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Chapter 154: Haunter

Garret stood by the kitchenette on the second floor. He leant against the wall, looking toward the stairs, trying to be strong for Nathanial. The pup -- no, the young man -- was nearby, watching Sensei finish up the preparations to seal Lily's office. Nathanial really was trying to be brave, despite everyone saying they expected -- even wanted-- him to stay downstairs. Gods, Garret wished Nathanial agreed, because then _he'd_be able to do so, too. But, no.

His stomach rolled when Liam opened the office door; even that flimsy barrier blocked some of the power the bloodstained carpet radiated. It sickened him, literally: the knowledge it was there, in his house; where it came from, both the source and the cause; the failings it so pointedly showed in him. Worst of all, the hunger it created, and the feeling of his former master, Verdru, watching him, measuring him against Gordon. His stomach rolled again, silencing his mind, distracting him from his hunger, if not stopping it outright. Thank the gods. Blessed, blessed nausea.

Nathanial rubbed his back. "Y-You don't look s-so good, Dad." How could he be so strong? Garret knew Nathanial was terrified, but he still found strength to worry about others.

A short way up the hall, near the office, the Spirits looked over, as did Sensei. Only Aoife, Ciaran, and Eirne were here, with Aoife standing closer to Garret than to the office. Dirk had commented to Conor earlier about doing some work, and it sounded rather pointed, so Conor stayed in his suite to go over the clan's payroll. The others remained downstairs to make lunch.

Liam tapped the edge of some sort of 'spell scroll' on the wall. The oddly scented strip of paper adhered itself to the painted gyprock. Five other bits of paper already boxed in the office: one on the floor above the room, one on the ceiling beneath it, and three others on the outer walls. "Neither of you needs to be here. Actually, _none_of you do, other than Ciaran, and him only as insurance in case of untoward events."

The Ancient One clasped his paws together with his index fingers raised, as Ciaran did the same. The two glanced at each other, and Liam lowered his paws. Ciaran took a breath, slowly exhaled, and reached out to tap the paper. Garret saw four very faint beams of light streak across the walls, one in each direction. The walls gleamed a split second later, and Liam nodded in satisfaction. "The ofuda are set. I shall place the relics in the office itself to form a double barrier, and then I can prepare for the full cleansing without worry."

Garret sagged against the wall in relief. He couldn't feel the blood anymore. Whatever those ofuda did, it was effective.

Nathanial sighed forlornly as he gazed at the wall, or perhaps through it. "Why?" The question was obviously rhetorical, Garret thought, and just as obviously aimed toward the spirit of a woman who could not respond, even if she cared enough to do so.

Liam shook his head and entered the office carrying a box of knickknacks, closing the door behind him.

Eirne growled. A strange tracery of green flickered across her fur. "Because she was a psychotic bitch. A damned, sick vermin who couldn't treasure what she had and could only see what she wanted." That sounded like Lily, who she'd become,_all right. It wasn't who Garret had first met. Sure, she'd always had a 'princess' element to her -- Rosemary called her a 'girly-girl with delusions of entitlement' -- but that didn't explain _this. Really, _Eirne_showed a far more volatile temper over the last few days than Lily had during his short courtship of her.

Nathanial slowly turned his head to address Eirne. "No, I-I was asking a, u-um, broader 'why.' Why do people hurt each other? N-Not just Mom, but Gordon, Betty, Poppy--"

Eirne's eyes narrowed, and she interrupted before Nathanial could keep expanding the list. "I stand by what I said. Psychotic. Greedy. Blind."

Garret snorted. "That fits Gordon to a tee, all right. He wants power, and the more people he hurts, the more he enjoys it." Nathanial's face hardened with hatred; Garret never wanted to see that expression on his son's face, but he couldn't still his tongue. "He was like that for as long as I knew him, even before he became a Blood Demon Mage. Fucking bastard."

Ciaran's tranquil voice drifted over. "Calm yourself, Nathanial. Gordon needs to die, but if you fight him, kill him only out of necessity. Don't let it be for vengeance." Ciaran appeared to be about to say more, but Nathanial's phone rang.

