FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter XLIX- Truc

"Hiroshi!?" She bellowed out at seeing the blast from the past. The young fox looked confused as did her father, but something seemed to click in the fox's mind as he laughed and snapped his finger.

"Oh, you have mistaken me for my honored ancestor. I've been told I resemble him by my family's handmaid who knew him in the past," Allison nodded, she knew exactly who the boy was talking about and she was pleased that the wily kitsune was still doing well. "But it is good to meet you Fumetsu-no-hitosu, I've heard so many tales of your life as my namesake, but to finally meet you is a massive honour." He said with a bow.

"So you are descended from the Akayama Clan, and you said your namesake? I am guessing your name is Akira then?" Allison asked, tapping her chin. "But tell me Akayama-dono, what brings you here to Canada? Surely it is not just for me, and how do you know what I am exactly?"

"Yes, Akira is my name, and as for knowing what you are...My family is a large benefactor to the Brotherhood so we are privy to some facts including your identity. However you aren't the reason I came here, as nice as it is to meet you... I'm here because I'm looking for someone and think you could help me," he said, his piercing grey eyes looking at her in a way that did remind her of Akira's past love. He really did look like Hiroshi, but he seemed less unsure than his ancestor was.

"Who exactly are you looking for? Is there a reason for you searching for him? Does it have anything to do with the Brotherhood business?"

This made the fox laugh yet again. "Oh no, this is purely personal to me. I can assure you though that this is a peaceful search. I've been waiting to meet this person for a very long time, but I never got the chance to do so. So please will you help me Fumetsu-no-hitosu? It would be a great honor to work with you." He said while bowing again even deeper.

Allison thought about it. It wasn't often she was asked to do missions that didn't involve her killing someone in some way, so it was kind of nice. Plus she had no reason to doubt his motives, the Brotherhood wouldn't have trusted someone they knew had ill intent to her location, plus if it did come to blows it would be easy to dispatch him if he became a pest. So with a sigh she nodded and spoke, honestly curious as to the person's identity.

"So, who exactly are you looking for Akayama-dono? This is a pretty big city so it might be tricky to find one specific person here, even with someone of my skills in tracking, so it might take awhile. Also please call me Monet. Being called Fumetsu-no-hitosu gets tiring after a while."

