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Is killing people really that important to you? Thom asked.

Eara sighed. "Which might be valid if I had even so much as flirted with him before. This is the first time anything like this has happened. If he's just pissed I'm not easy, he can cry about it, but this honestly IS the first time anything has happened between the two of us. He can go ahead and worry it might become future behavior, if he wants to lose sleep over something so silly... One time shouldn't be anything. Had I done this twice, I'd start to worry. Either way. If Kazuhiko's in trouble, my obligation's owed to both of them. If Kazuhiko doesn't survive, Fir doesn't. I don't. Bottomline... Kitaria left him in charge of Kazuhiko. He had just gotten back from fighting DEMONS, and three people were dying! What does he expect me to do??? I mean hell, the kid's hard enough to take care of as is. I CAN read thoughts sometimes, but not all the time. I'm not Kazu-kun... When I heard him, the only thing I could focus on was trying not to panic."
Kazuhiko sorta grinned at this, watching from over with his parents. "I'm just glad you guys came sorta fast. I was scared." he admitted quietly. "All the grownups I knew 'cept Susan were dying or hurt."
"Vacation is definitely in order." Morrigan agreed. "Kazu-kun, where do you want to go?"
Kazuhiko frowned. "Far, far away." he answered promptly. "Because Kit-Kat's gonna drag me back and I'm not visiting your---my--home with the Fae. For a long, long while, actually. No. Not a chance."
Morrigan raised an eyebrow at this. "Been bad, huh?"
Kazuhiko just bit his lip.
"Ohhhhhhhhh, you're in tr~oub~lleeeee..." the priestess sang, shaking her head. "Tuatha don't take kindly to rebel-hunters, kiddo. You're gonna have to face them eventually."
Kazuhiko wrinkled his nose. "Da wants to come with."
Morrigan shook her head. "No, no. They wouldn't let him leave. They'd get pissed. If there was fighting.... No, bad idea."
"Bad idea." Kazuhiko agreed, crawling up into her arms. "Bad bad idea!"
"Uncle Gwyllo or Fir." she suggested after a long pause. "Gwyllo's respected by the Old Folk. He hasn't changed much. Fir.... well..."
"No, Fir would s**t himself." Eara shook her head. "Seeing his dad was bad enough... Seeing Kit and ALL of the ******** that." Kazuhiko chirped loudly.
Morrigan raised both eyebrows, glancing to Po-ar. "He learning this from you, or me? Or Fir...?"
"All." Kazuhiko beamed. "Bad word?"
"Terrible." she frowned. "Say it again, you're gonna be in a shitload of trouble kiddo."
"You say it."
"I'm a grownup. When you're a grownup, you can cuss all you want, so long as it's not in front of anyone important." Morrigan handed Kazuhiko off to Po-ar.
The kid hardly acted up around him. He seemed to enjoy rebelling against Mor from time to time; he didn't have the fear of her he had of Po-ar.
He knew Morrigan couldn't resist the cuteness, being her first born.


Yuki blinked in utter disbelief. "No way." she shook her head. "How??? How can something like that even exist?? I mean, I could understand the Tree, and how that brought Aled-sama back.. but... A cauldron???"

Yuki nodded. "I like Kazu-kun." she agreed quietly, closing her eyes. Watari's shoulder was awfully comfortable. "He's never given anyone any reason not to trust him... If... if you say you're coming back, I believe you." she decided after some thought. "I don't know what I'd do or think otherwise."
She enjoyed being this close to him; there was something so simple and pure about it.. Genuine, but bittersweet.
She still kept close to him, as if she feared he was mistaken.
She didn't know what else to say. He had practically already seen her at her weakest.... He was her weakness.
Obviously, she liked him a lot more than she knew how to show.

Mor nodded. "He most certainly won't go alone." she agreed. "But with the way Fae time and Earthly time run... well, it may seem a lot longer to us than to him." she sighed. "If the Tuatha call him, there is very, very little we can do about it, sweetheart. We'll keep Gwyllo around him more often, at the very least."
Kazuhiko wrinkled his nose. "He'll side with Kit! Are you KIDDING?!!"
"He was the Champion of his tribe. Of course I'm not---plus, he knew how to talk to Kitaria. He was better friends with her than any of us!"
"Not me." Kazuhiko stuck out his tongue. "But NOW she's gonna be maaaaaaaaaaaad...."
"How many rules exactly DID you break?" her eyes leveled on him, faintly glancing to Po-ar.
"Ummm..... I lost count.... but.... trust me, it's a lot. I know I've given away my powers to at least three or four different people at least three times each. So.... That, plus the fact I've brought back so many dead people and will be bringing back Mizu-san shortly.."
"Mizu-san?"
"Watari! Wata-san, Mizu-san, duhhhh... But yeah. Him. And all that soul-work stuff with Ojisan. The fact that no one's doing anything about Herne right now." he bit his lip. "Ummm... Lemme think... I've put over 6 billion lives in jeopardy with people trying to get my Hunter powers. Over ten times. I think each person counts for that rule...so... I'm really in trouble."
He might've been harder on himself than the Tuatha would be....
............Maybe.
"For now, we'll go on vacation." she decided. "Somewhere warm, how about that?? A different planet entirely. We'll take our time before going back to Earth."
"Fir says Kit's a b***h." Kazuhiko announced almost randomly. "We stay away for as long as possible."
"Kazu-kun..."
"WHAT?!! He DOES!"


