Author's Note:

Hi everyone :) you may have noticed the lack of new chapters over the past couple months. Basically, I was dealing with fatigue that I thought was caused by stress but was actually due to low iron. You know, that only slightly important mineral that lets your red blood cells deliver oxygen throughout your body… Needless to say, I'm back to taking my vitamins and am on the mend.

Thank you to HakuSaitoSan, Bluebonnet, jenwhiterose, ImpracticalDemon, freebird2992, Kikki, Tsuki-chan18, Saya soushi, Okita x Chizuru, Shell1331, TK Grimm, A-chan-senpai, soso3essa9, and Arce for your kind reviews!

Guest Too: (Eep.. I wrote this so long ago… Sorry about that…) Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was interesting to have Souji and Hijikata's "Chizuru is in danger" reactions play off each other and it says a lot about them. Hijikata is on the more "selfless" side, in that he wants to get Chizuru as far away from the danger as possible, regardless of how anyone feels, or what Chizuru wants. Souji falls on the more "selfish" side, in that he can't send her away if she wants to stay and instead trusts himself to do whatever is necessary to protect her. But if you look at what Chizuru wants, suddenly, the selfish/unselfish labels kinda get reversed because only one of them is listening to what Chizuru wants. Hijikata comes around in the end but having both Souji and Chizuru to contend with makes him far less pushy with his plan.

Chapter 34 – To Be Family

Saturday, March 3rd

Chizuru choked out something close to a laugh at Nagakura's remark. Yes, with everything she had just told them, any rational person would have trouble believing it. She was still surprised how quickly they had accepted her explanation. And Saito… She would need to thank him later for being willing to support her ridiculous claims with his own calm and forthright observations.

In that moment though, her main feeling was one of relief. She wouldn't have to leave them. When Hijikata had looked at her, it was like she had been frozen to the core, and his words… his words had been so reasonable. Of course, she should escape the danger she was in and if that left them free to do their job, then wasn't it the right choice?

The decision had seemed so simple… The right thing for everyone… Until she had felt Souji's arms around her grow almost painfully tight, like he thought she might disappear then and there. That, almost more than his words, cemented her belief that she couldn't leave. There was too much she could do to help them… And there was Souji. He had all but said he trusted himself to protect her, and she believed in him. Here in his arms was a sense of peace and safety she had only ever had glimpses of before and from both his words and his actions, she knew without any doubt he wanted her there no matter what.

That was what gave her the resolve to disagree with Hijikata's well founded logic. She had told Souji only hours before that she would never change her mind, that she would always choose him. So she had.

When Hijikata had agreed to let her stay, she had felt light-headed with relief. She was still caught up in the feeling when Hijikata seemed to return to his normal self and started calmly issuing out orders.

"Shinpachi, Heisuke, Harada, I want you three to start digging up anything you can find on this… Chikage Kazama?" He looked at her for confirmation and she nodded. "I want to know who he is, where he works, every detail you can find. Clearly this guy and his whole family are neck deep in this bullshit and I want to know why we've never heard his name before." Hijikata glanced down at his watch, "I know it's late, but see if you can get a start tonight and give me an update by… I guess it would be this afternoon."

Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly there were no complaints from the three men that Chizuru could see. Instead they simply nodded, their expressions and demeanors reflecting the seriousness of the task. They had a lead. The best one they'd come across yet and they weren't about to let it slip through their fingers.

"Saito," Hijikata continued, "You're with me. I want to talk to Kodo and Kaoru to see what we can learn from that angle, and Souji…" For the briefest moment, Chizuru knew she saw Hijikata's expression soften just slightly as he looked at her and Souji. It wasn't much, but it was just something about the set of his jaw and the look in his eyes. For all they fought, she knew Hijikata cared for Souji, even if he wasn't all that great at expressing it, and that made a warm feeling stir in her chest.

"Souji, Chizuru is your responsibility. See that she gets home and that Sen knows she's all right before she decides to chew our ears off again. I doubt word of any of what's happened will have reached the Syndicate by tonight, but I leave that to your judgement."

Behind her, she felt some of the tension leave Souji as he nodded. As Hijikata and Saito left, Saito paused and looked back, making eye contact with Souji for a moment. Just as quickly the moment ended, but Chizuru couldn't help but feel that something had passed between them, though she wasn't quite sure what.

Part of her wanted to help, but she also knew that she could do more with a good night's sleep and a fresh mind. There was also Sen to consider. Chizuru winced internally at the worry and fear she had probably caused her friend.

Without saying anything, Souji deftly slid her off his lap and onto the couch next to him. When he got up and offered her his hand, there was a slight smile on his lips, but… it didn't quite reach his eyes. Hesitantly she took it and, as he tugged her to her feet and led her out of the room, her mind whirled with possible reasons for the change in him.

Was it something she had said? Was it… was it because she wasn't human? She hadn't even considered if that would matter to him when she had decided to explain everything to them. But… he had wanted her to stay, right? Or had he said that purely because she would be useful?

Chizuru chewed on her lip as Souji remained silent. Each step down the hallway increased her anxiety, but she couldn't think of a way to broach the subject. All she could do was sneak glances up at him, while he stared straight ahead, the smile now gone from his face.

