Welcome back to Red of Dawn's second chapter!

Archerr and I have been working on both drawings and writing a lot today and yesterday, so I hope you guys enjoy it! This chapter also has the first artwork ^.^

Have fun reading and checking out the art!

~'0'~

It'd been only a little while since they finally escaped camp.

The three of them – Aoi, Kyousuke and Tenma – had been wanting to get out for years, but they'd only be allowed to leave until they reach the equivalent of a sixteen-year-old human. Seeing as they only looked ten years old, Kyousuke maybe passing for eleven, that was still decades away.

Aoi wanted to find out more about herself. She wanted to know who her godly parent was – she was one of the few in camp who didn't know – and what she could do. The fact she wouldn't leave the boys alone helped too.

Kyousuke wanted to find his brother. Yuuichi had raised his little brother on the streets, but he didn't believe it was safe for the younger demigod, and so, when Kyousuke had been old enough to fend for himself, he'd been sent to camp. Yuuichi himself, with the appearance of a seventeen-year-old, wouldn't be allowed access and so he left, to protect Kyousuke the only way he could.

And Tenma was something else entirely.

He never outright said it, but both of his friends could see it. They'd both seen him staring longingly at the sky, both knew about his love for heights and running wild – Tenma never told them, but they knew he couldn't be caged like he was in the camp.

And both feared that, if he was finally free, he would take to the sky and never land again. But if it meant he'd be happy, then they were fine with that.

However, even though they'd been out of the camp for a while now, nothing like that had happened – at least not how they thought it would happen. Tenma had always been bright – beaming smiles, sparkling eyes, cheerful laughter – and that only seemed to increase the further they got. Even though they had to walk the entire way and the food they had was running out and less-than-tasty, the blond seemed unbothered by it all.

When they finally reached a nearby town, it was a simple matter of earning money – and honestly, Kyousuke's blades were of such quality they paid well enough – and soon enough, they had brand new supplies and were ready to move to the next city. For what, they weren't sure, but none of them cared.

It was the morning when they were leaving that they found the three demigods – and the crowd of humans cheering on the man that was threatening them about something.

One look at the demigods' dirty clothes and terrified expressions, and Tenma stepped in.

By the end of it, all the humans left, unharmed although they may have been a bit singed, and the three demigods showered Tenma with gratefulness.

Of course, that only increased when the blond asked if they had a home in the city and, when the answer turned out to be negative, offered them to join them.

''We're not really going anywhere,'' is what the son of the storm god told them, ''just everywhere and nowhere. Wherever we want to go.''

And so, their group of three was doubled, with the new extensions of Shinsuke, Kariya and Hikaru.

  ~'0'~  

''Must we really be here?''

There are some eye-rolls at the usual complaints from Kariya, but no one bothers to answer as they take their seats in the private area of the ring. The tealheaded demigod huffs, though he doesn't say anything else and instead falls down on one of the luxe couches, beckoning a servant and accepting the delicate glass of expensive wine the mortal offers him.

While no one contradicts him, Kariya isn't the only deity tired of the old games. A yearly mortal festival, special if one didn't have to attend it every single time for over two hundred years. At least this part is more interesting for most of them – the classic fighting ring where anyone can sign up always appeals to their more volatile, godly instincts.

This year's competitors are interesting, but no one stands out at first glance, and that doesn't change much through the first few introduction matches. Some interesting moves, but nothing too eye-catching, most mortals holding back in order to surprise their opponents later on.

As the winner of the last match is announced, the two new competitors step forward. The first is a large man, somewhere in his early thirties, carrying a large mace. He seems ruthless, grinning in anticipation and waving at the crowd. The typical egoistic prick. They appear every year, thinking they are unbeatable and the world belongs to them.

The demigods' attention is pulled away from the first man by a whistle coming from their midst, and curious glances easily find Midori. The female demigod is watching the ring, a small smirk giving her features a dangerous outlook, a predatory fire in her eyes that reminds anyone looking at her that she's not a mere maiden, but one of the fiercest warrior deities in the world. ''Well well, what a surprise,'' she says, amusement in her voice, and her shieldbrethren follow the direction of her nod to find the object of her interest.

The human is a fragile thing.

Thirteen, perhaps fourteen, at most. A touch on the small side for his age, or perhaps that is an illusion caused by his lithe build. Long, chestnut locks that frame his young face, eyes like a storming sky – grey and blue at once, not stunning or intimidating or anything relatively special.

Kyousuke's lips curl up in amusement.

A pup in a nest of snakes is bound to be interesting.

The human is doomed to fail, it is a matter clear as day. The demigod isn't even sure why the boy bothered to show up – a dare, perhaps? Or did he need the money for his family? – but those curiosities are barely there, just a small distraction in the passing of time. What matters is that the boy will not make it out of this on the side of victory. Perhaps his opponents might be merciful, given his age, but as Kyousuke throws a look at the other participants, he doubts it.

The boy watches his opponent carefully, seemingly not bothered by the much larger stature of the monstrous man.

''This will be a slaughter,'' says Kurama next to him, watching the scene unfold before him in disinterest.

Their shieldbrethren seem to be of the same mindset.

''His courage is admirable,'' counters Nishiki, resting his chin on his hand. As always, he seems to find a positive side in the situation, although in this case it might not be such a good thing, if the child ends up killed. ''Or perhaps it's foolishness,'' he adds after a moment of thought.

There are snorts of laughter, amusement dancing in their eyes. If the child would be in danger of being killed, they would stop it. There's a distant fondness for such a foolish and brave action and while it's nothing in the grand scheme of things, saving the boy's life – out of pity, out of mercy, who are they to care – is another source of distraction in their long lives.

''Don't underestimate him.''

There's something in Shinsuke's voice that catches his brethren's focus and several pairs of ancient eyes trail to him.