This made Akayama laugh before stopping himself and bowing again. "Forgive me Monet-sama, I mean no disrespect towards you, but the person I am looking for is quite well known here," he said, before looking her dead in the eye. "I'm looking for Evan Mason, can you lead me to him?"

~~~~

"So... you are blind?" Lucas asked in a devastated tone as he brushed against the face of the cheetah in front of him. He felt horrible, Jai was probably permanently blinded because he was attending the funeral of Lucas's mom. It was all his fault once again. Jai, however, seemed to catch on to exactly what was going on in his head and sighed.

"Yes, I'm blind. The doctors aren't able to recover my eyesight, but it isn't your fault, you weren't the one who gassed the place. I don't regret being there because you are my friend, so please don't blame yourself," Jai said, his face as serious as Lucas had ever saw it. "So please don't be an idiot ok? You have enough going on without blaming yourself for things that were out of your control. I'll survive, millions of people are blind and live full lives, some of them are like me and are blinded in a freak accident. I don't want pity, I'm tired of it and I just want to be treated like a person and not a sob-story." He said as he hugged the fox close once again. "You are a good guy Lucas and Ian is lucky to have you." Ears focussing towards the door as the others rejoined them.

Erin was the first to react, rushing right up to the bed and Jai was barely able to get out of her way before she jumped onto Lucas hugging him tight. "You're awake!" She cried out as tears of joy and relief flowed from her as she continued to hold onto him. "I was so afraid that you would never wake up! What happened, what took you so long? Are you feeling okay?" She asked this and numerous other questions, not letting Lucas get a word in before he managed to get out of her grasp and laugh. It was nice to see Erin so happy, but he needed to breathe.

"I'm fine Erin... don't worry, and it's a long story. I'll explain it when we get out of here," Lucas said with a laugh, before looking back towards Jai. "I know you don't want me to blame myself, but I'm so sorry I put you in the position where this all happened. You were there to support me and you got hurt and I'm so sorry about that. I promise I'll do my best to make things easier for you. I swear on my own life on that." Lucas said his tone serious.

He was going to say something else, but he felt a paw land on his shoulder and when he looked to see who it was he saw it was his father, who then grasped him into a hug of his own. "You're awake, thank the Gods," the man said.

Lucas could smell the alcohol on the man and he figured his dad was drunk, but he didn't care at the moment. His father must have been in a lot of stress so it was understandable that he would need something to take the edge off. Looking past his father, he saw Jai's own parents hug their son and talk amongst themselves, but they were speaking in Hindi so he had no idea what they were saying. Greg might have been able to, since he did say he spoke it well enough, maybe he could get the tiger to teach him some?

Looking around, he saw Ian talk with his parents who both seemed relieved as well at him waking up. All this hugging was getting tiring so Lucas wiggled away from his father and was about to try and get up before he remembered the feeding-tube, he should try and get that out asap... he wondered why they did a gastric feeding-tube? Were they that worried he would not get up?

"Hey Dad? Do you think I could get this taken out?" Lucas asked pointing towards the tube in his belly. "Was it really necessary though?" He then asked. "I know I was out for several days, but isn't this a bit overkill?"

Evan just let out a sigh and patted his son's paw gently. "It probably was, but I just wanted to make sure you got the nourishment you needed. I'll get the Doctor right away and he'll get it out for you," the older fox said as he pushed the button on Lucas's hospital bed and several minutes later a familiar Doctor enter.

The gorilla just gave him a cool look before speaking. "So you are up? Is there anything you need?" Dr. Azikiwe asked.

Lucas wasn't sure that the man liked him very much, but it was still nice to see him again at least. "I want this feeding-tube taken out please," Lucas said, once again gesturing towards his stomach.

The Doctor simply gave a nod before he took out his communication device and spoke to a nurse before speaking up again. "We'll get it taken out for you right away Mr. Mason, but I request that you stay here for an extra day so we can keep you in observation and make sure the gunshot had no lasting damage."

Lucas really didn't WANT to stay in the hospital for another night, but he felt he didn't really have a choice so he let out a sighed and nodded. "I understand, I'll stay another night...but if it's okay I would like to leave tomorrow is that okay Doctor?

The doctor let out a nod and left the room, but not before speaking once again. "We'll get that out quickly enough, so just be patient." And then left them all alone.

Once the gorilla was gone he once again looked back to Jai. "Any idea how long will you be here? Will you be at school Monday?"

Jai sighed and let out a shrug, his face staying neutral and with his eyes completely covered in bandages, it was hard to fully read his expression properly. "I'm not sure on either of those questions. I should be able to leave the same time as you hopefully, but as for returning to school I'm not sure. Guess we'll have to find out won't we?" Jai said with a tight smile.

"You are gonna be alright Jai? You know we'll all have your back when you go back right? We won't let you falter." Lucas said, giving the cheetah another hug which made the feline sniffle a bit.

"Of course I'm scared, I have no idea what I'm going to do. I know I'll have you guys and that is something I'm grateful for, but it is still something scary," he said, but then sighed once again. "But I think I'll return to my bed since they will probably be taking you back to get that thing removed," he said, turning towards Greg's general location. "Hey Greg? Think you can help me out? I want to get back into my bed, can you lift me again?"

The tiger nodded and walked up towards them. Once he did so, he gingerly lifted Jai up as if he weighed nothing and slowly brought him back over to his own bed where he parents had decided to sit. Soon after, the doctor returned with a few nurses and they then wheeled Lucas away from the room to get the feeding-tube out.

~~~~

Ian gave a scowl as the trio of health officials took Lucas out of his sight and into the operating theatre. He knew it wouldn't take long, but he really didn't like having his beloved out of his sight for any moment right now. Something his father seemed to catch up on and pat him on the back gently. "It'll be okay son, he'll be back in a few minutes. Getting a feeding-tube removed is an easy thing and then he'll be able to eat solid food."