She expected him to stop at the elevator and simply take her home and she was working up the nerve to broach whatever this was in the car, when, to her surprise, they simply walked right past. Looking back at the elevator and then up at Souji, she opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but he gave his head a slight shake. Now more confused than ever, she silently followed along.

Finally, Souji turned into one of the smaller conference rooms that lined the hallway, closing the door behind them.

With the anxiety and fear of the unknown thrumming through her, she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Souji?"

Souji let out a breath as he stared at the ceiling.

"Sorry…" he said as he looked back down at her, a ghost of his normal smile doing it's best to make an appearance. "I just needed to talk to you and… explain some things."

"L-Like what?"

What did he want to explain? That things had changed? That while he could work with her, nothing else was possible between them? Her mind spun with an endless litany of reasons why he wouldn't want her.

"What's wrong?" Souji asked. With a gentle tug, he pulled her close enough to wrap his arms around her as his green eyes examined her face.

Even if it meant she might lose it, the warmth of his arms around her gave her hope enough to ask, "Have… Have things changed… between us?"

She looked into his eyes, trying to see if she could read his answer there. Surprisingly, she could. Where before his eyes had been distant, lost in his own internal thoughts, now the green was warm and kind.

Souji pulled her closer, fully enfolding her in a hug as he said lowly, "Seriously?"

"I-I mean…" she stammered into his chest, "you were so quiet and… and now that you know that I'm not…" It took a surprising amount of effort for her to say the words again. As if saying them would change his mind. "That I'm not human."

She felt more than heard Souji's huff of laughter as he held her tighter and one of his hands trailed down her arm and laced her fingers with his.

"Ignoring the fact that the supposed monster in this room is far more of a decent human being than the actual human, have you changed?"

"What?" she asked, his question completely derailing her argument against his unfair evaluation of himself.

"How are you any different than you were before?"

She blinked in confusion as she pulled back to look up at him.

"Before what?"

"I mean," he clarified, "I'm pretty sure you're the same girl who stumbled into my life all those months ago. Whatever this Oni thing is, it sounds like it's always been a part of you."

"I… I guess so."

"Then why would I change my mind?" Okita's smile gained the edge of a smirk. "Unless you're suddenly telling me you're not going to blush anymore. That would probably be a deal breaker."

As if on cue, she felt a warmth flood her cheeks and he squeezed her hand as he leaned closer and said "Hm, that's probably my second favorite expression on you."

She had just enough time to wonder what his first was, before he leaned in to kiss her and all other thoughts vanished as his lips moved softly and passionately against hers.

The kiss didn't last long, but when Souji pulled back, he said teasingly, "Now that's my favorite expression."

Chizuru felt her cheeks flush even hotter. She hid her face in his chest and did her best to repress a relieved laugh as she said, "Souji…"

A measure of seriousness returned to Souji's voice as he said, "I do have something I need to talk to you about."

With some reluctance, she nodded and let go of him so that she could sit in one of the chairs.

Instead of letting her sit, she felt Souji's grip on her waist tighten just enough to gently draw her with him as he moved to the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. Once again, she found herself tugged down to curl up in his lap with her cheek resting on his chest. She closed her eyes as she inhaled the scent of him and felt the reassuring beat of his heart against her cheek. If he was going to make a habit of this, she certainly wasn't going to complain. There was just… something… about the closeness and comfort it offered that made it different than the times she and Sen had curled up together to watch a movie or talk the night away. Sen was and would always be her closest friend, more than even a sister, but this was different. It felt like… like coming home.

Chizuru open her eyes as she felt Souji take a deep breath, and she realized some of his earlier nervousness had returned. Instead of saying anything, she simply waited for him to be ready to talk.

It didn't take long.

"I know you've said you forgive me for what I said to you at the hospital," She caught a just the faintest trace of disbelief in his voice and opened her mouth to interrupt, but he quickly continued, "And I believe you, but you deserve to know why… why I was acting that way. I'm not saying it excuses what I said, but my past makes hospitals… hard… for me."

Souji paused for a moment, so she gave a small nod to let him know she understood and that he could continue. She felt him start to run his fingers through the ends of her hair, idly twisting and wrapping the strands around his fingers before letting them slide through. It seemed to relax him.

"You asked me once if I was related to Kondou the answer is… sort of. I was about nine when he formally adopted me." Chizuru felt him smile as he rested his cheek on top of her head, his voice somewhat distant with memory. "Tsune didn't even bat an eye when Kondou brought me home. She just treated me like her own son, no matter how much trouble I caused them, and then of course, little Tamako came along."

Chizuru smiled as well, thinking of the few times she had met the bright and spirited little girl. If there was one thing she knew about Souji it was that he loved kids, and Tamako most of all. The only person more important to him was Kondou, and now she had a better idea of why. Chizuru felt her already rather deep respect for Kondou grow. She could only imagine the kind of trouble Souji could have gotten into as a kid. For Kondou and Tsune to have so easily welcomed him into their home and their family…

Souji seemed to be following something of her thoughts, because he said, "That day… I… I really thought Kondou might… that I would…" Words seemed to fail him. He was silent for a moment before he said, "and then Tsune and Tamako were there and all I could think about was the night at the hospital when they told me my parents had died. There was nothing I could do to protect Tamako from knowing what that's like. I was frustrated and… and completely useless. I've never felt so useless, except the night I lost my parents…" His grip on her tightened as he murmured into her hair, "and when I found out someone had taken you."

