Chapter Forty-Eight: Transitions

I felt a little nervous as I met Ryosuke at the train station near my workplace. Even though the decision had already been made, I couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety at the magnitude of the change this would bring to my life as well as his.

"Thank you again for this opportunity," he said with a bow as I approached him; he had made good use of the money I had given him, paying his hospital expenses and purchasing a new suit for himself. Knowing my boss the way I did, I figured everything would turn out just fine.

He followed me to Hikarizaka Electrical, and we made our way to the front desk. "'Morning, Ichika; I have Sakamoto Ryosuke-san with me to meet the boss."

She looked up at me from under her light-blue bangs, and I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes; I figured it was due to the crush that the boss had mentioned a while back. "He's cleared for entry," she told us while gesturing back into the main office.

"Thank you," I replied with my best effort at a comforting smile, then gestured for Ryosuke to follow me. We headed to the back – past a familiar desk waiting to be cleaned out – and stopped in front of a familiar door, and I reached out and knocked twice. "Boss? It's Okazaki."

"Come on in, Numbers."

We entered the room to find him hunched behind his desk, papers scattered nearly everywhere. I hadn't been in his office many times, but I could tell that he must have known where each and every document rested. "Hey, boss."

"Still gonna call me that, eh?" he said before rising to his feet to gesture to the high-backed chairs on the other side of his desk. "Have a seat."

"Old habits die hard, I guess," I said with a smile as Ryosuke and I settled into the cushy, leather chairs. Truth was, I'd made it a point to not learn my boss' name; at first it was because I didn't want to get too close to any of my coworkers – with, perhaps, the exception of Yuusuke – but later it was because I didn't want to accidentally show disrespect to my superior by acting too familiar, regardless of how well we got along.

He chuckled as he fixed his gaze on me, which quickly softened. "You doing okay? Your family have enough money? I figure you must or you wouldn't have submitted your resignation."

"We're fine, boss." My trades had been going quite well – especially since the twins' birth a week prior – and my subsequent soul-searching prompted me to quit so I could spend more time with my family. It put a fair amount of pressure on me to do well in my trades, but it was a pressure that I felt like I could handle.

"So that online-trading thingy's working out for you?"

I felt my face heat up; after all, the Japanese work ethic still demanded that a man work himself to death and beyond for money, so my trading could be seen as lazy. Fortunately, the boss didn't see it that way, but it was still hard to acknowledge. "I…seem to have the knack for it."

"Good. Well, I really hope that works out for you." He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers over his stomach as he shifted his attention to our guest. "And you're Okazaki's charity case, eh?"

Ryosuke paled, and I hid a smile; the boss' humor took some getting used to, that much was for certain. "S-Sir…?"

"You think you have what it takes to take care of my books, son?"

Ryosuke gave me a nervous glance. "I do not know, sir; I do not know your specific needs, but I am willing to learn whatever I need to with a humble and grateful heart."

The boss' gaze flicked to me. "You've been coaching him, haven't you?"

"Of course I have," I retorted. "He has a history with accounting, and I think he'd be a good replacement for me."

"I disagree about the 'replacement' part, but I get what you mean." The boss sighed as he scrutinized a slightly squirming applicant. "What was your last job?" he asked. "Where did you work?"

I caught him glancing at me again and frowned. "Stop looking at me; you're making yourself look bad."

"S-Sorry, sir," the young man replied. He then took a deep breath and straightened before giving the name of his former employer.

"Hm, that's a black company, if I remember correctly," the boss mused as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk. "Was that your first job?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

As I watched Ryosuke tremble at the memories of his prior employer, the thought occurred to me that he might have been a 'broken doll' as well; not broken in the same way as Ushio, of course, but still 'broken'.

"Well, we're not like that around here," the boss remarked as he got to his feet and began to pace; I recognized the behavior as what he did when agitated and needed to burn off excess energy. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, but that's all in the past now; you do good work and you'll get good pay and a reasonable amount of time off for your wife and kid."

"I-I understand, sir."

"And you'll have this guy to deal with, teaching you," he added while waving a hand toward me. "Okazaki's promised to stick around as long as needed until you're comfortable with your position."

I smirked inwardly but managed a neutral expression as Ryosuke looked from one of us to the other with obvious confusion. "Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding something here, but it sounds like you've already decided to hire me. Um, sir."

