Planning and Deciding -Open if anyone-

[Hiraku Takashi]

Hiraku listened to her order glancing the menu trying to figure out what he wanted. "No bacon...You are a odd one" He said grinning flipping a page on the menu glancing around trying to figure out what sounded good. He decided to go just go simple, "I will take a bacon burger minus the veggies" he said. He sat down the menu and handed it to her.

"It will be ready in a few minutes...I will have your drinks to you soon" the waitress said as she walked off.

Hiraku looked out the window, the rain was coming down hard. He looked over to see the waitress had brought their drinks. She sat the cups down and walked back to counter to check on the other customers. He picked up his cup and sipped the warm coffee, he did love that bitter taste. As the warm liquid went down his body he could feel it warming up his body again. When he was down drinking on it he let it out a "aah".

He looked around the diner and watched the people talking and going about their daily business. He wondered what it would be life to have a white picket fence life. Wife, kids, dog whole nine yards. It was a interesting thought but he didn't know if he could have enjoy that. He like the fast paced life that he lived now. He picked up the cup off the table and sipped again.

The waitress came back around and set their food down on the table. The smells floated up to his nose and made his stomach growl. "ooh this will be good..." he said smiling "Thank you" the waitress smiled and walked back to the bar. He looked at his plate and picked up the burger and took a giant bite. He smiled as he chewed, "Oh god this is good" he said his mouth still full with food.

[Mihoko]

"Pfft, a burger with bacon and no veggies at all? I think it is YOU who is the odd one, Hiraku. So, your true colors start to show. You're the meat, cheese, and bread type, huh? Sounds like a manly lumberjack's diet," she said, grinning widely. She giggled happily and gave the waitress a gentle nod as she took off. Mihoko stretched and faked a yawn so she could check out the waitress from over her shoulder. "and what's wrong with not wanting to eat bacon? I have a soft spot for pigs. I think they're.....cute." The girl put her hands in her lap and she faced him. She took notice of the salt shaker and grabbed it, examining it carefully. It was an adorable ceramic salt shaker chef figurine. It had the classic chef attire and mustache with rosy cheeks.

The waitress returned with their drinks and she smirked. It was just like the picture in the menu. Her strawberry lemonade had sliced strawberries resting on top of the ice. Mihoko raised a brow at him, scheming. She grabbed her straw and ripped it slightly. She put her lips on the exposed straw and blew in it, the paper shooting at Hiraku. "Did you know that you'll get headaches if you quit drinking caffeine without warning? It's because your body goes through withdrawal." The cat girl placed her straw into her lemonade and took a sip. She grabbed a fork that was wrapped in a napkin and she took one of her strawberries, eating it.

"O-oh, wow. I've never had a strawberry this sweet before.....," her cheeks turned rosy as she started eating more. Once the waitress returned to their table with their food, her mouth was full of strawberries. She couldn't thank her, so she merely nodded her head. After consuming most of the strawberries, she reached for the ketchup bottle that was on her far left. She squirted a blob of ketchup on her plate for her burger and onion rings. She held in her giggle when she heard Hiraku's stomach growl. She watched him take a big bite and she wagged her finger at him when he spoke.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, mister," she scolded him playfully. She wasn't sure which she wanted to try first. Was she going to try her burger or her onion rings? Since she couldn't decide, she placed two onion rings on her sandwich and then dipped it in her ketchup. She too took a big bite and smiled. The gourmet burger was phenomenal. She swung her legs happily as she chewed. As she continued to eat, she gazed out the window once more. She grabbed her lemonade and took a drink before speaking.

"Hey, Hiraku. I have a question. Other than fighting hand to hand, what else do you do? Can you use magic or is that not your thing? You know what would be cool? I would like Emily to fight along side me. If she could somehow change into a gigantic knitted doll, we could be unstoppable. Well, maybe not unstoppable. Someone could light her on fire or something. Magic seems interesting. I would use it on all my weapons to make them double their size."

