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The Epic	By : kyochan Category: +S to Z > Spiral Views: 1747 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Spiral, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Title:� The Epic

Chapter:� 10/ many

Authors:� Kyo-chan and
Koko-chan

Genre:� Shounen-ai

Disclaimers:� We do
not own the characters or the series.�
They belong to Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno.� This fanfiction is written by fans purely for
the enjoyment of fans.

Summary:� Ayumu gets
some answers for a very unexpected reason.

~*~

�� It was near
noon when Ayumu dragged himself out of bed again. He couldn't really say he
felt rested, no matter how comfortable Rutherford's
bed was. Since the nightmare had woken he and Kousuke, and that very odd span
of time afterwards, he'd felt uneasy, as if he wasn't sure what to do with
himself, much less what to do about the Blade Children that seemed to be taking
up his entire existence lately. He had to wonder if this was what it had been
like for Kiyotaka to know them. Had they been this close and this confusing
that all the circumstances had just driven him to leave and find out whatever
it was that made things the way they were? Ayumu found himself thinking just a
little that he couldn't blame his older brother, even if he did resent him for
it. The boy bristled. He wasn't going to run away, and in this he was firm. It
might actually be the first thing he could hold over his brother's head.

��

�� Nodding to
himself, he stretched and let out a yawn as he padded towards the hallway.
Today would be the day he went home and slept in his own home, in his own bed,
with his own peace and quiet. Madoka was going to be pissed when she got home,
but if he got there before she made it back from work today, he might be able
to crawl into bed without being noticed until the following morning. Firm plan
in mind, he set out to find out what Eyes Rutherford kept in his kitchen.

�� All plans
were temporarily derailed when he opened the door. Sitting cross-legged in the
hall was Kousuke, wearing nothing but a towel tied loosely around his waist,
and another over his head, with one damp red ear poking out from under it.
Water beaded along the long crimson tail and over the exotically spotted skin,
suggesting the redhead was fresh from the shower. He still looked half-starved,
and the spots did little to hide the marks of torture and mistreatment from the
lab, but at least the shoulder wound had been bandaged. He was holding one of
the Hunter's files open in his lap, expression grave as he read the contents,
absently tapping at the side of the folder with one clawed finger.

��

�� It took
Ayumu a few moments to realize that he was staring, and when he finally did, he
coughed and looked away. Unfortunately, that made his presence known, and he
cursed his half-awake state for letting the sight of Kousuke catch him off
guard. He couldn't remember if he'd seen feline features last night, but he was
at war with whether to admire the new changes or wish that Rio
had killed the Hunter a little more slowly. Even though he had a very shaky
trust of the Blade Children, that didn't stop him from thinking that what had
been done to Kousuke was not humane.

�� Kousuke
even blinked in a catlike fashion now, both eyes closing and opening in a
smooth and gradual movement. Slitted green-gold eyes glanced at the brunette, and
then turned back to the papers and photos in his hands. "Yo, Ayumu. Sleep
okay? Eyes's mattress didn't try to eat you?"

�� "No,
but all the blankets tried, I think," the boy responded, running a hand
through hair that was even more mussed than usual. "What about you?"
He wasn't going to bring up the strange little get-together they'd had last
night unless Kousuke did.

�� Kousuke
finally looked up at him and gave a pale imitation of his usual grin, but at
least it was there. He still looked tired, the shadowed rings under his eyes
not that much better than last night. "Eh, fairly well, once I stopped
being so wired from the nightmare. It was a good thing that Eyes was there to
help me calm down, or I'd probably have been awake all night, no matter how
exhausted I was."

�� "Mm."
Ayumu nodded as if he agreed with what Kousuke was saying without really
understanding it. He had a vague grasp of what had happened last night, and
from the looks of it, he was somewhere in the middle and not sure how he'd
gotten there. "At least it was just a nightmare and not something
real." Yet... he couldn't help thinking, and he wondered where that
little thought had come from.

�� Oh, it
was real all right... But telling Ayumu that would probably just unnerve
the brunette more, so Kousuke didn't voice his thoughts. Besides, there was
something else he figured he should do. After all, he owed Ayumu a great deal,
and he didn't like letting debts pile up. "Ne, Ayumu. C'mere. I want to
talk to you before the others wake up and start the normal chaos for the
day."