"That's because I have," the boss said matter-of-factly.

"S-Sir…?"

The boss gestured to me again. "Okazaki here has worked for me for a long time, and my company has benefitted greatly from his decision-making abilities; if he says you'd be a good fit for this job, then as far as I'm concerned you'll be a good fit."

Even though he'd told me such in my first conversation with him regarding Ryosuke, the statement still touched my heart. "Thanks, boss."

He gave me a wink before returning his attention to his new employee. "So, you think you can work with an annoying old fart like me?"

Ryosuke paused for a moment, then rose to his feet and bowed deeply. "I would consider it an honor, sir."

The boss stood and returned his bow. "Then welcome to Hikarizaka Electrical," he greeted. As they both straightened he gave his new accountant a wink. "By the way, I noticed that you never disagreed about me being an 'annoying old fart'.

As Ryosuke stammered out a reply I smiled, knowing that the young accountant had a potentially long road ahead of him. In the end, however, he would be just fine.

My smile faded a bit, though, as it truly, finally, hit me: My time with Hikarizaka Electrical – all fifteen-plus years – was over.

I sighed contentedly as the church came into view; after the exciting morning at what would soon be my old office, the walk to Glory to God was a welcome change of pace. On an impulse, I glanced down into the stroller before me to check on my babies. Er, our babies.

"You sure seem to like looking at them," I heard a teasing voice say from the side, and I looked past Mika to find Ushio grinning at me. "It's like you've spent half the time watching the road and half the time looking at them."

"Well, yeah," I replied, feeling a little defensive, though I knew I didn't need to be. "I have to make sure that they can breathe, that the blanket isn't covering their faces or anything."

"Yes, Daddy," my precious now-older daughter giggled as she adjusted her grip on the diaper bag slung over her shoulder. She then looked to her stepmother. "Are you doing okay, Mika-senpai?"

"I'm fine, thank you," my bride replied, sounding a little winded even though she wasn't carrying anything. Well, not anymore. "I'm just glad to be out of the apartment again."

I grunted in understanding; after the twins' birth, my poor Mika had spent the following week shut up in our home, recovering. Our outing to the church for the official celebration of our children's birth was her first time outside since. "Well, I hope you enjoy the celebration."

"I'm sure I will," she replied as she gave my arm an affectionate squeeze. "This works out really well; the doctor told me to get exercise but not too much, so the walk to the church, followed by a rest of sorts, then the walk back home will be really good for me."

"Yeah, I think Jeff and Kyou had that in mind when they planned this," I told her.

"That was thoughtful of them," Ushio remarked as we approached the huge double doors to the church. She then hurried ahead and knocked while Mika and I waited with the stroller at the bottom of the steps; there were only about three or four steps leading up the entrance, but the landing in front wasn't large enough for all of us plus the stroller.

Less than a minute later the door opened, revealing my old sparring partner. "Hey, you guys!" Kyou greeted excitedly yet quietly, and I internally thanked her for checking her volume in light of our sleeping infants. "We've almost got everything set up in here."

Ushio stepped aside to let Mika pass, then took the door to hold it open so I could roll the stroller inside. "Thanks, sweetie," I said as I started through the door, then smiled at her blush.

"Ah, Tomoya!" Jeff greeted in much the same manner as Kyou had – excited yet muted. "Welcome! Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"No more than expected," I replied as I watched Ushio help Mika to a seat. "Thank you for setting this up for us."

"Hey, your hands have been pretty full," Kyou said, jumping into the exchange. "Besides, my nesting instincts just kicked in, and I thought they could help!"

I glanced around the lobby as we chuckled at her words. "So, where are we holding this?"

"In the sanctuary," Jeff replied as he made his way to the double doors across the room. "Even though I expect that we'll have a lot of fun, I still consider this a more serious occasion."

"I appreciate that," I said as I followed him, still pushing the stroller; apparently it had become a part of me.

I felt Ushio make her way to my side. "Let me watch them for a bit, Daddy," she offered. "You've been pushing this almost all day."

"If it's all right, Tomoya," Jeff said, "I'd like to talk with you for a few minutes before the others arrive."

I briefly considered their words before stepping aside to let Ushio take the stroller handle. "Just…try to not jostle them, okay?"

