Chapter 3: What Lies Beneath the Skin

With a freshly cashed check in her pocket, Kasumi heads to the nearest market to supply the kids. She already has her next mission assigned, which will begin in a few days. After the news of Kenjaku's death, planning began for the recovery of the territory of Tokyo, which will take time and a lot of work, since the curses that still inhabit there are gigantic and almost no shaman has agreed to take charge. If the pay wasn't so good maybe she wouldn't have done it either. And as she waits in line to pay for her purchases she checks her phone book and wonders if her ex-partner would accept this mission, since he has always been as greedy as she is, for different reasons.

After loading twenty shopping bags into the car, Kasumi hops into the driver's seat and, while putting on her seatbelt, receives a call. She finds it curious, though not strange, that Megumi Fushiguro is calling her at this time, but it doesn't take her long to pick up.

"Fushiguro," she says and listens carefully to his uneasy breathing.

"Uhm... Miwa-san... how have you been?" He asks her and Kasumi knows he's too kind to ask her all at once what he really wants to know. In fact, Kasumi has been waiting for this call, he's probably been calling all the sorcerers he knows to find out Gojou's whereabouts.

"Fine... You're calling for him, right? For Gojou Satoru," she answers and smiles as she hears a sigh from the other end.

"I hope I'm not bothering you, Miwa-san," he says politely, "I didn't think it appropriate to ask you without first asking how you and your siblings have been. I called Utahime and Kusakabe, but they haven't seen him."

"I figured, we're fine... and yes, I know where Gojou is."

"You saw him? Where?"

"The last time I saw him he was at my house, I hope he's still there, my brothers went to school and Kano is working so I guess he's bored... But I don't think he's going out, he said he didn't want anyone to know he was in Kyoto. But I can't hide that information from you, I guess you're worried about him."

"Yes... he left Tokyo two nights ago without saying where he was going, all he said was that he had unfinished business. Do you have any idea what he meant?"

The answer stops on her throat and Kasumi swallows, at the same time dismissing the idea forming in her mind.

"I don't know."

"How is he?"

This time she takes a little longer to answer, plops down on her car seat and looks at the clock on the dashboard. Gojou has been alone in her house for at least three hours and this makes her uncomfortable.

"He looks good, but... I don't know how to explain it, he looks too good."

"He's always been odd... but..."

Megumi doesn't know what to say this time either.

"I'll send him to Tokyo as soon as I get home, and if he's not there I'll call you back."

"Thank you, Miwa-san. I'll be waiting for your call and if he doesn't want to come, I'll go get him."

He stretches his neck, vertebrae rattle and sighs in relief. He watches the sky, clouds and birds flying overhead while listening to the radio. Grandma Chou is sitting in a rocking chair by the door, watching him as he mows the lawn. Now at least he can use her infinity technique to avoid staining his uniform with the bits of grass splashing from the mower blades.

It's always fun to show someone infinity, and Grandma Chou was no exception. Her tired eyes widened, she opened her mouth with the same amazement of an infant, and he smiled, as he always does.

"How lucky I am," says Grandma as Gojou steps back for another glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. "If Kasumi-chan hadn't gone to work, I wouldn't have had you all afternoon to myself."

"Aren't you worried that your husband will hear you? We could get into trouble," he replies, giving the older woman a lascivious smile.

"Oh, nonsense. Shin is deaf, although I suspect he fakes his deafness most of the time so he won't have to listen to me."

"He sounds like a smart guy. You talk way too much, grandma."

"Are you bored with me yet?"

"A little. Ah... but what choice do I have? Kasumi-chan hasn't come back yet."

"You don't have to be so honest, kid. You lose your charm, when one gets used to your pretty face you start to pay more attention to your words and they are not very nice."

"Yeah, I'm a little nasty. I know."

"And that's how you plan to conquer Kasumi-chan's heart?"

"Huh? I already managed it once, why couldn't I do it again?"

"Oh..." Grandma mumbles as if she's just made a discovery. "So you're him..."