�� Amber eyes
blinked at Kousuke, but Ayumu came over and leaned against the wall, sliding
down so that he was sitting next to the Blade Child. "What is it?" As
usual, his mind was at work, trying to figure out what the other boy could
possibly want to talk about that required quiet. Quiet didn't seem to be
something Kousuke was familiar with.

�� Kousuke
looked at him for a long moment, obviously gathering his thoughts, before
giving a deep sigh. "Last night...Eyes smiled at me...a real, true
smile...for the first time. And I got to hear him laugh. And the ultimate cause
of him feeling free enough to do that was your Web, whether you believe me or
not. So for that, more than even saving my life, I owe you. So I'll tell you a
few hints about the Blade Children. Not much, because Eyes will skin me
if I give it all away before he thinks you're ready, but I can give you some
things to think about."

�� Ayumu took
a deep breath, having the sinking feeling that he wasn't going to like what he
heard, but that thought was countered by the good things that Kousuke had said.
Eyes Rutherford had smiled? The younger Narumi
found that a little hard to believe. Not even when he was doing what he seemed
to love, playing the piano, had he ever seen the musician even twitch his lips.
To think that Kousuke held him accountable for showing such emotion...it was a
little strange, and quite unexpected.

�� Kousuke
chuckled softly, his smile turning a little wry. "Don't feel gratified
yet. What I tell you is likely just going to make you more confused, because
it's out of context. Like riddles from hell."

�� "I
already know you're good at that," Ayumu said, letting out that breath in
a long sigh. "You're hard to understand as it is, I should only expect
consistency."

�� Kousuke
flipped him off, but didn't look particularly offended. But he soon settled and
got down to business. "First of all, no matter where you go, or who you
ask, you're going to find one thing in common between Blade Children. None of
them can dream about their future. Eyes and I can, now, but we're going to have
to get used to the idea before we do. Right now, no one else can do that."

�� "What's
so important about that? It's not as if prophetic dreams are common, and even
when they occur, the visions are short and unreliable They usually result in
very small senses of deja vu." Ayumu ran a hand through his hair, trying
to put it into some semblance of order.

�� Kousuke
rolled his eyes. "Not like that! Lemme put it this way. What do you want
to be when you grow up? Or just when you get out of high school?"

�� Ayumu
blinked, shrugging a little. He really hadn't given it any thought. Soon,
Madoka would be on his case, wanting him to find some kind of direction. These
days, it was nice just to think a day ahead and still be alive. "I
dunno... I guess I never thought about it much."

�� Kousuke
nodded. "The difference between you and us is that we can't. We
have no future."

�� Frowning
very seriously, Ayumu turned his head to look Kousuke in the eyes. "Look,
I'm not stupid. I saw the men with guns; I saw the building that was nothing
but explosives and traps. I know that whatever you guys are into, it's a life
or death situation. But I don't believe that you have no future, and obviously,
you all don't either, no matter what you say. If you all didn't believe that
you had a future, you would have let the first Hunter who pointed a gun at you
shoot you dead and nothing would have changed." His expression was
challenging. "You'll keep fighting as long as you believe you have
something worth fighting for, and the future is more than just what someone is
going to be when they grow up, or what they'll do in the next five years, two
years, next week. Your future is every second beyond this one; it's every
breath you take, every single thing you lay your eyes on. If you guys didn't
have a future, you wouldn't still be alive."

�� "What
we fight for is that future, Ayumu. And there's only a very few of us
who do. Sure, there's something in the future for us, but it won't be us
who live what is Fated, if it happens. That's why we need you." Kousuke
mentally sighed. He knew Ayumu wasn't going to understand, and probably wouldn't
until Eyes gave him the whole fucking story. But the details might get
the brunette to start thinking along the correct lines enough not to be too
shocked later.

�� "You
need me. I'm slowly getting that impression. So all those grand schemes to try
and kill me were just meant to test me and make sure that you really did need
me?" Ayumu looked away and shook his head.

�� "They
were meant to test you to see if you were strong enough. The number of Blade
Children that I currently know of that want to change Fate are...five, counting
the two from the lab. The rest, so far as I know, all believe that they have to
follow Fate, no matter what. And you're a threat to that."

�� "A
dual purpose. Test and preparation." Closing his eyes, Ayumu bowed his
head and let the hair fall so that it hid the little crease between his brows
that appeared when he was thinking too much. "But what does it matter to
them? If they believe in this...Fate...and they outnumber you, why should they
care what you few do so long as it doesn't affect them. You're not out to get
them, are you?"