She giggled quietly. "I'll be careful."

I smiled at her and – in spite of my nearly overwhelming reluctance – left the twins in the care of their older sibling. It wasn't that I didn't trust my older daughter; it was that I was a very protective father of two very vulnerable babies.

I entered the sanctuary to find Jeff smiling knowingly at me. "It's hard, isn't it?" At my surprised blink he explained, "I've dealt with… No, that's the wrong way to phrase it. I've assisted many new parents, and their behaviors are pretty consistent: both mother and father are reluctant to leave their precious little ones in the care of anyone else…family included, in many cases."

I chuckled awkwardly at his spot-on analysis. "Well, you can add this dad to the list."

He chuckled as well as he clapped me on the shoulder; fortunately we were far enough away that we didn't have to worry about waking the twins with our conversation. "I'll keep that in mind." His expression then turned serious. "Tomoya, I can't tell you how happy I am for you. Just the other day I was remembering our first meeting, how angry and lost you were."

I felt my face heat up but said nothing; it seemed like he had more to say, and I truly wanted to hear it.

"But you've come so far in such a relatively short amount of time," he continued while giving my formerly-damaged shoulder a gentle squeeze. "And now you're taking bold steps, both financially and relationally, on a path that I don't think your old self would have dared to tread."

"That's true," I admitted, remembering with more than a little embarrassment the kind of man…no, boy, really…that I used to be.

His smile returned, and he clapped me on the shoulder once more before dropping his hand. "And now you're a married man, with a lovely wife, three great kids, and what appears to be a secure future. Good for you."

I gave myself a moment to focus on stopping the tears from forming. "Thanks."

"And not just one, but two children; a son and a daughter." He sighed happily. "You have surely been blessed, Tomoya."

"I sure have," I replied, thinking about Mika and the kids.

"But I don't think we're thinking of 'blessing' in the same way," he said carefully. "See, in the Christian faith, children are a blessing from the Lord. He has entrusted you with two of His image-bearers. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but each of us is made in the image of God. In Latin, this is referred to as the 'Imago Dei'. Anyway, God Himself has entrusted you with two of His precious creations."

I'd never thought of it that way, but I could somehow feel the weightiness of such a responsibility.

"Of course, Ushio is also a precious image-bearer as well," he remarked somewhat offhandedly.

I froze at his words; if what Jeff was saying was true, then I had abandoned someone that his god had entrusted to me. "Does…" I croaked, my throat suddenly dry. "Does that mean that your god gave Ushio to me, knowing that Nagisa would die?"

He blinked. "I hadn't made that specific connection but yes, that would have to be true. He gave her to you, presumably knowing that you had what it took to take care of her."

"But I abandoned her…"

"He knew that would happen as well," Jeff said, then gave me a lopsided smile. "Which is why He provided two wonderful in-laws to care for her while you dealt with your grief."

I sighed as I felt the pressure behind my eyes again. "But if I could have taken care of her, then I should have."

"That is also true," he conceded. Then, he wrapped an arm around me in a side hug. "Tomoya, I'm not going to claim to understand how God coordinates everything. What I can say, however, is that He works with what He has – our proverbial warts and all – for our good and for His glory."

I snorted as I dabbed an eye with the back of my hand. "Do you think…this god of yours…could really forgive me for abandoning Ushio? For smoking and drinking and working while neglecting her?"

I felt his posture shift, and I looked up again to see him gesturing to the front of the sanctuary, where the image stood of Jesus on the cross. "I'd have to say 'yes'," he replied, and I could hear a bit of mirth in his tone, causing me to chuckle, if even just a little. "If the Bible is true, then you're an image-bearer as well, Tomoya, and God desires for all of us to spend eternity with Him. Because of this desire, He did that so that around two thousand years later Okazaki Tomoya could receive forgiveness for abandoning his daughter."

I sputtered a laugh at how ridiculous his words sounded, but some part of me wanted to believe them, that I didn't have to be…to be defined by what I'd done to my poor broken doll…I blinked as I realized that, given my own history, I was a broken doll as well. "Thanks, Jeff; you've given me something to think about…again."

"I hope that I didn't come across as preachy or condescending," he said, giving my shoulders one last squeeze before releasing me; it occurred to me that he'd never been so 'chummy' with me before. "All I intended to do was congratulate you, but I guess it got away from me."

