what you did."

He could not bring himself to look Tsume in the eyes at that moment. "Right…"

Tsume sighed and held his head. "I do so hate to scold others… But you really should have known better!"

He winced slightly.

"Now then… Your left leg and right arm are severely broken and the bones in your left shoulder are shattered. There's been a lot of people being admitted to the hospital recently, so Recovery Girl was already here. She managed to heal up your puncture wounds and mend a good bit of the bones, but even so, the damage that venom did to your body… Well, it'll take quite a while to heal, even with her help."

"And the hospital just keeps filling up." They turned to see Recovery Girl herself entering the room. "Think it's the work of those wolves, just like with this one?"

Shota was surprised to hear her mention them.

"No," Tsume replied. "From reports from the conscious victims, it's someone else causing that trouble. Not an Ōkami-Kage. If it's alright with you, miss, we can take Shota here out."

"Hm?"

"We can look after him. Anything to do with the Ōkami-Kage is our responsibility, after all. Besides, I know someone who can help with his healing so you can focus your efforts here."

"Hmm… Fine then, Tsume. I trust you. But you have to bring some more of your clan's secret medicine here in exchange. It would be a big help."

"Ah, you could ask for that any time, miss." He nodded. "I'll be sure to bring a bunch by tomorrow."

She nodded and left the room.

Tsume turned to Shota. "Moving won't be fun for you in this state, but once they say you don't need that IV anymore, I'll take you out of here sometime today. People have been entering the hospital at an alarming rate these past few days due to some wacko running around. I'll be helping them track him later tonight. In the meantime, you're going to be staying with us while you recover."

"Why?"

"Why? Because you live alone! Also, as I told Recovery Girl, anything to do with the Ōkami-Kage is our responsibility. It'd be far more convenient to look after you at our house where we can monitor you at all hours."

"Are you sure you're not just putting me on lockdown?"

"A bit of both, really," Tsume admitted. "Think of it rationally. If you come stay with us while you recover, it will allow more space in the hospital and one less patient for Recovery Girl. Michi is perfectly capable of treating nearly any wound, and I'll be able to keep an eye on you. Besides, as I also told Recovery Girl, I have a friend that can help."

"Well, all right then…"

"Right. I'll be back in a little while. Get some rest."

As Tsume grabbed the door to open it, he was stopped by Shota's voice. "Sorry."

"Good," Tsume said. "Maybe then you won't do something like this in the future."

…

When Tsume returned, a nurse arrived with him, pushing a wheelchair along. After carefully helping Shota from the bed to the wheelchair, she wheeled it out alongside Tsume.

"We don't own a vehicle," Tsume was saying as they exited the hospital. "So, I had to borrow a friend's."

"Sorry," Shota muttered. He gritted his teeth as he got into the front passenger seat. Every little movement sent a shockwave of pain through his limbs. Only his right leg was uninjured, but he could not rely on a crutch due to his broken right arm and severely damaged left shoulder. Even the slightest bumps in the road during the car ride caused him to wince. The venom from that Ōkami-Kage certainly did a number on him.

According to what Tsume had told him, Shota had been in the hospital overnight and had woken up that morning. Now, it was dark out, and the streets were lit by the lights from houses and streetlamps. The ride was quiet for a long while, and Shota assumed that Tsume must be angry with him. After some time, however, Tsume spoke.

"Michi's been really worried about you."

Shota felt an odd rush, but instead of pain it was… something else. This feeling often pestered him when Michiru was mentioned, and it always flared up whenever she got nearer to him. It was a warm, sort of fluttery feeling. He had a vague idea of what it was, but he was afraid to admit it. It was not that he was particularly afraid of Michiru knowing, but, rather, he was afraid of letting himself get too close. He already sometimes cursed himself for letting himself grow attached to her and Tsume. If something happened to one of them…

"You listening?" Tsume asked.

"Yes," he replied quietly. "…I don't really know what to say to that."

"That's fair, I guess."

"…Did you go after that Ōkami-Kage?"

The furry ears atop Tsume's head twitched. "I tried to track him, but the trail ended abruptly. If I had to guess, one of them must have some kind of teleporting or warping Quirk."