Souji's words briefly threw her thoughts back to her own experiences with hospitals, but it was a story for another time and another place. What mattered was that on a certain level, she understood. She had already decided to forgive him but knowing more of his past and what he was feeling at the time helped dilute the pain of his words and replace some of it with understanding and compassion.

He had been hurting, and in his hurt, he had lashed out. It didn't make his actions right, but it did make him human.

Chizuru burrowed further into his arms, trying to convey just as much with her touch as she did with her words as she said softly, "Thank you for telling me. How is Kondou?"

"He's fine. He's actually out of the hospital and resting at home." Souji said, his fingers leaving her hair to trace slowly up and down her back.

"Do you think we could go see him tomorrow?" She asked, feeling her eyes start to drift closed with the comforting touch.

"Sure."

Eventually she felt Souji shift slightly, she guessed in preparation to reach for his phone, as he asked, "Do you want to call Sen now?"

She shook her head and felt her cheeks warm again.

"Not yet…"

Frankly she wasn't quite ready for this feeling of contentment to end, and it most certainly would when she finally found herself face to face with all of Sen's questions and worries. She also had some questions for her friend that she wasn't sure she wanted answers to.

She felt Okita's chuckle rumble through his chest as he murmured next to her ear, "Oh~? Well, I won't complain about that."

A faint shiver ran down her spine at the feeling of his breath on her skin, but she ignored it in favor of closing her eyes and just savoring being close to him. Reality would have to intrude eventually, but not right then.

Reality eventually did intrude, because as comfortable as she was on Souji's lap, Chizuru knew he was stuck on the hard floor, with a hard wall behind him. When she felt the small shifts in his body, she let out a quiet sigh and reluctantly began to detangle herself from him.

"I probably should call Sen now."

"All right," Souji said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Just don't be surprised if she doesn't answer right away. You might want to text and let her know it's you."

She frowned in confusion as she took the phone. "Why?"

He looked away from her, a hint of guilt returning to his eyes.

"Let's just say I'm not exactly her favorite person right now."

"Oh…"

So Sen had learned what happened at the hospital. Not that it was all that surprising, given Sen's nose for information, but Chizuru knew she could be a bit… over the top when it came to her friends.

Well, she would just have to talk to Sen about it and get her to lay off. She had forgiven him and that would have to be enough.

"Well, you're my favorite person," Chizuru said as she tucked herself back into his arms.

There was a moment of silence and then Souji snorted and, unable to help herself, Chizuru started to laugh too.

"Sorry, that was cheesy, huh?"

Souji shook his head as he tipped her chin up to look at him. The spark she loved so much was back in his green eyes as he grinned at her.

"Maybe a little bit, but I liked hearing it anyway," he said before he gave her a quick peck on the lips that made her cheeks flush. "Call Sen, but don't leave without me. There's something I need to check on."

"Okay."

This time she did manage to get up off his lap. Clutching his phone in her hands, she watched as he got up and gave her one last soft smile before turning and leaving the room.

The smile fell from Souji's face as soon as he left the room. With long, purposeful strides, he headed for the elevator.

He knew what he wanted to do was going to tick Hijikata off, but Kaoru had made it far more than personal when he'd targeted Kondou and Chizuru. His jaw clenched. No, it was the way Kaoru had done it.

He hadn't just been trying to disrupt their work, he had been focused on Chizuru from the beginning. It hadn't been enough to hurt her physically. No, that would have been easy to do.

A cold feeling settled in his chest as he jammed the button and watched the floors tick past. He knew the others were aware of the danger their job placed them in. It made them suspicious and watchful, even when they didn't look it, but Chizuru… she was just too damn trusting. All it would have taken was one gut feeling she didn't listen to or one night out with her friend. All it would have taken was a moment and she would have been… gone…

He shoved the thought away as he exited the elevator. Chizuru was safe and he would make sure she stayed that way.

For better or worse that hadn't been Kaoru's plan.

Now, looking back, Souji could see the pattern clear as day. Everything Kaoru had done had been focused on picking apart Chizuru's life, piece by piece; focused on making her feel helpless and abandoned. Sending Itou after her. Drugging her and leaving her helpless in a night club. Twisting her only other living family member against her. Even trying, and almost succeeding in his case, to turn him and the others against her by targeting Kondou.

Souji forced himself to take a deep breath, pushing back a rising wave of anger. He had to control himself. For Chizuru and Kondou's sake, he couldn't lose control.

Whether or not Kondou was supposed to have survived the attack, it had been aimed to do one thing; tear them apart from the inside. Kaoru had understood their weakness and done his best to inflict wounds that wouldn't heal. The kind of wounds that festered and destroyed everything around them if they weren't dealt with.

Souji understood those kinds of wounds… and the type of person who could deliberately, even gleefully, inflict them.

When he'd seen Kaoru handcuffed and sitting on that porch with a twisted smile on his face, he had understood exactly what they were up against. In that moment he'd seen what he had been one step, no, one person away from becoming. This was someone who hated the world and Kaoru loathed it with a cold, methodical passion for what it had done to him; for what it had turned him into. The only thing Kaoru would hate more than the world itself… was Chizuru.

