Planning and Deciding -Open if anyone-

[Mihoko]

She didn't understand the reason behind why he was beating himself up. He was angry, but at least he controlled himself and didn't do anything that he would regret. His anger subsided and he looked up at her and smiled. He grabbed her hand once more and they continued on their way back to the apartment. The first thing she wanted to do was change clothes. Her shirt was tightly clinging to her body due to the rain. Her thick, tightly coarse hair laid flat on her head and she groaned softly. I'm gonna have an interesting time detangling my hair now...

As they grew closer to the building, she too sensed a demonic presence. She ignored it for the time being since Hiraku didn't seem worried. She heard him let out a yawn and she smiled. "What am I going to do? I'm going to change clothes and see what I can do about this mop on my head," she laughed as she placed her hand in her hair. It wouldn't affect her too much since she already had curly hair, but because of the rain, it was going to be fluffy. She walked into the building and noticed that the demonic aura was getting closer.

Did I sense a demonic presence when he first brought me here? I don't think I did. The closer we draw near to his apartment, the stronger it gets.... They finally arrived at his apartment door. She was taken aback when she felt the presence coming from within inside. She looked up at him puzzled. Was he supposed to have a visitor? Hiraku unlocked the door and opened it. There was indeed someone inside. They were standing in the living room.

Mihoko didn't get a look at the person's face since they were facing away from the two. She noticed the long black hair and raised a brow. The stranger finally turned around and she noticed that his eyes were similar to Hiraku's. She figured that it had to be his kin. A smile spread across the man's face as he saw Hiraku. She wasn't really sure if this reunion was a good one or a bad one. She had trouble reading his expression and let go of his hand. ....this changes everything. If Hiraku has to face his kin, I'm going to have to face mine, too....

Mihoko felt like she shouldn't be in the room at that moment. The two hadn't seen each other in years. It was obvious that Hiraku was shocked. It seemed awkward to her to just stand there. She was going to give the two some privacy. The redhead looked up at Hiraku, "I'm going to dry off." She looked at his father one last time before retreating into the guest bedroom. She closed the door gently and she sat herself in the middle of the floor, her heart pounding.

"Hiraku's father came back. I did the right thing in leaving them alone, right? It's none of my business anyway so I should just stay out of it.....," she mumbled, hugging her knees. Emily cooed at her and wobbled over. She had almost forgot all about her doll. Mihoko pat her gently on the head and pondered. Why did he suddenly want to come back into his son's life after he was absent for so long? Since her doll was here the whole time, did his father know about the doll's presence? There were so many questions that she had, but it would be distasteful for her to confront someone that she didn't know.

[Hiraku Takashi]

The moments between the two seemed to last forever. Hiraku still was stunned and he didn't know what to say. So many emotions came up all at once; anger, relief, excitement. But the silence kept on going as Hiraku searched for the words that could describe everything. Then Mihoko's words snapped him out of his trance and he looked at her as she past him. He wasn't fully for sure what she had said, he then saw her veer to the guest bedroom. He then remembered she said she needed to change.

He turned back to his Father, the man didn't age at all. The plus side to being a demon, you could live for a long time and barely show your age. Hiraku then held out his for his father to take a seat, the both sat down. His dad sat on the couch and Hiraku pulled the chair over to face him. His dad was exactly how he remembered him. Hiraku then closed his eyes and felt his energy and compared it to the man across him. It was almost the exact same. He opened his eyes and stared back at his father.

His father gave him a questionable look "I am me." He said in a low voice.

Hiraku shook his head "Forgive me but you have been gone for how many years? Then just show up out of no where? I have a right to be overly cautious." he had a edge in his voice, he ran his face through his hair. The emotions were starting to subside, the only feeling left was anger. He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. "What are you doing here?" he asked his face still covered by his hands.





Adrian ran his hands through his hair and hooked the behind his head. He didn't know what to say his son sat in front of him, obviously frustrated. He didn't blame him, Adrian left him alone with his brother. That he eventually found but when they went back Hiraku was gone. Adrian who was consumed with the thought of revenge gave up on trying to find him. He was ashamed looking back at his decisions. They were all wrong, it even turned into his other son into something else entirely.