Mihoko dipped an onion ring into the ketchup and took a bite. She was off daydreaming again. The redhead pictured herself with all sorts of kooky weapons that doubled in size. She imagined wielding a small mallet that grew in size and then she thought of child's paddle ball toy. Using a gigantic paddle ball as a weapon sounded silly, but she definitely thought that it would be the coolest thing ever. She wouldn't mind fighting Shinji with one of those or Sage. The cat girl chuckled to herself as she took another bite of her burger. She wanted dessert, but changed her mind.

"I hope you're not wanting anything sweet after this. If you do, your stomach is a freaking garbage disposal. Do you want one of my onion rings? They're really good." Mihoko kept looking out the window. The wind and rain started mixing and it created mist. She wondered if the sun would come out of hiding once the rain stopped. She hadn't seen a rainbow in awhile.

[Hiraku Takashi]

Hiraku felt the paper hit him in the side of the head gently. As it fell to the table he caught and crumpled it flicking it at Mihoko. "Nice shot." he grinned, it was odd if anyone else had tried that he would of caught it in a instant. But around her he let his guard down, became a lot more lax. It wasn't a bad thing, no. It was good not being on the watch for someone trying to kill him, when all truth he didn't need to be that way.

"I did know that...But being a demon it isn't that bad" he said laughing a little. He watched as she stuffed strawberries into her mouth, her mouth was so stuffed she couldn't even thank the waitress she could only nod. He shook his head grinning, "careful don't want to choke now" he said.

She was waving her finger lecturing her about manners, he waved his hand and swallowed the food in his mouth. "Hey, it needed said right then." He took another bite of his food, chewing and swallowing it letting the flavors barely have time to reach his taste buds. God this is good food... he thought happily taking another bite.

Then Mihoko posed a question that he really didn't have a good answer for. "Magic isn't a strong suit of mine. Never learned it." he said picking up his cup and sipping from it. "My master was human, so I never got the chance to learn it, and by time I was traveling I just didn't have the time to pick it up...I don't know if I would even now though." he explained, he didn't like the idea of using magic cause of the little he had seen of it.

She explained her theory, he began to imagine little Emily becoming almost as big as his apartment building and snorted, stifling his laughter. "That would defiantly be a sight to see" he choked out. "But most of my training is hand to hand and a few forms of weapons. Though my specialty is swords." he explained taking another sip of his drink. "But as for doubling your weapons, that would be interesting to see you wielding a hammer of sorts almost as tall as you" he laughed.

He took a few more bites of his food as Mihoko made the comment about his stomach being a garbage disposal. "Who knows, training works up a hearty appetite." he said after he swallowed his mouthful. His burger was about half way done and he still hadn't touched his fries quite yet. He took another bite and looked out towards the sky once again. It might clear up behind tonight he thought hopefully.

He then turned back to Mihoko, "So after your hand to hand do you want me to teach you some basics on any weapon fighting...depending on what it is mind you" he asked sipping his drink again. It was almost empty, he looked over at the waitress and raised his cup. A silent plea for more coffee, he did love his coffee.

He heard the waitresses footsteps approach and he moved his coffee cup to the side of the table. When she arrived and filled the cup. "You guys doing okay?" she asked.

Hiraku nodded "Yes, thank you". When she walked away, "Also I know this isn't a great thought. But what do you want to happen if some of Shinji's thugs come sulking about?" he asked. Though to him the answer matter a little he didn't care, he wasn't going to let the lunatic or anyone associated with him lay a finger on her anymore.

Hiraku thought about the past few hours and realized he had grown very close to the cat girl in the little time that he had known her. Last night he watched as she struggled to fight two goons, and he didn't even lift a finger. Now he would put his life on the line to protect her. It was funny how things can change in such a sort time.

[Mihoko]

He flicked the paper at Mihoko and it hit her gently on the nose. She blinked and then wiggled her nose afterward. She smiled and rested her chin in her hand. She loved the chemistry between them. It was true that demons weren't as vulnerable to things such as hangovers, caffeine withdrawal, and other things like them. Hiraku warned her that she could choke on her strawberries if she wasn't careful. She placed her hand on her throat and with her free hand, held it in the air. She squinted her eyes, pretending that she was choking.

