Christine stared at the beautiful stone around the taller woman's neck. She tried to find words, but nothing would come out right. Aiden failed to mention he was already married! S-so, in reality, I'm the mistress?! In the back of her mind, she picked up on the other woman's look of shock at herself being introduced as Aiden's fiancée. Yeah, that's how I feel about it too right now, she wanted to say in answer to the woman's surprise.

Willow's mind was spinning. I knew...I-I mean, he did tell me...But I never thought it would be so...s-so fast!

Prophecy let out a long sigh. "I was trying to tell you earlier, Mommy. Remember? When you told me I should get my homework done to show Dad when he got here? But you started lecturing me. So I decided to keep it as a surprise," the girl gave her a cheeky grin, sticking her tongue out at Willow.

"O-oh," was all Willow could muster as she turned her head to look down at Prophecy.

"A-Aiden, I...why didn't you tel-" Christine began softly.

Realizing his mistake, Aiden closed his eyes in self-annoyance. He'd been juggling so many things since he returned to the Other Realm, and in the past three days since buying the ring with Christine. Stepping forward and to the side, he placed his hands on Christine's shoulders. Leaning down, he moved his lips close to her ear, whispering so only she'd hear. "Please, Christine. Willow has no idea. Don't tell her. I'll...I'll explain when we're alone together again, alright? It's very important..."

Blinking rapidly, face flush by how close Aiden was, very nearly kissing her honestly, she nodded. "O-okay." Her voice came out a little breathless, which she hadn't meant. But...Aiden was a handsome man and she was already a little off-kilter with this new development.

Turning her head back, Willow's jaw tightened. Fucking really? she thought in irritation. First you throw a fiancée in my face and then you're making out with her right in front of our daughter, in front of me?

The sound of footsteps coming down behind them suddenly paused. "Well hell, Aiden. You must have cared for Willow less than I thought. Damn, do you move on fast. I'm not sure if I should be impressed or mad!"

Turning, Willow tried not stomp up the three steps and punch Kazuo's gut. "Dad!" she growled.

"What?" he asked blandly, face filled with innocence.

Jerking back from Christine, Aiden tried to fight down a very sudden rise of temper. "Look, I can explain if-"

"Dad, why couldn't you have waited for another few months, hmm? I don't need a little brother yet. But I can't wait to meet him." Prophecy alternated between looking annoyed with her father and grinning.

The adults all blinked at that. "Um, brother?" Kazuo was the first to speak.

Nodding her head firmly, Prophecy laughed. "Yep. He's so cute! When he's born, he really likes to kick his feet."

Willow began to grow pale. Prophecy's limit-at least currently-seemed to roughly be two years. She could see about two years ahead in the future at any time, with any vision she saw. This meant that her 'little brother' had to be born within that timeline.

Aiden cleared his throat. "Yes, well, that is a bit of a ways off, sweetheart."

Ignoring her father, Prophecy moved forward confidently. Holding out her hand, she beamed up at Christine. "It's nice to meet you, Chris. I'm sorry if I'm scaring you or anything. Most people are freaked out by how I am the first couple of times. Dad hasn't told you yet...I think, but that's okay. He had a lot of things to do, with the bad people and the sad people and the hungry people over there. Since Dad's important, he's busy. And he may try to be a tough and strong, but he's just a dad underneath. So you'll have to forgive him for all of this, 'k?" she smiled winningly. "My name is Prophecy Chester and I have the True Sight. I've known about you for almost two months now. I didn't say anything though because I like you. You're nice and fun. I didn't want to ruin the Path."

Blinking, Christine took a few seconds to register everything the girl had said. Smiling warmly, she shook her head as she reached out to take hold of the girl's hand. "It's wonderful to meet you, Prophecy. I was worried you'd hate me," she laughed softly. "But I'm glad to see your such a happy little girl. And so pretty too. You look just like your mom and your dad," she murmured quietly.

Prophecy grinned. "I got my Mom's looks and my Dad's brain, plus a little of Pawpaw's sass," she winked.

Still on the stairs, Kazuo cracked up. "Damn straight!"

Willow couldn't help but laugh herself. Seeing the way Christine was acting, she could tell there was a lot more to this woman than her perfect Barbie appearance first let on. Forcing herself to push back her annoyance at Aiden for springing this whole fiasco on her, she stepped forward. "Christine, it's nice to meet you. My name is Willow Chester." She placed an arm on top of Prophecy's curly head. "This little squirt's mine, but you already got that. The wise-ass behind me is my father, Kazuo Chester."