"I came to see how you are doing...It has been a while." Adrian said to his son "Also to apologize for leaving you the way I did..."




Hiraku raised his head, he was glaring at his father "After all this time...You left me there. Both of you did...." He began and then trailed off at the end, he was so angry his body was shaking. He got up and said "Give me a minute." He got up and walked to guest bedroom, he collected himself and opened the door "How is everything going?" he asked smiling at her. His past and his present was both in this house, he had just began forgetting his past and moving on. With this girl, Mihoko's help. He hoped she would be there to help himself through this.

[Mihoko]

As much as Mihoko wanted to eavesdrop, she didn't do it. She sighed softly and reached into her messenger bag. The redhead wanted to make sure all of her explosives were still dry. She let her hands caress each explosive toy and smiled when they hadn't been damaged by the rain. She turned her back toward the door and lifted her shirt, taking it off. She tossed it to the side and searched for something that she could wear to bed. The feline looked in her satchel and pulled out an extra large shirt. She smiled and put it on, unzipping her phat pants.

"I need to do laundry eventually....," she mumbled to herself. She kicked off her shoes and then tossed her pants aside. Mihoko stood up and noticed that the hem of her shirt reached to her knees. She was glad that it was at an appropriate length. The girl put all of her belongings in one corner of the room and grabbed her doll, heading toward the bed. Once there, she wrapped herself in a blanket in a way that it appeared like she was in a cocoon. At least she was a lot warmer now.

"I wonder if it's unhealthy to be envious," she started to say, gazing up at the ceiling. She forced herself to smile and continued, "I thought that I had a chance to start over and then Hiraku's father returned. I'm afraid, afraid that I'll lose Hiraku now." Mihoko laid back in the bed, nuzzling the pillow that her head rested on. She didn't like being outgoing or looking on the bright side. Everyone she ever cared for always abandoned her. No matter how optimistic she was, someone always disappeared from her life.

"I hate being happy because when I am, something bad happens. I want to change. I want to be distant and heartless. People wouldn't come near me if I were that way. There wouldn't be any painful goodbyes, then....," the girl sniffled, rolling to her side. She stared at the bedroom door sadly. Hiraku had told her that she was better off the way she was currently. The world needed more people like her, but people like her got let down a lot more than others. The doll wondered if she would eventually change for the worse. By the state that the cat girl was in at the moment, it seemed like it would change for the worse.

I think I'd be better off suffering in this emotional pain alone. If others knew about it, they'd take advantage of it and manipulate me or worse....they could tell me that I wouldn't have to suffer alone because they'd be by my side. I've heard that way too many times to count....

Mihoko felt her eyes start to water. She quickly reached up and rubbed her eyes violently. She didn't want to cry. She sat herself up, still wrapped up in the blanket. Her fuzzy ears wiggled intensely as she heard footsteps down the hall. Someone was coming. The footsteps got louder and Hiraku walked into the room. She noticed his smile and returned his smile with a fake one. He asked how she was doing and she nodded her head.

"Everything is fine," she lied. No...everything is not fine and they never will be. she thought to herself, "It's so good that your father is back. I'm glad for you." Her lies continued. I wish he hadn't come back. He's going to take you away.

[Hiraku Takashi]

As Hiraku entered the room he noticed something was off about Mihoko. But she gave him a smile, why couldn't he believe that was a really sincere smile? He closed the door and leaned against the wall. He wasn't going to try to pull anything from her, if she wanted to tell him she would. The only time he would pry is if he really needed to, he decided to try to set up a situation to maybe she would open up. He sighed "Glad your doing good...." He said lowering his head "I don't know what to say to the man in there....He may be my biological father. But my true Father died a few years ago....that man is nothing but a shadow".

There was a hint of disgust in his voice, but he knew he needed to spend time with the guy to maybe get his story. But there was no way he was letting him off that easy. Not after all these years of not seeing him or never hearing from him. He looked at Mihoko he wanted to say something to her, so maybe she would tell him whats going on. She had been acting a little weird since the restaurant. He crossed the room and sat next to Mihoko on the bed. "So what do you think about all of this?" He asked turning his head to face her, he wanted her honest opinion, "give to me straight" he said.