She stopped being silly for a second and put her hands down. Mihoko was slightly disappointed that he didn't use magic. She needed to stop relying on range combat anyway. She had never seen anyone use magic before. The cat girl could mimic it if she used her special attack, but that attack was only used as a last resort or if she just wanted to show off. Hiraku laughed at the idea of a Godzilla-sized Emily running around through the city. The female didn't mind learning how to use her knitting needles, but they were quite small. If she could use magic, she would make her needles twelve inches long.

"Hehe, if you keep eating the way you do, you'll get cute and pudgy," Mihoko giggled and tried to force herself not to grin, but failed. She noticed that he didn't even touch his fries. She looked down at her plate where her onion rings used to be. She reached out and swiped one of his fries. She was the one who actually had the garbage disposal for a stomach. He asked her if she wanted to learn how to use weapons in combat and she nodded her head quickly. "My needles are too small, but if I made custom needles from wood that's sturdy, I would like to learn how to use them. It would be like fighting with giant stakes." The waitress returned to refill Hiraku's cup and the girl smiled.

She eventually finished her food and occasionally swiped a few fries from Hiraku's plate. Once the waitress left, he asked what she would do if Shinji did have henchmen roaming around. It took her awhile to answer him. She didn't know how to answer him, really. After a few seconds of silence, she opened her mouth to speak. "Shinji may be desperate, but he isn't that desperate. If he did stoop that low, I'll fight them. I wouldn't kill them, though," she was still as merciful as ever, or so it seemed. She thought of Shinji and blushed, her body quivering slightly.

"I would leave them badly injured and I'd make them go back to Shinji. He would know that I'm not afraid of him anymore if he saw how banged up they all were. What about you, Hiraku? You didn't forget my promise, did you? I told you that if Shinji ever showed up, you weren't allowed to hurt him. That's going to be my job....,"

She looked at him with pleading eyes. She hadn't realized it, but she was completely exposed. When the two first met, she tried to prove how tough she was time after time. She even bluffed about how she was such an amazing fighter. Even though it was probably bad to be so vulnerable, she liked being her true self. Mihoko's toughness was always an act because she feared that she would get hurt again. If Hiraku ever broke her trust, that would be the last straw. She wouldn't trust anyone else ever again.

"Sometimes I wish I really was an insensitive jerk. I wouldn't have to worry about being taken advantage of. People wouldn't want to be around me and that would be fine, but if I started practicing how to be heartless, it would've become a bad habit. I probably wouldn't have met you if I was like that..."

Mihoko was grateful for her kindness, but she found it to be a weakness as well. She had already let Hiraku in, so trying to push him away now wouldn't solve anything. She was always told to not let a person be her happiness because some people couldn't be trusted. If that person disappeared out of nowhere, then her happiness would be gone, too. The cat demon's happiness came from her brother once and now Hiraku was the one who made her smile. "May I ask you something? ....Do I make you happy?" She asked, staring into her glass.

[Hiraku Takashi]

"If I was going to gain any more weight I think I would have already" Hiraku laughed at her comment. He kept munching on his burger, but after a while he slowed down and let the flavors set into his taste buds. He began to enjoy it more and more with each bite he took. She began to swipe his fries and he thought about swatting her hand telling her to eat her own. But when he looked at her plate the onion rings were gone. "Jeez talking about eating your food fast." he joked, he set the hamburger down and took a drink of his coffee.

"If you wanted something similar to them I am sure daggers would be pretty good. Those are pretty easy to get the hang of." he explained sipping his coffee again. "If you work on your speed those would be a deadly weapon in your hands." He said putting his on the table and setting down the coffee cup. "With them you will have to be up in the person face, but if you can keep on your feet and move they won't be able to touch you." he explained "and with your small body that wouldn't a hard challenge to meet" he added smiling at her.

As she explained her situation about not killing them and sending them back to Shinji he wanted to shake his head. But it wasn't a bad call, but he didn't like leaving ends that would come back and attempt to stab him in the back. But then again showing mercy to opponents some times brings them to your side. She then remind him of the promise he made. He lowered his head a bit, "I won't break it...But I am not going to stand by and let him hurt you. If the battles goes a bad way I will step in enough to pull you out of there...." he said trailing off "Then we can do more training so you can try again."