The other Kazuhiko nodded to Bright Eyes, biting his lip. "I trust him." he decided, "But I don't trust Pixy-stix at all. Nope. I don't like her right now. She came here looking like she wanted to fight, says things to instigate. She's a rude houseguest. I don't really like that. My people would've kicked her out if she acted like that..."
He wasn't very happy at all.
"I don't like allies fighting in my own house. I fight everywhere else as it is... I just want peace. This is the only place I can find it sometimes."

Yuki was nothing but a gigantic red ball of blushing flesh. If she had still been wearing her glasses, they would have easily steamed up.
She blinked up at Watari, too shocked (but pleased) to know what to say---she just stared at him in disbelief.
She had a hard time believing what had just happened, happened.
She traced her lips with her fingertips, looking at Watari's knees shyly. "F... for.... for what...?" she stammered, peeking up at him shyly. She was starting to play with both of their hair now; hers dark, disheveled, and absolutely a mess, and his, golden and soft like gold silk.
He sorta reminded her of some of the large catlike creatures on the planet. From what Kazuhiko told her, they were like something called lions on Earth.
Not knowing what else to do, Yuki hugged Watari as tightly as she could. Who cared what he was thanking her for---he was going to die.
She'd make sure he didn't go without knowing anything she'd regret not saying.... Just in case.
All this cauldron talk was highly skeptical. She wasn't sure whether to believe it or dismiss it as the ramblings of a highly, highly spazztastic kid.


Kazuhiko nodded. "I did. But Watari still almost died. At least in my possession, I would've never allowed Konton to get so close." he frowned, thinking it over. "Especially since Watari is almost powerless otherwise, although his gun is powerful. Yeah. That could've been a REALLY big screwup Da..."

All while Kazuhiko babbled on, Shiori, still in the lab with Aled, had fallen asleep. The woman looked tired and dirty, covered in some of Watari's blood; her devotion to Aled was unwavering, despite her betrayal.
It was hard to make anything out of her. One minute she seemed to be his greatest enemy; the next, his greatest follower.
Right now, it was hard to hate her---although not impossible. She had crawled into the spacious cot with Aled, tired and sore, and rested her head so she could hear his heartbeat.
It wasn't very much unlike when they had first met a few weeks before, and had been confined to the same bed together.
She seemed very petite and delicate next to the Ou, pale and ethereal. No lie, both of them could've passed for dead save for the steady, rhythmic rising and falling of their stomachs as they breathed. For all of her sins, Shiori clearly felt something for the Ou. The fact she couldn't kill him, and even tried to fight Aoki herself....
Even with the cuffs on, she didn't doubt Aled was stronger than she. There weren't too many people she COULD fight without simply begging for trouble. She had nearly fallen to her death to save him...
Like he had predicted, she had betrayed him....
But like he also predicted, she had come back, and would be seeking his forgiveness for months.

"Look how sweet..." Kazuhiko whispered. "Aled doesn't like a lady he's absolutely positive he can trust at first. He likes that trust to be earned... I think Shi-chan earned it."
He didn't really elaborate into what he saw passing through her mind, but he seemed sad watching it. "Aoki attacked here while we attacked Konton, Da." he murmured, glancing to him. "Shi-chan betrayed Ojisan and put those cuffs on... but she saved him from Aoki too. Saved Mizu-san. Almost died. Ojisan needs to teach her how to fly. Can we help??"

Yuki blinked. "You never need to thank me for that." she whispered. "Even if I didn't want to, I can't help myself. Someone has to take care of you, if you refuse to do so..."
She paused, looking up at him with a warm, albeit sad smile. "I still can't believe I got to be kissed by my idol." she laughed softly, blushing. "You have no idea how long I wanted to be your assistant... Wanted to know what you were thinking.... What your job was like..."
She gently kissed his forehead, leaning her own against his. "I can't wait until you come back, Watari-kun... We'll try and analyze this poison. I swear we'll find a cure, don't worry..... but.... how did you know about it beforehand?" she noticed that glaring detail, "This isn't the first time you dealt with.. is it Konton?"