"It's fine," I replied while dabbing my other eye with a hand. "This might seem weird, but I think I needed to hear it."

"Well, I'm glad," he said, sounding genuinely relieved.

We made our way back to the sanctuary, where a small crowd had managed to gather during our absence. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep track of all of our guests, but I saw Mom and Dad Fujibayashi, Kappei's parents, Kotomi and Hanzo, and several of Mika's friends, the latter of whom had gathered around her and appeared to be talking excitedly.

There was another face there, one that took me completely by surprise. "Yo, Okazaki!"

I broke into a smile at the sight of my old 'delinquent' buddy. "Sunohara! Good to see you!" He held out a fist, and it felt good to exchange a fist bump with him in light of our…encounter at my final counseling session. "Thanks for coming."

"Hey, I wouldn't miss this for anything!" he said with a lopsided grin and a bop to my shoulder. "The boss wasn't too happy about me wanting to take a Saturday off, but I managed to get half a day so I won't be able to stay too long."

Unsure of how to respond I simply smiled and said, "Well, I'm just glad you're here."

His grin resolved into a more sincere smile. "Thanks, and…congrats, man."

"Thanks."

My hand trembled as I held the brush out toward the meimeisho; I wasn't typically prone to 'stage fright', but having so many family members around was causing me more than a little concern about my penmanship.

Before finally touching the brush to the paper I glanced over at my wife, who gave me an encouraging smile; we had talked at length about what names to give our babies. In the end, she had told me "Thank you for asking me, but you are the father so you should be the one to name them. I believe that you'll come up with good names, worthy of an Okazaki." I wasn't quite sure what me being their father had to do with it, but it sounded like something Jeff would say so I had chalked it up to his influence.

As I wrote out the characters for 'Tetsuo' I thought about our son. Like all parents, I wanted him to turn out better than I had, and I resolved in my heart to be the best example of a man that I could be for his benefit. To be strong – both physically and mentally – as well as compassionate, the kind of man that others could lean on during troubled times. A stronger man than I'd ever been. "A godly man…?" My hand paused in its journey at the thought.

"Did you say something, Tomoya?" I heard Mika ask, and I realized that I must have voiced my thoughts without meaning to.

I quickly returned my attention to my penmanship. "Sorry about that; something just came to mind."

"He'll be just fine," Kyou chimed in. "After all, he has you for a dad."

Her words touched my heart, and I had to force my arm steady to keep it – and the brush – from shaking due to the emotion.

"Quiet, please," Dad Fujibayashi intoned, followed quickly by the sounds of several hushed apologies.

I smiled to myself as I finished the first meimeisho, and then moved to the second. While I felt confident in the name I had chosen for my son, I wasn't so sure about the one I had chosen for my daughter: 'Kaoruko'. While I intended for it to mean 'Fragrant Flower Child', I was concerned that its other forms could cause confusion or outright problems in the future. A glance over at my sleeping daughter, however, blew away all of my concerns; she was, after all, my 'Fragrant Flower Child', and anyone who wanted to argue over it could 'pound sand', as the saying went and as Jeff had once explained to me.

"What a lovely name," I heard Mom Furukawa murmur, causing my face to heat up.

I finished writing my daughter's name and allowed myself to study the meimeisho. Just like Tetsuo, I wanted her to have a better life than I'd had, one filled with love and laughter, one where she could flourish just like the flower in her name.

All of a sudden I started to feel slightly dizzy, and I could see a purple-haired young man, strong and healthy, with a firm jaw and an intense yet kind expression. He wore the uniform of a high-schooler, and he was surrounded by friends, all of whom looked at him with admiration. He was a leader of men, one who commanded respect, and not undeservingly, for he was a man who put others before himself, and gave of himself and was given much in return.

I also saw a young woman with long, dark-blue hair, blue like the deepest part of the ocean, and large, purple eyes filled with innocence and honesty. She had a gentle, motherly spirit that drew others, young and old, to her bosom for care and for comfort, and her beauty was greater than that of the sakura in spring…

"Tomoya?"

I blinked, and gasped as I found Kyou's worried face inches from mine. "Wh-Wha…?"

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You stopped writing and then…"

"We kinda lost you there for a minute, man," Kappei chimed in, appearing over his sister-in-law's shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I managed, still trying to pull myself from my…whatever it was. "Sorry about that."