"It isn't the greatest thing in the world...the world needs more things like you Miho.." he said looking out the window. "Most things will kill each other just for survival you do your best to avoid that option if all possible. It's something to be admired." When Hiraku moved his glance back at to the table he saw that Mihoko was staring at her glass. Her question caught him off guard. There was more going on in her mind that he thought. "Of course you do...Why?" He asked curious.

He sipped from his coffee cup again, what would bring this on? he thought to himself. He ran his finger on the edge of it he was worried about her. He looked up at her his eyes filled with worry. The rain had picked up outside the rain smacking against the window next to them filling the silence between them. He wanted to say something more but the words couldn't come to him. He searched the words to describe how much she meant to him but he couldn't grip a single word. So he kept his mouth shut staring down at his cup silent. Hoping that the explanation would be something simple.

[Mihoko]

"You'd step in just so he wouldn't hurt me? That's very.....protective of you," Mihoko smiled a bit. She was told that the world needed more people similar to her. Her ears twitched lightly. He called her Miho again. She still didn't think that being so forgiving was to be admired. The same fluttering feeling in her chest resonated once more. She was surprised that she made him happy. She didn't understand how she could possibly make him happy.

"Huh, is that right? You shouldn't rely on other people for happiness, Hiraku. It's very dangerous....," Mihoko said, gazing up at him for a brief second. She averted her eyes and noticed that it was raining even harder outside. It seemed like the two would be there for awhile. She had an umbrella in her messenger bag, but she didn't want her converse shoes getting soaked. He wanted to know why she brought up such a question. The dark skinned girl was thinking about dodging his question, but it wouldn't be fair to suddenly change the subject.

"I asked you because I was curious, I guess. I hope I'm not the only reason why you're happy. Everyone lies, no exceptions. If I was to run away one day, I'd be stealing your happiness. You should find happiness in things, not people. Of course, I would never leave you, but I was just using that as an example."

Mihoko was dampening the mood with her attitude. She felt bad and didn't want to bum him out. She quickly changed the subject back to training. "Anyway, daggers sound like a great weapon. I am pretty quick on my feet and dodging isn't a problem. I can finally use my agility as an advantage," she started playing with her straw and looked up at him again. She saw the worried expression on his face and felt terrible. She didn't mean to cause him to worry. The least she could do was apologize. Mihoko bit her lower lip and sighed.

"Don't be like that, okay? You look troubled. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I sometimes ask stupid questions, so ignore me." She wanted to reassure him, but she didn't know how to. She twirled her hair with her finger, wanting to go back to the apartment. I used to be lonely, but Hiraku's filled that void. If he's filled that hole, then why do I still feel broken? she asked herself, still not understanding what she really needed. All of the thinking was making her depressed. "...I sometimes wonder if my frustration is self inflicted. Again, I'm sorry for acting so strangely. I guess it's due to the weather."

[Hiraku Takashi]

Hiraku listened to what she had to say and considered everything carefully. He leaned back and sipped his coffee, "To be fair everything we do in one shape or another is considered dangerous. It doesn't matter if you are the only thing. If someone can safely put their happiness in someone it means they trust them with their heart and safety. Even if something happens to the person it may hurt but if you can't trust people even if it is just the one. Then what's the point of living?" he rampled.

He smiled at her "Maybe I am crazy, but no one should ignore their hearts feelings." he said putting his hand on top of hers. He listened as she tried to change the subject then went back wondering if her frustration was her own doing. He shook his head "Questions are how we figure things out about life." He said simply. He sipped on his coffee again. There were things about Mihoko that she have had to experience and she has yet to move on from them.

Hiraku smiled and nodded towards her apology. Weather...sure... he thought skeptically to himself. He picked up his burger and took a few more bites out of it. Leaving one small bite left with a little bacon on top of it. He swallowed and followed it soon after with a swig of his coffee. He glanced down at his mug and saw that the cup was almost empty. He sighed and set it down at the table hoping the waitress would be by soon for another cup.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table and folding his hands in front of his face. There was a lot she was dealing with even if she didn't want to say anything about it. He wasn't going to pull it out of her, cause that would make her more upset. He didn't want that, if he knew what problems she was having it would easier to get them out in the open.