"What about the person causing all of those people to be admitted to the hospital?"

"Not sure yet. I'm going with a few others tonight to deal with that." He let out a short laugh. "Hey, for once, instead of worrying about me being out on the job, Michi will have you to fret over instead. Heh."

"She doesn't talk about it much," Shota said, "but she worries about you a lot. Doesn't she?"

"Yes, well, she worries about anyone she cares about. But besides Jaz, I'm the only person she's ever had. Sure, she can make friends easily, but someone she really, truly trusts with anything and everything? Someone she can let herself depend on instead of just being the one depended on all the time? So far, I'm the only one she's ever found. Then again…she does act a bit different with you."

"Me?" He turned too quickly and ended up wincing from pain. "Different, how?"

"Oh, I guess you haven't really noticed, huh?"

If Tsume was going to say anything more than that, it was lost, as they had arrived at their destination. Several deer and other animals scattered from the lights as the car slowed to a stop next to the koi pond with the bridge. Shota prepared himself for the inevitable increase in pain he was about to feel as Tsume walked around the car and opened the passenger door.

Michiru looked completely bewildered as she came downstairs to find Tsume sitting Shota on the sofa. "Why didn't you bring him to the spare bedroom?"

"He insisted," Tsume told her.

"The sofa's closer…" Shota grunted and winced a few times as he settled.

Tsume looked sympathetic. "That venom really messed up his insides. He'll be in some serious pain for a while, even with our friend's help. At least a week. Maybe longer."

"Great," Shota grumbled.

Tsume turned to Michiru. "Michi, look after him, will you? I have to go now. I should be back sometime tomorrow."

She nodded. "Be careful." After seeing her brother off, she returned to the living room and sat on the sofa with Shota. "How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

The rush of that warm fluttery feeling returned. "Honestly, terrible. Every time I move, I get this wave of pain that makes me tense up, but tensing makes it worse…"

"Is it better when you're not moving?"

"Somewhat…"

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"Not really."

"I'll get you a glass of water anyway. In case you get thirsty." She got up and left the room.

After she had gone, Pan leapt up onto the arm of the sofa nearest Shota and stretched his neck to sniff at him. The cat looked at him with an expression somewhat like concern and gently headbutted his face before jumping back down to the floor. When she returned, Michiru had brought a pillow and blanket with her.

She placed the glass of water on the coffee table then placed the pillow on the arm of the sofa. "You should get some rest. It's late, and sleep is good for healing."

He dreaded the thought of moving even the tiniest amount, but gritted his teeth and slowly moved to lay down. Halfway through the motion, he placed too much weight on his left arm and let out a short painfilled noise as his shoulder reverberated with a sharp pain, causing him to cringe. Michiru placed the palm of her hand on his side to support his weight while she used her other hand to carefully lift his arm and help him lay down.

"…Thanks," he grunted after the waves of pain had passed.

"You don't need to thank me," she told him as she covered him with the blanket. After, she softly pushed his hair out of his face, causing him to feel hot in the face. "I'll stay down here. If you need anything, just let me know. And don't think that you're being a burden, either."

"O-Okay…"

He watched her go to turn off the light before disappearing around the corner towards the kitchen. For a while, he laid there staring at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Every now and again, a sudden sharp pain caused him to grimace or wince, but he eventually managed to fall asleep.

He only managed to sleep about four hours before waking up feeling stiff and hurting. The shattered shoulder hurt the most, but, at the moment, his broken leg was causing him serious discomfort. He pulled his leg up, bending his knee and trying not to let out any sounds as he did so. Unfortunately, this position did not help at all and practically made it worse. He groaned in both pain and annoyance.

Upon hearing the sounds of his movement and groans, Pan jumped up onto the arm of the sofa, opposite of Shota, and stared at the boy through the darkness for a long while. After seeming to determine something, the cat, who was practically invisible in the dark, leapt back down to the floor and vanished once again. About a minute or so later, someone entered the living room and spoke to Shota.

"Need something?" Michiru's voice asked sleepily.

Before he could answer, Pan's meow piped up from somewhere on the floor.

"Oh," Michiru said. "I see. You're right, Pan. Sorry, Shota."

"Hm? Michi? What are you talking about?"