"Him? Has Kasumi talked about me?"

"Uhm..." comes out of Grandma's throat and completely changes her friendly expression. Disenchanted with Gojou, she gives him a slightly sullen look. "If you are that person then I have to warn you, if you hurt that girl again I'll deal with you myself."

"Grandma... what did she tell you?"

"Nothing good, child. Nothing good... Did you come to beg her to take you back?"

"Beg her? Well, that wasn't in my plans," he answers, crossing his arms. "I don't know what you know, but I know how she feels about me and I'm frankly indifferent to anything else."

"Well, I don't know where you're going with that arrogant attitude. I'm just going to tell you one thing, if you've already blown your chance you'll have to make a lot of amends to have another one. Kasumi is a woman, a woman you've probably hurt more than you can imagine. And I doubt very much that someone with so many responsibilities would want to have a conceited child by her side, she already has plenty of children to take care of. Maybe you have to show that you have changed, be a man, be responsible and respectful."

"Responsible and respectful..." Gojou thinks and soon realizes that he is the antithesis of these two words.

"Just in time..." the old woman lets go and Satoru looks up at the small blue car parked in front of the house next door.

Kasumi gets out, but stops to answer the phone as Gojou stands up and smiles in her direction. He remains still and clearly sees the way her face saddens and sighs.

"I'll be there..." she says at the end of her conversation and hangs up, then looks up and sees him.

She's not too surprised to find him on Grandma's porch, she's quick to this kind of manipulation and smiles to herself at the sight of the freshly mowed lawn.

"Kasumi-chan! cutie!" Grandma says to her and rushes to the kitchen to come back with a bowl in her hands, which she soon returns to Gojou. "Thank you for the food, sweetie."

"You're welcome, Grandma!" She answers and goes around the car to take out the groceries.

"Go, go help her, quick," Grandma whispers to Gojou, pushing him off the porch.

It's still strange to see him, as if it's all an endless lucid dream. Gojou reaches over and grabs more bags than she could ever dream of carrying and smiles to herself, trying to get her house keys out.

"You don't have to carry them all," she tells him.

"I don't like to make two trips," he replies, smiling.

When she reaches the door, she looks sideways at him, a light laugh curves her lips and she opens the door.

"Grandma forced you to take off your blindfold?"

"You could say so..."

Once inside the empty house, without the laughter of the children or the footsteps clattering on the wooden floor, Kasumi leaves the groceries on the table and hurries to tidy up. Satoru is at her side, taking the groceries out of the bags, watching her every step of the way as she moves to the kitchen shelves and refrigerator.

"Who called you?" he asks suddenly, not neglecting his work. "You looked worried."

"I got a call from the children's school..."

"Hideki?"

"Usagi. She got in trouble... hit a boy in the face."

"Usagi?" Gojou asks as if he's about to laugh. "She seemed like a very nice girl."

"She is, that's why I'm sure she did it to defend Hiro. He gets picked on a lot at school."

"For being overweight?"

"Yes..."

"Kids tend to do that sort of things."

"And for being an orphan."

"Oh..."

"And because his guardian is a shaman."

"So, it's their parents, speaking through their children. You want me to teach them a lesson? I could give them a good scare."

"It's not necessary, besides that would only worsen the image they have of us..." she says and stops, taking a couple of cans in her hands. "It's the second time this year, but I'm not going to scold them. At least Usagi knows how to stand up for herself, but Hiro is more shy."

"You wanted to talk to me about Hideki, right?" Gojou asks, takes a few packets of cookies and follows her to the kitchen.

"That's right..." Kasumi opens the cupboard door on her tiptoes and puts down the tins. Then she turns to him and looks into his eyes. It's hard to see him again, to have him so close and at the same time try not to look like an eighteen-year-old girl. However, she holds his gaze and continues without being intimidated by his mere presence. "Could you look into his family tree?"

Gojo stretches over her and Kasumi freezes, the cupboard door is still open and he takes the opportunity to subtly approach her, leaving the cookies on the sideboard.