[Mihoko]

Her eyes widened and she looked up at him quickly. He truly found happiness because of her? She felt like she was no one special. She was just a typical, annoying eighteen year old brat. He trusted her so much and yet, she felt like she wasn't worthy of it. Maybe that was the other thing that was bothering her? She lacked confidence in herself and still had trust issues, "You're taking such a huge risk." He had so much patience when it came to dealing with her.

He smiled at her and told her that no one should ignore their feelings. She thought on his words and he placed his hand on top of hers. A small gasp escaped from the girl's lips. With her free hand, she clenched her fist. Hiraku's touch gave her goosebumps and her heart started pounding rapidly. What was that just now? That wasn't a confession, was it? No, of course not. It's platonic! All of this is platonic! She thought, her face turning a beet red. She wasn't sure how to respond. Mihoko lifted her free hand and bit her index finger, trying to think of something to say.

"....I'm not sure if I'm thinking too much into this, but my feelings were supposed to be unrequited." There was one thing that scared her ten times more than Shinji. She was afraid of falling in love. It got her into trouble with Shinji when she was child and she thought that it was her fault that her parents were no longer with her. He accepted her apology with a single nod. If he wasn't afraid to put his trust in her, then why was she hesitating to do the same for him? "There are---.....there are so many things wrong with me...," she started to say. She didn't dare tell him about her falling in love phobia. She didn't think it was that important.

"I lack confidence in myself. I always have and I always will. I still have trust issues because I've been let down so many times when I was younger. I even blame myself for what Shinji did to my parents. If I hadn't gotten so emotionally attached, if I hadn't fallen in love with him, they'd all still be here. There was never any physical attraction, not really. I guess he was good looking, but he made me feel special...."

She was playing with the straw again, her eyes staring emptily into the glass. At that moment, she didn't realize that she confessed to him about her phobia. All of her pain really was self inflicted. Mihoko kept dwindling in the past. She just wouldn't let go of it and it was eating her up inside. Her theory was that nothing ever good came out of love. This is the real me, Hiraku.....

[Hiraku Takashi]

Hiraku watched her expression after his explanation, it wasn't exactly what he was expecting. He sipped his coffee again, as she said he was taking a risk. He laughed setting his coffee down again "Nothing good happens if you don't take a risks in life" He leaned forward looking at her in the eye "What are you scared of?" he asked her.

As she began to explain he leaned back he picked up his cup and drained the rest of his containts. He noticed that she was playing with her straw again and that her cup was empty. "One moment." he whirled around and caught the eye of the waitress who was talking with the man at the bar anid picked up his cup and waved it in the air, smiling. She nodded, disappearing to the kitchen, he turned back to Mihoko.

He continued to listen to her story and then he realized what she was scared of. The waitress came over and poured him some more coffee and set down a new drink for Mihoko. "Thank you" Hiraku said looking over at her and smiling. She smiled back and walked over to the bar. He heard the bell of the door clang open, Hiraku looked over his shoulder and saw a balding man with a blue umbrella come in and sit at the bar.

He turned back around to Mihoko, he didn't to tell her that things will be okay with time. Cause there is just some wounds that never will never heal not matter how much time. He didn't know what to say, he looked down at this cup the black liquid, twirling the cup around, watching the liquid move around in the cup.

"listen...after everything you have been through I am not surprised if you are scared" he said looking back up at her.

[Mihoko]

"That may be true, but what if I lose you?" She forced herself to smile. Her ears twitched periodically at all of the sounds in the cafe. The waitress returned to their booth and gave her another strawberry lemonade. Mihoko nodded her head toward her. She put her straw in the new glass and the two sat there in awkward silence for a moment. Those few moments felt like an eternity to her. Hiraku finally spoke and admitted that he wasn't surprised that she was afraid. She breathed a gentle sigh of relief when he broke the tension.

"And after knowing this, you still choose to stay. You're a strange one," she chuckled and took a sip of her lemonade. She reached her hand out and began to trace small semi circles on his hand. Mihoko wondered what Emily would tell her if she knew that he might have a slight interest in the cat girl. She would probably tell her that she was crazy to keep pushing him away. There was someone right in front of her who was willing to protect her and care for her and yet, she wouldn't take it. I'll give it a try some day, but for now, I'll keep things simple. I don't want to complicate our current relationship... she thought to herself. She felt at ease when she finally came to her decision. At least one weight was lifted from her shoulders.