Nathanial exclaimed, "Nick?" in surprise and yanked out his phone. "H--"

Even Garret could hear Nick clearly; he sounded very agitated. "She's close by!" Garret felt the air tremble, and it forcibly reminded him of how it felt when Nathanial had suspended him over a portal to the Elemental Plane of Darkness -- with that sarlaac...dark worm...thing's mouth right on the other side. He shuddered to think of Nathanial doing it again, only to accidentally set that thing free to rampage through Halifax. A portal winked open in front of Nathanial, and the pup stepped through before Garret could make a sound.

Garret's 'vision' wasn't the only effect created by Nathanial's burst of uncontrolled magic, though. The barrier made by those ofuda flickered, crackled, and then seemed to call to Garret. To his demonic blood.

They all heard Liam curse, followed by the sound of something powerful striking the floor in the office. Ciaran sprang into action, yanking open the door to charge in.

Aoife cried out and tried to follow, but Eirne grabbed her by the arm, hauling her back. "Da!_Let me _go, Eirne!"

Ciaran leapt back, chased by a pseudopod made of animized blood.

Garret dropped to his knees, weakened by the war between demonic hunger and his sanity's revulsion. The hunger was winning.

Aoife manifested before grabbing Eirne by the waist and flipping her sister-in-law over her hip. Eirne released Aoife and crashed to the floor with a loud gasp. The large-eared Spirit ran toward the office shouting, "Da!" A swirl of leaves flew from her various pockets, including an unusual black one, before forming a whirling disc. The air screamed as it passed over the rapidly moving leaves, and it cut cleanly through the pseudopod chasing Ciaran. "Da!" The blood splattered on the white tiles. It smelt divine.

Ciaran jumped forward again, this time to block his sister's progress. Liam called out, "Aoife! Stay back! It's after--!" Aoife slid to a stop by her brother, her hindpaws skidding on the spilt blood. The crimson pool leapt into the air as Liam spoke, several lancets of the blood piercing her body. Her scream cut Liam's warning off.

"Such a pretty scream." The voice seemed to come from the floating droplets of blood as they drifted back into the room to join the main body. "Rich blood you have. A mother's blood. So many lessons to teach. So much pain to cause."

The door slammed shut and Liam shouted, "Get Aoife out of here, Ciaran! It's a haunt!"

Aoife staggered and collapsed into Ciaran's arms. Garret could see the strange blood working its way into her wounds.

"Blood spilling blood. The betrayal of trust. The screams of a child, your child. No greater joy. A joy I can teach you."

The intercom buzzed. Someone was at the gate.

Ciaran carried Aoife past Eirne and right to Garret. Eirne staggered to her hindpaws and followed. Ciaran hoarsely demanded, "Help her!"

'Help her? How the hells can I help _her? Call an ambulance maybe?'_Garret couldn't voice the questions while he struggled against his curse. It was easier now that the door was closed, even though Aoife bled right in front of him.

Eirne put her paw on her husband's shoulder to balance herself and opened her mouth to say something. Nothing came out for a second as she stared at Garret's face. "Your eyes! They're bleeding!"

Shit. After twenty years, the Taint was starting to win. But, no, Sensei removed the Taint. Gods damn it! There was no way he was going to lose and leave his sons alone, no matter _what_was causing this! He closed his eyes and curled up in a tighter ball to try to _force_that damned curse into submission.

Ciaran wasn't getting the hint. "Fuck it all, Garret! You've got to help her!"

Garret managed to choke out, "What the hells do you expect me to do? I have no magic."

"Don't give me that crap! I heard about how magical pressure doesn't affect you. Those trans-oceanic portals even affected an agent, but not you! You should be on par with that Doull Mage! A fucking councillor! You have magic, _blood_magic, and you can get this cursed shite out of her!"

Garret shook his head slowly in order to keep from barfing. "I can't even light a candle consistently." He felt some of the blood still outside of the office and out of Aoife moving closer. "Sensei says all of my magic is keeping this curse locked up."

Eirne looked at Ciaran and Garret, switching back and forth as the realization of what they were saying dawned on her. "A-A Demon Mage!? You? Get the hells away from Aoife!" She manifested and clawed at Garret. His magic acted of its own volition and created a reddish shield between them. Her claws danced over the demonic disc depositing drops of deadly poison.

Ciaran dropped Aoife's legs, but held her upright by an arm around her torso. He pushed his wife aside with his free arm. "Stop it, Eirne. We need to save Aoife before the haunt harms her child. Garret needs to save Aoife." Eirne snarled and hissed at Garret but stayed back. Ciaran stared through the disc and into Garret's eyes. "You have magic. Please, try."