�� Kousuke
shook his head. "Hell no. I like living, thanks. And explaining it would
be going into territory that Eyes would not approve. I've never seen Eyes
really mad, and I'm not going to be the one to make it happen." Kousuke
shrugged. "Second hint, you'll never find a Blade Child that really knows
his or her dad."

�� Ayumu
didn't raise his head, but under the curtain of his hair, his expression became
even more perplexed. "Not a single one? What kind of resources are you
going from? The small group here or have you known others that don't side with
you that don't 'have' a father?"

"From Kanone and Eyes. And
Kiyotaka." Kousuke replied. "They're the ones who looked, and
have the network. And no Blade Child has ever really known a father."

�� Ayumu's
mind was already working again. Did their Fate have something to do with all of
their missing fathers? "That's...confusing... but okay. It's something to
think about.'

�� Kousuke
nodded. "I warned you that most of this would just confuse you more. Now,
the third and last bit of info before Eyes wakes up and does the whole 'Death
From Above' thing for me saying anything. Do you remember what the Hunter
called me? Back when we first got into this butt wipe of a week?"

�� Ayumu
reached up and rubbed his temples, finally sitting back to lean against the
wall once more. "Not at the moment, no... but I just woke up with a lot of
information to process. Remind me?"

�� "She
called me a living weapon, and said that as such, I have no need or right to
feel concern for innocents."

�� The
brunette was quiet for several long moments. He had a single thought in mind,
but he wouldn't voice it for fear that he might be right. "I see," he
murmured after the silence. "So the Hunters understand your Fate and
that's why they're hunting you in the first place. It's a threat to those that
aren't Blade Children."

�� Kousuke
nodded. "Yup. Your third hint is that on most--but not all--levels, the
Hunter was right. And if things keep going as they are, she'll have been right
on all levels."

�� So...
the Fate has something to do with the loss of their consciousness. After all,
'living weapons' don't need emotions or dreams of the future. They don't seem
to know exactly when Fate is coming, but somehow, they think that I'm going to
stop it. But I don't know the hows or the whys... and if they won't tell me
until the right time, what if that time is too late? Ayumu had his head
back against the wall, his eyes closed, brow furrowed in that way that betrayed
how hard he was thinking, even if the rest of his expression seemed careless.

�� Since
Ayumu's eyes were closed, Kousuke took that moment to do some shameless
staring, admiring the brunette across from him. He was as beautiful as Eyes,
though in a totally different way. Eyes had a very classical type of beauty,
elegant, smooth and a little cold. Like a gemstone. Ayumu, however, held his
beauty in the homey fashion, scruffy, cute and surprisingly warm. Just the
comparison was enough to keep Kousuke puzzling at it for hours, if he let
himself.

�� "Thank
you," Ayumu said quietly. "You were right about it making things just
as confusing as they were before, but I have more to go on than I did a week
ago, so it's better than nothing."

�� The redhead
shrugged, picking up the file he'd been reading. A glance showed it to actually
be his own file, and it was currently turned to one of the more graphically
described experiments. Still, it didn't seem to affect Kousuke too much, beyond
his expression hardening just a little. "Like I said, I owed you. And I
hate to let debts sit. Interest is a bitch."

�� "That
it is." Ayumu stood up, glancing down for a moment, curiously watching how
easily Kousuke was reading his own file. "How can you do that?"

�� "Huh?
Do what?" Kousuke asked, looking up at him and giving another of those
slow confused blinks that just seemed so feline. Then he blinked again, trying
to get the hair out of his eyes. He'd need to get a haircut soon. His bangs
were beginning to get in his eyes and obscure vision.

�� "Your
files. Doesn't it bother you to read about all that they did?" It bothered
Ayumu just seeing the physical evidence. He would think that if it was his own
record, all he'd have to do is look in a mirror and know all that he ever
needed too. He didn't know if he could handle knowing the complete details.

�� "Oh,
that." Kousuke shrugged again, outwardly unconcerned, but a slightly
haunted look hovered at the back of those green-gold cat slits. "Sure,
it's a little disturbing, but when I first picked it up, I didn't know what was
in it. I just saw this stack of files sitting out in the open and got curious,
so I picked up the one on the top. And now...well, it's kind of like a train
wreck. It's disturbing, but you can't look away. Besides, it's probably best if
I know as much as I can about what was done to me, just in case problems crop
up later."