"Uhm..." she stammers, trying not to blush, "could you? I mean, now that you're back you probably still have the resources of the Gojou clan... I tried to do it on my own, but I couldn't get very far. Most of the records were destroyed after the incident."

"Is there anything else about him? Besides the cursed energy, of course."

"When I found him... There was no curse. The city was deserted and... his parents' bodies were pretty decomposed... But Hideki was still living in his house, I don't know how long he'd been there alone. I guess he survived on whatever was edible in his house and what drinking water supply he had left... Even so, he had a high degree of malnutrition, so he's smaller than a child his age. But even then he had a impressive amount of cursed energy... He hasn't told me much about his parents, I only know their names... Could you do me that favor?"

"I'd have to go back to the clan," he replies wearily. "From what you say, I guess it's still standing."

"Fushiguro called too, he's worried about you."

"How sweet, but he has nothing to worry about. I told him I had something important to do, you can tell him I won't be coming back for the time being."

"You're not going to ignore your responsibilities now, are you? You're important, you've been gone too long, Gojou. Your clan must be looking for you."

Satoru sighs, his head feels heavy and he remembers the meddling old woman's advice. Maybe this is not the time to appear irresponsible, nor to ignore Megumi. And, although he has no desire to leave, he ends up agreeing.

"I will, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"A goodbye kiss."

Kasumi averts her eyes quickly, almost as fast as the heat rises to her cheeks and leaves her a nervous wreck.

"You've got to be kidding. You've got Fushiguro too worried to be thinking about something so ridiculous."

"I had to try. How about this? I'll go to Tokyo, talk to Megumi and the clan members, see what I can do about Hideki-kun. But I'll stay for dinner with you and the kids, how about that?"

It's quite a task, maintaining an inflexible facade, when her smile slips off so easily. Gojou knows very well what her weaknesses are and uses them to his advantage, but she can't be bothered when his request seems so innocent and she really wouldn't mind sharing a meal with him again at all.

"All right," she finishes. "But now you'll have to come with me to pick up the kids from school. I have to take them out of detention."

"It brings back memories, I also had to do it for Megumi a couple of times."

"Did Fushiguro get into trouble?"

"Yes, his bully days were a lot of fun."

Kasumi's concerned mother side is charming. Listening to her talk to the teacher who has the kids in detention took some patience on Gojou's part, and he doesn't miss having to deal with this sort of thing at all. At the time he was trying to get them off his back as quickly as possible, with work he pretended to understand the severity of Megumi's actions although the truth is that he saw no reason to keep him after school.

Crossing his arms, biting his tongue, Gojou listens to the reprimand Kasumi receives and it doesn't take him long to realize that they are harsher with her than they were with him, years ago. Maybe it's because she's a shaman, and this teacher knows it. Perhaps it is also because she's a woman and much more is expected of her as a tutor than anyone ever intended of him. It's hard to get it right, to know if it's one option or the other or perhaps a mixture of the two. However, Kasumi manages to maneuver the conversation with dignity and ends up getting the three children into the back seat of the car.

"You did too well," Satoru congratulates her, climbing into the passenger seat. This time he remembers to fasten his seat belt, although it wasn't difficult, considering that all the children did it at the same time. "We could sue the school for the bullying Hiro receives, do you want to borrow the clan's lawyer?"

"I'm not suing the school, Gojou. It's the only school in the area..."

Satoru leans back against his seat and looks at the quiet trio behind him. They look so apologetic that the idea of buying dinner occurs to him, but then he remembers that he has no money, nor does he have a working cell phone. Returning to Tokyo at this point becomes more obligatory, and while Miwa is no MeiMei, he needs money to woo a woman.

Upon arrival, Kano is already at home, sitting on the couch with the knot of his tie undone. He sees them, as they make their way through the living room and looks back at Gojou, arches an eyebrow and before the question his mind is clamoring to utter can be heard, Satoru interrupts him.