"Another mother," the slowly moving blood whispered; it seemed to be sneaking up behind Eirne, yet neither Spirit heard it speak. "Child grown, but potential for more. Such a temper. Such hatred in her heart. Such an easy target."

Garret's arm shook as he raised it, pointing past Eirne to the small puddles drifting ever closer. He tried to call out a warning, too, but but it took everything he had not to empty his stomach. Neither Spirit looked back; they likely thought he was still trying to argue, or trying to say something to Eirne. Aoife's eyes flickered open. She saw Garret pointing and glanced back. She shrieked, "Look out!" and pushed Eirne out of the way.

Garret saw the blood rise to strike and felt the demonic magic within him react of its own volition once more. It ripped all the power out of the blood and absorbed it. The influx of power allowed him jump up and dart to the nearby washroom, before the same influx, along with the sensation of his curse tearing apart the fragment of the haunt inside him, caused him to be violently ill. Many drops of blood from his eyes fell into the toilet along with the stomach acid.

He found himself recalling what a haunt actually was as he heaved. Some sort of undead, one of the three broad categories: corporeal, ethereal, and haunt. Corporeal and ethereal were the ones people usually thought of, like zombies and ghosts, and were the reanimated physical remains or the lingering soul respectively. Haunts were...different, somehow. Ah, they were the emotional, or as some preferred, the psychic remains of many people. The soldiers of a battlefield, the victims and inquisitors in a torture chamber, the residents of bedlams, and so on. The haunts possessed an object in the area, from the small -- like a poker -- to the large -- like an entire building -- and sought to perpetuate the actions that brought them into being. This one possessed a bloodstained carpet.

That meant...Lily made this creature, and it was born from Nathanial's torment. It sought to continue Nathanial's form of suffering through a new mother and child, through Aoife. Garret retched again. His blindness had allowed this to come about. No, that wasn't fair. It was his wilful blindness, his deliberate, planned_absences from home. That creature Liam fought was as much _Garret's responsibility as it was Lily's: his sins of omission and her sins of commission.

Garret spat out a few times to try to clear his mouth before flushing the toilet and shakily rising. He washed his paws and face. "Ae..." It sounded choked, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "Aoife." She walked in, closely followed by Eirne. Ciaran stood in the doorway. "I'll try." Even if he damned himself by doing this, at least it would be in an act of penance. Ciaran nodded, and closed the door before, presumably, going to help Sensei.

---

Tuathla hummed tunelessly as she carried a plate of biscuits toward the front door to greet Garret's guests. The lady at the gate had a very pleasant voice, and her children cheerful, though Tuathla couldn't understand what they said or knew what language they spoke. It was hard enough to understand the mother through her thick accent. The thought _had_briefly crossed Tuathla's mind that this could be a Hunter, but the sound of children banished the thought. Who would put a child in danger like that?

Her ears drooped when she glanced toward the stairs as she passed by, but that was a one-off. There was no way such evil could exist in any sort of number. She heard some sort of fuss upstairs, and the slam of the bathroom door. Poor Garret must be ill again. Hopefully he'd be well enough to speak to his guests. She took a kerchief out of her apron pocket to dab at her moist eyes. It wouldn't do to greet people looking all weepy, no, not at all.

Tuathla resumed humming, and scurried down the hall with her long dress swishing about her ankles. Such a large house. The guests might end up waiting for her given how long it took to just get to the front door from the kitchen. Tut, tut, tut. Very poor planning.

She opened the door just as the three guests ascended the stairs to the veranda. "Welcome, welcome!" Such a cute family! The mother was a petite Otter; she wore nice business attire similar to what Avery often wore, though with a long skirt rather than slacks. Two boys stood near her, one was an Otter of about eleven years, and the other was an Akita like the Markses and appeared to be fourteen or so. The older child was quite handsome, and Tuathla thought he looked more like Nathanial and Nicholas than Micah did. It wasn't just the fur colour, either; his eyes were the exact same shape and colour as Garret's. The younger one held his mother's paw and stood half behind her, looking up at Tuathla shyly. It really was such a pity that they stank like Furs. Tuathla didn't know how the Dark Elemental and Faelen could go to a school filled with such a bad odour.

