With a heaving sigh Kotoko Iwanaga sat back down on her hospital bed. Being bedridden for six month straight was downright maddening if you happen to be one of the most busy and restless woman under the shining sun. Beside her, Kuro was fluffing up her pillow and checking up on her water jug.

"Kuro-san, have you been taking care of yourself lately?", asked Kotoko, assessing his unkempt hair and rumpled clothings. "When was the last time you had a proper meal, Anata?" Kuro was far from presenting himself as runway model (all thanks to his broke student days) but he was wasn't shabby either. With a noncommittal grunt Kuro continued with his tidying up and safely stowed away her wheelchair in corner.

"That was not an answer, Anata. You've not been home for the last three days. You keep sleeping in that stupid hospital bed that would have hurt your back and neck have you not been what you are.”, Kotoko plowed on as usual all the while glaring at her husband.

“I don’t have time for that Kotoko. I'm setting things straight for your release tomorrow. And immortality comes in handy for times like this.” giving a small smirk to his wife (which did not send her heart racing, ABSOLUTELY DID NOT),” I thought that was the reason you married me.”

“Well if you still doubt my love and decide to put it that way, then yes. It sure was one of the many reasons I chose you to marry.” and she leaned forward to take off her prosthetic. By now it was second nature to her. She was sure that she could attach or detach it half-asleep. Even if it was her dear husband who took upon that simple task for her every now and then. There were days where she was downright exhausted and passed out cold before hitting their bed. All these years dealing with Youkai dramas day in and day out, she still hadn’t raised her stamina by a huge margin. On top of that, she has been preparing to take over her family business in a few years. Thanks kami, Kuro is as undaunting as herself, and had slipped into her family like the last piece of puzzle. He helps her lie down easy and winces when a pained hiss slips out of her lips. Her bones must be in pain. 

Kuro finally sits down on the eternally uncomfortable chair and stretches his legs like a cat. Kotoko’s eyes and mind threatens to run down the gutter. Bad Kotoko, bad girl. Remember? Hospital? No privacy? Sore muscles and achy bones? Remember?

Unaware of his wife’s runaway thought, Kuro gazes out of the window. Following his example, the heiress of the Iwanaga empire looked out as well. The sun was setting beautifully in the western horizon, spilling the orange hue over the world. Distant and faint sound of traffic helped with the calm atmosphere the couple had settled into.

“Ayakashis have been acting weird lately. As if they are growing restless or something. I can not pinpoint it exactly but something feels off.”, which would have been a welcome respite if not for the fact that it felt like calm before the storm. From prior experience, he had learned that whenever there is backdraft in youkai cases, it hits them in threefolds at a later date. Which was a clear "pain in the ass" situation.

With a swift glare at her husband, the petite blond retorted back, “ All thanks to you, Anata. Because if I recall correctly it was you who asked them to 'leave us alone and handle your own shit for once'"  The deadpan look Kuro gave in response could not be more impressive.

"They had you on drugs high enough to knock out a horse, how do you know what I told them? And what did you expect me to do? You were in surgery not even 48 hours prior and they were swarming you with petty problems.”, Kuro’s words were as flat as the look he was giving her. He was not the man to sugarcoat his words. He simply did not know how to. He always spoke what he thought. To the point that he came off as cold and unfeeling sometimes. Honestly, he was stressed that day. His wife had one major accident in which he almost lost her. Her fall off of the cliff and into a ravine had resulted in both the lungs being punctured by broken ribs, her arms had been fractured in five places total, a ruptured spleen, shattered prosthetic and broken femur. The skull had suffered a heavy blow, just a shy away from breaking open which resulted in heavy internal bleeding and swelling. It was a miracle she did not shatter her spine. On top of everything they were pretty far away from civilization, and couldn’t get the medical attention soon enough. She had to be carted away on a medical helicopter and had barely made it.

The magnitude of his fear could not be measured. He might have been reluctant in accepting her affection at the start, he might have taken ages to marry her but there was no doubt that she was his only tether to sanity. Even when he had pretended to have made peace with his situation, he was not okay. Early years of abuse made him a recluse, and the ending of his first relationship with Saki had him left in an emotionally numb situation. If not for the hurricane Iwanaga Kotoko, he might have descended into insanity eventually. He might have truly become the monster the monsters feared. So don't blame him for blowing up on poor Ayakashis. His wife had almost died because of them.

And he also called for her Koma-inus few days later to spread the word to not to bother their ‘Ohii-sama’ and come to him if they really did need help. After all these years, taking care of things she cared about had become second nature.

She turned away with a pout and yawned, ”still Anata, where would they go if not to me for their problems. I am their god of wisdom afterall”, afternoon physiotherapy must have worn her out. Regaining mobility in her remaining limbs was an uphill battle but Kotoko was nothing if not stubborn. He watched her eye droop and soon enough she was in dreamland

Kuro got up and gazed out of the window. There wasn't a single Ayakashi in the sight. Neither ‘in the shadows of the azaleas in the garden or from atop a dogwood’ as kotoko had said so long ago. Only Yokais he had seen in months were Nero and Canuto, the Koma-inus that followed Kotoko. And even they were in the dark pertaining to other Yokais activity.

Whatever was happening, it was unsettling him.