"I'll stop running from it eventually. For now, I don't want things to change. Besides, I've claimed you as my sibling. I don't think it's very healthy for you to have a sister complex," Mihoko gave him a cheeky grin. Her playfulness was slowly returning. She stopped tracing her finger on his hand and kissed it, patting it gently. She just hoped she wasn't unintentionally sending him mixed signals. The female was always an affectionate person. She finally finished off her hamburger and took another sip of her drink. She chuckled to herself and blew into the straw gently, her lemonade bubbling.

"You really, really need to try one of these strawberries. We're not leaving until you have at least one." Mihoko stopped being immature for a second. She grabbed one of the strawberries with a fork and held it out to him. She half smiled at him, hoping that he would take it.

[Hiraku Takashi]

Hiraku looked at her and smiled "It will be hard to lose me, what can I say I stick like glue" he laughed he sipped his coffee again happy that slowly but surely the conversation was getting brighter even though the sky wasn't. The rain was coming down harder than before, and didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon. He sighed "Looks like training is off for today." he sipped his coffee again, "and you know that I am strange." he laughed again setting down his cup.

A sister complex...that's one way to put it he thought he twirled his finger around his coffee cup wondering what else they could do besides sit in this diner and make conversation. His thoughts were disrupted by the sounds of her making bubbles in her drink. He snorted "Don't make a mess now" he said smirking a bit, she then held out a strawberry for him to try. He took the fork and ate the strawberry. He had to admit they were pretty delicious, he set the fork down and nodded in agreement. "They are good" he said once he had swallowed it.

The waitress came over and set the check down on the bar. He snatched it really quickly, he took a look at it and pulled out his wallet from his coat. It was a black leather wallet with a symbol of a dragon crest on it. He pulled forty, dollars and set it on the table, he picked up his coffee and slammed the rest of it down. He let is seep down his throat before getting up out of the booth. "Let's make the trek back to my apartment" He said smiling and holding out his hand for her to take.

She was right though they had just became family it would be awkward for him to start developing feelings like that. Not to mention very dangerous considering his line of work. He had a lot of demons that were after his head and they would probably use her to get to him. He didn't want her harmed because of him, but he wasn't going to distance himself from her either.

As he walked by the bar the bald man who had most recently entered the diner turned around in his seat to face Hiraku. Hiraku who was going to walk by him like he normally would. But he was stopped dead in his tracks when then man spoke. He spoke in a low tone, and said "I wonder what Angel's singing sounds like". Hiraku turned to him, that was a phrase he used to distinguished from jobs. This was a demon related job that he was wanting to give him. "Mihoko could you wait by the door?" he asked he wanted to keep her out of this process.

Hiraku sat down next to the man at the bar and turned to him "How did you find me?" Hiraku asked the man. Not many people knew of his existence, more importantly what he did. He needed to know how he found out.

The man turned back to the bar and said "Dark?". He was keeping his answers short and calm. Good. Hiraku didn't like doing this in public places so if they could keep this short that would be great. He nodded towards the man telling him to go on. "He told me you do jobs of a more....'scary' nature...." he explained....The man slid a piece of paper, "this is the job...offer is ten grand...my number is on the card...let me know" the man tipped his hat.

Hiraku got up and walked out the door into the pouring rain with Mihoko. He stuffed the paper in his pocket for later. He would read and decide what to do later, he smiled at Mihoko "Shall we go back home?" he asked taking her hand in his.

[Mihoko]

Her ears laid flat against her head and she sighed as well. She was bummed out about the rain. Mihoko wanted to continue their training. Man, the stinking rain always ruins my plans! It's not fair.... she said in her mind, making a sour face. She heard him comment about how she already knew that he was strange. He laughed and she smiled in return, sighing with content. She was told not to make a mess while she played in her drink and this made her roll her eyes playfully. He's scolding me just like an older sibling would, hehe...