Tuathla crouched a bit, holding out the plate of biscuits. She involuntarily smiled. Children were such a joy to be around, regardless of their ancestry. "Would you like a biscuit? My name is Tuathla."

The Akita glanced up at his mother, and reached for two biscuits when she nodded. He kept one and passed the other to his little brother. "Thank you very much, oba-san."

The little Otter boy nibbled on his biscuit and smiled timidly. "Th-Thank you very much, oba-san."

The mother shook her head a little. "She gave her name, boys." She smiled faintly and bowed. _"'Oba'_is what we call a woman whose name is unknown, or when we feel it would be too forward to call her by her given name and we don't know her family name. They aren't used to Western customs." She bowed again. "My name is Sakura Ohtori. These are Akemi and Ichigo."

Akemi asked something Tuathla couldn't understand. She hesitated before nodding. Akemi pulled out a...what did Keira call it? A wireless phone? It was some sort of telephone, anyway. The pup asked, "Would I be allowed to take a picture of you and the house? I need some pictures of Canada for school."

"Oh!" Tuathla put her free paw on her cheek and felt her ears warm up. Someone wanted a picture of her. How exciting! "Oh, dear!" She fussed with her fur for a moment. "And here I am looking like such a fright! I was working in the kitchen..." She still had her apron on!

Sakura made the international and interspecies shushing-mother-noise. "You look lovely, Ms. Tuathla. His project is on comparisons between Canadian and Japanese cultures, and clothing is a big part of that. We've only seen aprons and dresses like yours in movies, and it would be wonderful to have a picture to show that they're worn in real life. A picture of you by the front door would also show Canadian hospitality, too."

Tuathla shook her free paw in agitation. "But I'm Irish! I'm only visiting my son and grandson! I'm so very flattered, but won't he lose marks for that?"

The little Otter kit looked up. He held a phone, too. "No picture, oba-san?" He sounded so sad.

"Oh, dear me." Faeden would tell her to stop fluttering. Deep breaths. "Oh, oh my. Yes. Yes, you may, but I'm so frightened your teacher will be angry."

Sakura smiled in encouragement. "No, of course not." She pulled out another phone -- whatever they needed so many phones for, Tuathla couldn't begin to guess -- and tapped at it. "Please spell your name, and tell me where you're from. I'll make sure they include it in their project so their teachers know you aren't Canadian." Sakura moved aside so the boys could take their pictures while Tuathla spelt her name.

Akemi approached her a few seconds later and bowed. "Thank you, Tuathla-san." Ichigo stood behind his brother and peeked around to smile up at Tuathla.

Sakura said, "Ichigo."

The little Otter stepped out. "Thank you very grea...much, oba-san. Mm, Tuathla-san."

Tuathla felt her ears colour again. "You're most welcome, pups." She turned away. "If you would please follow me, I'll see if Garret is free."

Sakura hesitated. "If he's busy, I don't want to disturb him."

Tuathla paused while the guests wiped their hindpaws on the coarse mat. "I think he would want to be disturbed. They're cleaning his wife's office." The two boys whispered to each other in Japanese.

Tuathla heard Sakura sigh quietly behind her. "I understand. I came by, in part, to offer my condolences." No, Sakura didn't understand, she couldn't understand. No one could, not without seeing the video and the office.

The Spirit hung their coats in the very large closet. It was larger than her living room back in Ireland. Tuathla walked down the hall. She hesitated before ascending the stairs. Most of the work should be done, yes? Liam-Lowell-Sensei, whoever he was, seemed so sure this would be simple and quick. It'd be all right to go up, now; if not, then Garret could well use some distracting. His poor belly. The thought of that office made Tuathla feel ill, too, and the sight of blood normally didn't make her feel sick.

---

Liam knelt by the circle of holy relics and began the last verse of the chant. In less than a minute the seal would be complete, and the haunt would be confined again. He had been taken greatly by surprise when Nathanial accidentally reversed the effects of the ofuda and empowered the evil within Lily's office, but once Ciaran destroyed the scrolls, Liam had regained the upper paw. Thankfully, they had set the ofuda up first and not the relics. It was a very simple matter to destroy the scrolls, at least for the person who had set them, but nearly as difficult to destroy a relic-ward from the outside as from the inside. It was one of the reasons Liam so very rarely used relics. Liam chanted the last line...