Straightening, Christine held her hand out to Willow. "Your family really must be close-knit. I can tell how much you all love each other just by looking at you. My mother's not here with me, but I almost wanted to bring her along. I'm sure she'd have loved to meet you all. She's the only real family I have left."

Grasping the other woman's hand, Willow's face fell. "I'm sorry to hear that," she murmured, as they shook their joined hands once.
And just like that, what could have been a rift very quickly flamed, died out, and began to grow into something new and much better. Smiling at one another, they dropped their hands.

Clearing his throat, Aiden motioned toward the living room. "Perhaps it might be best for us to continue further into the dojo? Standing right by the door seems a little..." His voice trailed off.

Willow and Christine both gave him half of a stink-eye before continuing on into the living room. Covering her mouth to hide a laugh, Prophecy grinned at him. "Dad, you're going to have to work hard for my little brother," she whispered to him. "Barbie and Aiden, sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G! First comes Willow, then comes Bri. They gonna make you go M.I.S.S.I.N.G! The cops won't find a T.H.I.N.G!" Voice rising and lowering with the very well-known melody, Prophecy stuck her tongue out at her dad. While he blinked, thrown-off by her comment and the words of her song, she waved at him in a salute before skipping after the two women.

Kazuo slowly came down the last few steps, looking thoughtful. "She's right, you know," he leaned his head closer to Aiden's. "This whole thing? Bad move. You're already married now, Aiden. Don't think I don't know what that stone around Willow's neck means. And don't think I'm not more than a little annoyed at you about it either. Grateful, yes, that too. But you didn't ask my permission to marry my daughter and then you did it in an underhanded, sneaky way. But to make matters worse, you did the same thing to Willow. You should have just told her."

Feeling his temper beginning to simmer, Aiden turned his head to his father-in-law. "She doesn't feel the same way towards me. And I didn't want her to have to keep killing. Then there's Prophecy...What would have been the best option? I was desperate, okay? But what's been done can never be undone. And I wouldn't want it to be."

Raising a hand to his face, he tried not to pull out his hair. "I don't think you realize just how important it is that I have a Heir. I only have what...twenty or so more years, max? Any more than that and I may not make it past fifty years of age. I need a son, Kazuo..." He swallowed, forcing himself to stop talking. He'd already said too much.

Brown eyes narrowing, Kazuo watched him closely. "This is about that curse good ol' Gaia put on Winter, isn't it? She didn't like how much destructive force it had, so she placed a curse upon Jack, and therefore all of his descendants for all eternity. You all have to be punished for both existing and also for your role in the world...I already know all about it, Aiden. I was there when that twisted psycho put the curse on Jack. Hell, I was there when Jack was born. I was the very first Shinigami created, Aiden. I was Death itself. I've been around for almost as long as Gaia, boy."

Growing pale at those words, Aiden stared into the other man's eyes. In them he saw a side of Kazuo he'd never seen before. His eyes were empty of the normal emotions inside them, more than flat or 'dead'. It was as if they simply stopped existing as a...as a reflection of any life. As if all they were was a color. It made Aiden's skin crawl and, for just half a second, he could sense something Ancient.

"Despite what humanity likes to believe, they've only been around for as long as Jack has. All the little facts, all the 'pieces of history', the 'proof' that there was a Big Bang and evolution from apes and all of that...It's nothing more than a game to Gaia. She thinks it's hilarious to watch the humans fight and squabble over things. The 'God' that humans cherish so is nothing more than a crazy Woman who likes to watch Her toys rip each other apart...Well, about eight out of ten times. I mean, after all, She is the Goddess of Creation."

"W-what are you...?" Aiden mumbled through suddenly cold lips. Kazuo's voice had grown dead, still almost. His eyes still didn't have any...life to them and his face seemed lifeless as well. Now and again he'd add very, very slight sparks to his voice, so that it sounded nearly normal. And it was these words that seemed to be emphasized.

"Haven't you ever read a history book? Oh, wait...Did they ban the True History? I'd heard rumors about them doing that about twelve thousand years ago, but I didn't really believe they'd be so stupid...But I suppose even the Others would like to believe that such a spiteful and indifferent deity doesn't actually exist as well. I don't blame them, really. When women say that Mother Nature can be a bitch, they ain't lying, Aiden. They really aren't."