The waitress returned one final time to give them their bill. The cat girl swung her legs as she waited patiently. Once he paid the bill, he got up and held out his hand toward her. Mihoko's ears perked up and her tail swayed from side to side. She grabbed his hand and held it firmly, standing up. She followed after him, but he stopped abruptly when a balding man said something to him. The demoness couldn't make out what he was saying, though. She tilted her head to the side and eyed Hiraku.

"Huh? ...Oh...yeah...sure," she eyed the man for awhile and reluctantly obeyed, going to wait for Hiraku. As she got to the door, she made sure to stay out of people's way. She occasionally looked out the door, noticing how much worse the rain poured down. Mihoko opened her messenger bag and looked at all the explosive toys that she had inside. She was going to have to replace them if they got wet. If that did happen, at least she would have something to do once they returned to the apartment. It wasn't any of her business, but she wanted to know who Hiraku was talking to. Hiraku wasn't secluded on an island like I was so of course he would know people...

She noticed him walking toward her and he went out the door. She grabbed his coat and followed him outside. Mihoko saw the paper that he slipped into his pocket, but said nothing. As much as she wanted to ask him what it was, she knew better. When asked if she was ready to go back home, she nodded her head quickly. "Mhm, I'm ready!" she smiled warmly and took his hand again, making sure to protect her messenger with the other. Her ears twitched violently as she was getting soaked.

"I'm going to have to change when we return. You wouldn't happen to have an extra large shirt that I could borrow, would you?" She asked him, casually watching as other people were walking through the rain. As they headed back to the apartment, a tall, well covered male rammed into her shoulder. Mihoko whimpered and looked over shoulder, watching as the man continued on his way. She bit her lower lip and called out to him, "I-I'm sorry!" The man looked over his shoulder as well, but said nothing. She saw a glimpse of his eyes and they were green. She didn't think much of it and gripped Hiraku's hand more firmly.

He could have said he was sorry, too. He was the one who rammed into me. I should have known that there are rude people here. Seems to me like there are more rude people in the city than in smaller towns. We bumped shoulders pretty hard. ....That guy must be pretty muscular or something.

[Hiraku Takashi]

The rain was coming down hard at this point. It soaked Hiraku's hair to his head rather quickly, his hair was placed into his eyes and stuck there. He wanted to shake his head and move around his hair, but it wouldn't of done any good. Seeing as how the rain would soak it back to the normal position. He decided to pull his hood up pulling the eagle point so it covered the top part of his face. He wasn't a huge fan of rain while it was pouring down so hard. If anything it was quite annoying.

As they walked he felt Mihoko's hand being pulled as if she stopped. He looked back to see a man who he couldn't make a single detail out about. But he sensed a certain power coming from him, he was a demon. There was no doubt in Hiraku's mind, but he heard Mihoko should she was sorry. Hiraku wanted nothing more to stop the guy and teach him a few manners. But he fought the urge. Hiraku felt her hand squeeze his tighter. Did she know him? he wondered keeping his eyes trained on the man.

"She said Sorry!" Hiraku yelled at the man, narrowing his eyes. He wanted to take his gun out and shoot a round right next to his head to make sure he never did something like that again. His guitar bag that was slung around his shoulder felt started to gain weight because of the all water that began to weighing it down. He then pulled Mihoko closer, "Just cause your ugly doesn't give you reason to treat everyone like crap" Hiraku yelled at the man glaring him down.

What was making him so agitated....no he wasn't agitated....he was angry. But why? He hadn't been this angry since he saw someone disrespect Hiko a long time ago. Was it because of how close they had gotten he considered her family and no one hurt or disrespected his family. Would everything be different if the stubborn fool would just apologize.

He pulled Mihoko behind him, he wanted her to be safe if this pathetic demon wanted to attack. Hiraku let the bag slide down his arm landing on the ground. He heard the metal move a little inside the bag. Hiraku pulled down his hood so his face was fully showing, his red eyes burned into the stranger. "now please say sorry to the nice girl and we can all go home and dry off. If you don't then it might get messy" he said in a threatening manor. The water slid down his coat onto the ground dripping into a puddle.

He would give the man a few seconds, then if nothing was said would shoot a warning shot. From there if he still refused Hiraku would get a little more violent. Was he over reacting? Yes. But he didn't know who this demon was, and it could of easily been sent by Shinji or Lilith and if was sent by either would not be a good time for Mihoko or himself. He knew his paranoia was getting the better of him.