�� "You're
going to be fine," the teen said with confidence that normally wasn't
present in his voice. He thought briefly that it was strange that he had more
faith in the Blade Children than he had in himself. That might have had
something to do with the fact that they'd been fighting this for so long, and
he'd only had a slice of it and wasn't sure he could keep up for long.

�� And for
once, it seemed to be Kousuke who was lacking in confidence. Hadn't Rio warned about this? "Maybe, maybe not. All of a
sudden, I've got a bunch of new instincts and abilities that I know nothing
about. Sure, they're under control now, but my reserves are low. What happens
later, when I'm at full strength, and I get hurt or sick? What sort of things
are okay for a human, but dangerous for a nekojin and vice versa? With this
sudden ability to sense emotions, will I be able to kill others, despite
probably feeling it as they die? Or will I be totally unable, even if it
means my own life is forfeit?"

�� "There
are some things that a logical answer won't give you, Kousuke," Ayumu
said, pushing his hands into his pockets and looking down at the other boy.
"I've learned that much in the last few weeks. But if you want a logical
answer, I would say that only experience will tell you what you need to know.
You've taken the first step to learning, which isn't even something I think I
could do. The rest comes with trial, error, and someone who knows a lot about
cats."

�� Kousuke
shook his head. "Heh...that last one's going to be tricky. Blade Children
don't generally keep pets. It's too dangerous to outwardly show affection to
something like that, for fear that someone will use it against you. And I know
Eyes likes cats, but he's never kept one." That crimson tail was
lashing around anxiously, and Kousuke speared it with a small glare. That was
one thing he'd definitely have to get used to. That stupid tail seemed to have
a mind of its own!

�� Ayumu
smirked. "I'll give a look into 'Hiyono's Data' for you or something. I'm
sure girls know something about cats..."

�� Kousuke
shuddered. "No thanks. The Hiyono-girl drives me bonkers. I'll do my own
research. I am not owing favors to some crazy girl who punches with
stuffed animals."

�� That got
the other boy to smile a little wider. "I'm going to make some breakfast
before I go home."

�� Kousuke
would have replied to that, but was prevented by a loud squeal of excitement as
Rio tackled Ayumu from behind.

�� "You're
going to cook?! Wonderful!" she exclaimed, attaching herself the poor
stunned brunette.

�� "Gah!!!"
It was mere luck and the fact that Rio didn't
weigh all that much that kept him from falling flat on his face. "Uh...I
am if Rutherford keeps something worth cooking
in his kitchen here..." He thought Hiyono had a bad habit of popping up
from out of nowhere...it must have been something all girls could do.

�� "Of
course! He's got the near-impossible task of keeping Kousuke fed, after all!
He's got everything except melons!" she bubbled.

�� Kousuke
sweatdropped. "Rio, you're scaring me
with just how perky you are. Is his cooking really that big a deal? And
how long are you going to hang off him like that, anyway?"

�� Rio blinked, noticing Kousuke for the first time, and
suddenly let go of Ayumu to turn on a new target. "Kousuke! What are you
doing out of bed?! You look like crap and should be resting! But no,
you're sitting in the halls, haven't even tried to eat, and are mostly naked,
to boot! Haven't you ever heard of decency?"

�� Kousuke
crossed his arms and sulked. "I was reading some of the Hunter's files, I
don't feel hungry, and of course I know decency. I've got towels, don't
I?"

�� "Don't
give me that! If you don't feel hungry, that just means your body has forgotten
what it's like to be full! Baka! And towels do not count as decent when there's
guests around! Were you raised by wolves?!"

�� "Well,
a cat actually, if the Hunter was right..."

�� "That's
not the point! And furthermore--" Rio
suddenly paused, staring at Kousuke in a way that made the redhead very
nervous, and he squirmed a little under her gaze.

"What are you staring at?" he asked suspiciously.

�� Rio's eyes narrowed. "You're glowing. You got laid
last night, didn't you?"

�� "Na-nani?!" Kousuke sputtered, going bright red.
Had she figured out what was between him and Eyes?!

�� Rio smirked. "I'm right! You did get laid! Idiot,
you shouldn't be doing things like that in your condition! Who is she? And how
the hell did you get a woman past Eyes in the first place? Is he locked in a
closet somewhere?! Gods, you're sick!"