As the others finished setting up the food, I fell into a chair and tried to figure out what I had just seen.

And why I had seen it.

"Tomoya?"

I blinked out of my reverie to find my eyes pointed directly at the drink in my hand; I quickly looked up to Jeff's concerned gaze. "What's up?"

He appeared to study me for a minute before speaking again. "Are you okay? You've seemed distracted off and on since you wrote your kids' names."

I shook my head. "I'm fine," I said as I waved a hand. "Just a lot happening at once. You know; the babies being born, quitting my job to trade full-time, getting my replacement hired…" I shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"That's good." He continued to study me, however. "Is there…anything else?"

I sighed heavily. "I swear, sometimes it seems like you're a psychic or something." I sighed again, more noisily. "It's weird, but after I wrote Kaoruko's name, I felt weird and saw…what I think were supposed to be what they'll be like when they're older."

His eyebrows jumped. "Really? What makes you think that it was them?"

To the best of my ability, I described the teenagers that I had seen. "They basically looked like me and Mika, but with Mika's character," I concluded half-jokingly.

He chuckled along with me but quickly turned serious again. "I believe that Tetsuo and Kaoruko will benefit greatly from having you as their father." Stepping closer he added in a low voice, "Even when you were at what you consider your worst, you still cared deeply about the well-being of others." He stepped back again to clap me on the shoulder. "You will not be the 'perfect dad', Tomoya, but you will be a great one."

Something about the way he spoke caused me to pause; he spoke with such…conviction that I couldn't help but take his words to heart. "Thanks, Jeff; it means a lot to hear that from you."

"Then I'd better not say anything further," he replied with a chuckle. "I'd hate to sabotage my own efforts." We shared another chuckle, and he clapped me on the shoulder again. "Well, I'll let you get back to the party." With that, he headed over to a small group consisting of Mom and Dad Fujibayashi and Kotomi and Hanzo.

I returned my attention to my drink, only to blink in surprise at the sight of a teenager with short, blue hair grinning at me. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey, Sachi; how's life treating you?"

"Eh, so-so."

I waited, but she didn't say anything else. "So…what did you want to talk about? I'm not sure what to say, here."

Her cheeks pinked just slightly, and it wasn't hard to tell what kind of statement she was about to make. "Just confirming that Mika's a lucky girl."

I nearly spat out my drink; fortunately, I had taken only a small sip. "S-Sorry?"

She angled her head, her smile never faltering. "She is. Are you sure you don't have any brothers? Younger ones, ideally?"

"I'm pretty sure," I chuckled. "Sorry." I shook my head with a snort. "Man, you kids sure are…what word am I looking for…? 'Aggressive'? 'Assertive'?"

"I think I get it," she replied, her blush deepening. "I guess we just see an opportunity and try to grab it; we don't want to miss our chance." She sighed melodramatically. "Oh, well; I guess I'll just have to wait until Tetsuo's all grown up."

My forehead furrowed, and I suddenly felt very protective toward my baby boy. "Wh-What do you mean?"

My expression must have been unnerving, because she paled almost immediately. "Oh, I'm sorry! I was just teasing! I was just trying to say that since you're raising him, he'll be a great man!"

I chuckled lightly as my anxiety began to subside. "There's an eighteen-year difference between the two of you, you know; you'd be waiting for a while."

Her prior grin returned. "Eh, it'd be worth it."

I couldn't help but chuckle again. "Not to be rude, but I think that there's a difference between an eighteen-year-old girl marrying a thirty-six-year-old man and an eighteen-year-old boy marrying…" I trailed off at a memory, but it wasn't a memory, and for some reason my gaze was drawn to Mom Furukawa as she and Pops chatted with the Ashtons. "I…suppose… Well, we'll see what happens, huh?"

"S-Sure," she replied with a puzzled expression. "Well, catch you later; I'm gonna go talk with Mika about polygamy."

Her last comment caught me flat-footed, unable to respond, and I hoped with all my heart that she was joking.

"That was exhausting!" Mika sighed as we entered the apartment, though I waited on the porch with the twins as the women switched out their footwear. "Can I go to bed, now?"