The ward shimmered brightly, and the haunt began to struggle against the divine power forcing it into hibernation.

Liam faltered. A-A peal of demonic magic swept over the house from somewhere above and toward George Montagu-Dunk Junior High. The power required to create such a sensation, one almost audible through sheer force, would be frightful. 'Did Beriatana or Gordon attack Nicholas? No, neither of them have the power--' His distraction provided the haunt an opportunity to break through the tightening ward, though Liam managed to maintain enough focus to hold his place in the ritual. Most of the undead's form slammed into Liam, almost before he could create a sort of chi-shield to stop the haunt's energy from invading his body.

The Ancient One found himself thrown through the office's wall, blood flowing from wounds created by the haunt when it sought to infiltrate his bloodstream as well as from gashes caused by his trip through the house's structure. The haunt flew after Liam, intent on killing him. Liam instantly cloaked himself in Lord Hades' fire for defence and offence. The haunt drew back, sensing the danger caused by the heatless flames, but remained close.

Liam flipped around. He noted -- but ignored -- the presence of the three Ohtoris at the end of the hall, and leapt off the wall back into the haunt's embrace. Drawing on Lord Hades' power, the Soul Fire about him flared outward and incinerated a great portion of the possessed blood. The haunt retreated to its 'home,' the stained carpet, allowing Liam to chant the last line.

The relics hummed in harmony. Liam felt a portion of Lord Hades', Hermes', Master Apollo's, and Hecate's powers flow around the room. No undead would be able to act within its bounds until Liam dismantled the wards or until one of the four gods withdrew their power.

Now, what in the Fates' grand schemes were the Ohtoris doing here? What reason could Tuathla have to bring them up here? She knew they were using supernatural means to seal a room possibly possessing supernatural curses. Liam had not missed Akemi's whispered word, "Phoenix," when the pup had seen Liam cloaked in spectral flame. It was most evident he, at the very least, had put two and two together and come up with 'Ancient One.'

Liam's knees nearly buckled. He staggered to the door and opened it. "Tu, lass, you have some explaining to do." The Sheep Spirit squeaked. He put a paw on the frame to keep his balance before rounding it. The three Ohtoris knelt on the floor with their faces pressed to the wood.

The washroom door down the hall between Liam and the others opened, allowing Garret, Aoife, and Eirne to exit. Liam noted a number of cuts on Aoife, and some blood in Garret's eyes and the fur beneath.

The Akita saw the Otoris and exclaimed,<<Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?>> The Otter lady did not respond immediately, so Garret added, <<Please stand. Liam-sensei doesn't like such veneration.>>

Sakura-san rose but kept her head down. <<H-He's the Phoenix Monk, isn't he? You address him so familiarly?>>

Garret glanced over as if to ask if Liam wanted his status confirmed. Liam shrugged with a small frown. Garret's expression said he, too, thought the situation was too far gone to warrant a denial. <<Yes, Liam-sensei was Song Li in the past. He's the Phoenix Monk. I address him as he wants to be addressed. I treat him how he wants to be treated, as the friend of my son.>> It was something Liam was most grateful for.

Liam tapped the intercom button just inside Lily's office. "Ciaran, set out the bandages and healing salve in the basement bathroom. Lorie, I will require assistance treating my wounds; Aoife has some that need tending as well. Conor, the office is sealed. We also have guests." Liam released the intercom and turned to glare fiercely at Tuathla. The Sheep Spirit and the Ohtoris stepped away. "Tu, put some tea on, the jasmine white Nathanial has, and bring it to the sitting room. I will speak to you later." Tuathla scampered down the stairs.

Dirk's heavy pawsteps preceded his arrival down from the top floor. "Sensei? You're hurt?" The Bone Spirit glanced down the hallway as he moved away from the stairs and towards Liam. "Where are Ciaran and Nathanial?" He flicked his ear toward the Ohtoris.

"Unexpected guests from Japan. They were unexpected at my house, and even more so here. Sakura Ohtori appears to know Garret, and for some baffling reason, Tuathla brought them up here without checking to see if it was safe. Ciaran is in the basement crafting more ofuda, and Nathanial has...departed. Nicholas called, sounding rather agitated."

Dirk's ears canted backwards a touch in lieu of a grimace. It would not do to give voice to any worries relating to potential property damage around the visitors. "I'll call him and see if everything is okay. Go get patched up."