�� Kousuke had
gone redder and redder with each word, unable to form a reply past the embarrassed
sputtering. Rio was proud of herself. She
loved teasing Kousuke about his 'secret' relationship with Eyes. She was definitely
going to have to ask Jhette to wire the rooms for her.

�� Ayumu
nearly choked on air as she came right out and said it, turning a bright red as
he quickly remembered being sandwiched between them. What had he really come
between?

�� Rio planted her hands on her hips, looking for all the
world like an annoyed school teacher. "Well, you'd better not do anything
like that again, Kousuke! Think of the security risks! Not to mention those to
your own health! If you're just picking up girls from the street and smuggling
them in, how do you know where they've been?"

�� "RIO!!! I have NOT been picking up girls! You know
I'm gay!" Kousuke shouted, now utterly mortified.

�� "So
you snuck in some random guy?"

�� "NO!"

�� "Then
who? Hey...don't tell me you were playing around with Jhette...?"
Admittedly, that was impossible, but Kousuke wasn't going to know that.

�� "NO!
And who the heck is that, anyway?!" Kousuke wished the floor would swallow
him right that second.

�� "I
think you've interrogated him quite enough, Rio,"
Eyes's voice said from Kousuke's doorway. His elven features were tinted a very
light shade of pink, but otherwise, he wore his usual indifferent expression.
He had picked up Kousuke's over-sized green shirt from the floor and now wore
it over his pale frame, leaning in the doorframe. "I think that Kousuke
knows how to avoid unnecessary risks."

�� Ayumu put
his face in his hands and wandered quietly to the kitchen. Maybe he could get
away without being dragged into this elaborate production the Blade Children
were getting into.

�� Rio gaped for a moment, and then suddenly squealed in
delight! "This is great! I was wondering when you two would come out of
the closet!"

�� "Rio..."
Kousuke groaned, burying his face in his hands and slumping against the wall.
Even his tail and ears had gone limp.

�� Rio just gave a happy sigh. "This is so cool. I'll
definitely have to install cameras now."

�� "Over
my dead body!"

�� "Wow...do
you think Eyes would be into that?" she asked, her tone falsely innocent.

�� "RIO!!!!"

�� "That's
enough." Eyes reached down and rubbed gently at one ear to reassure
Kousuke, though he was a little flustered himself. "Rio,
you can be pleased all you like, but you know better than to make a big deal
out of this. Attachments are dangerous. Have your little celebration and then
let it go." His expression was almost pleading with the young woman.
"Especially since we're about to have some unexpected company."

�� Rio chuckled and nodded. "Hai. I'm just glad you two
found each other. All the tiptoeing was beginning to drive me nuts. By the way,
may I say that Kousuke's actually rather cute when he's purring?"� And the redhead was, leaning happily into the
touch on his ears as always.

�� "You
may," Eyes murmured, looking down at Kousuke for a wistful moment.
"After this, nothing can be said. You'll want to be on your guard."

The girl's smile faded into a look of concern. "Is
something bad going to happen?"

�� "Mph...nothing
much. Just his Great and Powerful Bastard-sama coming to
visit tomorrow." Kousuke muttered.

�� Rio looked confused.

�� Eyes
answered in one word. "Kanone."

�� Rio paled. "Why is he coming here?"

��

�� Kousuke
grimaced. "He wants to look into the mess with the Hunter and its results.
I am so not looking forward to this. Especially since he wants to talk
to me and Ayumu."

�� "Do
you think that he knows what Ayumu might be?" Riku joined them, standing
behind Rio with her arms crossed. She had just
woken up herself, her long thick hair messily thrown up into a bun and held
together with a couple of sticks. "It's understandable why he'd want to
speak to Kousuke-san, but... the Hope?"

�� Kousuke
looked up at her curiously before shrugging. "He says he wants to
talk to him about the mental connection we've got. Beyond that, who knows how
that guy thinks?"

�� Rio looked concerned. "Eyes-kun...will you be all
right?"

�� Eyes tilted
his head in her direction, almost a curious brand of indifferent now.
"I've dealt with Kanone for many years, Rio.
Why wouldn't I be?"

�� Rio shook her head. "I don't know...just a bad
feeling. It's almost like dark clouds looming on the horizon. Kanone scares me,
and when he's around, things just seem to get more complicated."

�� "And
now you understand why I want what you've discovered this morning kept
quiet."

�� Rio nodded. "I promise. Who knows what he'd do if he
found out?"