Souji knew there was still information and history he didn't know, but his gut told him he was right. Chizuru was Kaoru's linchpin. His weak point.

As he turned toward the interrogation rooms, an entirely different kind of smile from the one he had shown Chizuru pulled at his lips.

Yes, he understood Kaoru, and he was going to use that to make sure the bastard could never touch Chizuru or Kondou ever again.

He entered the observation room to find Hajime watching the one-way mirror with folded arms. Hajime didn't stop his calm, yet intense evaluation of everything going on behind the glass as he silently moved to stand next to him. Behind them, the door quietly clicked shut.

Through the glass, Souji could see Kaoru; his cuffed hands resting on the table were just as relaxed as the rest of his body. If his shit-eating grin was anything to go by, Kaoru somehow still thought he was in control. Well, he was just going to have to change that.

Hijikata sat with his back to the mirror and both men stared silently as each other.

"Has he said anything?" Souji asked.

Hajime shook his head.

"Not anything useful. He has been smart enough to only give us what we already know."

"Hmm… we'll see about that.

As he turned back toward the door, Souji heard the faint sound of Hajime's sigh as he finally turned away from the window.

"Souji."

He paused with his hand on the door handle.

"Hm?"

"Don't do anything you will regret."

"I won't," he glanced over his shoulder and met his friend's piercing blue eyes. "Oh, and by the way, you don't have to worry about it."

Hajime's expression softened just factionally as he nodded and returned his gaze to the window.

Souji bit back a grin as he left the room. It seemed Chizuru had wormed her way through more than one shell. With his reserve and formal demeanor, people always assumed Hajime didn't care. Sometimes he thought Hajime might even believe it himself, but anyone who spent any real time around him knew the opposite was true. It was one of the reasons why he trusted Hajime to always have his back.

He rapped once on the interrogation room door before immediately opening it and stepping though.

Just as he'd expected, Hijikata glared at him in surprise and quickly hidden anger. Of course, that was probably because he'd just broken all the rules. When they confronted a suspect, they had to be a unified front, without a hint of weakness or indecision. Unexpected interruptions ruined all of that and he knew what he was going to say next would only make it worse.

"Ne~ Hijikata," he said, leaning casually against the door frame. "Mind giving us a minute?"

Hijikata's lips thinned and his eyes narrowed to violet slits. For a moment, Souji thought he might not agree, but it wasn't like he'd really left him a choice. Hijikata knew just as well as he did that they couldn't argue in front of Kaoru. To maintain the oh-so-valued unified front, Hijikata was going to have to give in.

Souji pushed off the door frame and walked into the room as Hijikata's expression smoothed to a careful blankness and he nodded.

Only once the door had clicked shut and they were alone in the room did Souji turn to look at Kaoru.

Kaoru's grin widened fractionally as their eyes met, almost as if he had been expecting this. Maybe he had, but Souji knew that could just as easily be a weakness he could exploit. Expectations of any kind could be dangerous.

Forgoing the chair, he moved to lean back against the mirror, his thumbs comfortably hooked in his pockets.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," Kaoru said.

He didn't say anything. Content, for now, to simply wait and watch.

Kaoru's head tipped to the side slightly as he asked, "So, how's Kondou doing? I hear he's recovering rather well." He grinned. "Unfortunately, it really is true what they say. If you want something done right, you've got do it yourself. I won't make that mistake again."

Souji's hands instinctively clenched as a wave of anger went through him, but he forced it back. Chizuru. He had to think of Chizuru. He had to make sure Kaoru and those he represented could never touch her again. That thought helped him keep his face neutral and his shoulders relaxed. He wouldn't let Kaoru get to him. Not this easily.

Kaoru must have noticed his hands though, because his brown eyes lit with a triumphant light.

"Oh, that's right. You have a soft spot for the oaf."

Instead of answering, Souji asked his own question.

"You're a real piece of work, aren't you?"

Kaoru's grin only grew. Clearly, he thought he'd succeeded in baiting him. If only he knew. There wasn't many things Souji was good at, but breaking a suspect? Dragging their hidden fears and inner darkness into the light and throwing them in their face? That he could do in his sleep.

Souji smirked as he shook his head. "You look so much like her, but somehow she got all the good traits, didn't she?"

Kaoru's smile became a touch strained. Bingo.

He pressed his advantage.

"You must hate that. Looking into the mirror every day and knowing you'll never be anything like her. Same eyes, same face, but none of that matters, because you're just the sick and twisted copy no one wants around."

Now Souji could see it. The rage that burned in Kaoru's eyes at the mention of Chizuru. The hate for her that was only rivaled by Kaoru's own self-loathing.

"And to top it off you couldn't even be a real brother to her. The one person in the world you should have protected, you tried to break. Or I guess I should say, failed to break." He laughed maliciously. "You really can't do anything right, can you? Your whole life is nothing but one massive fuck up, isn't it?"

This time it was Kaoru's hands that clenched where they rested on the table.

"Shut up."

"Why don't you just admit it? You lost. Out witted by your own naïve, innocent sister. We all know you're nothing but a failure. A screwup. Hell, you probably shouldn't have existed in the first place."