His son had left the room to check on his friend living Adrian to his own thoughts. He hates me...he has ever right... he thought to himself he put his hands in his face, he could feel tears pour from his closed eyes. He had already lost one son to the thought of revenge he didn't want to lose his other son to the simple hatred. Even if Hiraku had every right to hate him. He got up and walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and saw that he kept it full of all sorts of things. But one thing caught his eyes a bottle of scotch. At least he drinks good liquor...hopefully not to much




Hiraku heard his father move from his living room to the kitchen. He followed the sound with his eyes, Hiraku began to wonder what he was doing. He looked back at Mihoko and waited for her answer, praying that she would open up to him and not bottle her feelings. No good ever came of that, it would eat her up inside and slowly destroy anything she hoped to have in her life. He put his arm around her, hoping to reassure her, "Don't worry" he simply said.

[Mihoko]

He closed the door behind him and leaned against the door. Mihoko frowned. He looked like he was emotionally drained. He lowered his head and her heart sank. She so desperately wanted to run over toward him and hug him tight. She wanted to reassure him that everything would be fine. When he spoke about his father, she could hear the disgust in his voice. He headed toward her and sat down on the bed, asking how she felt on the matter.

I don't know what to tell him. I've always been a horrible liar, but I don't want to tell him the truth. What if I hurt his feelings? I would never forgive myself if I did that.

She lowered her head, not wanting to tell him her thoughts. She was trying to hold back her tears. He was wanting the truth and she gripped the blanket tightly. He put his arm around her and suddenly, she pounced on him, knocking him down. Mihoko gently placed her hands around his wrist and stared down at him. The cat girl didn't speak for awhile. She merely laid her head on his chest and then nuzzled it softly. She sat up and looked down at him again. A single tear fell from her eye and landed on his cheek.

"You want me to be honest? Fine. I'll be honest. I'm not happy. I'm angry. I'm very, very upset that he's back," she said, gripping his wrists tightly. She was breathing heavily. She made sure to speak in a low voice so Hiraku's father couldn't hear her. Her tail flared up as she continued, "we were both starting over and he came out of nowhere. He's going to try to take you away from me!" Her pupils reverted to mere slits as she continued to stare into his eyes. Mihoko gasped and let go of his wrists and examined her hands. What was she doing? Her pupils reverted back and she covered her face with her hands, crying.

The young demon hid under the blanket again and sobbed, "I'm no better than Shinji is. I'm turning into him! I don't own you, Hiraku! ....I....shouldn't be so possessive....," she whimpered, not coming out from underneath the blanket. She terrified herself. She was afraid of becoming like the one person she truly hated. She was starting to think that it really was a good idea to avoid others. It was to protect them from her rage. Mihoko wiped her tears away. She was too ashamed to look at him.

[Hiraku Takashi]

After Hiraku put his arm around Mihoko she had jumped on him pining him to the bed putting her hands on his wrists to keep him down. They stared at each other in silence for a while, then she broke the gaze and laid her head on his chest. He didn't know what had brought this on from her but he was going to find out. She nuzzled his chest and then raised her head to look at him again. He saw the tear glide down her cheek leaving a trail down her cheek.

She explained that she thought his dad mean that Hiraku was going to leave her. Her grip tightened around his wrists and her tail had flared up. Was this just simple stress? But when Hiraku saw her eyes dilate he knew it was much more. It was anger maybe even hatred for the man in the other room who she feared was going to take him away from her. Then her eyes returned to normal and her grip tightened. She finally had caught up to the anger that had taken over. Hiraku swallowed, not knowing really what to say at this point. This was a different side of her he hadn't seen. He was a little worried but at the same time glad. She was showing her emotions and letting them out.