�� "Data
does not compute," said the mechanical voice of Jhette, his image
appearing next to Kousuke. "What is a 'Kanone'? If it is a danger, should
I defend this place from it?"

�� "GAH!" Kousuke yelped, all his hair standing on
end in startlement as he leapt to his feet. "What the hell?!"

�� "Request
unclear. Insufficient information to answer query." Jhette replied,
looking at the redhead.

�� "Calm
down, it's just Jhette. You didn't get a chance to meet him yet."� Riku turned to Eyes. "He poses a good
question. Just who the hell is Kanone, and what makes him so dangerous."

�� Eyes let
out a quiet sigh. "He's the one who trained us to use our strengths
against the Hunters. �However, he
believes that Fate is what we all should believe in and nothing else. He's
casual about it, but my opposition to his beliefs causes a...conflict of
interest."

�� "That's
one way of putting it," Kousuke muttered. He was still staring at Jhette,
obviously trying to figure the guy out. Like why he had absolutely no scent and
his emotions felt faded and distant, for example.

�� Jhette just
blinked. "I still do not understand. Rio
says she fears him. Kousuke also acts in a way that implicates such. Is one man
truly so terrifying?"

�� "He
can be," Eyes explained. "As one who believes in Fate, he has many
allies.� He's very clever and more
ruthless than he lets on." He turned and looked in the direction of the
kitchen, where they could hear Ayumu clattering away at the pans and dishes.

�� "And,"
Kousuke added, "even though he doesn't look it, he could probably mop the
floor with any one of us. I've never seen him do it, but he's just got
that kind of aura, y'know?"

�� "Define
'aura'. Term not in data banks." Jhette replied.

�� Rio
sighed. "Looks like the Hunter didn't bother to actually download a
regular dictionary into your data, did she?"

�� "Negative.
All information for use by Program Jhette was chosen and uploaded by Hunter
Samantha personally."

�� Kousuke
still didn't really understand that much about what was wrong with Jhette, but
considering just what he'd read about himself in the files so far... "Rio, tell me that the bitch suffered before she
died."

�� "Sorry.
I only had three bullets and a split second to use them in."

��

�� "Damn."

�� Riku tilted
her head. "You know, maybe I could try and get into the system to download
some things, but I'd be concerned about ruining what already exists."

�� Eyes
responded. "To answer your question, Jhette, it means that he has a
malicious quality about him that we can't really witness but we know it's
there."

�� Kousuke
looked pleadingly at Rio, hoping for answers
that made sense.

�� Rio sighed and took pity on him. "The Hunter put
Jhette-san's body into suspended animation and fused his consciousness into a
computer program. What you're looking at is a hologram that he uses to interact
with people. As you can see, he's currently working under some fairly large
handicaps and limitations, not to mention gaps in his knowledge."

�� Kousuke
grimaced. "Okay, that's just sick. Even by my standards."

�� "Tell
me about it. I'm Riku, by the way," the girl introduced, giving a sloppy
little bow and a smile.

�� Kousuke
grinned. "Yo. I sorta remember you. You were the amethyst despair."

Riku's smile became a wicked grin. "I actually kinda
like that!"

�� Kousuke
looked contemplative. "Though meeting you, I get the feeling that
normally, it's that you're the amethyst despair of others, not
yourself."

�� "Don't
insult her by implying that she's a female version of you, Kousuke." Rio teased.

�� Kousuke
whacked her with his tail. Maybe he could get used to that thing after all...

�� "Actually,
it's not so much an insult. Causing trouble is a perfectly good way to spend
the day, especially when you have a Hunter that deserves to have her lackeys
beaten up." Riku nodded her head and grinned. A moment later, she was
delicately sniffing the air. "Are those...omelettes I smell?"

�� Rio sniffed the air and sighed dreamily. "I wanna
marry him..." she murmured, eyes shining.

�� Kousuke
inched away from her, mildly disturbed. One could practically see the shoujo
anime sparkle effects around her. He also took a sniff at the air, but wasn't
attracted like she was. If anything, he felt just a little sick. He'd been way
too long without real food, and he had a sinking suspicion that just persuading
himself to take a single bite of anything was going to be a massive feat.

�� Riku nudged
Rio. "You might have to beat me for
him."

�� Rio glanced over at her. "For Little Narumi's
cooking, I'd even lay the smackdown on Eyes."

�� That got
her to laugh and Eyes to shake his head, though the corners of his mouth
twitched. "Perhaps you should go see what Little Narumi has put together
for us, hmm?"