"That was pretty exciting," Ushio agreed with a giggle before hiding a yawn behind her hand. "All the people, and the food…"

"And trying to calm these two down when Dad Fujibayashi laughed," I added; I never found out what had triggered it, but Dad had given one of his rarely-heard belly laughs in response to something that Jeff had said, and it had not only woken the twins but had apparently scared them as well. He was very apologetic afterward, but the proverbial damage had been done. "I'm just glad we were able to calm them down as quickly as we did."

"As you did," Mika corrected me with a slight pout. "I held them for ten minutes, but all you had to do was pick them up and they immediately quieted down." She humphed. "I'm starting to think that I'm a bad mom."

"You're not a bad mom, Mika-senpai," Ushio said in an effort to console her stepmother and upperclassman as they finished putting on their indoor shoes and heading further into our home. "You've already done so much for them; maybe they just needed some 'Daddy time'."

"I know, I know," my bride huffed. "I've read the material; babies can be pretty finicky about what – or who – they want at any given time, but I'm their mom."

"And Daddy's their daddy," Ushio countered, though respectfully. "And Tetsuo and Kaoruko need both of you."

Mika sighed heavily, though it ended in a giggle. "You're right, of course. I guess I'm being irrational."

"You have those kids on you for at least half the day," I pointed out in an effort to be comforting as I entered the apartment with the stroller. I then gave a lopsided grin. "I think you're entitled to be a little irrational."

Fortunately, she took my attempt at humor as intended and giggled again. "Thanks, honey; I'm starting to feel better."

"I could take care of dinner while Ushio watches her siblings," I offered while exchanging a smile with Ushio. "You could rest at the kotatsu or take a nap."

"I'm fine," my wife replied with a smile and a wave of her hand as she made her way into the living room. "Besides, if I sleep now I'll mess up what little routine I have left."

"Then I'll help you make dinner," Ushio offered, then blushed. "Though I guess I already do that, don't I?"

"And I always appreciate your help," Mika replied, then yawned. "Maybe I will lay down for about fifteen minutes; that should be enough time before Tetsuo and Kaoruko will be ready to eat again."

"Sounds good," I said as I lifted them from the stroller. "Should I move them to their crib, or do you want me to keep them out here for now?"

"In their crib should be fine," my beloved replied while stifling another yawn. "That way I don't have to go too far to get them." She then smiled at me. "Don't forget to let the ambassador and Kotomi-sensei know about our decision."

"Oh, right." I had temporarily forgotten that she and I had talked and decided to allow both of my friends to be godmothers to the twins. To Ushio as well, much to my older daughter's delight. "I'll call them after I get the kids in their crib."

The twins were placed in their cribs, where they promptly linked fingers again though they continued to sleep, and Mika went to bed after receiving a kiss from me. I then headed back to the living room and plopped into my spot at the kotatsu. I then sighed as I got up to open the curtains, and as I headed back to my seat I deliberately made a mental note to open the stupid curtains before sitting down.

Ushio emerged from the hallway and headed into the kitchen, presumably to prepare some tea. A few minutes later she emerged with two mugs, one of which she placed before me. "It was nice of you to let Sakagami-san and Gouda-sensei be godmothers to Tetsuo and Kaoruko," she remarked as she settled into her place across from me.

"Thank you," I said, unsure how else to respond. "Oh! Do you mind if I make a couple of calls before I manage to forget again?"

"Sure," she giggled. "And would you say 'hi' to Gouda-sensei for me?"

"Sure," I replied with a chuckle. "Thanks, I'll try to be quick." We had a general rule that when we were at the table, the other person would get our full, undivided attention. There had been a few exceptions, of course, but those had always been by request.

I had just picked up my phone when it rang, startling me somewhat. A glance at the screen caused my forehead to furrow. "Kyou? Huh, we just saw her earlier…" I connected the call. "Hey, Kyou; what's up?"

A hiccup, then: "Tomoya…"

The distress in her tone caused me to sit up straighter. "Kyou? What's wrong?"

"He… He's gone, Tomoya…"

I felt the blood drain from my face and I glanced across the table at Ushio, who was watching with a worried look. "Gone?" I echoed; had something happened to Jeff? I swallowed hard. "Who… Who's gone, Kyou?"

"Botan…" she whimpered between sobs. "He's… He's d-dead…"

(A/N: Sorry for the year-and-a-half wait.)