As he got up she had buried her hands in her face and was crying. She had pulled the blanket to cover herself up entirely, Hiraku could tell she was scared of what she just did. When she spoke again it was very apparent in her voice. As she spoke Hiraku searched for words to comfort her. To assure her that she wasn't being possessive she was just scared and didn't want to lose something good she had found in her life after all this time. Hiraku thought back to when Hiko was dying. He remembered begging and pleading for him not to go because he needed him around. Even though he knew Hiko was in a lot of pain. But Hiraku didn't want to let go of someone who meant so much to him.

He pulled the cover from her face and put his arm around her pulling her into a embrace. He leaned down and kissed her head between her ears. "It's okay...your not like that...I know what your feeling. Trust me on that." He said "It's only natural. You have nothing to fear. I am not leaving you. I promised you to be around for you." He used his hand to prop her face up so she was looking up at her. "It's not possessive to want someone to be there for you. Or for wanting to keep them around. Especially after what you have been through." He smiled at her to reassure her.



Hiraku sure is taking his time in there....I hope this isn't a bad time.... Adrian thought to himself, he pulled out a the bottle of scotch and pour himself a glass. He was probably intruding but he needed something to help calm the nerves. He was hoping that Hiraku wouldn't run off. He wanted to start making amends, first was attempting to come back to his son's life. He knew that his other son was gone, faded into darkness so deep that there was no point in trying to reach him. But by the looks of Hiraku there still might be a chance if he wasn't like his father at all, not letting his hatred rule his life.

He walked back to the living room and sat down his glass but not before sipping it. "This is good..." He muttered he walked over to the door Hiraku had disappeared behind. He raised his hand to knock on the door but he heard Hiraku talking. It sounded like he was consoling the girl that had came in with her. The more he listened to Hiraku talk the more proud he became of his son. Here Adrian had showed up out of no where shocking Hiraku and he was helping his friend through something she was going through. He then saw how caring his son had grown to be.

Adrian walked to the back room and looked around Hiraku's room. He looked on the dresser and saw a picture of a younger Hiraku who appeared to be in his teens and another man. Who had long black hair and green eyes. The man's hand was rest on Hiraku's head while his face was filled with laughter. He picked up the picture and turned it over it read "Hiko and Hiraku". Adrian smiled and thanked the gods that Hiraku found someone that he could look up to. He set the picture down and walked back to the living room wishing he would of been there for his son like that man had been. Hiko...I thank you for doing what I did not he thought sitting back down in the living room and sipping the drink that he had made before.


Hiraku had turned his head and heard footsteps moving through out the hall. He knew his dad had been at the door listening for a few seconds. Probably checking on us he thought giving his father the benefit of the doubt. He then heard the footsteps go to his room. Hiraku wondered what he was doing but a few seconds later the footsteps worked their way back to the living room where they were silenced. Hiraku turned his attention back on Mihoko, "Listen, with all this going down I want you to be with me. You are a part of my life now." He said hugging her again before getting up and offering her his hand.

[Mihoko]

He pulled the blanket from her face and pulled her into a hug. He leaned down to kiss her on the head and she gasped, closing her eyes. Her ears laid flat against her head as his lips made contact. Hiraku tried his best in comforting her. Bottling up ones emotions wasn't a healthy thing to do and it was okay to tell people how she felt. Why couldn't Mihoko just trust him? He said numerous times that he wouldn't leave her and so far, he hadn't. It might have been inconvenient that his father came back, but it didn't mean that his father was trying to tear the two apart.

He lifted her chin so she would look him in the eye. It was something that she rather he didn't do. The cat girl whimpered and her body tensed. Shinji used to do it often. Since Hiraku didn't know that it made her uncomfortable, she let it slide. The she-cat listened as he told her that she wasn't being possessive. He smiled at her and she nodded. "I guess, but I can't keep using what I've been through as an excuse for my actions....," she said softly, examining his wrists.

Emily cooed and looked at the door. Mihoko's ears twitched and she too looked at the door. It sounded like Hiraku's father was busying himself. Even after everything that was going on, the demon wanted her with him. He said that she was a part of his life now. He embraced her one last time and held out his hand toward her. Was he trying to get her to go meet her father? She blushed and refused to take his hand.

