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Yuki jumped with surprise sheerly at being found; she'd been crying for a good while.
But when she tried to speak, nothing came out. Instead, she just broke down bawling, hugging and burying her head in her knees.
What COULD she say? He said so himself.
He was going to die, and there was absolutely nothing to be done about it.
He was lucky he didn't have the Hunter powers anymore--although his empathy probably didn't help---because she had never felt so much heartache in all her life.
This entire situation hurt her a lot more than she wanted to admit, or wanted him to see...
Especially after the remark that sent her bolting in the first place.

Kazuhiko paused, watching them closely.
He was still holding onto Watari's brush like a teddy bear, clinging it to his chest. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go over...
"Kazu-kun..." Morrigan knelt to his level, looking him in the eyes. "Come here, my little one..."
He hesitantly made his way over, still cautiously trying to gauge them.
"Why were you mad at me?" Kazuhiko asked Po-ar bluntly. "No one else was around to do anything. Everyone's hurt and dying."

"I can't sleep when people feel this loud." Kazuhiko protested. "Do you know what it's like when everyone's talking at once and they just won't shut up?!!!"
He held his head, sighing deeply. "I was happy to be rid of these for a second, but even going too long without my powers makes me just as mad..."
The kid was awfully tense lately.
"I'm just tired of everyone I know fighting." he added, twitching. "I'm tired of it... I'm tired of them lying to me... I know it's my fault, but I also don't know how much I love Oniisan right now. He makes me sorta mad. He doesn't love me as much as he says. I'm tired of lies."
He snuggled up to Po-ar sadly, sighing deeply. "I only know I love Bright-Eyes and you and Mum and Watari and Ojisan and Susan and Kaze-lady and the rest of my family. I know you guys love me a lot. I still don't know if I fit in with the Rats or if I'll fit in anywhere really."

Yuki tried to speak again, but, again, broke out in tears.
The only difference was that this time she hugged the scientist tightly, burying her head into his shoulder.
"H-h, how, how can, can you, you, you say, that??" she choked out, hardly able to calm down. "I'M afraid, of, of you dying, whether YOU are or not!"
Poor Yuki was a mess; she had rarely lost her composure like this. Of she and Shiori, she was the more calm and collected. Her bun was absolutely disheveled, her glasses practically falling off her face.
Apparently she also wore eyeliner, because it was running in long black streaks over her cheeks.
Awwwwww....

"How??" Yuki blinked in confusion. "How can you come back???"
She didn't know about the Cauldron yet.
She watched him, or tried to without her glasses, desperately wanting to believe him.
She seemed so forlorn at the possibility of losing him...


Kazuhiko sighed. "Something about Eara and Fi--"
"Nononono." Eara shook her head. "You forget that even happened, kiddo. Do you hear me??"
"---and Fir, and some sort of special kiss I interrupted." he elaborated shamelessly. "And Eara wanted to come home but Fir didn't and so Eara got mad and so Fir was mad at HER when REALLY he should've been mad at ME."
Eara had disappeared just like that, actually, heading off to Aoki's old room.
She didn't even want to think about it.
"So I'm mad at him because he didn't REALLY want to help me but he blames Eara instead of me. It doesn't make any sense."

Eara shook her head. "He got pissed I'd rather help Kazu-kun." she twitched. "I don't regret wrecking the bike at all. He ******** deserved it...."
Kazuhiko grinned widely. "Hi Ju-Ju Beans."
He did have an odd way of nicknaming them all after candy...
"Well, his thoughts said different. He didn't want to be here." Kazuhiko proclaimed shortly. "I'm maaaaaaaaaaad at him now. Wendy HAD to help the lost boy! I was SO lost!"
"Hey, kiddo." Eara scooped him up into her arms, looking eye-to-eye with him. "You know if you EVER need anything, I've got your back. I'm just glad you all came back alive... Your mother especially."
"I didn't think she was coming back for a minute too." Kazuhiko sighed, snuggling her. "You HAD to be here."
It was clear who's side he was on, even if Eara had been trying like hell for neutrality.
"Ehh, ******** it." she sighed, spinning him around and tossing him in the air. The entire process delighted the f#ck out of Kazuhiko; he was utterly thrilled and surprised by her affection. "It's my responsibility to look after the Hunter-to-be, isn't it?"

Kazuhiko nodded softly. "He really made Auntie Eara mad, though." he whispered. "I think it's because I'm supposed to be the Hunter. I think she got worried something bad happened to me... I don't usually freak out like this... but.... there's a LOT to worry about..."
Like going back to Earth.
He had to do it eventually, but he wasn't looking forward to it at all.
He was in sooooooooooooooooo much troubllleeee...
"She's not going to be very nice to him now." he sighed. "I don't know if she trusts him now."

"Now wait just a minute!" Eara snapped, setting Kazuhiko down and turning towards Patch. "The ONLY reason I wrecked his bike was because he kept saying how he didn't even want to go, how he shouldn't even take me! Kazuhiko called and asked for me specifically! What do you want?!"
Kazuhiko bit his lip. This was true, he had begged both of them to come as quickly as possible.
"And how can you call Kazuhiko's phonecall some sort of excuse?!" she fumed, "THREE PEOPLE ALMOST DIED! How is that an excuse?!! Tell me Doctor, aren't lives important?!"
Especially when Kazuhiko hadn't said whom.
She had assumed one of the three was Morrigan.
"He's the Hunter, I didn't even know if HE was hurt. When he took on the role of caring for the Hunter, he took on something MUCH more important than the Rats, as blasphemous as it is of me to say that. He dies, and Herne is almost unstoppable. He MUST become the Hunter for the stability of the planet! His safety comes first...."
She paused, softening deeply as she thought things over. "Not that I didn't feel for him. Nothing like that. But I have priorities... Kazuhiko is the only other person that comes before Fir." she sighed. "Had it been anyone else, I wouldn't have given a damn, and no, we wouldn't have had problems."
She seemed intensely bitter about the entire situation, especially having to speak about it.


Kazuhiko sighed, looking at Bright Eyes. "I really don't know." he answered her softly. "I really don't. I know for a fact I don't trust Pixy-stix at all... But I don't know about Fir. I love him too much to want to stop trusting him."

Watari carefully replaced the glasses on Yuki's nose, smiling as he did so. "Because Morrigan-san and Kazuhiko-sama have a special cauldron that can bring people back from the dead." he explained softly.

~ ~ ~

Sighing, Po-ar looked to Morrigan. "Maybe we should take a long vacation after this, ne? I think Kazuhiko needs a break from everything..."

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"Perhaps..." Itachi smiled slightly. "Though, I haven't much time for other things."

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