Ian let out a sigh before he spoke to his dad, voicing his thoughts. "I know, but I still worry about him, even if Jai said he shouldn't feel guilty I know this is tearing him apart. Hells, it's telling me apart. I feel like I should have done a better job and Jai will never be the same now," he whispered at Jai, who had his back turned, hopefully he could ask Monet if there was a way to repress Jai's gift so the spirits wouldn't harass him much. It might only slow it down, but he knew it would be helpful for the cheetah, and maybe he wouldn't look so tired all the time. He was sure Monet would be unlikely to refuse, after all, stuck up bitch or not, he knew she had a heart. He still hated having to ask her for anything though.

"I'm proud of you son," his dad then suddenly said catching Ian by surprise. Seeing this made Jordan smile and he spoke again. "You heard me, you did well handling Jaidev. You are slowly becoming a leader and that makes me proud. You are slowly growing up. I think Lucas might be a good influence on you yet."

This made Ian blush and be thankful for his dark fur. "Thanks Dad... I'm just tired of people thinking of me as just a reckless idiot. I need to have people take me more seriously, especially if I plan on fighting for my birthright. Because let's face it, when people find out I'm gay I will be challenged. If I do not prove myself worthy I'll not only lose that birthright but I might be banished from home forever." Ian said with a sad look on his face, he had known this reality since the very moment he realized he liked other boys. He was done hiding though, he had been miserable before he moved here. As much as he loved his family, he had lived in fear of them abandoning him if they ever found that out...But having his parents' support and the support of his brother (And Greg as well ,but Ian hoped it was personal support and not support because the tiger worked for him) He felt as confident as he ever had before, and with Lucas by his side he felt he could take on the world.

"You really have grown," his dad said, hugging him close. "I'm going to call Samuel and tell him that Lucas has woken up. I'll be right back okay?" Jordan said as he walked away from the room once again, leaving Ian with Greg, his mother and Erin (Evan had gone with Lucas when they took him to get the feeding-tube removed) as well as Jai's parents who were huddled around Jai. His mother was talking with Erin about something and he was going to join them before he got a text on his phone which made him raise an eyebrow. It was from Monet and it asked him to meet her in the lobby.

"Monet is here, she wants me to meet her in the lobby, I'll be right back okay?" He told his mom before gesturing towards Greg for him to follow. His mother gave him a quick smile and nod before turning her focus back to Erin and he and the tiger left the room and ward and found themselves in the elevator.

"Do you have any idea what Monet wants? It's not often she would ask you to meet her so it must be something right?"

Ian just gave a shrug, he didn't really have a single clue what she wanted. He honestly never did because the coyote seemed to greatly enjoy being mysterious. He was still trying to get around the fact that the coyote was once his great-grandfather and was seeing his brother which grossed him out a tiny bit, but he figured he would figure out how he felt about this pseudo-incest thing later, as he had a lot of other things to handle with the coyote. The elevator eventually reached the lobby and both he and Greg stepped into the lobby and saw Monet sitting on one of the benches with a young-looking fox boy next to her. From the distance the boy looked Asian, which made Ian curious. Is that why she called him down? Too meet this boy? Why? Ian could sense magic from him... Earth Mage he figured, but why did she want him to meet a random Asian mage?

Monet seemed to notice them as he stared at the boy and walked up towards him with the boy in tow. The boy was pretty cute in all honesty, though not as cute as Lucas, but still. He was rather lean and his fur was well kempt and a shiny silver and his eyes were a familiar grey.

"Ah, you made it! How is Mason?" Monet asked in a surprisingly sincere tone, something he wasn't really used too.

"He's fine, they took him to get his feeding-tube taken out, but he should be back soon. What exactly do you want Monet? Who is this boy? Is he why you called me down?" Ian asked, directing another look towards the fox.

This seemed to get the boy to react as he swiftly bowed before speaking with remarkably good English. "Forgive me Mansfield-san, it's an honor to meet an heir of one of the most famous magical families. My name is Akira Akayama and I'm here to see Evan Mason, is he here?"

Ian gave the fox an odd look wondering why the boy wanted to see Mr. Mason of all people, which Monet seemed to catch on to. "I have been trying to get the reason out of him myself, but no luck, he has been very tight lipped on his reasons. I assure you he is harmless, so he does not mean any harm to Mr. Mason. He is a descendant of the Akayama Clan who was the ruling family over one of my past lives."