"Where are we going? Are you going to introduce me to your father? Hiraku, I'm indecent. I can't. I'm only wearing a really long t-shirt and my undergarments." She gripped the hem of her shirt. Emily noticed how embarrassed the girl was and burst into laughter. The girl's face turned redder as the doll giggled. Her phat pants were probably dry enough to at least put on. She grabbed his hand loosely and stood up, "lemme at least look presentable." The girl went to the corner of the room and touched her pants lightly. They weren't soaking, so she was going to wear them. She slipped into her pants and zipped them up.

"Okay, we can face him together now. You stay here, Emily." Mihoko headed back to Hiraku and grabbed his hand again.

[Hiraku Takashi]

He felt her body tensed as he raised her head, he could only assume that Shinji used to do something similar. He smirked "You would be surprised on how much our past can affect us in the present" He said. He turned his head to see the bear who was looking at the door, they probably sensed his father's presence to. Mihoko was examining his wrists, "Don't worry about me I have taken a lot more beatings that you could dish out" He laughed trying to make her feel better.

He watched as she blushed and said she wasn't dressed for it. He laughed with Emily watching Mihoko's face get redder and redder. "Well time to get some clothes on then." He said walking back over to the door as she put on her pants again. Hiraku didn't know how this conversation was going to go with his father, but he knew that it needed to be done. He also knew one more thing, that he wanted Mihoko beside him as it happened. When she was ready he twisted the knob and pushed open the door.

Adrian heard the door open from the hallway, he swallowed he was still very nervous about seeing his son again. The fear of being tossed out still haunted him. Now that Adrian had cleared his head of thoughts of revenge and hatred he saw everything that had happened. He heard Hiraku's foot steps and then his figure. Still wearing a black over coat and boots. Adrian wondered why he chose to wear such dark clothes. He saw that the girl that he was with was holding his hand. Adrian had a thought go through his head Could this be the girl Hiraku is seeing?.

Hiraku sat across from him, this was it, his son who had head not seen for years was sitting across from him. What should he say? Nothing came to Adrian's mind. He sipped his drink again pondering what to say. He still came up with nothing, he would have to resort to small talk. "So Hiraku...tell me who is your friend here?" he asked smiling at Mihoko.


Hiraku looked at his father examining all his features and having memories that he had not thought of in years flood back into his mind. The man truly hadn't changed besides a few worry lines that he mostly had developed over the years after his mother's death. When he asked who Mihoko was Hiraku cleared his throat. "This is Mihoko....Mihoko...this is...my dad" Hiraku said picking his words. Half way through the sentence he debated calling his father Adrian but decided not to. As Hiraku leaned back into the chair he felt his guns press against his back. He leaned forward again and un-holstered them setting them on the table in front of him. "So...what have you been up to all this time?" Hiraku asked.


What had he been up to? It was a hard question to answer directly. Adrian sipped his drink again before answering "I was tracking the hunters for years...But eventually lost track of them." He began, "So I wandered the earth trying to find a reason to live again...After not avenging your mother...I didn't think I deserved to face you...not after I left you at that house..." He began to trail off tears filling his eyes as the memory of that horrible night filled his mind. It was a night that still haunted his dreams. He wiped away his eyes and smiled at Mihoko "Sorry...I must come across very badly. Being as you just met me." he said his voice waning a little. He didn't even want to know what his son thought about him.

[Mihoko]

Emily continued to laugh at the cat demon, but the laughter soon came to an abrupt stop. She wasn't too happy that she was going to be left behind again. The doll sighed and sulked on the bed. Mihoko noticed that she was pouting and smiled. "I've been in here since you two went off to train! I want to meet Hiraku's father, too." The cat hadn't been paying much attention to the doll lately. She did feel bad about it. She sighed and picked her up, holding her close, "You can come along, but no talking." The she-cat eyed the doll before they left the room.