�� Kousuke
smiled and turned towards his room. "I'll meet you guys there after I've
gotten dressed. Oh, and Eyes? You look damn good in green. You should wear
colors more often."

�� Eyes
shrugged a little. "I like black." When the two girls practically
fluttered to the kitchen after the tantalizing smell, the musician turned to
kiss Kousuke's cheek. "I'll be taking my shower. I'll join you last."

�� Kousuke's
answering smile was wry and a little sarcastic. "Probably just in time to
see Rio attempt to force-feed me because I
can't bring myself to eat."

�� "Trust
Little Narumi to understand. I'll be there shortly." With that, he
disappeared into the shower across the hall, the door closing gently behind
him.

�� Kousuke sighed and walked back
into his room, pulling on his usual outfit of tan pants, black turtleneck, and
green jacket. He rather mourned the loss of his yellow shades, and promised
himself that he'd go buy a new pair the moment that Rio
and Eyes declared him well enough to leave the building. He dawdled a little,
trying to put off going into the kitchen. He really didn't feel like eating,
even though he knew he should. And he really didn't want to run the risk of
throwing up in front of Ayumu. It would totally ruin his reputation. Still, he
couldn't hide forever, and he eventually went to the kitchen, where he paused
in the doorway and watched while Rio
practically had an orgasm over the first bite of her omelet. That is so
wrong on so many levels...

�� Ayumu
dried his hands off on the towel he had and glanced at the two girls. Riku was also
making a soft moan of happiness, and he shook his head as it reminded him much
of how Madoka acted when he cooked a real meal instead of something out of a
box. How he got yelled at when he did that... He lifted his head and noticed
Kousuke in the doorway. "It's not going to jump off the plates and bite
you, it's safe. Besides, they're too distracted to mess with you at the
moment."

�� Kousuke
looked over at him, then back at the girls, then back at him again, one eyebrow
raised. "Have you ever considered world domination through your cooking?
It seems to work."

�� "World
domination isn't in my schedule, at least not before I get out of high
school." He lifted a bowl from the counter and placed it at the empty spot
at the table. "Here. This one's for you. I thought about making you an omelette,
but I didn't think you'd want it so soon. So I made you some really mild miso
broth, barely any flavor."

�� The nekojin
stared at Ayumu, surprised and gratified by the concern. "Thanks," he
murmured, not quite sure how to react.

�� Riku paused
in her reverence to Ayumu's breakfast and winked at Rio.

�� Rio, if anything, looked even happier as Kousuke sat down
and carefully sipped at the bowl of miso. This had been a really good morning,
even with the news of Kanone coming for a visit.

�� Ayumu made
sure that all of his dishes were clean before he went over to where his jacket
was hanging. "As interesting as this week has been, I'm afraid that I'm
going to have to go home. My sister is going to freak out as it is, and if I'm
really unlucky, Hiyono will be camped out on my doorstep. I have to let them
know that I haven't died."

�� Rio nodded. "That's probably wise. Thank you for all
your help, Little Narumi. I mean that."

�� Ayumu waved
his hand. "No thanks needed. Just don't drive everyone crazy while I'm
gone. Tell Rutherford thank you for me."

�� Kousuke
looked up at him from the bowl of miso he was slowly beginning to enjoy.
"Oh, one thing. You are cordially--though not particularly
willingly--invited to come back sometime over the next week. Kanone's going to
be visiting and he wants to talk to you."

�� "Kanone...?"
Ayumu had heard very little of him. "Why do you make it sound like a bad
thing?"

�� "You'll
see," the redhead sighed. "Just one thing, so you don't end up
commenting on it at the wrong time. Kanone tends to hang over Eyes like an
amorous storm cloud, whether anyone wants him to or not. But we can't do
anything about it because Kanone's just a little too dangerous to tick
off."

�� "In
other words, I should pretend that I never heard Rio squealing over your
apparent relationship with Rutherford, am I
right?" he asked as he slid into his coat.

�� "Exactly."
Or our interest in you, was the unspoken statement.

�� Ayumu
nodded. "I'm good with secrets. He won't find out from me." With
that, he waved and headed for the door. "I'll see you guys whenever my
sister decides to let me out of the house again...or whenever I get finished
with all the homework I missed last week."

�� "Ja
ne," Kousuke said, and Rio waved, her
mouth full.
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