Liam nodded. He paused by Aoife and ran his paws over her cuts. He detected a fair amount of Garret's magic in some of the wounds, but no Taint. Just as importantly, Liam detected no traces of that haunt. Dangerous things, those. He bowed rather deeply to express his gratitude, but also spoke of it. "I am deeply grateful, Garret. With some salve, those wounds will heal cleanly in a few days." Eirne almost collapsed in relief behind Aoife who, in turn, spun about and hugged Garret fiercely. The Akita's eyes widened in surprise, but he returned the hug. He seemed as weak-kneed as Eirne. Liam nodded with a wry smile. "Go. Sit. Speak with Sakura-san. You need to rest."

Once more, the Markses sought to violate all he once held as fact. The blood in Garret's eyes should_indicate he had begun to Turn, yet if that were the case, Liam was certain -- certain beyond _any doubt -- that he would be able to detect it from this close. How could Garret be free from the Taint and yet exhibiting some signs of demonic transformation? It was the Taint that caused it! Liam knew he would have to contact that female and ask her, even though he suspected she would be as baffled as he. It truly was difficult not to take their family's offenses to the nature of the universe personally.

Dirk glanced back around the corner and up the stairs to wave Conor down. "Do you need a paw, Sensei?" Liam shook his head; he could walk on his own as long as he kept near a wall or railing. Dirk nodded. "I'll let you know what Nathanial is up to." The Bone Spirit fished his phone out of a pocket.

Conor shook his head and stood by Dirk. "Nothing ever seems to go smoothly, does it?"

Liam carefully made his way toward the stairs down. "No. My excessive paranoia seems to have _not_been excessive, after all."

Aoife walked beside him, trailed by a most anxious Eirne. "You said this was a...haunt? How is that different from a ghost?"

"Haunts are an accumulation of mental, emotional, magical, and even life energy, like chi. They possess no aspects of the people they are born from, other than a sort of emotional memory. It typically takes a long time for this energy to reach critical mass and achieve sentience, but sometimes so much energy is accumulated over a comparatively short time that a haunt can be born over a few days -- such as in battlefields. Japanese culture recognizes haunts in their lore, from the malevolent to the benevolent. One category of them is called 'tsukumogami,' which are household items that have been in use for one hundred years. The item, such as a lantern or kettle, gathers the energy of the family over that period of time and comes to life. A house full of love would produce a benevolent haunt, while one full of conflict would not. This particular haunt was not born from love."

Eirne snorted. _"That_was obvious. Why did it attack Aoife and not Ciaran?"

Liam answered as best he could, though he knew he would have to repeat this explanation several times. Behind him, he heard Dirk talking to Nathanial. It appeared Nick had sensed Beriatana, and also that the investigators had been...reluctant to investigate. The 'knell' Liam had felt was Nathanial testing his theory and 'playing the xylophone' with the Society's detection grid. Liam could not believe how fearsome a sensation it had created. Hopefully, Nathanial would not feel inclined to try it again.

---

Garret did his best to give no indication of his feelings as he led Sakura and her two boys down to the sitting room. He ignored his eyes, other than to use a tissue to wipe away the blood in his fur, and knew the Ohtoris would do their best to ignore it, too -- until he mentioned it, at least; it was one of the things he liked about the more formal cultures of Eastern Asia.

He was surprised to see her, to put it mildly, but all he wanted to do right now was take a bath. A very long_bath. Using his curse left him feeling unclean. Garret knew water and soap wouldn't actually wash the filth away, but it might help him feel less soiled. A bottle of scotch might work better, or better yet, a bottle of scotch drunk _in_the bath. Seeing a former mistress in his house with an _Akita son wasn't helping him feel better, especially when the pup looked so much like him.

No one said anything until Garret motioned for them to sit. <<Tuathla is getting some tea, but would you like some rice wine, Sakura-chan?>> He rather hoped Sakura wanted some so he'd have an excuse to drink it, too. He could really use it. Garret nodded to the pups and added, <<Or juice for you two?>>

The Akita pup shifted about as if he were extremely uncomfortable. His gaze kept flicking between the hallway, Garret, and the floor by his hindpaws. Garret didn't need magical senses to guess what the pup was thinking, and part of it was what he wanted to know. Why was Sakura actually here? Why bring the pups unless they -- or rather_one_ of them -- were involved? Garret had a vasectomy before he met Sakura, so they hadn't used any protection, but he was starting to wonder if the operation actually did anything.

