“I told you it was a bad idea.”  There was another cough, then she could make out Kantarou’s voice, quiet and low.

  “But I needed to...”  The banging started again, cutting off the end of Kantarou’s sentence.

  “Oi!  Youko!  Open the door!” Haruka called loudly.  Youko ran the rest of the way to the door and did as she was asked.  

  “It wasn’t locked or anything.  Why didn’t you just... oh!”  She stopped dead.  With the door open she could see exactly why the two men hadn’t opened the door themselves.  Kantarou waved meekly at Youko from Haruka’s arms.

  “Could you step aside so we can come in, Youko-chan?  It’s raining rather hard out here,” he said, his voice gravelly and strained.  She stepped aside, silently watching as Haruka walked sideways through the open front door being careful that Kantarou did not get caught on the doorframe. 

  “What’s that face for, Youko?” Haruka asked moodily, shuffling off his shoes.  They were both soaking wet.

  “Ah!” Youko cried, “You two are dripping on the floor.”

  “Blame our stupid master for that,” Haruka said, stepping up into the house.

  “Don’t you dare come in, Haruka-chan!” Youko squealed.  “You’ll make the floor messy!  I’ll get you some towels.  Wait there...”  She sped off up the corridor, shouting behind her, “And don’t think either of you will get any dinner if you so much as think about coming in!”  Kantarou looked up at Haruka in disbelief.

  “She has no compassion, that girl!” he complained, then coughed and looked away from Haruka’s accusatory look.  “You can put me down now.  I can walk, you know, even if I can’t fly.” 

  “I doubt you can walk either,” Haruka replied flatly.  “You looked terrible back at the factory.  You look worse now.”  Kantarou scowled.

  “Oh, that’s nice!” he huffed, but didn’t argue any further.  He sighed.  “This is the second time today we’ve been left in the entrance hall.”  Haruka looked at the man he was holding, then down the corridor in front of him.

  “Youko!” he called, “Hurry up!  It’s freezing over here!”  There was a muffled response then Youko returned with some towels. 

  “You’re still holding Kan-chan, Haruka-chan,” she said, as though Haruka hadn’t noticed.  Kantarou took a towel from Youko and put it around Haruka’s shoulders.  

  “He’s sick and hurt his leg,” Haruka told her.  Youko squealed in near-panic.

  “Why didn’t you say so, Haruka-chan!”  She quickly wrapped her master’s head in a towel.

  “Youko-chan...” Kantarou protested feebly.  She wrapped another towel around him as best she could.

  “I read in a magazine that most of the body’s heat escapes through your head so this should be the best way to keep you warm,” she explained, then commanded; “Take him upstairs immediately, Haruka-chan!”  Haruka rolled his eyes but did as he was told.  Youko ran off to the kitchen to put some water on to boil.  Kantarou tried to unravel the towel from his head.

  “Put your arms down, Kantarou, or they’ll hit the walls,” Haruka said.  Kantarou moaned in protest but put his arms down away, and rubbed his chest absent-mindedly.

  “Does it hurt still?” Haruka asked, reaching the top of the stairs and stepping into Kantarou’s room.  Kantarou clasped his hands together.

  “A bit...”  He looked up and smiled, “But at least now we know the fire was definitely caused by a demon...”  Haruka put Kantarou down on the tatami and wrapped the towel more tightly around his master.

  “Hey...” Kantarou protested, “I can’t move my arms with it this tight...”

  “I’ve a good mind to tie you up...”  Kantarou choked, but Haruka either didn’t notice or wasn’t aware of the suggestion he had just made.

  “...I told you going to the factory was a bad idea.  You were in a bad enough state.  But you ordered me so I had to take you.  And then you had to look around...”  Haruka paused and looked up into his master’s eyes.  “You are insufferable.”  Kantarou laughed softly.

  “Right then, you two,” Youko stalked into the room with an armful of clothes and towels.  She threw some at Haruka.  “Go and get changed,” she ordered.  “And make sure to dry your hair!” she called after him as he obediently went to his room across the hall.  “Kan-chan...”  She almost laughed; her soaked, forlorn-looking master was so tightly wrapped up.  But now that she looked closely he looked even paler than usual and his eyes were black-rimmed and half-closed.  He was shivering and coughed repeatedly.  “Kan-chan...” she said more softly, kneeling down beside him.  She started unwrapping the towel around his head.  “What have you been doing?  You look a mess!  I’m going to have to tell Haruka-chan off for letting you get in such a state!”