"Dad? Don't you want food? I made chili mac." Willow's voice called out from the kitchen.

Kazuo blinked. As Aiden watched, the life quickly began to return. The light in his eyes, in his entire being, came rushing back and Kazuo's whole face broke out into a happy smile. The man closed his eyes as if cherishing the sound of Willow's voice for half a second. Then he tipped his head forward, as if he'd tipped a hat to Aiden, before starting off.

Swallowing, Aiden took a few more seconds to get his bearings. He certainly hadn't expected Kazuo to reveal such...interesting details about his past. Shaking his head a little to clear it, he slowly followed after the other man. His eyes zeroed in on Willow, who was wearing an apron, standing in front of a large pot on the stove. She was taking the bowls handed to her and spooning out large servings of chili mac into them before handing them back. A wide smile was on her face, her black eyes alight with happy laughter as her and Christine chatted to one another like they were old friends catching up. A swell of emotion caught in Aiden's chest and he slowly raised a hand to where his heart was. He could feel it beating, it's tempo rising as he continued to stare at Willow. He honestly could do nothing more than stand there like a idiot and drink in the sight of her. The way her profile showed off her curves, the stray wisps of curls that framed her face, the sound of her voice...

She stopped in the middle of her sentence, glancing down at her chest. Her brow furrowed and she bit her lip, obviously worried. Realizing that his emotions must be causing the soul-stone to act up, he sucked in a deep breath. Calm down, he berated himself. The more you let your emotions get the best of you, the more she's going to notice something's up with the stone...

He squashed down the need to move over there, wrap his arms around her waist, and pull her into a hug and kiss. Honestly, doing so wouldn't be a good idea. First off, it would be rude for him to do something like that in front of Christine. And second, if he held her now, Aiden wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to let go...

Turning her head, Willow caught Aiden's gaze. He had a strange look on his face that he quickly changed as she stared at him. She raised a eyebrow in question. He shot her a uncertain smile before continuing further into the living room. "Hungry?" she called out to him.

"Yes, actually," he replied. As his long legs quickly ate up the distance between them and he reached her side, taking a bowl from Christine, he tried to fight down his nerves. "H-how have you been?" he murmured.

Willow shrugged, not looking up at him. "I've been fine. Everything's been good. Monday, Prophecy started her public schooling."

"How was that? D-did the private tour go well on Saturday?" he asked, dying to spend even more time with her. He had so many obligations, so many rules he had to follow, traditions he had to keep, mannerisms he had to maintain at all times...But with Willow, none of that mattered. He didn't have to be perfect. He didn't have to be in control. He didn't have to be confident, sure of himself, his place, and that it was everyone else's place to follow his command. He didn't have be anything other than who he honestly was...Aiden. And gods help him, he needed that...every day of his life.

Christine eyed Aiden silently. She took in the look on his face, her own heart twisting in pain. She knew that look...the desperation to be close to and with the one you loved. Swallowing, she very quietly moved away. Holding a hand up to her lips to indicate they should be quiet, she took hold of Prophecy's hand. Prophecy glanced back at her parents before nodding, smiling. The two very carefully pulled their chairs back so they wouldn't make any noise and began to eat their meal. Kazuo smiled as well, nodding his head that he got what the two girls were up to. He held a silent thumbs-up and the other two were quick to do the same.

"Yeah," Willow nodded, still not turning to look at him. "The principal, Mrs. Garfield, doesn't know anything about Others though. Still, she seemed like a pretty fair lady."

"Has Prophecy had any problems with the other kids at school?" he asked curiously. "No sparks of ice magic going off randomly?"

Shaking her head, she finally looked at him, sort of. She peeked at him from the corner of her eyes. From what she could see, he looked almost...well, honestly, she had no idea what he was. But there was something about him that seemed rawer than normal. Like he was...

"No, actually. I'm happy to report that you made a very good teacher." She turned fully to face him, smiling. She watched his own face slowly unfold into an expression of joy. It was almost unnerving. It was almost scary, to her.

"Willow?" he asked in a very soft voice. "C-can I hug you? Just for a few seconds. I want...I need..." he swallowed and she watched in half-shock and half-curiosity as he looked completely exposed.