"I'm invited for dinner, Kano-kun, are you glad?" he asks with both hands in his pockets, crouching down to his height.

"Whatever, today it's Kasumi's turn to cook."

Unsatisfied with Kano's unwillingness to argue with him, he turns his attention to Kasumi and the children. He listens to her attentively as she sends them to their rooms to change on the second floor. He sharpens his ears over the children's footsteps, running quickly, tossing their uniforms into their bedrooms. And as he does so, he sees out of the corner of his eye Kasumi check some messages on her cell phone, turns around and leaves for her dorm.

Satoru has no choice but to sit next to Kano on the couch. Perhaps too hopeful that the world would stop again with his arrival. He can't expect Kasumi to stop working or babysitting to focus on him, and he finds it hard to admit that he needs a little more attention.

Since they arrived in Kyoto, he hasn't had more than a few minutes alone with her. And maybe that's something he should get used to if he really intends to be part of this family. Although, to be honest, he would never have expected to find Miwa with three adopted children. In his imagination, lost inside that seal, he only saw himself, Kasumi, Sochi and Kano.

"Hey..." a whisper suddenly interrupts his musings. Gojou turns to Kano and finds in his expression an uncomfortable mix between uncertainty and annoyance.

"What?... Are you mad at me?"

"Lower your voice... No, I'm not, why would I be? Did you do something wrong?"

"No, I didn't do anything. Why are we whispering?"

"Because I don't want Kasumi or the children to hear."

"A secret?" Gojou whispers with a smile.

"What do you want with my sister?"

He had never been scolded in this way by a boy so many years younger than him. Gojou doesn't realize it, but a slight color paints his cheeks as he remains silent, not knowing exactly what he should answer. Forbidden to tell the truth, by an express promise with Kasumi, Gojou answers the first thing that comes to his mind and tries not to babble, although he feels his tongue tangled inside his mouth.

"We're friends."

"Friends," Kano answers, narrowing his gaze, spitting the word out cynically.

"That's right... don't you have friends, Kano? Are you one of those who don't believe in friendship between man and woman?"

"Of course not, I do have female friends. But I don't look at my friends the way you look at my sister. Do you think I haven't noticed? I've suspected it since the first time I saw you and you're still the same shameless sensei from that time."

"Kano, you have a brilliant imagination. I'll be the first to buy your manga when you get a company to publish them."

"I don't write that kind of manga, I write shonen... Hey, don't change the subject!"

"What are you arguing about now?"

With a sigh and utter exhaustion Kasumi's voice breaks into the conversation. With intrigue Gojou smiles in the direction of the younger one, he can't even hold Kasumi's gaze and probably doesn't know what to answer her.

"We were talking about the plot of Kano's manga. Sounds interesting, Kano's mind is exceptional for fiction, don't you think, Kasumi-chan?"

"Oh, yes. Kano has always had a very vivid imagination."

"It must be because I'm very observant," he replies, pointing over his right eye. "I may not have six, but I can see better than you think I can. And I'm watching you with my eyes wide open."

"That sounded ominous," Gojou replies.

"Yes, how creepy."

"Since when did he get so scary?"

"Over the years it has become more..."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not listening!"

A warm breeze comes down the corridor as the front door opens. Just by seeing Kasumi's smile, Gojou intuits that it's Sochi. The young man arrives, sweaty and tired, but with a widened smile on his face, one that seems to light up even more from just seeing Gojou sitting on the couch at home. He drops his backpack on the floor and plops down next to the sensei.

"I was afraid you were gone and I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to you."

"I'll stay for dinner and then go back to Tokyo, but I'll be back soon."

"Shall we play? I have a PS4 now."

"Sure! Oh... uhm... do you have homework?"

"I don't."

"Then let's play."