The two walked down the hall, hand in hand. Her heart beat sped up as they drew closer toward the living room. His father eyed her as she held his hand. It made her even more nervous and she tightened her grip. Hiraku sat down and she sat down beside him. She released his hand, her ears laying flat against her head. His father seemed curious about Mihoko and asked who she was. A small, faint smile spread across her face as he smiled at her. She greeted him once they were introduced.

"Hello...," she said gently, her smile widening. The feline was playing with the doll in her lap. She was grateful that she did take Emily along. She wasn't as nervous. The doll was a slight distraction. Things weren't as awkward as they were. She wondered if her presence was helping Hiraku settle down as well.

She watched as he leaned back in his chair, only to lean forward again. He set his guns on the table and asked his father what he had been up to. She was glad that he was trying to spark up a conversation. At least he was trying to rekindle their relationship. As his father spoke, she started getting sucked into her own thoughts. She wondered if Testament would have set out to avenge his wife if Shinji had killed her off first. A tear streamed down his face and he smiled at her, apologizing.

"Oh, no. You don't. You don't have to apologize, either." She was embarrassed again. A tint of red appeared on her cheeks, almost mockingly. She squeezed Emily tightly in her hand. The doll whimpered and flailed in her grasp. With her tiny, stubby fingers, she tried to wiggle out of Mihoko's hand.

[Hiraku Takashi]

Hiraku sat there and listened to his father's story. Or what very little he told of it, he saw his father begin to break. He felt sorry for him, Hiraku did his best to block out the memory and replace it with memories with Hiko. He had a few good memories of his family but they were buried deep inside of him. He like to relive them every now and then but it was never a big thing. Hiraku saw his dad apologize to Mihoko and thought Now I know where I get it from.... He noticed that Mihoko had began turning bright red and he smiled, he couldn't imagine how awkward this was for her. He then saw that Emily was squirming trying to get Mihoko loosen the grip on her. Hiraku's eyes shot towards his dad, it was obvious on his face that he noticed Emily squirming around.

He turned back to his dad and tried to change the conversation before he could ask about Emily. But it was to late, his gaze was locked on the doll obviously intrigued. He felt that his father was holding back up questions as he straightened himself and smiled at the doll. He nodded towards it a gesture to acknowledge it's existence.

Adrian turned back to his son, even though he was intrigued by the anomaly that was that doll he chose to fill his curiosity later. He needed to focus a little on his son the one he was here to see. He met eyes with this son and continued his story, "I wandered the world and tried to let go of all the hatred. Only thing could I face you, it was only recently when that happened...When I was ready I did my best to try to find you and your brother...You were easier to find...Though I get the feeling I know where your brother is..." He trailed off. Though there was no doubt in his mind where his other son was, scouring the world searching for a absolute power. To destroy the human race.

He waved his hand "What about you? I saw the picture on your dresser. What happened to you after I left..." He asked curious to the story that lead Hiraku to this point and why He was known as Takashi rather than Alexander.

Hiraku had hoped that the conversation would not of led to Hiko but he guess it was inevitable. He sighed and said "That is the man that cared for me after you left, and didn't care I was a demon...I took his last name because in my eyes he was my dad." He knew how harsh this sounded but it was the truth and he wasn't going to lie to man in front of him about his feelings. His eyes shifted to Mihoko they were filled with worry.

[Mihoko]

She noticed that Hiraku's father caught a glance at Emily. She was embarrassed and didn't say anything. Mihoko couldn't understand why she was being so shy. Adrian talked about what he had been doing while he was away. When he brought up his second son, her ears shot up. She couldn't recall if Hiraku ever talked about his brother. Maybe he had and she just forgot? His father seemed like a nice person, so maybe his other son was, too?

He eventually turned the conversation around and asked about Hiraku. He wanted to know what he had been up to since he had left. Mihoko smiled happily, waiting for him to reply to his question. He told his father a summary about Hiko and eyed her. He seemed worried. The girl's ears drooped and she frowned. She didn't think he needed to be worried. He was telling the truth, even if it did sting. She quickly changed her demeanor and smiled at him.