He's nervous, she blinked in realization. Just like when he told me how he felt about me. He's showing me his vulnerable side. Despite seeing it twice now, she still found it hard to believe. Hard to believe that underneath all the thick skin, that confidence and calm façade was a man who was so...shy. So uncertain. So nervous.

And seeing it...A part of her heart felt like it was reaching out to his. The fear that she'd been fighting off since he'd arrived, that she'd been pushing back, receded. If Aiden had asked before he'd lowered his walls like this, she would have refused. She still shuddered in disgust when she touched a man. She'd bumped into a few at the school or the grocery, or when she'd hand over her change to a cashier and his fingers would brush hers...She'd have to fight the reaction to curl in a ball on the floor and rock back and forth like a child once more.

Now that Aiden had shown her-reminded her-that he too was mortal, he too had fears and uncertainties, it helped her pushed aside her own fear. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his chest. She felt him stiffen for half a second, most likely thrown off guard by the fact that she'd made the first move. She felt him shift and set his bowl down on the counter behind her.

Then his arms wrapped around her tightly and his head lowered to rest against her shoulder. He sucked in a very deep, very long breath. She could feel his entire chest expanding for it under her arms. She pressed her cheek against his upper chest, since it was the only way she could be comfortable. His hold was tight, so much so that if it was any tighter, she'd start to be crushed. But he wasn't hurting her. He was holding her as close and as tightly as he could without causing her any pain.

At her own chest, the stone began to glow very faintly, humming to life with a warmth that seemed to seep through her shirt and fill her heart. Hidden from view, a small smile lifted her lips. She felt...safe. Completely and truly safe. Closing her eyes, she knew in that moment that-as far as Aiden was concerned-she'd never have anything to fear from him. The threads of sense and logic in the back of her mind that had been trying to reach her emotions, her fear, finally did. And just like that, Aiden somehow fixed a few broken pieces of her heart.

She was far from whole again. She was far from completely fixed. In fact, she might never be completely okay every again. But there wasn't anything wrong with that, was there? Was anyone perfect, honestly? Was anyone without a few scars or hurts they couldn't completely get rid of or forget?

No, of course not.

Whispering very, very softly in her ear, Aiden let himself say what he'd been saying in his head every time he thought of her while he'd been away. "I love you. I'm so glad to see you. I missed you and Prophecy so much, I thought my heart was going to break every time I thought of you two. Honey, how do you do this to me? I never break down and expose how I really feel for anyone else. Just you, always, only you. It's almost a little scary, honestly."

Willow tried to find some sort of words to say. Still feeling the connection they were experiencing, this strange force that seemed to have come over them, she decided to be completely honest. For at least a few seconds, maybe it wouldn't be so bad not to lie to herself and Aiden as well. "I...Prophecy's been dying to see you since you left and...I-I've missed you a little too..."

The stone sent of wave of warmth running through her, the glow it was letting off seeming to grow just a little brighter. "Really?" Aiden whispered quietly. "You aren't just saying that? You aren't just sparing my feelings?"

"No, I'm not, Aiden. I really meant it. But, was it honestly necessary for you to bring..." her voice trailed off.

Closing his eyes, he fought down his annoyance at himself. "Christine said she wanted to meet you two and I thought it would be a good idea for you all to meet. But I fear my...impatience and worry got the best of me. Perhaps I could have waited a little longer before I..."

"Well, she seems really nice. And you know, I think she'd be really good for you. And you heard Prophecy. You'll have a boy in about two years. That's good, right? W-when's the wedding?" she asked as she started to pull back. Her own words were reminding her that what they were doing right now...It was both unfair and inconsiderate. As well as foolish. She needed to stop. She was hugginganother woman's fiancée, right in front of her! I'm being a complete bitch, Willow sighed, raising a hand to her face. I can't believe I let myself get swept up in the moment and did that. I'll have to apologize to Christine later. She must think I'm some sort of whore, trying to seduce Aiden away for manipulative reasons.

Arms feeling empty without her in them, Aiden struggled to not let his hurt and need to keep holding her show on his face. "In six months, sometime in September. We haven't decided on a definitive date yet," he answered heavily.

Willow blinked, startled. "O-oh, so soon?" Wow, Aiden really does move fast, doesn't he?

He nodded. "Yes. It's part of our agreement."

"Um, agreement?" Willow wondered curiously.

"This is a marriage of convenience only, Willow," he reminded her softly. "Don't you already know the woman I truly want to make my wife?"