Ian just nodded along, not knowing really what she was talking about. The reincarnation thing was yet another thing for him to wrap his head around, but he just went with it. "And he has come to speak with Mr. Mason for what reason?" He asked, before returning focus on the boy. "Is there an exact reason you want to meet him Akira? He is with Lucas right now and they might be back in the room in a few minutes, so if you want to go ahead I'll have Greg escort you there." He saw Greg about to protest, but he gave a wave of his paw that made the tiger go silent and listen. "I'll be fine, I'm with Monet after all. I just need to talk to her for a bit so go ahead and take Akira up, we'll join you shortly." Greg gave yet another grave look, but obeyed his orders as he gently led the fox towards the elevator, leaving him and Monet alone.

"What do you wanted to talk about Mansfield?" The coyote asked in a calm voice as she stared intently at him, which gave the wolf an eerie feeling that she was staring into his very soul, but he persevered and said what he wanted to say.

"I want your help... I still want to train under you, but I also want you to help Jai. He has little control over his gift and the spirits are getting more troublesome for him and he is hardly able to sleep. Are you able to get him help handling it? Surely the Brotherhood has Mediums on paw and I would rather ask you first before approaching the Knights." He said, his tone serious and he made sure he posture was just as solid as the person he was facing. He was tired of her disrespecting him and looking down on him, he was going to make sure that would end right here and right now.

"I still plan on starting your training Mansfield, but with everything that has happened has gotten things erratic. As for Mishra, we do have a few Mediums on paw, but none of them live in Vancouver, so we would have to send for one and put him up to stay for awhile to help train Mishra's powers, but I am sure Thorne would be willing to do so as he has plenty of room," Monet said while rubbing her chin in thought. "But if it is true that Mishra has no control over his powers that makes him a threat to not only himself, but others if he winds up getting possessed... so him getting help with that would be helpful. I will ask for them to send a Medium to aid Mishra. Speaking of which, how is Mishra and what is the status on him? You neglected to speak of him when you called earlier." Ian looked down sadly.

"He's blind, the doctors said he will never be able to see again... can you fix him? You are an amazing healer, could you fix his eyes?" Ian asked, he hadn't even thought about asking Monet, or hell, if she couldn't, then maybe her master if they could heal the cheetah? So he wouldn't have to live blind, but all his hopes came crashing down when he saw Monet shake her head no.

"I am sorry, not even healing can heal the eyes when they have lost sight. Eyes are incredibly complicated, so attempting to heal them is unadvised. There is not a magical cure for blindness that I can offer you Mansfield, as sorry as I am to say it," she said with a sympathetic look on her face. "But you are beginning to think more of others and that is good for a future leader, maybe Mason will be a good influence on you yet," she continued and was about to head to the elevator, but Ian stopped her once again. "Is there anything else you want Mansfield? I would like to check on Mason if he is back."

Ian froze for a second, honestly afraid at trying this, but then he took a deep breath. "I want you to start respecting me, I'm sick of you looking down your nose... figuratively at least... at me. I know you don't like me, and I am not the fondest of you either, but if you are going to be with my brother... well we are stuck with each other." He stated firmly and then continued. "Also, stop calling us all by our last names! We've been through enough that I think it at least warrants us being on a first name basis. Hell, you've known Lucas and Tyler both for ages and you still call them by their last names. We are your friends Monet... Allison, and I want you to actually treat us like that instead of just associates!"

This seemed to catch the coyote off-guard as she didn't say anything back. Ian just sighed and spoke again, trying to soothe any possible damage. "Listen Allison, I know being what you are makes you afraid to get close to people, but give us some credit! We aren't helpless and you know that, so please Allison, you aren't alone. We got your back and you need to know that."

Allison stayed silent for several moments, before she spoke, her voice surprisingly soft from what he was used to. "You call us friends? Even though we have been at each other's throats since we met?" She asked, looking genuinely surprised by this. "You surprise me Mansfield... but I see your point. We will have to deal with each other given my relationship with Richard. I'm sorry if I have came off as rude. I do have issues getting close to people, but you are correct. You aren't helpless. I'll try to be more open Mans-" Allison started before stopping herself and shaking her head. "Ian... I'll do my best to be more open with all of you. It will just take some time getting used to, so please be patient."