[Mihoko]

His sudden outburst startled her. She thought it wasn't a big deal. She didn't want anything to get started between Hiraku and the stranger. He pulled her closer in an overprotective manner. Mihoko gasped and looked at the stranger and back at Hiraku, "....don't worry about it. I'm fine. It was on accident," she said with a hint of concern in her voice. Blind rage was dangerous. Most people didn't think clearly when they were upset.

The stranger stopped where he was and didn't say anything. His back was still to them, but he was watching the two over his shoulder. The cat girl was pulled behind Hiraku and she clung to his coat, tightly. She had never seen this side of him before. The angered demon demanded that the stranger apologize. She was peeking out from behind him, wondering if the man would actually say that he was sorry. This is bad. What can I do to make Hiraku stop...? she thought to herself.

"My sincerest apologies....," the demon said. The cat girl nodded her head toward the man. "It's okay," Mihoko half smiled, hoping that he would be on his way. He stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze and walking onward. A sigh of relief was heard coming from her. She felt like they had enough confrontations for one day. She didn't want them to have any more. The girl let go of his coat and pulled on his arm gently.

"Hey, come on. He said he was sorry. Let's go home now, okay?" Mihoko tugged more, watching as the man turned the corner. It was odd how protective Hiraku was of her. That was what mostly stuck out in her mind. Heh, he's playing the big brother role pretty well.... She just hoped that he wouldn't get so protective of her that she felt suffocated. Shinji got that way and she didn't want Hiraku making the same mistake. She hugged him from behind gently, her forehead resting up against his back.

"That was very brave of you. Thank you for standing up for me."

[Hiraku Takashi]

Hiraku could hear her ask him to stop, but his rage was boiling to the surface. The rage leaked into his eyes, Why am I so angry? he thought his thoughts racing. He could feel his heart rate speed up he started to grit his teeth, his mouth closed so Mihoko couldn't see his rage more than she could see. Mihoko clung to his coat while she was behind him. Then Hiraku saw the mans green eyes, he met them with his.

The man apologized turning his head and Hiraku traced his gaze back to Mihoko. Something about that gaze made Hiraku's hair stand on end. As he walked off, Hiraku slung his guitar bag over his shoulder again and let the tension run out of his body. He turned around to face Mihoko his hair hiding his face. He pulled up his hood further covering his face in a shadow.

"It wasn't brave...it was pig headed and foolish." Hiraku said shaking his head. His actions could of gotten both of them hurt, or worse, killed. But they didn't he would just have to be careful next time. But he thought it was odd that his temper was flaring so easy now. It had been a while since that happened. Maybe he needed to let out his stress more. He would probably take the job for that, He lifted his head so Mihoko could see his face. He smiled. "Yeah let's go home."

He took her hand again, and began to walk down the street. He could see his building approaching on the corner. He began to wonder what they would do once they got back. He probably should clean his guns, he had used them once or twice since their last good clean. He would defiantly make a drink and chill for the rest of the day. As the came up to his building felt a small power it was demonic...But not big enough to worry about.

He yawned "So what to do when we get up back to the apartment?" he asked Mihoko. They came to the front door, Hiraku opened the door and let Mihoko go first. The power was getting closer, Hiraku began to wonder where it was coming from but quickly abandoned the thought.

He climbed the stairs to his apartment feeling the presence get stronger. When he got to his floor he realized it was coming from his apartment. Hiraku was becoming a little paranoid, but he figured it was some other person asking for a job to be done. He unlocked his door and opened it, there was a person standing in his living room.

He was a tall slender man that had black hair, that was longer than Hiraku's, it laid rest just above his shoulders. He turned around, his eyes were as red as Hiraku's. He was very built and wearing a blue button up shirt with jeans. He smiled at Hiraku as he entered.

When Hiraku saw the face he stopped in his tracks. His eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open. He was stunned this was the man he had not seen in years. One of the people he thought to be dead, his father. "Dad...." Hiraku stammered out, barely able to form words. He didn't know what to say or do.

A surprised look came over his father's face. "I didn't think you would remember me" he said in a tired voice.