The Settlement

Hikaru came home to face the wrath of Kuroshi

about 5 minutes earlier he was a bit mad that she'd gone out leaving Mitsukai at home
but as soon as she came through the door, her scent hit his nose and he knew where she'd been...

he was livid, he yelled at her for a good couple of hours
for the first five minutes she just ignored him and hastly tried to wipe the tears from her eyes but
then he hit a nerve.... a big one...

he said something about Satori and she snapped
and the screaming match really began
.................................................................................

it ended as fast as it started

Hikaru's eyes were flashing from grey to black in her rage
and Kuroshi's aura flared

his hand shot out and he slapped her across the face, hard

suddenly everything stopped,
hikaru picked herself up of the floor, stunned
touching her cheek gingerly
a small stream of blood ran down her jaw where his talons had met skin

a second passed and suddenly she was gone
the door slammed against the wall as she fled.....

Mori stood by the kitchen, blinking in the increase of light. He placed his hands on the bench and just looked at them whilst he waited for the toast - he grimaced - to arrive. Sadaharu moved over from the couch, giving Mori's shoulder a squeeze before sitting down at the bench.

"Sure you don't want some?" Yui teased, waving a plate benith his nose. Ayama grabbed her arm and gave Mori a plate of Toast.
"He'll be fine, thanks anyway." Ayama smiled softly.

Sadaharu swiped his own plate and sniffed it appreciatively. Mori picked up the piece of toast and started to eat. Bite, chew, swallow. Pause. Repeat. He'd worked his way through about half the piece of toast when he put it down, feeling slightly queasy. He pushed the plate away and thanked Ayama quietly.

Ayama smiled softly and rubbed his back. "Go lie down." SHe said quietly, nodding towards his room. "But I'll be coming to get you up before midday got it?"

Yui smiled and began to chat to Sadaharu, Amaterasu, Yuki, Etsuko and any other person/demon sitting there.

Mori nodded and stood up, walking stiffly back into his room and closing the door behind him, shutting himself back into his self imposed confinement. Sadaharu took both his and Etsuko's plates up to the sink. Etsuko smiled and looked up at Yui.
"Thank you." She said, beaming. Sadaharu still couldn't get used to her talking. He'd not had the chance to put the voice to a face, and it caught him off guard ever time.

"No worries kiddo." Yui beamed, ruffling the childs hair.

Ayama hissed as she cut her finger while she was washing up, blood ran freely from her wound, shes topped to suck her finger.

---

Sandy gave a sigh, grabbed his hat and walked out of his club

Sadaharu paused. "Ayama, you alright?" He asked, turning towards her as he set down the plates.
Etsuko smiled at Yui and moved from the kitchen, playing with a lock of her hair.

"That hurt." Ayama said. "Alot."
Amaterasu looked at her brother who looked right back. "Mum?" Yuki asked.
Amaterasu slipped off her chair and pulled her mothers finger to her. "You cut it deep, and it hasn't healed yet."

Yui rose an eyebrow at the conversation.

April wondered out of her bedroom, Selena with her.

"It's not healed?" Sadaharu asked, standing up, concern flitting over his face. "What's going on? Is it bad?" He asked. "Why wouldn't a cut be healing?".

"I'm fine." Ayama said, pulling her hand back.
Yui smiled and walked over, holding a badaid. "Just needs a bandaid is all." She placed it on Ayamas cut.

Sadaharu was about to suggest otherwise when he remembered what Yui was; rather out of the loop.
"Yeah... a bandaid" He said and settled back into his chair, small smile plastered onto his face. "The smell of blood just creeps me out a little" He offered as an explanation for his earlier sentance, which probably didn't make much sense to her.

Yui smiled. "I'll be back in time for dinner, I have a lecture." Witha quick kiss for Ayama, she picked up her bag and left.

"Not a word, any of you." Ayama said stirnly.

"What the hell mum!" Yuki snapped. "What did you do?!"

"And don't avoid the answer" Sadaharu said sharply. "What happened?"

"I cut myself, no biggy." Ayama said, trying to move out of their way. After failing she sighed. "For gods sake. I got rid of my demon side alright?! I'm human!"

To put it bluntly, Sadaharu was horrified. To concentrate on him a little more, he was mortified. "No, you wouldn't have..." He shook his head, she must have. He didn't say anything else, feeling pretty much stumped by this revelation.

"Want some more proof?" Ayama snapped, pirkcing up a knife and holding it to her arm. Yuki quickly took it off her.
"Why mum?" He asked softly.
"I've had enough." Ayama sighed, leaning back against the counter, holding her head as tears fell. "Enough death, I've seen enough in all my years of living. Enough pain, I've had enough suffering and I'm sick of watching those I care about hurt." She looked up, a small smile on her lips as she wiped her eyes. "And I finally met someone who makes me happy, but she's human. I finally understand what it means to want to be with someone till you die. I don't want to live forever, I want to die but I want to grow old with the one I love." She gave a shaky laugh. "I know it sounds selfish."
"Oh mum." Yuki replied, wrapping his arms around his mother and hugging her.

Amaterasu had gone into Shock, she took a few steos backwards before she fell back and made a dash for her room.

Sadaharu started to go after Amaterasu but stopped, one hand still suspended in the air. "Ama..." He dropped his hand and bit his lip. He quickly decided that if she needed time alone, she'd tell him, and moved after her. He cracked open her door and stepped inside.

Amaterasu sat on her bed, her back against the wall. SHe was holding herself and rocking, her hand buried in her hair.

Sadaharu sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Hey..." He murmured, trying to calm her down a little, touching her hair.

Amaterasu let out a little whimper before she buried her head into her legs, tears starting to fall.

Sadaharu held her close and rubbed her shoulders. "If it was what she wanted..." He started and stopped himself. He didn't like that she'd done it. He didn't like it at all, but he did see her reasoning. She wouldn't have to let another she cared about die and know she had to keep going without them, barely aging. He grimaced. She had a right to do it, he knew that. It didn't make the idea any easier though. He opted to just hold her for the moment.

"If its what? If its what Sadi?" Amaterasu said, looking up at him. "She wanted to die? She wanted to put us all through what she herself has gone through? Mum is dying, dying quicker. And I don't want her to do and I don't like how vonrable she's made herself. She didn't even fucking ask if she could she just did! Why wouldn't she talk to us about it first? Why was always so open... I'm losing her Sadi..."

Sadaharu shook his head. "She should have spoken to you, she should have thought of what it would do to everyone, she must have known the consequences." He paused. "But there's nothing we can do now" He said, voice choking up a little. This was a death sentance. He didn't want this to happen. Since Yuki had died, everything had gone wrong. Everything. Now they were going to lose Ayama. Even when everything seemed worthless, she was the one who held everyone together at the end of the day, she was their stability, and she was dying.

"I hate this place." Amaterasu mumbled. "Ever since we came here everythings gone wrong. Yuki's a damn druggie, I'm being stalked, you... God you lost you eyes. Satori died, Anei was Kidnapped, Zetsubou... He does nothing but sleep. Mori.. I don't even know what to make of him anymore..."