There was no response, as she had left the room; however, she returned shortly after and approached him. "Pan is fussing me," she told him.

"Pan is? Why?"

She still sounded half asleep. "Because I forgot something silly." She stacked two firm pillows on the sofa then placed a hand under his knee. "Give me your leg."

He jumped slightly, not being able to see what she was doing in the dark and not expecting her to touch him. But he relaxed and allowed her to stretch his leg and place it atop the pillows.

"A broken leg should be elevated," she mumbled. "Sorry, Pan… Sorry, Shota…"

He could just make out her shape walk away a few steps before she curled herself up on the cushioned chair adjacent to the sofa. As she did, Pan leapt up onto the arm of the couch again to examine the pillows. He seemed content with the result and let out a soft trill before vanishing again.

"…Seishin Sa," Michiru said suddenly, "the spirit that uses Pan as a host…"

He waited for her to continue but she had gone silent again. "…Yeah?"

"Mm. She makes medicine," Michiru mumbled from the chair. "Pan makes medicine… Takes all night, though."

He understood now. Seishin Sa was the "friend" that Tsume kept mentioning, and Sa was having Pan help to nurse Shota. Or maybe Pan was having Sa help? Either way, Michiru, in her half-asleep state, was telling him that they would have medicine for him in the morning that would help with the pain and healing. "Got it," he said.

Some time in the late morning, Shota awoke again. He still felt stiff and groggy, but his leg was no longer driving him nuts. Suddenly, Pan's head poked up from the side; he was holding a small bag in his mouth and purring. Shota stared at him for a moment, a bit surprised and also confused. After a few moments, Pan leaned forward and dropped the bag on Shota's chest.

"Mrrow."

"…What is it?" From what Shota knew about cats, the gifts they brought to people were usually dead things.

"Rraaaow."

"I don't underst-"

"Rraaaaaaaooow!"

"…Michiru!"

Michiru appeared from around the corner shortly after hearing his call. "Shota? Did you just use my full name? What's wrong?"

"The cat's yelling at me."

She tilted her head slightly. Pan was standing on his hindlegs, his forepaws holding him up via the edge of the sofa. The cat was leering at Shota and lashing his tail and the fur on his neck and shoulders bristled as a low growl rumbled in his throat. Then, she noticed the small bag.

"Oh," she said in understanding. "He wants you to take the medicine."

"Medicine? This?" He looked down at the bag. "You didn't have to be so assertive about it…"

"Mrrow."

Michiru chuckled and walked over, shooing the cat away. She picked up the bag and opened it, taking out a round, pale sandy-colored object that was about the size of a golf ball. "You just eat it," she told him. "I'm warning you though, it tastes awful. It's terribly bitter."

"It looks like a ball of dirt…"

"Dirt would taste better," she told him. "Here."

He looked apprehensive as she offered him the medicine. In the corner of the room, he spotted Pan watching him through narrowed eyes, his tail twitching. Finally, he took the medicine and bit into it. Immediately, a shock of bitter flavors assaulted him, causing him to cringe, which caused him to let out a small shout as the sudden movement made his limbs jolt with pain.

Michiru had jumped a little, startled. "Oh… Here. Try to take it with water." She picked up the glass from the coffee table and helped him to drink.

It took him three bites to finish off the potent medicine and an entire glass of water to wash it down. Even after, hints of the awful taste still lingered on his tongue.

"That was quite literally the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten," he muttered.

In the corner, Pan looked pleased and began to purr again.

"Yeah," Michiru said sympathetically. "Believe me, I know. But it works wonders. Everything needed to make it is right here in our forest. It should help enough with the pain so that you can move around a bit more. Of course, you should still stay put and rest. The medicine's main job will be helping to heal those broken bones and damaged muscles. Truthfully, he didn't have to put a natural pain killer in it…" She glanced back at the cat as he strutted away with his head and tail held high. "Shota, do you want anything to eat?"

"Not really."

"Are you sure?" She looked worried. "You haven't eaten anything besides that medicine ever since you got here. You should eat."

"Sounds like too much movement for my arms…"

"Oh, I see. But still. It's not good to starve yourself like that. What do you like to eat? I can cook pretty much anything."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not very picky about it."