Kaoru's lips pulled back in a snarl as he stood and slammed his hands on the table, his chair crashing to the floor behind him. "No! I've won! I've beaten you and you fools don't even realize it! By arresting me, you're all dead. Once Kazama knows who Chizuru is, he will tear you apart to get at her. He'll find out and there will be nothing she can do except watch you all die one by one. She'll live the rest of her life as Kazama's prisoner and she'll finally understand what I've been through!"

Souji snorted disdainfully. "So that's what you're in it for? Making her understand? If you weren't so pathetic, you might have realized she's not like you. But don't worry, I get it."

Pushing off the glass, he pressed his hands to the table as he leaned in toward Kaoru.

"You can't forgive her. Not while she hasn't felt every hit you ever took, and every cruel word ever thrown your way. Yeah, you hate every person who ever treated you like shit, but you hate her more, because it was her fault, wasn't it? It was her fault you ended up this way."

Souji grinned savagely as Kaoru's eyes burned and his whole body shook with pent up emotion. This was too easy. In fact, he almost wished he could draw it out longer.

"Unfortunately, you're nothing more than a pathetic, spoiled brat who can't take responsibility for what he's become. The only person to blame for how sick and twisted you are is yourself." He could see the cracks in Kaoru's armor. One more blow and he'd break. "If you'd been more like Chizuru, you might have actually turned out to be a decent human being. As it is, you're nothing but the mistake no one wants."

That did it.

With an inarticulate cry, Kaoru leapt at him almost faster than his eye could track. Kaoru's fingers curved into claws as they reached for his throat and it was only his instincts, honed over years of pissing off suspects, that saved him.

He slapped aside Kaoru's hands and slammed his face into the table with an audible crunch.

Despite his broken and bleeding nose, Kaoru griped the edge of the table, trying to pull himself toward Souji. Souji didn't hesitate. He slammed his knee up against Kaoru's hands, crushing them against the edge of the table and feeling the satisfying snap and pop of bone. Grabbing Kaoru's shirt collar, he pulled him close enough that the microphones wouldn't pick up his voice as he said, "Touch either of them again and I will kill you."

Throwing Kaoru hard to the floor, he said at a normal volume, "And Kazama? We'll take him down just as easily as we did your pathetic ass. You've lost."

Kaoru laughed, sounding like he'd more than just tipped over the edge of insanity. Any sign of rationality was gone from his eyes as he wiped at the blood on his face with his already straightening fingers. "You pathetic humans don't get it! I can't lose. Without the ledger you won't be able to prove anything. That SD card never leaves Kazama's office. Your only chance to live is to hand her over and hope Kazama lets you crawl away with your life!"

Souji relaxed. That was what he had been waiting for. That was information they could work with.

Without another word, he turned away from Kaoru and left the room, leaving him lying on the floor, still laughing.

Outside, the hallway was empty and peacefully quiet. It was almost as if every bit of vileness was trapped behind the closed door.

Souji closed his eyes and took a deep breath. That wasn't entirely true. Kaoru was in there, but he… he was out here. He knew Kondou hated it when he did stuff like this. Somehow Kondou always believed he was a better man than he actually was. Chizuru thought that too, though she was… different. It was like he couldn't hide himself from her. She saw him, every awful bit, and still she looked at him like he was the center of her world. The feeling of seeing that look in her eyes left him breathless every time.

The peace of hallway was shattered when the other door slammed open. He opened his eyes to find himself face to face with a beyond livid Hijikata. Behind Hijikata, Hajime stood silently, his expression unreadable.

"Damn it Souji! What the fucking hell were you thinking? If I hadn't turned off that recording equipment-"

"You what?" Souji said, his voice rising to match Hijikata's shout. "How the hell are we supposed to get a search warrant if we don't have a confession!"

Hijikata's eyes narrowed dangerously as pointed at the door and said, "I don't care what evidence we do or don't get. You can't keep doing stupid shit like that, because Kondou and I can't protect you forever! If what you did in there gets out, you're finished. Done. Out! You're just fucking lucky there won't be any physical evidence on that freak!"

Souji stilled, his voice growing deadly cold as he said, "You ever call her that, and I swear I will kill you."

Hijikata winced, his exhaustion evident in his features as he ran a hand through his hair. "Shit, I didn't mean it that way. I just meant the kid is clearly off the deep end. Look, with Kondou out, we can't risk getting the department in trouble right now, so we're just going to have to make do with what we have."

Souji ran a hand through his own hair, barely fighting the urge rub his temple. His headache was starting to come back and, frankly, he was done. Just done. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed – preferably with Chizuru, but he knew that wasn't likely to happen – and sleep for a week.

"Fine, whatever. We'll make it work."

Hijikata nodded stiffly before he turned and walked away toward another of the interrogation rooms that probably held Kodo.

Souji glanced over at Hajime to find him watching him carefully.

"I don't regret it."

And he didn't. He'd done what he needed to do to protect Chizuru and Kondou in the only way he knew how. Beating up Kaoru had just been a bonus.

Hajime nodded in understanding before going into the room to deal with Kaoru.

Whatever trouble came from this, he'd handle it when it came up, but he wouldn't worry about it tonight. Souji glanced at the time on his phone and sighed. Or more accurately, this morning.

Chizuru bit her lip as she paced across the small conference room, Souji's phone clutched in her hands.