Her cheeks began to alternately fill with color and pale. He frowned at that, especially as her eyes began to dilate in something very close to fear. She shook her head, her voice almost numb. "I...n-no. Aiden, it's honestly best that you stop right there. I know how you feel about me and I'm sorry that you do. I'm truly sorry that I can't feel the same about you. But I can't...I can never be someone's wife. I will never marry any one...Not a-"

She stopped, snapping her mouth closed. She'd very nearly let that slip. Turning on her heel, she picked up his bowl and began filling it. Turning back, she handed it out to him. "Here. You should eat something. Talk to Prophecy. She's missed you, plus she'll be wanting to show you all the stuff she's been doing in school."

Feeling as if he'd just been dismissed with the turn of her back to him once more, Aiden's jaw tightened. They'd been having a real moment right there. They'd connected, damn it! He knew he hadn't been the only one of them to feel that...To feel what the hell ever that had all been. But she'd pulled away, shut it all down, slammed the door on him. He felt both helpless and frustrated. Damn it, all he wanted was to be with her! To live the rest of his life by her side!

If she only asked him, if she only said it was what she wanted, he'd throw everything else away. He'd toss aside all his responsibilities, all his duties, all that he'd felt had defined him before he'd met her...Before he'd fallen in love with her.

Before Willow, he'd clung to his identity as The Heir and then later as the Lord of Winter. The titles, these things defined him, told him how he was suppose to act, how he was supposed to be. What the hell he was supposed to, meant to do with his life. As a young child, he'd seen 'The Heir' as a way to be connected to his father. He'd seen it as a way for him to help his father, who was always away, always busy in his search for his missing wife, for Aiden's mother and little sister. He'd been happy to be The Heir. He'd been content with his life. As long as he could meet everyone's expectations, as long as he could prove that he was worth his father's, his mother's attention and love...

But once he'd found Willow, he'd realized that all he'd been doing his entire life was trying to fit inside a box. A box that he had no real reason to stay inside. She'd somehow broken into his box and kicked down one of the walls. And with it all the sunlight, all the fresh air, and the life of the world around him had come rushing in.

Forcing himself to calm down and snap out of the irritation that wanted to take over in that moment, he grabbed a spoon out of the silverware drawer and started toward the table. His true wife non-withstanding, he'd missed his daughter greatly for the week he'd been gone. He made himself push aside his anger and hurt over Willow's behavior by focusing on how happy he felt to see Prophecy again. He pulled a chair out to the girl's left, ruffling her hair as he set his bowl down to sit. "Hey, sweetie. So your mom tells me school's been going good. What have you been up to?"

O O O

"Malik...I'm still really uncertain about this. You know how I feel about violence..."

"C'mon, Marcus! Do you really want to be bullied by these dicks for the rest of your life?" Malik demanded in annoyance.

"...Do you really want me to be patching you up like this for the rest of your life, my hero?" Marcus teased lightly.

Turning to glare at his younger brother over his shoulder, Malik winced. "Ow! Damn it, I hate those guys! Just because we're incubi, it doesn't mean we're going to steal their freaking girlfriends," he grumbled darkly. "Though, if we did, it would definitely serve the dicks right for what they do..."

"No," Marcus said firmly, shaking his head as he dabbed at Malik's wounds with a cotton pad covered in medical alcohol. He was carefully, and as gently as he could manage, administering first-aid. This definitely wasn't his first time doing so and he honestly knew it wouldn't be the last. His brother, Malik, was much too hotheaded, much too protective to ever let it go. "You know that's wrong. We shouldn't use our abilities simply out of vengeance or anger. We only fed a little...just a little, and only from the girls' who agree to our advances. You know the rules," he admonished his brother sternly.

"Yeah, because Mom and Dad drilled them into us our entire lives...But Mom and Dad aren't here anymore, Marcus. It's just the two of us. And this shit foster system isn't helping. Three freaking years!" Malik growled, wincing again as the sting of the medicine against his bruises made him want to cry out in pain. But he forced it back. He didn't want to look weak in front of his brother. Not when it was his responsibility to take care of him, now that their parents were gone.

The two of them had been together ever since conception, fraternal twins. And though they didn't look completely alike, they were both three-quarters incubus and one-quarter human. They'd come from a wealthy family, at first. But their parents had had trouble with having kids. So, after many operations to increase the likelihood of pregnancy, they'd finally succeeded. Malik had been born, and a minute after him, Marcus. But as a result of all the money they'd spent, their parents had gone very nearly bankrupt. They'd been forced to sell nearly all their belongings and move to a much more remote part of the country.