"Your son is very, very sweet, you know. He's been teaching me all kinds of cool things. He's been teaching me how to fight. You should be really proud of him!" She was still grinning. She swung her legs loosely and looked to his father and then back at Hiraku. She was starting to lighten up and break out of her shell. Even if she couldn't make a huge impact on the two, the least she could do was try to help rekindle their relationship. Sometimes people can't do things on their own. Mihoko held back her tongue and wouldn't tell him anything about Lilith. The last thing she wanted to do was worry that man.

"He's so great and protective. He reminds me of a sibling so I wanted him to be my brother," she said, pointing to herself. She truly loved him and his father could probably see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. The cat girl was praising Hiraku a lot and she felt like he deserved it. The redhead hoped that she wasn't embarrassing him or anything. She chuckled to herself and eyed him, trying to hold back another smile. He should be really proud! Instead of being heartless and grumpy, Hiraku is compassionate and very strong. she thought to herself.

"Hiraku is a good boy...."

[Hiraku Takashi]

A movement out of the side of his vision broke Hiraku's gaze with his father, Mihoko's ears had perked up. He wondered what she was surprised about, then he remember they were talking about his brother. He couldn't remember if he had mentioned his sibling. Her smile warmed Hiraku back up again, he could feel his worries disappear with every word that she had said about him. He was really lucky to have her around in his life. Hiraku noticed that she seemed to be getting over the shyness that had taken her over when his dad originally had arrived. The praise kept coming out and Hiraku could feel his face getting a little red, he wasn't use to getting praise like this any more.

She said that she wanted him to be her brother, he smiled, he didn't really know why. Guess it was because of the fact it was good to hear it said out loud like that. She looked at him again he glanced and smiled at her and mouthed 'Thank you' to her. He turned back to his father he wanted to know more about what his brother had been doing. But the way his father trailed off when he talked about Daren made Hiraku worry. "So what about Daren? Did he ever find you that night?" Hiraku asked bringing up his brother even though he could feel a pit grow in his stomach when the expression on Adrian's face changed.

As the girl named Mihoko explained everything to Adrian he could hear the love that she had for his son. Brother huh? Glad Hiraku was able to find family he thought smiling he could see Hiraku blushing. Adrian took another sip of his drink as Hiraku asked about Daren, Adrian frowned You knew he was going to ask that... he thought to himself. He set down his drink on the table and started at it trying to find the words for it. This wasn't going to be a easy conversation by any standards.

"He did...and he traveled with me for some time. He was like I was for the longest time...hell bent on revenge." Adrian began, "I taught him to fight the best I could but he was pretty quick on the uptake of it. But the more we looked the more driven he became, trying to become stronger and stronger. Eventually when I wanted to let it go he didn't...and vowed to wipe out the human race." Adrian thought back to that argument and was ashamed. He should of done more to talk Daren out of that insanity. "So he is probably looking for more power or who knows what..." he said taking a big drink from his glass. He couldn't say he was proud of this, but if anyone needed to know it was Hiraku.

Hiraku took in this information slowly trying to wrap his head around it all. He tried to remember the look on his brother's face that last night he had seen him but drew a blank. He swallowed and looked to his dad "So now you have no idea where he is?" he asked. He watched his dad shake his head and look at him in a apologetic expression. Hiraku lowered his head and said "It's not your fault...I am sure you did all you could..." He was a little angry that his dead spend so much time with Daren and not Hiraku. But that was in the past, not to mention he had Hiko which cared and nurtured him, which had not turned him into a revenge driven fool. He could only imagine growing up thinking and hearing about nothing but revenge.

[Mihoko]

Hiraku mouthed his thanks to the cat girl. She nodded her head toward him slightly. He turned his attention back toward his father and asked about his brother’s whereabouts. Mihoko was pretty interested in knowing more about him. She took notice of his father’s frown. She wondered if something bad happened to him. He explained how Hiraku’s brother travelled with him. That didn’t seem too bad until he went on with his explanation.