Ian simply nodded and lent out a paw to shake. "So truce?" Allison took the offered paw and shook with a strong grip and she actually smiled! Something Ian had hardly ever seen her do so and she honestly looked quite cute when she did so.

"Truce," she said, before letting the paw go and looking towards the elevator. "So should we join everyone else? I am quite curious what Akayama wants with Lucas's father. It has to be serious if he is willing to leave his homeland to find the elder fox, but I guess we'll find out." She said as she started walking towards it with Ian following behind her, just as curious about the fox in all honesty, he really did wonder what he wanted.

~~~

Lucas gave a happy hum as he patted his now full belly. He had gotten that damn tube out and had just finished some surprisingly decent hospital food. Ian had gone down to talk with Allison from what his dad had said and he had just missed him, but Lucas didn't let this bother him much. He trusted Allison unconditionally after all, as much as she and Ian argued, he knew she wouldn't harm him, but he did hope they got back soon, he wanted to cuddle with the wolf.

"Did you eat enough dear?" Ian's mother asked him in a gentle tone. "We can get you some more food if you want it." He just shook his head no and smiled which made Rebecca smile back. "Good, I'm going to have to fly out tomorrow, I've stayed far longer than I anticipated but I trust you'll keep an eye on Ian for me Lucas?" She asked him with a kind of gentle smile and a pat on his head. Lucas simply blushed at the affection given, but he appreciated it all the same. His father sat on his other side napping off his drink, but he looked more relaxed than Lucas had seen him in ages. It was funny really, he never thought he would get the chance to be as close to his father as this, but here he was. It was just a shame it took his mother dying to bring them to this point, but Lucas couldn't change the past and decided it wasn't worth holding it against his dad. Jordan was on the phone again, seemingly spreading the news of him waking up Lucas guessed and as he said goodbye he gave a smile towards Lucas.

"I called Daphne and Cody, they will be coming to see you now that you are awake. Curt is also joining, but I asked them to leave the rest of the children at home and let the Agent's watch them for the time being since we don't want it too crowded as we are sharing the room," he said, looking towards the Mishra's with Dr. Mishra giving him a returned smile.

"Don't worry about things being crowded, we have plenty of space so feel free to have his family come."

Jordan just shook his head, his face serious, but giving the other man a kind look all the same. "I insist on this Aditya, it would be wrong to crowd you out given you have equal right to this room." He said, before turning towards Lucas. "Do you need anything Lucas? I can text Ian and have him pick it up for you while he's down in the lobby if you want. Lucas just shook his head, but before he could say anything, he heard shuffling outside the door and he could hear Greg's voice mumble something to someone. Lucas briefly got excited, thinking it was Ian who was with the tiger, but he was disappointed when he saw a young Asian fox enter with him which greatly confused the fox as he had never saw him before.

"Oh hello there, who are you?" Jordan asked the fox as he gently approached the fox, letting out a paw. "I am Jordan Mansfield. What brings you here to this room?" He asked, looking mostly towards Greg as if urging him to explain.

"He wishes to meet Mr. Mason sir, Ian told us to go on ahead as he wanted to speak with Monet. They should be up in a bit," Greg said, bowing his head in respect to his benefactor. Jordan gave a nod and thanked the tiger, before focusing on the boy again. "So can you tell me your name boy?"

"Oh! I apologize sir! My name is Akira Akayama... and I'm-" he said, before he was interrupted by a grave voice as Lucas's dad had woken up and was staring at the boy with a cold look as he got up and walked towards the boy, staring him down.

"Why are you here boy? What business does the Akayama family have with me? Explain yourself or I will throw you out personally," he said, ignoring Jordan's admonishment.

Lucas was surprised that the fox didn't seem scared at the implied threat, but he bowed in respect. "It's so good to see you sir... I've been wanting to see you for so long! My Mother is Yukari Akayama."

This made Lucas's father frown in confusion. "I know Yukari, she never mentioned having children," he said, confusion clear on his face. "If you are indeed Yukari's child what does that have to do with me?"

"It's simple... " The boy... Akira said with a shy-looking smile on his face as he bowed deeper in respect. "My mother was afraid to tell you because she wasn't sure you how you'd react, but I managed to convince her to let me do this... " he said, before looking the older man straight in the eyes, his face more serious than before. "You are my father sir."