There, Malik and Marcus had grown up. The town had been small and mostly filled with a Other community. The boys had grown up in a environment where everyone knew everyone and nearlyeveryone knew about what they truly were. A succubus and incubus respectively, their mother and father had decided to try to make a honest living, instead of clinging to their old lives of wealth. And the Welsons' lives had been perfect. The four of them had been happy, healthy, and safe.

Until the damn car accident.

Shaking his head, Malik forced back his memories of how their lives had been. Their parents had been dead and buried for three years now. Now the two of them were living in a haze of constantly being changed between 'homes' and locations. Foster families would take them in, only to treat them like shit and use the money the government handed over every month to fund their lives, taking in seven or eight orphans at a time or more. But after staying there for a few months, their foster parents would no longer want them.

The Welson boys were good kids, mostly. But the trouble they brought with them? Not so much. At the awkward age of fourteen, neither of them were the definition of 'hot stud'. Marcus was very slightly a darker shade of black than Malik was, but both had curly hair that frizz around their heads and down to their jaws.

At first glance as young children, most people mistook them for identical twins. But Marcus had remedied this when his vigorous reading habits as a child forced his eyesight to worsen. Now he wore grey-framed aviator glasses. Around the insides of the rims were turquoise colored plastic. As well, at the sides of the hinges and going along the temples were turquoise colored circles. Marcus had contacts, but he only used them for emergencies.

Namely, he only used them when the two of them snuck out two times a month to hunt down 'prey', so to speak. As incubi, the twins needed to feed off of some form of sexual energy in order to continue to survive. Unfortunately, the vast majority of all of their foster homes to date, including this one, hadn't been aware of the Other side of the world. They'd only had one foster family who'd understood that they needed sexual energy drinks to survive. As a result, the twins had developed a system, for their own protection.

They'd dress up, just a little. Clean theirselves up, mostly. They they'd sneak out and either walk or ride bikes to the main part of whatever city they ended up in. One time, only for a month, they'd been taken in by a old lady out in the middle of nowhere. That had been hell. They'd literally had to steal her car and drive it almost ten miles just to reach a gas station that they'd been lucky enough to find a woman working at.

Marcus had been driving, since he knew how to do so much better than Malik. Once parked, they'd taken in a few deep breaths before flipping the magical switches inside theirselves. Because of their nature, the twins naturally drew women in, called to the inner lusts women had, by just looking at the boys. And though in the back of their minds, the women might by questioning why they'd find two minors attractive, they usually didn't do anything about how they felt. Obviously, most people had some semblance of self-control and society norms. But when the twins let their small amount of humanity go and their incubus nature take over, women had no choice but to hunger for them.

The lady at the gas station had been helpless against the twins combined force, which was why they usually hunted as a pair. Besides the fact that their parents had drilled into them to always stay together, that it was much safer as a duo than by their selves.

Of course, they never crossed the line and raped women. In that particular sense, both boys were still virgins. They'd been raised a very strange family of sexual monsters, with a mother who'd always told them that unless they liked a woman enough to want to have kids with her, they shouldn't cross that line. Instead they mostly touched or kissed. And when they were in full incubus mode, neither brother found it strange to share one woman, if they couldn't find two.

Afterwards, they'd mess with the woman's memories-as well as anyone else who might have seen them-by making her believe she'd just had a super crazy, super weird, and very intense wet dream. Done, the twins would leave and return to their foster homes, Other bellies full on the sexual pleasure they'd received from and given to their victims. Technically, they needed to feed twice a week. But, as long as they took a large amount, enough to make a woman believe she'd been brought to orgasm four times or more, they could fight their hunger down to just twice a month.

After all, it wasn't easy, sneaking out of some of their foster homes. Nor was it really a smart thing to do. But it was better than using their foster family. It was much better to just find some random women now and again and do only what they needed to.

Even so, the men in their foster families, in their many different schools, and in their multiple, ever-changing neighborhoods hated them. And it wasn't even exactly the human males' fault either. It was natural to be envious and hate what could be sensed was somehow 'better' than you, especially when you couldn't figure out why. In that sense, Malik and Marcus didn't exactly hate their abusers.