  “Don’t blame Haruka.  I made him go.  But we found out quite a lot...”  Kantarou, now free of the towels, stood up unsteadily and started peeling off his sopping clothes. 

“For all the good it will do you now!” Youko said angrily, pulling Kantarou’s futon out of the cupboard.  “I’m not letting you out of this house until you are well!”  As she laid out the mattress she caught sight of Kantarou’s bruised leg.  “What happened!?” she cried, leaning over the mattress to get a better look.

“We fell down some stairs.”  Kantarou pulled on the yukata Youko had brought for him, covering his leg.  Youkou sat back and looked up at Kantarou. 

“At Suzuki-san’s house?” she asked.  He nodded.

“I heard Haruka say you went to the factory too.  What were you thinking, doing that in your state?”  She indicated for Kantarou to sit down on the futon in front of her then began vigourously toweling his hair dry.

  “Ow... Youko, what’s with you and drying hair...”  She rubbed harder.

  “Answer the question, Kan-chan.”  Kantarou sighed in defeat.

  “I needed to be sure that the fire was not simply an accident,” he explained.

  “And now you are sure?” she asked.  Kantarou nodded again.

  “It must have been a very strong demon.”  He put his hand over his chest.  “I felt it so strongly I thought it was still there, in the ruins of the factory, but we couldn’t find anything.”  He looked thoughtfully out the window.  “Maybe I should research fire demons...”

  “You will do no such thing!”  Youko grabbed Kantarou by the shoulders and pushed him down onto the futon.  “You will stay right there,” she ordered, pulling several warm blankets over her master and tucking them tightly around him.  “I’m going to go and make you two some tea and something to eat.”  She shot him one more warning look (“Just you dare move!”) before picking up the wet towels from the floor and leaving the room.

  Kantarou was just drifting off to sleep when there was a great clamour from Haruka’s room.  Seconds later the tengu stormed in, wings flapping wildly. 

  “Look at this!” he cried, pointing towards his wings.  “Look at the mess they’re in!”  Kantarou blearily sat up and looked.  Haruka was right.  They were in a mess.  Many of his feathers were bent and ruffled and the left wing itself looked slightly crooked.  Kantarou couldn’t help but giggle.

  “It’s not FUNNY!  This is all because you fell down those stairs.  And then made me fly all over the place in the rain.  LOOK at what happened to them! ” Haruka wailed.  The tengu sagged in misery.  “They’re ruined!”

  “Don’t be so melodramatic, Haruka,” Kantarou said, amused by the tengu’s vanity.  “Come over here and I’ll see what I can do.”  Haruka eyed his master suspiciously for a moment, to be sure he wasn’t being made fun of, before going and sitting down on the futon, his back to Kantarou.  Kantarou took the towel that still hung around his friend’s neck and began smoothing the feathers straight with it. 

  “Ah,” Kantarou said cheerfully.  “This seems to be working.”  Haruka tried to turn around to see but Kantarou stopped him.  “Trust me, Haruka,” he said.  “Besides, if you turn around you’ll hit me with your other wing.” 

  They sat in silence for a time, Kantarou carefully flattening the feathers with the towel and his hands.

  “They’re very soft, Haruka,” Kantarou commented quietly.  Haruka humphed non-committally.

  “You alright?” he asked.  Kantarou smiled.

  “I feel better now I’m dry and away from all those demons.  Or maybe I should say demon auras, seeing as we didn’t actually come across any demons...”  They fell into silence again.

  “Could you straighten the wing?” Haruka asked eventually.  Kantarou reached up hesitantly. 

  “It won’t hurt will it?”  Haruka shook his head and leaned backwards so Kantarou could easily reach.

  “Not if it’s you...”  Kantarou giggled.

  “I always knew you liked me really!”  He took the top of the wing in his hand and gently bent it back the right way.

  “Thanks.”  Haruka said, turning to face Kantarou. 

  “Sorry, Haruka,” Kantarou said quietly.  “I don’t think I can do any more...”  He laid back down on the futon and closed his eyes.  “Just too tired...”  Haruka watched as Kantarou pulled the covers up over himself and lay there shivering.  He looked so pale and weak.  Haruka made a quick inspection of his wings.  They were mostly back to normal now.  The rest he could do himself.  Haruka wondered if perhaps he had overreacted a bit earlier.  He also wondered if maybe he had been very selfish; letting Kantarou smooth down his wings even though he knew full well how ill the human was.  But he had been surprised to find he had rather enjoyed Kantarou’s touch.  It had been relaxing, and Kantarou had been so careful and meticulous. 

  “Where did Youko go?” he asked.