He has always found war games entertaining, even interesting, but after only three days of experiencing one, they don't seem so realistic to him. He finds himself making mental comparisons constantly. The booms, the explosions, even the perception of colors seems inappropriate to him and he unwittingly relives those last moments in his mind. It seems that he only got out of there an instant ago, that in his last blink of an eye he was sealed. He feels a strange throbbing in his chest, too loud for such a quiet moment. He swallows, feels again under his nose the stench of blood, the deep, unmistakable smell of iron. The incomparable, putrid stench of burnt human flesh, consumed to ash. A lump closes over his wipes his palms on his thighs and takes joystick again. His eyes are glued to the screen, yet his mind suddenly switches off.

"Gojou-sensei," he hears in a distant place, "Gojou-sensei," repeats and he seems to wake up, "you haven't played in a while, have you? You're losing."

"Right..." he comments and tries to smile. "I got distracted for a moment, but don't be over confident. In the next round I'll tear you to pieces."

Even though they haven't been scolded at home, Hiro and Usagi keep too quiet. They go downstairs after changing and sit at the table to finish their homework, watching out of the corner of their eyes and Sochi plays with Gojou.

For some reason the shaman is unable to control his palpitations, constantly wiping his hands on his pants as his fingers slip on the joystick buttons. His senses feel sharper than usual. He can clearly hear the dishes in the kitchen, the sauce bubbling, the smell of fried chicken fills his lungs and he blinks a couple of times as his vision suddenly blurs.

His body begins to feel lethargic, the muscles completely exhausted.

By the time the meal is ready, he has already played at least three games with Sochi, but could only beat him the last one. The only thing he can assume is that he's rusty, he has gone years without playing video games and Sochi has probably gotten better in this time.

With the plates laid out on the table, he takes the opposite chair from Kano again. Kasumi refills his plate, the same way she did in the morning and pours him a glass of water.

"Fried chicken always lifts their spirits," says Kasumi, smiling at the children.

"Careful, Hiro, you're going to stain your shirt," Kano says.

"I've become very good, I beat Gojou-sensei twice."

"You spend too much time playing video games. You should concentrate more on school."

"But it's a special day, Gojou-sensei is back!"

"I want to play with Gojou-sensei too..." Usagi says in a distressed tone. "I want to play those games too!"

"You'd better play something that suits your age, Usagi," replies Kano.

"It's not fair! Sochi's been playing them since he was my age!" Usagi shouts, raising an accusing hand and pushes her glass.

The plates on the table are swept away in an instant, as if an invisible shockwave had exploded, at the same time as the glass bursts against the floor. The table squeaks on the floor, moving half a foot against Kano. Sochi and Kasumi's chairs do the same. Food splatters on the table and a couple of chopsticks fly across the room.

Gojo stands perfectly still and watches as everything around him moves away from him. His technique activating and expanding involuntarily. He looks up and stunned at the expressions of the children and Kasumi. He turns to the latter, bringing his attention to her perplexed gaze, clinging to the chair that was suddenly dragged against the wall.

"What was that?!" Kano exclaims.

Kasumi quickly rises from her seat and walks over to him. With the infinity deactivated, she looks him in the eyes and realizes instantly that he didn't expect this to happen either.

"Are you okay?" She asks him and takes his face in both hands. She lifts the messy hair that covers his eyes and observes the dark bags under his eyes. "You don't have a fever, how long have you been without sleep?"

"I don't know, since 2018," he answers and laughs, but this doesn't cause Kasumi any amusement.

He suddenly remembers perfectly what happened the last time he went three days without sleep. He feels Kasumi's warm hands on his skin and his heart rate begins to normalize. He wipes away his smile just by seeing her face, so worried and dismayed that he comes to feel guilty that he likes her reaction.

"Did I worry you, Kasumi-chan?"

"Of course..." she replies, lifting the corners of her smile, "I can't send you to Tokyo like this, I'll talk to Fushiguro. Stay over tonight and come back tomorrow morning."

"I guess I can make that sacrifice..."

"Fine, but he stays in my room," Kano bursts out, arranging the things on the table.

"That was really strange..." says Usagi, using a napkin to clean up and Kasumi leaves to come back with a broom to pick up the things that have been left scattered on the floor.