But what they did hate was when the men, teenagers, or boys would get abusive. Whether it be physical, verbal, or emotional, it always happened. There had been more than a few homes they'd been forced the leave because the wife, daughter, grandmother, aunt, cousin-or variations of all of them-had been drawn to the twins. And even though the boys made sure to never touch any of the females they lived with or any in their foster family's family, things usually always got messy.

This often ended in either being punished by the men in the family-or the women-or beaten. The twins had been accused of just about every evil sexual act you could think about, but nothing had ever been proven and they had never actually done anything to those people. But now...

Now they were at the final straw. Their case worker had told them that they boys had run out of options. If they screwed this foster family up...if they were kicked out of this one, they would be thrown back into an orphanage. Rumors were already spreading that the Welson twin boys were lecherous, vile teenagers that were most likely psycho or sociopaths.

All because they'd been born with more with Other blood that really didn't mix well outside of a controlled and aware environment. Their case worker wasn't Other, nor the last four they'd had before him. Their first one had been a woman...She hadn't lasted long. In fact, she'd lost her job because she'd been caught trying to attack the boys. That had been the first time in their lives that they'd realized just how hard it was to live in a world populated mainly by humans that were unaware of what was really going on in the background around them.

"All done!" Marcus announced cheerfully. "You know, I've been thinking I may just have to become a doctor with how much you get injured. At least you weren't being a squeamish little wimp this time. You okay, bro? You sort of spaced out for awhile."

Blinking, pulling out of his thoughts, Malik shook his head. "Huh? What? Oh, yeah. Hey!" he realized, shooting to his feet, off of the bed he'd been sitting on the edge of. Turning on his heel, he glared down at the top of his brother's head, who was putting away his medical tools and kit. "I'm not a freaking wimp, okay? It's normal to flinch away from pain."

Lifting his head up, black eyes glittering in humor, Marcus stuck out his tongue. "Oh yeah? Well is it normal to cry and tell me to stop?" He switched his tone of voice to a false soprano, mimicking a chic's whine. "No! Ugh, stop it, you dick! Ow, that really hurts! Can't you do this better? Ow, ow, owwie! Hey, watch it. S-stop it!" he waved his hand in a weak, batting manner at his brother.

Clenching his jaw, Malik stuck his hands on his hips. "I do not sound like that!"

Switching his voice back to normal and pressing a finger to the bridge of his glasses, Marcus smirked. "You're such a little pansy."

Swinging out with his left fist, Malik landed a blow in his brother's left shoulder. "Let's see who the freaking pansy is, little bro. I'm older than you."

"Yeah," Marcus chuckled. "By less than a minute. By fifty-three seconds!"

Growling at the reminder of a old argument, Malik attacked.

The fight didn't go very far though, since Marcus brought it to a halt by reminding Malik that he was still injured. Malik had stood in the way of their newest high school's bullies. Prom season was just beginning. As freshmen, the Welson boys couldn't go on their own. But if they had a invitation from a junior or senior date, they could attend. The twins were only half tempted to go, and then mostly just so they could at least pretend they were normal and let loose a little like most adolescents their age. But neither of them were seriously attempting to go.

They'd only just moved into their newest foster home, living with a elderly woman by the name of Mrs. Harris. Mrs. Harris had been a widow for nearly six years now and had never had children of her own. So she'd decided to take in the Welson boys as a form of a good deed for two children in need as well as gain herself some company and helpers in her old age. To their surprise, Mrs. Harris wasn't attracted to them in the least. Since they could sense sexual attraction, they knew when they were the target of lust. And in the elderly widow, they found only kindness and concern.

Mrs. Harris had been made aware of all the bad history the Welson boys had gone through before agreeing to take them in. But even so, she'd decided to take the chance. She was completely human, but she still had a very faint aura of magic that came off of her. When Marcus had asked her about why she seemed...different, she'd explained that she could sense the emotions people held for others. To say the boys had been surprised was a understatement...

Over the past week, Mrs. Harris' home had proved to be the best place the twins had lived in since the death of their parents. Mrs. Harris was awesome. She'd proven to be the closest thing that the boys had ever been able to imagine as a 'grandma'. Even so, dicks at school always ruin things and this place was no different.