Shiori woke up almost immediately under Aled's shifting; she looked so relieved to see him. "Aled-kun...!" she whispered breathlessly, "Youkatta... Youkatta... Daijoubu ka, Aled-kun?? Po-ar-san and Morrigan-san came back..." she added, biting her lip. "Gomen nasai... I... I know... you probably, want to know why I'd do that to you..... and... and... it wasn't a good enough reason to kill you, no matter what Aoki or Konton tried to say or do. Aled-kun, gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen, gomen nasai..."
She gently held his hands in hers, her eyes the picture of utter heartbreak. "I... I know that... that you don't have to forgive me, and perhaps you shouldn't, but, but I was only doing it to get better.... I... I don't think I'm going to make it through the month." she whispered. "I was desperate... but... not that desperate...Aled-kun, please, forgive me, I'm begging you... I do love you. I have no doubt about that... I couldn't kill you, I couldn't let Aoki hurt you. I decided I'd rather die myself..."
Her hands were trembling, her eyes starting to well up with tears. "I'll do anything it takes to earn your trust back, Aled, anything, absolutely anything...!Gomen nasai, Aled-kun, gomen nasai...!"
Despite her attempts to hold back her tears and stay dignified, Shiori couldn't help it.
She began crying, absolutely destroyed by guilt and shame.
"Gomen nasai...!"

Kazuhiko nodded, quietly watching the couple. "Agreed." he snuggled Po-ar. "Plus she's almost defenseless since she's sick... Aoki almost killed her! She fell from REAAAAAAAAAALLLLY high!" he declared, loud enough for Aled to hear. "She wouldn't kill Ojisan, and tried to fight Aoki herSELF! She doesn't have any way TO fight! She was being silly, I don't know what she was thinking, but at least Ojisan is alright... We need to make sure next time she can fly, and maybe learn how to use a ki-gun like Mizu-san. THAT way if anything bad happens to Ojisan they won't be able to hurt him at all!"

Kazuhiko simply pointed to Shiori, who had quickly silenced at that single word.
She trembled slightly, lips pursed as she watched Aled. She was still crying, although at one point she could only look to her knees and close her eyes, trying to summon up some form of self-control.
She eventually was able to watch him with uncertain, grieving eyes, unsure of how he would respond to her.
"Shi-chan has a very, very open mind right now. She can't stop thinking of it... There's a good chance Aoki or Konton himself might come after her again. Aled may not be able to protect her from them... but... she does love him. He's her last hope and ally. Well, except me. I won't let them hurt her, she needs to stay here." he frowned. "Here she's safe... sorta... Out there, she's good as dead, from either sickness or Aoki and Konton, which or whoever gets her first."
Morrigan frowned. "Hn..."
"No, she's trustworthy Mum." Kazuhiko insisted. "She's trustworthy. It's just cause she's really, really, REALLY sick Mum. That's all. She got scared."
The boy had some disturbing insight into people without them even knowing.
It almost made one wonder how much he knew about them or anyone else.
"She's the loudest of everyone here right now." he decided after a while. "She's terrified."

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "Wait... the sexy thing?" she blushed slightly, taking her glasses back. "If that reason is what I think it is, I should have to thank him..."

Kazuhiko shook his head. "She didn't fail him. She was just looking out for me..." he sighed. "That's his responsibility too. Even if she had to do it, she didn't want him to lose face with Kit-Kat. Doesn't matter. I practically wrecked him with my actions alone." he bit his lip. "I'm so ******** nodded slightly, sighing. "If the kid would've been able to hold off another hour..." she started to blush, shaking her head. "Things would've been a lot different." she whispered so only Julius could hear.
Julius was her confidante, commander, and overall friend. She trusted him intrinsically.
She was quiet for a while, thinking over things. "You better get Pixel off my back though." she warned him. "I don't want to fight her out of respect, but I'm not her rat. The way you deal with things solves the problem at hand. She just exacerbates."
It was clear she wasn't exactly fond of Pixel for obvious reasons. "She's never really liked me from the start, anyhow. I'll deal with you. I'll deal with Fir. I don't see any reason why she needs to get involved. You're my commanding officer, I'm your rat, Fir's rat, and apparently he feels I failed him. Well, to hell with him---he hasn't seen anything yet, so I promise that next time neither of you will be disappointed."
Dealing with Julius was like dealing with liquor.
Might be rough at first---but after a second, it went down strong and smooth with a bit of a kick.
"Deal?" Eara could only offer a smile. "Although I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna take me a minute to fully forgive Fir for some of the bullshit he pulled. Kazu-kun nearly sends me into a panic attack every time he calls..." She paused, her voice lowering as she looked up at Julius. "I swear to the gods I expect him to be hurt one of these times, and in the position where there's nothing I can do. Either of them. If I can't take care of Kazuhiko, I sure as hell can't take care of Fir, Jules..."
She swallowed hard at that, her eyes revealing she obviously had a lot on her mind. "With our family's weakness to poisons... It wouldn't be very hard to take Kazu-kun out, Julius. There would be such a narrow time frame for either saving him or bringing him back... Even if we do start over, which I'll be glad when we do, there are very few things that worry me like that does."
Kazuhiko seemed so happily oblivious to his weaknesses; for all of his strengths, there would be a time when the child fell.. or, instead of would, could.
Just the very thought made her feel sick.