He had been right when he'd told her that Sen wouldn't answer. In the end, it had taken a text to convince Sen that it really wasn't Souji on the other end. What had followed was an almost unintelligible stream of questions, reassurances, and comments. So much so, that Chizuru wasn't even entirely sure how much of the story she had even told Sen before Sen said she was coming and the line went dead.

Chizuru forced herself to stop and take a deep breath as she said to herself, "It's just Sen. Nothing to worry about. You can talk about this…"

She sat down in one of the chairs and rested her head in her hands.

It hadn't made much of an impact on her when Kodo had mentioned it, but now…

How did someone ask their best friend why they'd never mentioned they were also a creature out of children's horror stories?

She had tried to think back, to remember Sen ever getting hurt, but she remembered almost nothing of Sen from before losing her family. Since then, though, Chizuru couldn't think of one time she'd seen Sen with an injury. Not that, that necessarily surprised her. Sen wasn't clumsy, and despite her outgoing personality, she wasn't a risk taker or a daredevil.

She wanted to believe Kodo had been lying, but on the other hand, why would he have lied about Sen's family? What would he have gained?

The more cynical part of herself realized he would have gained exactly this. Kaoru and Kodo had been trying to pull her away from everyone and here she was, questioning her best friend.

She jumped when the phone in her hand suddenly vibrated. It was Sen.

Trying to push aside her worries for the moment, she hurried to answer the phone.

"Sen?"

"Hey, where are you? Harada said Okita took you somewhere..."

Chizuru could hear Sen's suspicion of Souji in her voice but chose not to comment on it. There would be time enough for that conversation later… after her own questions. The thought made her stomach clench with dread. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the truth, even if she also knew she desperately needed it.

Going to the door, Chizuru stuck her head out and saw Sen pacing in the hallway.

She waved as she said, "I'm over here."

"Over where- Oh!"

Sen hung up. Ducking back inside, Chizuru chewed anxiously on her lip as she waited for Sen to arrive. It didn't take long.

The door flew open so fast, the glass rattled in its frame and before Chizuru quite knew what had happened, she found herself practically bowled over by Sen's hug. She stumbled back a pace and barely kept them from tumbling to the floor.

Sen's arms tightened around her as she choked out, "I'm so glad you're safe."

Chizuru hugged her right back, squeezing her eyes shut against her own tears. More than she had let herself admit; she had desperately missed her best friend. Souji had filled a hole in her heart, but he wasn't the only one there. Sen was a part of her too.

She took a deep breath, suddenly feeling more courageous. Without pulling away, she said quietly, "Kodo… Kodo told me the truth."

She felt Sen instantly stiffen and she rushed to say, "I don't blame you for not telling me. I just… I just want to know why…"

The question hung in the air for a moment, before Sen relaxed and carefully stepped back. When Chizuru met Sen's eyes, she could see the turmoil swirling inside her friend. In that moment, she knew that Sen had known everything.

"At first I wanted to. After you lost your memories, you were… different. We were different…" Sen took a deep breath. "I don't know what Kodo told you, but growing up, we both knew what we were. I mean, you can't expect a kid to keep the stuff we can do a secret without knowing why, right? But once we all realized you had repressed so much of your memory, Kodo convinced everyone that it was for the best. He wanted to raise you as a human. A human with a unique ability, but a human. He said he didn't want you straddling two worlds. I didn't agree, but my parents did, and I knew if I told you, Kodo would have made sure I never saw you again." Sen reached out her hand and Chizuru took it, twining their fingers together. Sen smiled sadly. "You were my best friend. If telling you the truth meant I'd lose you, I couldn't do it. Eventually I convinced myself that maybe it was for the best. It's not easy living in a world you feel you don't entirely belong in. You could be human and after what you'd been through, I just wanted you to be happy. Maybe that was wrong of me…"

Chizuru shook her head as she squeezed Sen's hand.

"I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. If knowing the truth meant I would have lost you, then I'm glad you didn't.

"Really?" Sen asked.

Chizuru smiled.

"Really."

Eventually, Chizuru felt her smile slip as reality began to intrude. Could she continue to stay with Sen? Would that be putting her in danger? Hijikata had said she could be a target… and the last thing she wanted to do was put Sen in danger.

"Chizuru…" Sen said, picking up on her shift in mood. "What's wrong?"

Chizuru bit her lip. "I think I'm going to need to move out…"

That seemed to shock Sen. "What? Why?"

"Because things are probably going to get dangerous soon. The team is going to be going after some dangerous people and I'm going to help them. If Kazama comes after me, I don't want you getting hurt."

Sen's eyes narrowed as she said, "Kazama?"

"Um…yes?"

Chizuru watched her friend in confusion as Sen suddenly relaxed and snorted under her breath.

"You don't need to move out. I'll be fine. That Kodo probably didn't tell you, but Oni have a high regard for tradition. More so than humans. My parents always said tradition and honor are what keep a people together and they also said no family believed that more than the Kazama." Some of Sen's normal pep seemed to return as she winked. "I may not look it, but my family used to be considered something like royalty among the Oni. As a part of giving up her position, my mother got the last Kazama to agree to non-interference pact. I'm not planning on barging in on your investigation, so I should be fine. You don't have to move out."

Chizuru's mind was whirling with all of the information Sen had so casually dropped. Clearly there was a lot she was going to have to learn about her heritage.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Sen grinned. "If anything happens to me, I have no doubt my mother would have the Oni up in arms. The threat of me telling my mother anything is probably a better deterrent than your detectives."

