"Kagami, where are you going?" Asukai hollered, walked behind Kagami as he began to head back home.

"I'm not dealing with this, I have enough problems in my life and I don't want to deal with another!" Kagami grabbed a lantern down from a chain and blew it out from the top. "I mean look at everyone, they're already cleaning up as if nothing happened!" He pointed over to the townsfolk cleaning up the surrounding area. Some blowing out lanterns, others picking up the tablecloth and food.

Asukai reached his hand out and put his hand on Kagami's shoulder, "Kagami you need to not just look at what they're doing, but what they're feeling." He gestured for Kagami to take a look over at someone. A kid blowing out a lantern, his hands trembling and breath shaky. His eyes were big and wide, looking down towards the floor.

A few people could be heard from across the street murmuring with each other, "you saw that right?... Is Asukai hiding something?... -I'm scared..."

"See these people? They're scared of what the oni are, and we can't reveal the truth yet." "Before we can tell them, we need to be sure that we are able to protect these people." Kagami took another look at the crowd and took a deep breath.

"I don't know Asukai, I'm just not cut out for this." He opened his palm and felt a faint, but a warm feeling in his hand. Asukai removed his hand from Kagami's shoulder,

"Look, I know this is all happening too fast for you and it's a lot to think about. So just do me a favor and all I ask is that you think of it." He pointed up past the arch of the gate. "Do you see that mountain?" Kagami looked over to where he was pointing. In the distance stood a tall mountain, with a great oak tree atop. "I'll be leaving tomorrow early in the morning to talk with a colleague about tonight, meet me up thereat dawn if you wish to join, think about it tonight." Asukai gave Kagami one more look of hope, as he walked away to presumably head home.

Kagami stood in the street alone as he felt something cold in his palm. He opened his hand to see a dark coin, engraved with the emblem of an oni. He rubbed his fingers over some letter engravings, the letters reading, "FUJIN."

=+=

Kagami blew out the light of the final lantern hanging. He hung it back upon his hook, beginning to head back home. As he was about to slide the door to his home open, he noticed dim candlelight through the door. He sighed to himself, sliding the door open.

"Oh, hey there Kagami." Iwata stood by a table, holding a candle in one hand.

"Hey, dad," Kagami responded in a dry tone. He began to walk back towards his room before being cut off.

"So we're just not going to talk about it?" Iwata said, his voice shaky. Kagami stood still. There was silence. "I saw that monster, It looked like it was going to kill us all. I don't know what would have happened if Asukai wasn't there..." Iwata's gaze fell to the floor.

"We all would be dead." Kagami finished. Iwata stammered for a second, stumbling on his words. "We all owe our lives to him, and we should be grateful."

"Then why won't you go with him?" Iwata pleaded, falling on his knees. Kagami turned back towards his father. His eyes filled with a disturbed look. "Yes I heard you two talk, and if you say we owe our life to him then why won't you go with him?" Kagami went kneeled on a knee to be at the same eye level as his father's,

"If you just want me to go, then tell me," Kagami asked. Iwata looked at him. He had no words. Kagami stood back up with a solemn face. He turned back, his head down as he retired back to his room.

Iwata watched as the door slid closed, feeling like it'd be the last time he'd see Kagami again. He wiped a tear from his eye as he stood back up. Iwata walked back over to the table he was at earlier, inspecting a photo frame. Picking up the frame, he quietly whispered to himself,

"I could never be the father he wanted or needed, but maybe Asukai could be that for him." On the frame, there were three people labeled. Kagami, Iwata, and Kawada Yasuhara. "I think Kagami misses you..." Iwata placed the frame back down, returning to his room.