"Don't feel bad, Gojou-sensei," Sochi says, bringing his plate over to him. "When we moved I dropped the box with the dishes and we ate on plastic plates for two months."

Despite smiling at this comment, Gojou is not entirely reassured. It is the first time in his life that he has lost control of his powers in this way. Had the outburst been more serious, the situation could have been grotesque. Something in him suddenly awoke, as if his body naturally sought to protect itself from some surprise attack.

After so many years of having been close to death, it is strange that now that memory seems so close. That even a fiber of his body is contemplating the idea of being attacked from behind.

Dinner continues without major inconvenience. And although everyone seems to be taking the situation too well, Gojou perceives on him fleeting glances full of concern and curiosity. Satoru observes, at the end of dinner, how the children diligently lift the dishes and he remains seated without saying a word, with his technique completely deactivated and keeping special attention on the course of his cursed energy.

Kano walks to the second floor and returns with a few changes of clothes that he hands him disinterestedly.

"Put these on, I think they'll fit you," he says, as if trying not to sound polite.

"Thank you, Kano-kun."

"And this," he says, handing him a charger. "Maybe it'll work."

Gojou looks at the charger tab with a smile, though he's not sure if the cell phone will turn on. He leaves for the bathroom, puts on Kano's clothes and follows him to his bedroom with some blankets and a pillow that Kasumi gave him after calling Megumi.

Satoru arranges his makeshift bed next to the nearest power outlet, plugs in his cell phone and smiles as he sees the battery symbol glowing on the split screen. He impatiently turns it on, lying on the floor with his chin on the pillow.

"You should be sleeping, isn't that why you're spending the night here?" Kano questions, getting into bed.

"I've always had trouble sleeping."

"Kasumi won't be happy."

"Are you gonna tell on me?"

"Just let me sleep, I have to work tomorrow. That's what grown-ups do."

Trouble sleeping begins to seem an understatement to him after two hours. He has his own room since the College of Sorcery took over financially and has always been a light sleeper, which is why he wears such thick curtains, as he tends to wake up at the first ray of sunlight. He tosses and turns on the mattress, back and forth, listening to the videos Satoru plays on his cell phone, catching up on everything that's happened in the country during his absence, though he'd expect him to be leaning towards national security issues and not viral videos.

"Could you turn that thing off?"

"Huh? You're still awake? Go to sleep, you have to work in the morning."

Satoru's comment only further unnerves him. Kano sits on the mattress and throws his pillow towards Gojou, but he doesn't touch him and this irritates him.

"Enough, I've been too nice to you already," he says, getting out of bed in his shorts. "Go sleep in the living room, on the couch!"

"That's no way to treat guests, Kano. Sochi has more manners than you."

"Manners?! You dare to talk about manners?! Get out of my room!"

Gojou twists his lips and sighs, though he ends up getting up from the makeshift bed he set up on the floor and leaves Kano's room. As he leaves, he feels the door close behind him and stands in the middle of the corridor where the rest of the children's rooms are. He walks down the stairs in the dark and comes back to the living room, throws his pillow on the armrest and lies down with his cell phone still in his hands. His feet stick out on the other side and he squirms as it's a bit narrow for someone of his build, but he doesn't complain. He knows he's earned it.

"What was that all about?"

Kasumi's voice makes him smile. He sits up on his elbows and sees her under the frame, arms folded, dressed in her nightclothes.

"Did you hear?"

"Yes, did you fight with Kano?"

"He's a bit temperamental."

Kasumi sighs and watches him hunched in that uncomfortable position on the sofa.

"Come to my room, I can't let you sleep there," a slight wave of heat rises in her chest and cheeks as she sees Satoru's eyes get bigger. "D-Don't imagine things..."

"I didn't, did you?"

"Stop... are you going to sleep in my room or not?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answers, jumping up to come after her with his blanket and pillow under his arm.