Sakura shook her head. <<Marks-san.>>_When did he become 'Marks-san'? She used to call him 'Garret-san.' _<<These are my sons: Akemi and Ichigo. Boys, this is Marks Garret, a Fur who does business with the museum and who I used to be friends with a long time ago.>>

Akemi looked up at Garret again, more directly this time, and blanched when their gazes met. He immediately dropped his head and stared at the floor. <<Why are we here, Mom? Why did you change our plans? We were just going to go to Prince Edward Island.>>

Garret heard Aoife and Eirne talking quietly to Liam-sensei behind him. He was explaining to her what haunts were. Sakura didn't answer Akemi, and instead lowered her head with paws clasped together at the crown. The pups mimicked the gesture as soon as they noticed.

It sounded like Liam entered the kitchen. "Their nature is to replicate the situation that brought them about." Silence fell over the kitchen. Garret glanced over his shoulder; Liam stood by the door to the basement stairs, paw on the handle, and looked over at the three Ohtoris with an almost unreadable expression. Garret suspected their act of reverence hurt the Ancient One. Liam opened the door, and went into the basement.

Sakura raised her head after the door clicked shut. <<The Phoenix Monk is real. He's in your house, and you act like it's normal!? What happened upstairs? Who are you? What_are you? Why did he thank you? What's going on!?>>_ She sounded close to hysteria.

"Tuathla? Could you please get a pot of the calming tisane, too?" Garret adopted his best 'sincere' mask. <<I can't really say having an Ancient One -- that's what Liam-sensei is -- around is 'normal', but it isn't all that abnormal, either. He's a person. There aren't many like him, but they have families, feelings, and friends and enemies, just like everyone else. He's a very good friend of my son, Nathanial, and I get along with him and his father, too. They visit quite often. Part of the reason Liam-sensei is so comfortable here is because we respect him enough to treat him like a person and not some priceless treasure. He feels like he can just be himself.>>

<<I-I knew he seemed to know too much. Guessed too accurately. Of course a god would know all of that.>>

Garret felt his cheek twitch. <<I_highly _recommend you don't say that within earshot of Liam.>> He intentionally left the honorific off. <<If you want to offend him, the best way you can do that is by calling him a god. He isn't.>> He changed the subject a little. <<You mentioned you were at Liam's house earlier. Was this about the auction? He mailed a letter to the Tokyo Art Gallery, not to the Tokyo National Museum, so why would you have come? Oh, congratulations on the promotion, by the way.>>

Sakura bowed her head in thanks, but said nothing about the promotion. <<I was there about the auction, yes. The art gallery doesn't deal with antiquities, only recent works. The honoured Phoenix Monk was asking about an old painting. I...>> Her eyes widened. <<I don't think it was ever written about. He must have seen it at some point. That's how he knew about a painting that's been in my family for centuries! Is that how he recognised me, too? Did he know one of my ancestors, one I look like?>>

Garret cleared his throat. <<Ask him. I have no clue.>>

<<I did. He was very evasive.>>

Garret leant back in his chair. He waved at her dismissively. <<Riiight. Like you expect him to just go around announcing to everyone that he's the Phoenix Monk. Look at how_you _reacted when you found out. You don't suppose that he might have gotten tired of that over the millennia? I know I would.>>

Ichigo whimpered a bit and tried to cuddle in to his mother. Akemi looked even more frightened for some reason. Sakura pulled Ichigo to her side and rubbed his far arm. <<That cane. It looked like it might be...>>

Garret exhaled through his nose in a half-snort. Tuathla came in with the tea service. "Thank you, Tuathla." He poured some tisane for the four of them. Tuathla carried the cups over to the visitors and then stood back as if she were going to wait on them. "That's not necessary; you're a guest, too." Tuathla fussed a little as if trying to decide what she should be doing. Garret ignored her for the moment. <<Yes, I heard that's the original. Song Li's cane.>>

Akemi's jaw dropped and he pulled his knees up to his chest. Sakura batted his legs with her paw. <<Get your hindpaws off the couch, Akemi.>>

Akemi ignored her. <<A-A-And who is Muiry?>>

How had he heard that name? How to explain it without putting his friends in danger? <<Muireann. Someone he knew very well in his previous life. She...died last month. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask him.>>

Akemi began rocking back and forth muttering an endless stream of, <<Shit, shit, shit, shit...>>

Tuathla perched on the arm of the couch beside him and pulled him into a hug. "Oh, dear. What's wrong, pup?" She rubbed the fur around the base of his left ear. "Shush, now. Just tell me what it is and we can work together to make it all right, hmm?"

