This is the first none-yaoi fic I have ever written; rather, I am even more surprised I happen to like OkiKagu that much.

It's the shortest thing I have ever written, but please enjoy either way.

This is dedicated to Zack Cydle Von Crisst, who challenged me to write this!

…

"China?"

Deep azure turned to stare up at him, the beautiful eyes glazed and puffy—crying, he instantly detected. Kagura's gaze lowered, the trembling of her shoulders never ceasing. "What are you doing here, stupid Sougo? Decided to die in the Operation Room?" Her words, spoken so softly Sougo was almost straining to catch, lacked their usual bite, falling with eased practice.

He looked behind her, into the sealed off room where he found the forms of Glasses and—even more surprising—Danna layered heavily in bandages and with auxiliary breathing, the latter of the two looking worse for wear. Comprehension immediately dawned on him, curiosity wiggling in without regard. "What happened to Danna and Glasses?" Honestly, he did not know how working as a Jack-of-all-trades could possibly lead to so much trouble, even going as far as being involved with shady personae of the Joui and Harusame sort.

Kagura's small frame stiffened, and new tears began to streak down her porcelain face, the silent crying quickly escalating into sobbing. She wiped at her tears, aware of her pride in the face of her nemesis; yet the dam merely cracked further, spilling its waters over the unwanted. "I-it happened so suddenly, and Gin-chan…he—he pushed me out of the way…And P-Patsuan…Shinpachi w-was…" she explained brokenly, trailing off her tale as the memories once more flooded her mind in vivid colours and motions; as Sougo was made aware of the scorched hems of her dress, the golden outlines tainted with browns and blacks—they were caught in an explosion, he surmised.

Women and tears—always a lethal combination—had never settled well with him unless he was the cause of such a reaction. He much preferred her tears to be of sexual frustration, begging—he discreetly cleared his throat, pushing the mental images back till the time he would put them in action some later date and effectively eliminating the butterflies in the pit of the stomach that seemed to plague him every time his thoughts drifted towards a certain redhead of outer space.

He was not one to ever show comfort—much less affection—towards others, but…

It streamed down her pale complexion, brightening her cheeks into a light flush, shoulders heaving and shaking with every sob that rippled past her mouth.

He tentatively placed his hands on either side of her wavering and, once he found he was not slapped away, lowered himself to her line of view. He allowed the strangest muscle twitch to occur: a smile. A miniscule smile, yes, but it was utterly genuine, gentle, and—above all—comforting.

The flow of tears did not halt—yet her hiccup-like wails did—as she raised her head slowly to meet his crimson eyes. She gasped softly at the barely-there-but-there-nonetheless smile playing on his lips.

Satisfied with the progress, he reached down to take one of her hands between his, giving the deceptively delicate hand a light squeeze. "It'll be fine—they'll both be fine, as well and lively as any other day." He leaned in to press a fluttering kiss against her forehead—the action shocking her tears into a complete halt, a bright, dark blush instead spreading over her features—the soft locks tickling his skin.

"I promise…" He captured her lips into a deep kiss, sealing the contract.

I'll protect you.