Everyone in the room gasped. This had Lucas's mind reeling. While his father did mention he had several affairs, he never mentioned any love children? Did he really have children he didn't know about? If so, just how many siblings did he have? But his dad's reaction was the most telling as his jaw dropped and he started into space for several moments before refocusing himself.

"You can't be serious... there's no way are you my child! True me and your mother have gotten together plenty of times over the years, but we had always used protection and I know her, she wouldn't keep something like us having a child together!" The elder fox said as he sat back down in a nearby chair and the resulting shouting woke Jai up, causing him to yawn while looking around with his useless and bandaged eyes.

"What's going on?" The cheetah asked in confusion. "What did I miss?"

Evan gave a sheepish, apologetic look as the cheetah's parents gave him a nasty look for waking their boy up. "It's nothing Jaidev, go back to sleep, sorry for waking you." The man said kindly, before focusing back on Akira with a frown. "You can't be my son... how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen sir, my birthday was in October." The boy said calmly, looking hopeful he would be believed and Evan tapped his chin in deep thought.

"I did have an encounter with Yukari in the right timeline, but we used protection during that time..." He said with a sigh and rubbed his forehead with his other paw. "I guess it's possible that it failed, but why would she keep something like this from me for sixteen years?" He asked, sounding almost hurt and even more confused. "You said she didn't know how I would have reacted? I adored your mother and I would have been glad to have a son with her," he continued, giving an awkward look towards Lucas and Erin. "No offense to your mother of course, she was a good woman and a dear friend to me and I don't regret anything regarding our marriage, but the point remains that it was a marriage of convenience and we were planning on getting divorced after both of you finished school and she had her own lover. You remember Jeremy Daniels right?" Lucas nodded, he remembered the tall doberman he was at the funeral and had been a close friend to both his parents and was always kind to him when they saw each other.

"Yes I do? Are you saying Mom and him were lovers?" Lucas asked in a surprised tone. "And you were okay with that?"

Evan nodded again with a calm look on his face. "Yes, he loved your mother... and he made her happy and that made me happy. It sounds unconventional but it's what we worked out. We wanted the best for each other..." he said, before sighing and putting his attention to the other fox. "If you are my son I'm glad to meet you, but I will need to talk to your mother. She owes me an explanation. What brings you here though? You are a mage from what I can tell. How come you weren't taken in by a Clan?"

"Because I was a bastard sir, an illegitimate child, so none of the local clans were willing to take me in," Akira said, sounding completely nonplussed at what he was saying. "So I stayed with my mother and my family. My grandfather with his contacts managed to get a Brotherhood Monk to help me learn to control my magic," he continued still looking calm as he talked. "I came here because I wanted to meet my father. Mother told me so much about you that I wanted nothing more than to meet you sir," Akira said with a deep bow.

Evan just sighed and patted the boy on the head gently. "I'm sorry to hear all that boy, but stay here for a bit, I'm going to call your mother. I want some answers from her. Go sit next to Lucas, if you are brothers you have a lot to catch up on," he said as he walked out once again, leaving the Asian fox standing there awkwardly, not sure what to do so Lucas decided to do the best he could to make him comfortable.

"Sit next to me Akira, I want to learn more about you," Lucas said, patting the empty space on the bed. Akira did so reluctantly and when he did Lucas wrapped an arm around him gently. "You know, I always wanted a brother and I thought I never would have one, but here you are," he said, which made the other fox boy blush, and when Erin hugged them both even harder, he only got redder.

"You... aren't upset that I'm the result of an affair?" Akira asked in a shy tone, looking away from the two.

"Why would I be upset with you?" Lucas asked in a confused tone. "You did nothing wrong, and while I'm not thrilled my dad cheated on my mom, I can't really be upset with him given my mom had her own affairs so it's water under the bridge I guess," Lucas continued, bringing Akira closer. "We've got sixteen years to catch up on though. I don't care how you were born, you are my brother and I can't wait to get to know you better."