Oh, I get it. He wanted revenge because of what happened to their mother. So, the father was the one who started seeking revenge first and then Daren followed after. She thought to herself as she followed along with the story. Hiraku’s brother sounded like a quick learner the way his father described how fast he was picking up on how to fight. He eventually grew obsessed with getting stronger and continued to seek revenge even though Adrian got over it. The cat girl was grateful that she wasn’t so obsessed with trying to even the score with Shinji. She contemplated, but didn’t say anything just yet. There seemed to be a lot of people who wanted to see the downfall of the human race. She hoped that he didn’t blame himself for his other son’s decisions.

Hiraku spoke up and asked if he knew where his brother was. His father kept silent and merely shook his head. Mihoko smiled to herself when Hiraku spoke again. The two were on the exact same page. He too didn’t think it was his fault. The cat girl didn’t think he should beat himself up for his son’s actions. She rested her elbow on the table. She knew all about pain that was self-inflicted.

“I know this really isn’t any of my business, but you shouldn’t blame yourself if you are. You got over your revenge stage,” she started to say. She looked into the older man’s eyes and continued, “You didn’t know your son’s motives until he told you, right?” The young demon asked. The humans were very complicated beings. She picked out her words carefully as to not offend him or Hiraku. The redhead cleared her throat and then turned her attention toward Hiraku.

“Humans are kind of odd, you know? They scare easily. They’re the type that gets angry and scared when they don’t understand something. I’ll use us as an example. Demons are strong and can survive blows to the gut and any other vital area that they can’t. They don’t understand why this is and it frightens them. They shouldn’t categorize all demons as bad.” Mihoko was trying to tell them both that humans were dangerous in large numbers, especially when they got panicky. All humans weren’t so bad, either. She didn’t feel that it was fair for Daren to kill every human because of what happened so long ago.

“Only a small group should be punished, not an entire race. It doesn’t really make sense, does it? That’s like one demon killing a human’s loved one and then they decide to set out and destroy all the other demons. The other humans are innocent and I don’t think they should be killed….”

[Hiraku Takashi]

As Mihoko got done speaking he nodded, he was in complete agreement. She made a valid point, that no one side has been hurt more than the other. He turned back to his dad then one question popped into his mind. "Do you know how he is going to go about attack the human race?" He asked folding his hands. He could that something terrible might be happening very soon, he sighed he looked to his dad and saw the years of stress and the scars that hatred for song long left on his soul and body. It was definatly a sad sight, Hiraku could see a little scar on his father's neck that was no doubt a battle injury.

Mihoko's words helped ease Adrian's heart. He could say that even though he barely knew this girl that those words helped a little. He smiled at her his tired eyes staring into her eyes. They were filled with guilt but happiness that he could find his son and someone who could understand a little of what he was going through. Then his son asked if he knew Daren's plans, but he shook his head. "Sorry...I have no idea what he was planning he never shared his plans with me."looking back at everything he couldn't find any clues to what his other son was thinking in his head.

Hiraku sighed, he had hoped that maybe he could make a start to stop his brother. But it would seem he would need to wait until he revealed himself. Because Hiraku hadn't heard anything like from his contacts. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths keeping his heart rate slow and not stressing about this. Just because Daren wanted revenge didn't mean he would go and try killing every single human in the world. That is almost a impossible task. Right?

[Mihoko]

Mihoko thought her situation was bad, but it was painfully obvious that Hiraku's situation was a lot worse. She wanted to help him the best she could. It would be easy, wouldn't it? There was only one of him and three of them. The redhead would have to worry about Shinji some other time. Stopping Hiraku's brother was more important.

"We can handle this, right?" She asked, eyeing them both. Emily was glad that the girl was so optimistic, but Hiraku's father had no idea about his other son's plan. They weren't sure if he was recruiting other demons to help him or if he was doing everything solo. She was determined to help them both. She wanted to ease Adrian's mind and protect the human race. The dark skinned girl grinned and stood to her feet.

"We can do this, Hira! I want to do whatever I can to help. I was raised in this realm and some of the humans are lovely. We should start investigating right away!" She didn't exactly know where to begin. She thought about going around asking demons if they knew of Daren. If they wouldn't cooperate, then she and Hiraku would make them. Mihoko grinned evilly at the thought of interrogating demons again.