"Oh, I don't know about that."

Chizuru felt butterflies in in her chest as she and Sen turned to see Souji standing in the doorway with his bag of extra clothes from the locker room slung over his shoulder.

She would have gone to him, but Sen quickly stepped in front of her, her arms out protectively. Souji's eyes narrowed and instantly the tension in the small room skyrocketed.

"What are you doing here?" Sen asked coldly.

Souji didn't give an inch of ground as he said, "I'm here to take her home."

"No, that's why I'm here. You've done more than enough damage already."

Chizuru saw Souji's eyes narrow dangerously and knew that she had to step in before either of them said something they'd regret.

Ducking under Sen's arm, she put herself between the pair and faced Sen.

"No, Sen. It's fine. He apologized—"

"Oh, and that makes everything better? Are you seriously defending him after what he did to you?"

Chizuru felt Souji step up behind her, one of his hands coming to rest on her side.

Sen's eyes narrowed as she snapped, "Don't touch her."

"That's not your decision." Souji snapped right back.

"Please," Chizuru begged, glancing between Souji and Sen. "Please don't fight. I know what he did, and I forgave him for it. Please Sen… I…"

At a loss for how to put her feelings into words she simply stared at her friend, hoping she would understand.

Apparently, something of her feelings got through, because Sen sighed and shook her head.

"Fine, but we are so going to talk about this later."

Chizuru couldn't hold back her smile as she said, "Thank you."

"Come on," Sen said as she gathered up her purse, "at this rate the sun will be up before we get home."

When Souji made to follow them toward the elevator, Sen stopped and glared at him.

"Don't you have some detective stuff to do?"

Before Souji could say anything, Chizuru quickly stepped in. "Hijikata assigned him to protect me. We don't know how the Syndicate will react so Souji has to keep an eye on me for a while. Just until things settle down."

"So, he's staying with us?"

To her surprise, Souji spoke up, though he didn't sound angry… just tired.

"I get how you feel, but there's not much I can do about my orders. We both want what's best for Chizuru and we can't take the chance of her getting snatched again. I didn't hear Chizuru mentioned in that non-interference pact, plus she's definitely interfering, so whether you like it or not, I'm her best defense right now."

Chizuru bit her lip as Sen shifted from foot to foot, thinking over Souji's words.

"Fine, but you're sleeping on the couch," was all Sen said, before she continued walking toward the elevator.

Chizuru glanced up at Souji and he gave her a small, slightly tired smile before taking her hand.

Souji huffed as he rolled over on the too short couch. Despite being exhausted, he hadn't been able to fall asleep and it was only partly due to his makeshift bed. The room had been slowly lightening over the past couple hours and already he could see the horizon beginning to tint pink out the window.

With a sigh he gave up on sleep for the moment and sat up.

Sen hadn't been kidding about him sleeping on the couch. While Chizuru had done her best to make sure he was comfortable by giving him pillows and more blankets than he knew what to do with, the one thing she couldn't do anything about the foot or so difference between his height and the length of the couch.

Even with that, he should have been dead asleep hours ago, but it wasn't just discomfort that was keeping him awake.

Getting up from the couch, he silently made his way down the short hall, until he stood in front of Chizuru's door. It wasn't shut all the way, so a gentle nudge was all it took for the door to swing all the way open.

Leaning against the doorway, he watched Chizuru's sleeping face illuminated in the faint pre-dawn light. Seeing her, knowing she was there, helped ease some of the tension keeping him awake.

She looked so small, curled up as she was on one half of the bed. Part of him wondered what it would be like to see her like this every day. To have her face be the first thing he saw in the morning and the last at night. To wake up to the smell of her hair and the warmth of her body next to him.

Behind him, he heard the soft pad of feet on the hardwood floor.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Sen whispered.

He didn't look away from Chizuru as he asked, "Did I mean what?"

"That you want what's best for Chizuru."

He glanced over his shoulder to find Sen studying him carefully. He let out a quiet sigh before turning to face her.

"Look, I know better than anyone just how many mistakes I've made. Hell, I'm still not sure why she even took me back… but I will do whatever it takes to protect her and make her happy."

Sen was quiet as she continued to study his face.

"What if what's best for her is for you to leave? Would you do it?"

The thought caused a sharp ache deep inside his chest. It was as if Sen had known what he had seen when looking at Chizuru. Could he give her up if it was what was best for her? For her sake, could he let her go? He wasn't entirely sure. Deep down, he knew he was selfish and that even now it was selfish of him to let her tie herself to someone as messed up as himself. He wasn't a good person, nor even a healthy one. She could do so much better.

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

Sen seemed to think that over for a moment.

"What if she wanted you to leave?"

If Sen's previous question had bit, this one bit deeper, even if the answer was far easier. Would he leave if that was what Chizuru wanted?

He turned to look at Chizuru, his eyes tracing her sleeping features as he said quietly, "Yes."

The word tasted sour in his mouth. As if saying it would make it a reality, but it was the truth. If Chizuru didn't want him, then he wouldn't drag her down by forcing her to stay in his life. He knew deep down that no one could ever take her place. No one would ever touch his heart the way she had, but if it was what she wanted, then he would leave.