Erin decided to speak up right then as she cuddled up to the other fox, making him look a bit uncomfortable, but with Lucas holding him so tight he couldn't really do much. "Yeah! It's so awesome to know we have another sibling! What's Japan like? I've never been there and you speak English super good, where did you learn to speak it? What do you like to do? Lucas can draw, can you draw? Do you like manga?" She asked, peppering question after question, not even giving the boy a chance to answer them until Lucas gently told her to stop and to let him speak. "Oh, sorry Akira... go ahead and answer them if you want." She said kindly.

"Um for your first question... Japan is great, lots of stuff to do since I live in Tokyo, but it's very crowded and noisy. As for me speaking English... my family is big on being bilingual as we run a technology firm. Funnily enough we are partnered to the Mansfield family's company to help distribute their apps and other software to the Japanese market, so knowing English was a major thing to learn, plus I like learning new stuff," he said, taking a deep breath before beginning to answer the rest of her questions. "As for what I like to do? I do like Manga actually, you should see my collection in my room back home, but I can't draw a straight line so Lucas has me beat there. I do like to write though, though I'm not that good so I've never shared anything," Akira said, blushing lightly at all the attention he was getting.

Lucas was about to say how he would like to see some of that writing, before he heard the door open and Ian and Allison enter the room. The first thing Ian did was to of course rush to Lucas's side and kiss him on the lips, making the fox blush and let go of his newfound brother, which Ian took advantage of by wrapping his arms around Lucas and holding him close. "I'm so glad you are up babe," Ian whispered into Lucas's ears, which made the boy shiver at the intensity of those words. "So what was it like? The realm of Beau's God? How did you even get there?"

"It was... interesting. I didn't really get to see much really just the inside of the castle, but there were numerous people there, who escaped both the Hunters and Cabal and have gathered under Beau and his God. I have no idea how I got there though sadly, not even Alignak knew how I did it, but that's what happened. For some reason though, Beau does seem really intent on teaching me more about rune magic. I'm not sure why, but I want to get stronger and if Beau can help me get in more control of my powers, then I'll take him up on his offer. I don't really have anything to lose here anyway."

"I have no idea what any of you are talking about? Who is Beau again?" Akira asked, interrupting their moment. Erin also had the same confused look on her face since this was the first time she heard about Beau also.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later okay? When I'm out of the hospital maybe?" He said as the room was once again entered, this time by his cousin who rushed to his side and forcefully pushed Ian aside so he could put his cousin in a bone-crushing hug, nearly knocking both Akira and Erin off of the bed in the process.

"You're awake!" The pit bull cried out, completely ignoring the scowling wolf who was rubbing his sore ribs where the dog had elbowed him.

"Geeze dude, I would have moved if you had asked! No need to knock me off the bloody goddamn bed you insufferable twat!" Ian mumbled, peppering his speech with even more oaths that made his mother blush.

"Ian! Where did you learn those words!" His mother shouted out as Jordan whistled cheerfully, making her glare at him, which in turn made him put his paws up in defense.

"Don't look at me! I'm just whistling!" Jordan cried out, the intensity of which that made everyone laugh, before Jai's voice spoke up again.

"So can anyone tell me what's going on?" His voice sounding mildly frustrated. "Can you fill the blind kitty in please?"

Allison walked up to him and patted his shoulder, making him jump in surprise. "We'll explain later, but I want to talk to you about your gift if you don't mind. I think I might be able to help with your ghost problems."

"That you Monet? That would be nice..." Jai said... while talking to a wall opposite from where Allison actually was. "But where did Mr. Mason go?"

"He had to make a call, he should be back soon so don't worry." Lucas said, wondering what was going on with that conversation, and with a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused on where his father was, hoping that he wouldn't mind the snooping.

~~~~

Evan let out a sigh as he entered the hospital lobby and reluctantly dialed the number, desperately thinking of what to say when he got ahold of the woman. Thankfully Yukari answered on the third ring and spoken in English, her voice as lovely as ever.

"Evan? Do you not know what time is it here? What do you want? Did Akira make it okay?" The woman asked, worried about her pup.

"The boy made it fine Yukari, but we have something more to discuss... Why did you never tell me we had a son together?"