The door to Kasumi's room creaks as she pushes it, Gojou inhales the scent of perfume and walks slowly. He looks at the unmade bed, the shelves with books and the picture of her family next to a lamp that gives off warm light and bathes the walls in amber. He closes the door behind him and turns to look at her, sitting shyly on the mattress.

Without saying anything, he spreads the blankets on the floor and lies down, but when he is about to glance at his cell phone again, Kasumi takes it gently from his hands and turns it off to leave it on to the bedside table.

"That will only keep you from sleeping, you need to rest."

He rests his face on one hand and looks shamelessly at Kasumi's bare legs, then raises his pearly gaze to her face and smiles at her. He finds it impossible to stop thinking about things that she would probably consider impertinent, things that would make her embarrassed and the prospect of again being sent to sleep on the couch is not one that appeals to him.

"If we shared a bed, I think I would sleep better," he replies, unable to control the urge.

"Gojou..." she utters in a strange tone and he expects another rebuff, "How are you feeling?"

"Huh? Well, the floor is a little hard, but..."

"I didn't mean that... You want to talk? I mean... you spent a lot of time sealed up and I know when you came out you didn't have the best welcome. I guess it must be hard... and you haven't given yourself enough time to..."

"I'm fine, Kasumi. I'm..."

"The strongest, I know. Still... I can't help but wonder what it was like for you..."

"The seal?" She nods, he leans back again and gazes up at the ceiling. "The seal is an infinite world filled with corpses; the smell is putrid."

"Was it a flicker? I read that time does not pass in there."

"It's true, inside the realm prison time doesn't pass, but it's different from what you imagine. It's not as if time is standing still, as if nothing is moving. The passage of time feels the same as it does now, after all the concept of hours and minutes are nothing more than a social construct to give some sense to the days and nights. The only difference is that there my body didn't age, time passes and matter remains in the same state, if it is decomposed it doesn't continue its cycle as it would outside the prison, if it's alive, it remains alive. I felt no hunger, no thirst, I didn't need anything on a physical level. But my mind was still functioning the same way it always has. The exhaustion was simply..."

"Mental. I understand, I was afraid of that."

"Did you miss me?"

Despite the dim light in the room, Satoru clearly notices the way Kasumi rolls her eyes omitting to answer his question. Kasumi is still a bit amazed at the gall he has to question her like that, as memories of that conversation that arose moments before the Shibuya incident still linger in her. However, at this instant, she doesn't feel like go back to scolding him about this quality that is so much his own. She can't help but wonder how deep are the wounds Satoru is hiding, or of which he is still unaware.

"Just close your eyes and sleep, is that so hard?"

"Actually, as I've already gone several days without sleep, it's a bit difficult."

"Maybe a hot drink will help you fall asleep."

"You know what might help me?"

"What?"

"Lie down with me," he replies, moves aside and pats the space left.

Satoru is surprised to see her pondering this proposal, amazed that she might actually be considering it, and his heart stops as he watches her lie down on the blankets beside him. Expectantly, he watches Kasumi's right hand rise to his face and feels her touch, covering his eyes.

"When I brought Hiro home, he was having trouble sleeping too. So, we slept together for a week... those were hard days for him, so I tried everything I could think of to make him feel at home. He told me that his mother used to stroke his hair when she tucked him in, so I did it every night until he could sleep alone.

"Are you going to stroke my hair?"

"If it helps you sleep, I might. But don't try anything weird or you'll sleep outside, got it?"

"Got it."

He closes his eyes, breathes deeply the scent that Kasumi's unblemished skin exudes, breathes slowly and feels the soft touch of her digits on his messy hair. He listens to her carefully as she whispers and begins to feel his body relax completely.

"Take a deep breath and try to rest," she tells him in a tone he has never heard her use before. "It may be hard for you to admit that you are afraid of waking up and being there again, maybe you don't even know you are afraid. But don't worry, when you wake up, you'll be here. Nothing bad is going to happen, don't worry, just try to sleep once... for a whole night."

N/a: Thank you Mint Esthele for your wonderful comments as always. Hope you liked this chapter!