Behind him, Sen didn't say anything. Instead, he heard her quiet footsteps returning to her own room.

They weren't friends. They probably never would be friends, but at least it seemed they had a truce.

Instead of returning to the couch, Souji stepped quietly into Chizuru's room. Going to her side, he gently brushed a lock of her black hair from her face. There would be time enough in the future to share her bed. For now, he would go at whatever pace she set.

He turned away, ready to return to the couch and hopefully catch a few hours' sleep, when he heard a rustle behind him and Chizuru's sleepy voice say, "Souji?"

Souji turned back to see her rubbing at her eyes as she sat up slightly. Yawning, she patted the bed next to her.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch."

"You sure?" he asked, more than tempted by the offer but not entirely sure she was completely awake. "How do you know I won't take advantage of you during the night?"

A blush crept over her cheeks, and he knew then that she was awake. Or at least awake enough to know what she was offering.

"Because I trust you." She yawned and patted the bed again. "Please?"

He didn't need to be told twice.

Going around to the other side of the bed, he slid under the covers. Chizuru rolled to face him, her eyes still sleepy even as she smiled.

Maybe being half-asleep made her bolder, but he was surprised when she shuffled closer and tucked herself against his chest. Hesitantly, he let his arm wrap around her, and she let out a sigh as she relaxed against him.

As her eyes slipped closed, he heard her mumble, "It wasn't like you fit on the couch anyway."

Even as his exhaustion and the warmth of her body against his began to pull him under, Souji couldn't help a soft snort of amusement.

This was what he wanted. For tonight and every night in the future.

Sunday, March 4th

Kazama cursed under his breath as his phone went off. The harsh buzzing of plastic against wood, completely ruining the relaxed state of mind he'd been in. Waving off the woman who had been working his favorite scented oil into his back as she kneaded out a weeks' worth of stress and tension, he levered himself off the massage table and picked up the offending device.

It was Shiranui.

He dismissed the woman with a quick gesture and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of her bowed head as she left the room. The door closed with a barely audible snap behind her.

Hitting accept, he put the phone to his ear and growled, "What do you want, Shiranui?"

"Whew, sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Did I interrupt something?"

Sometimes, no, most of the time, he thought Shiranui deliberately picked the most inconvenient times to call purely out of his twisted sense of humor.

"You damn well know what you interrupted, so whatever this is had better be good."

"Oh, don't worry, it is."

There was a long pause before Shiranui asked "Well? Aren't you going to ask me what it is?"

Maybe it was the after effects of the massage, but instead of hanging up on Shiranui or cursing at him, Kazama closed his eyes and took a deep breath, keeping his silence. Absently he thought that this was how Amagiri often handled people, not that he planned on making a habit of it. His own methods of intimidation often worked just as well for keeping people in line.

Eventually Shiranui laughed and said, "Ooh, has someone finally learning something from Amagiri? Fine, here's what I have." Kazama's fingers tightened on the phone and he thought he could feel a vein beginning to pulse in his forehead, but he forced himself to keep silent and listen. "So, you know the girl helping out the detective team that's sniffing up your tail? The one that Kaoru was going to try to get rid of?

"Yes." Now his interest was piqued. He'd heard nothing about it since the whelp had left his office almost two months ago. Speaking of which, had he even seen Kaoru slinking around since then?

"Well things have gone pretty far south. For us anyway. Turns out that girl is actually the supposedly dead Yukimura twin and she's been living in hiding with her uncle, Kodo."

"What?"

"Yeah, I had a hard time believing it too. I mean, I thought she'd bit the dust, but turns out not. I only found out because the kid and doc got themselves arrested for kidnapping her. Any way you look at it, it doesn't look good for us."

Kazama's first instinct was to have all three eliminated. They were a risk he couldn't afford. Kaoru and Kodo both knew too much and couldn't be trusted to keep secrets that didn't belong in filthy human hands. And the girl… the girl was the whole reason he was at risk in the first place.

The order was on the tip of his tongue when he abruptly stopped.

No… killing the girl would be a waste. The men he couldn't care less about, but the Yukimura girl…

A plan slowly began to take form in his mind.

Oni numbers were still diminishing at an alarming rate. Frankly they were barely holding on. Apart from her parents' radical views, her blood and breeding were of a quality on par with his own. A rarity now a days. If he could marry this girl and if she were to bear his children, then it could be used as a rallying point for his people. A source of hope and inspiration that all was not lost. That humanity would not extinguish them.

Finally, he said aloud, "Handle the boy and the doctor, but leave the girl to me. I want those two out of the way as soon as possible."

"Seriously? You know you can't just-"

Kazama frowned as he said forcefully, "I will have done what needs to be done for the good of our people. Do you understand?"

He knew Shiranui didn't like the idea of removing their own and he knew he'd get Amagiri's silent disapproval later, but it was the right decision. It was for the greater good of the people who were his responsibility.

"Fine. No skin off my back. But what are you gonna do with the girl? I hope you're not thinking-"

"I will handle the girl. You focus on your job and do it right, or else."

It was with a great deal of satisfaction that he hung up on Shiranui. A little of the man's own medicine.

Yes, he would handle the girl. The first thing he had to do was have Amagiri dig up as much information as possible on her. He wanted to have every advantage for what he had planned next.