Sakura seemed to know. "We... We offended the Phoenix Monk. We grabbed his cane, we spoke too familiarly to him, we mocked the bow on his brush -- Muiry's brush. We, oh by the blessed Kami of Ashitaka." She buried her face in her paws.

Tuathla shook her head and chuckled quietly. "Oh, no." She spoke in a stern maternal voice. The Ohtoris all straightened up instantly. "Now see here. I know him, I think.>>

Garret interrupted quickly. "They know he's an Ancient One, now."

Tuathla looked at him blankly for a moment. "Oh? Oh! Oh, yes. Ancient One. Immortal. Right. Yes. Anyway, I knew him, some hundred years ago, and let me tell you this, dearie, if you offended him, actually offended him, you'd know it. He was never one to mince words, and could he ever give you an earful. So don't you get all up in a tizzy worrying over nothing." She suddenly looked around. "Nathanial?" He must have said something to her telepathically, from wherever he was.

The door to the basement opened. "I'm back." Nathanial looked shamefaced. "Sorry for all the trouble. I didn't mean to. Liam gave me the short version with a promise to let me know exactly what he thinks later on." He grimaced at the Ohtoris. "Yeah, Tuathla has it right; Liam will let you know without a _doubt_if he's angry or offended." The pup shook his head and smiled. "Anyway, enough about Liam. If you have questions about him, ask _him."_He bowed. "I'm Nathanial Marks."

Sakura stood and bowed in return. "Sakura Ohtori." Nathanial's jaw dropped. Sakura hesitated and gestured to Akemi. "A-And this is Akemi." Nathanial chuckled a bit weakly; he looked almost spooked. "Is...something wrong? The Phoenix Monk seemed to react strangely, too. He called me by name when he first saw me."

Nathanial shook his head. "I-I, um, w-well." He gestured to Ichigo. "H-He wouldn't happen to be named K-Kaoru or Ichiru, w-would he?"

Sakura tipped her head to one side in confusion. "No, this is Ichigo."

Nathanial looked a bit relieved. "Ah. Liam is in the middle of telling us a story about some Ohtoris he met. One was named Sakura; the other two were Kaoru and Ichiru. There was an Akemi in the story, too."

Sakura let out a long breath. "I see. Masashi Akemi. Sorry, use the Western format; his family name was Masashi. That'd be where he saw the painting. No wonder the Phoenix reacted strangely. I must look like the Sakura from back then. Way back then." She still looked scared, confused, and lost.

Garret sipped his tea. "Nathanial, why don't you take Akemi and Ichigo somewhere so we can talk?"

Nathanial smiled. "Of course." He held a paw out to Ichigo. "Do you want to watch TV or play Wii? I have a lot of things we can do downstairs. Lunch is also ready and set up in the ballroom, if you're hungry."

Akemi and Ichigo stood up. Ichigo grabbed his brother's paw and half-hid behind him. Akemi looked at his mother, who nodded. Akemi looked up at Nathanial, over at Garret, and back. His stomach growled. "Food, if you please."

Nathanial's smile grew. "Sounds good to me. I'm very hungry, too." He led the two boys through the kitchen.

Garret switched back to Japanese so Tuathla couldn't listen in, though she wandered off toward the ballroom before long, anyway. <<So, Sakura-chan, why did you change your plans? We haven't talked in almost fourteen years. Why now?>>

Sakura stared into her tea cup. <<I had a couple of reasons. When the Tokyo Art Gallery gave me the Phoenix Monk's letter right before my planned trip to Prince Edward Island, it gave me enough reasons to make the detour here. There was enough discussion and questions about the fuss made over this auction -- a high school auction half-way around the world -- that I felt I could claim the difference in ticket prices as a business expense. And then...>> She sighed, tossed back the mouthful of tea, and met Garret's gaze squarely. <<Akemi. You saw it. I know_he _saw it. I want a paternity test. I need to know.>>