"Well then, I guess you'll just eat what I decide to make. It's not like you can fight me over it anyway," she teased.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to start teasing me…"

She giggled and walked off towards the kitchen. After a while, he began to smell a pleasant scent filling the house. When she returned, she brought a plate of rice and stew and placed it on the table. "Tsume should be back soon," she mentioned as she began to help Shota sit up. After, she sat down with him and watched him; he was staring at the food. "…Are you sure you're not hungry? Because you sure look hungry."

"It smells good…" he looked away, embarrassed. "…"

"…You need help, don't you?"

"Erm… Maybe."

"Why don't you just say so?" She sighed and picked up the plate. She moved closer to him, took a spoonful of the food, and held it up to him. "Here. It's not too hot."

He continued to avoid looking at her for a few more moments before finally leaning forward and taking a bite. His face was tinged pink. Suddenly, he noticed Pan laying on the other chair and watching him with that mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What are you looking at?" he accidentally said out loud.

Michiru looked confused, then turned and looked at the cat. "Pan, you're being rude."

The cat only turned up his nose in response and turned to stare out through the window blinds.

In the afternoon, Shota heard the front door open and was not surprised to hear Tsume's voice. "Michi, I'm home!"

"Welcome back," she greeted him as she came from the hall. "You're back just in time."

"I am? For what?"

She pointed at Shota on the couch. "I just finished running the water. Go take him to the bath."

"Huh?! Why me?"

"Why? Why do you think?"

"Mm… Okay, I guess that makes sense." He walked over to Shota. "Well, Shota, looks like we're going to have an awkward time, you and me!"

"Great…"

"And I just got home, too." Tsume scratched his head. "Sheesh, it's like raising a younger sibling all over again."

"Stop complaining," Michiru fussed.

"Yes, Boss." He lowered his voice to Shota. "She's all business and no play right now, huh?"

"I heard that."

He jumped and laughed. "A joke! It was just a joke! We're going now. Come on, Shota."

"Be careful," she told Tsume rather sternly.

"I will! Jeez."

Despite Tsume's joke about awkwardness, he in no way made the situation very awkward. During most of the process, he was telling Shota about the villain who had been sending everyone to the hospital and how they managed to track and capture him.

"…How pathetic," Shota muttered to himself as Tsume was scrubbing shampoo into the boy's hair. "I can't eat, bathe, or do anything myself right now…"

"Yeah," Tsume said. "It'll be really awkward when you have to go to the toilet."

"You're not helping."

"Yes I am! I'm cleaning you up right now, aren't I?"

"That's not what I –"

"I know what you meant." Tsume told him. "Not a fan of jokes, I see."

"No."

"You're being too hard on yourself. In fact, you're being harder on yourself than I was with you!"

"…"

"You had the right intentions. Yeah, it didn't turn out very well, but it could have been far worse you know."

"I…feel bad about causing you trouble. And you both having to look after me…"

"Oh, that? Ha, don't feel bad about that! You're far less trouble than my little sister, and she's not trouble at all!"

"But –"

"Besides," Tsume continued. "At this point, you're like family now. Michi and I really like having you around. Preferably not injured, mind you."

"Oh." He looked a bit surprised and felt warm.

"Close your eyes."

"Huh?"

Tsume dumped a bucket of water on Shota's head. "I warned you," he said with a grin after.

"Thanks for that," Shota grunted irritably.

To be continued…

Tsume is a great guy.

Sasori-Kage (Scorpion Shadow) - Age: ?; Quirk(s): SuperBeast (wolf), and Scorpion. Like all Ookami-Kage, he can turn into a giant wolf! He also has some chitin armor and a scorpion tail, even in human form. The acid-like venom he produces rapidly eats away at muscles and tendons, causing serious pain, but he can somehow alter it to turn it into its own cure. The stinger is so big and powerful, though, that it breaks bones when he jabs someone with it. His saliva also secretes some of the same acid, which caused the interior of his mouth to develop soft chitin to protect itself, even his teeth! In human form, he hides his mouth and tail by wearing a mask and wrapping his tail around himself under a cloak. He's not really a bad guy, but he does his job.