Marcus had attracted the attention of one of the more popular girls at the school, Victoria Graves, student council president and captain of the volleyball team as well. Malik had quickly amassed his own little fan club as well, but none were quite as dire as Marcus' problem. Even so, Malik found it funny when the 'popular' girls were attracted to his nerdy brother. The play on the stereotypes and high school clichés wasn't lost on either of them. And while it annoyed Marcus, Malik was usually amused. Both of them were pissed this time around though. They really and truly liked Mrs. Harris. But if they kept being involved with fights at school, it was a sure bet their case worker would show up and drag them away once again...

So Malik had scouted the neighborhood around Mrs. Harris' house and found out that there was a dojo that taught martial arts very close by. It was only a three minute walk from Mrs. Harris' front door. And after the newest beating Malik had received defending his brother from Victoria Graves' admirers that were jealous of Marcus, he'd come to the decision that they needed to apply to the dojo.

"I'm serious, Marcus. We really do need to know how to fight," Malik pressed.

Biting his lip, Marcus took in the sight of his brother's bare chest. The darkness of his skin was broken up mainly only by old scars from a few other, much more serious wounds received by men who'd beat them over their wives and daughters-of which Marcus had a few of his own. Scratching at one such wound along his left side where he'd been hit with the side of a wooden chair, Marcus sighed in heavy defeat. "Okay, okay, fine. We'll go and ask the master there if we can learn, but we'll work to pay off what we owe him. And if he doesn't agree, then it's a no go, okay?" Marcus pressed.

"Yep," Malik nodded, barely suppressing the need the jump up and shout 'I finally got you to agree!'.

"And we will only learn how to defend ourselves, not how to beat the shit out of others. It's not right to use our inhuman strength against them. Especially since we're so much more Other than human. We could kill them if we aren't careful," Marcus continued to lecture.

Rolling his eyes, Malik nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But if we learn how to do this, won't that mean we'll be better at knowing how to control our strength?"

Thinking about it for a second, Marcus nodded slowly. "Maybe...I suppose. Even so, we still can't bother with it until tomorrow. And we have to help Mrs. Harris out a little before we do go."

"Definitely," Malik agreed. "Still, I'm sure the guy there will agree. I've heard he's sort of weird, if you know what I mean."

Marcus nodded. "Yep. Humans can't understand an Other so they just label them as 'weird'. I wonder what Other he is."

"Maybe he'd a orc," Malik grinned. "Or a goblin."

"Or a dragon," Marcus offered as he pulled back the left side of the queen bed's comforter. Mrs. Harris had a small house, and only two bedrooms. The guest bedroom had been given to the boys to share, with a queen bed for them to sleep in together. The twins didn't mind though. The bed was just big enough for the two of them and it was comforting for them to be so close together. Especially when one of them woke up with nightmares. The other would be there to comfort and help soothe until calm would return, followed closely by more sleep.

"Maybe he's a little fairy, a pixie," Malik chuckled. "With cutesy little wings or something."

"Well, you did say that it was called Cheshire Cat's Dojo of Mixed Martial Arts. So perhaps he's a cat demon?" Marcus mumbled around a yawn, settling down against the pillows.

"Maybe," Malik shrugged, feeling his own weariness pull at him as well. "I guess we'll just find out tomorrow, won't we?"

"Night, bro," Marcus murmured, turning on his side and closing his eyes.

"Night, brat," Malik replied back. A long leg slammed into the back of his thigh.

"Dick," his brother grumbled.

"Ass," he replied back with a long elbow jab.

"You have blue-balls," Marcus muttered.

"Better than jacking off to all those cows in your magazines," Malik taunted.

"Hey, just because I like a chick with some cleavage doesn't mean anything. If anything, that's a healthy thing. At least I don't like thick thighs are big asses."

"Don't dis some thick thighs or asses, okay?" Malik muttered, offended. "It gives you something to hang onto and at least you know your girl doesn't eat like a bird. I don't got to worry if she's going to pass out on me at any moment from lack of food."

Marcus chuckled. "That's true. They usually last a little longer too, because they got more energy to burn through."

"Exactly," Malik smiled. "This is why your older brother knows best."

"Eh...I'll give it to you, this time," Marcus yawned. "But only because I'm tired."

"See ya in the morning. Let's make sure to kick some karate cat ass tomorrow at that dojo," Malik encouraged as his own weariness pulled his mind downward into the darkness. As he fell asleep, his worry began to nag more and more. He was afraid they'd be turned away by this 'Sensei' dude.