''Shinsuke?''

The young guardian's eyes flicker to Shindou's raised eyebrow and then back to the human teenager, thoughtful in a way he almost never shows.

''There is... something about him,'' says the demigod eventually, as if not sure where his own thoughts are coming from. ''I'm not certain about what it is, but there is something. This might turn out to be quite interesting.''

Any further conversation is broken off by the start of the match.

Instead of doing anything – grabbing his sword, moving into a defensive position, creating distance – the boy stands and waits.

His opponent seems aggravated by the clear dismissal and adjusts his weapon, a giant mace, before threateningly moving forward. Slowly, as if the child isn't worth enough to put effort into defeating him.

''This will be over in a second,'' mutters Kurama under his breath as the man suddenly pushes himself forward, bringing his mace down in a bone-shattering attack.

And then the boy moves.

He twists out of the way, his body moving with untold elegance and agility, and ducks underneath the man's arm and out of his reach. The mace shatters the ground where the boy once stood.

The man is shocked but doesn't let that stop him, immediately turning around and focusing on the teenager again. Said teenager is standing about ten feet behind him, patiently waiting.

Again, the larger man moves to attack the teen, but fails in the face of the younger male's speed and agility. Over and over, the young brunet dances out of his reach, sidesteps his attacks and jumps gracefully out of reach whenever the man lunges at him. It goes on like that for a while, the older mortal getting angrier and more frustrated with each miss, while the teenager seems perfectly content to keep taunting him.

Then the man finally snaps and with a scream of rage, he rushes forward, his mace raised high above the ground. He brings it down with tremendous force, the pavement cracking underneath it.

The boy barely manages to move back, but within a split second, he has taken his chance. He jumps on the man's mace, launching himself in the air, and gracefully arcs over the other mortal's head. Now behind him, the teen twists in the air with an unnatural elegance, and his shin makes contact with the man's neck. The large man lets out a loud 'oomph' and his eyes turn backwards as he falls to the ground, unconscious before he even hits the pavement.

The brunet lands gracefully in a half-crouch, his lips curled up slightly at his victory.

''This fight goes to Matsukaze!''

He took out his opponent in a single hit and didn't even use a weapon.

So behind the façade of a small, weak 'pup', a ferocious wolf is hiding. How interesting. ''This isn't going to be so boring after all,'' says Kyousuke lowly, a small, amused smile dancing on his lips. ''Who would've thought.''

  ~'0'~  

It is many hours later, after fight upon fight has been started and ended, humans from all ages sweating under the spring sun as their blades flashed in the light, that the tournament has finally ended.

''Are you sure we can't leave yet?'' whines Kariya, throwing a pleading look at Shindou.

Kirino, who is sitting gracefully next to the tealhead, rolls his eyes and cuffs the younger demigod over the head. ''You know we cannot do that,'' he says, taking a sip from his glass – some kind of alcoholic beverage, sweet with a spicy undertone. None of them really like alcohol, but for events like these, it's almost a requirement.

''Kiri's right,'' agrees Shindou, barely looking up from the pamphlet he's reading, humming as he scans the text. ''There's a fair now and we're required to be there, but we can walk around on our own so if you take a few moments to rest it's acceptable. After that, there's the main dinner and yes, we do need to make an entrance there, and after that there will be campfires, stories and songs. Again, we have to stay for at least an hour before it's acceptable to take our leave.''

Seeing as the younger demigods don't seem very excited for it, Shindou gives a soft sigh and smiles sympathetically. ''I'm sorry guys,'' he says, dropping the mask for a few moments in order to reassure his shieldbrethren, ''but as the main representatives of the Raimei Clan, we need to be here. These people are under our protection and it's important we show them who we are.''

Some more grimaces through the entire group, and even though no one complains it's clear they're not very happy. Shindou sighs, not knowing how to cheer them up.

Kyousuke shoots his Clanmates a look and then glances at Shindou, noticing the dark smudges beneath the rain demigod's eyes. It's been a few years since the two of them worked through their issues enough to hold a civil conversation, and Sãberu's son has been noticing the elder's exhaustion more and more often.

It's easy for him to make a decision.

''You know, if Tenma could see you now, he'd probably be personally insulted you're not looking forward to a festival and ignore you for the rest of the day, until he eventually stops moping and convinces us all to dance until morning.''

The second Tenma's name is mentioned, everyone freezes.

It's rare for them, to mention their late leader, but coming from Kyousuke? That's only happened a handful of times before.

And through the old, familiar hurt and devastation, none of them can deny that their thoughts stray towards the late nights around the campfires, talking and laughing and dancing until they fell asleep under the stars. Even though it's been centuries, no one has forgotten that.

And Kyousuke smiles as he sees the light in his Clan's eyes, before turning around and walking towards the closest stalls. Before he completely disappears into the crowd, however, he throws them a sharp smile over his shoulder.

''Just thought I'd remind you.''

  ~'0'~  

''No,'' said Kyousuke the second he laid eyes on Tenma. ''I know that look. Whatever you're thinking, don't you dare.''

The blond looked insulted.

''Tenma, no.''

''I wasn't going to do anything!'' protested the other demigod. At the deadpan look Kyousuke threw him, he faltered. ''Well, okay, I was going to do something, but it wouldn't get me killed. Or fatally injured. Potentially thrown in jail, yeah, but I'm sure I could break out.''

Kyousuke threw Aoi a look and the girl sighed. ''Don't look at me, I gave up on changing his mind two days after meeting him,'' she muttered. Kariya, Shinsuke and Hikaru watched on in amusement, still too new to their group to dare and say anything – Tenma was still trying to get them out of their shells.

The brunet seemed to take his friend's words as a cue to continue with his plan and quickly brushed his fingers through his long locks – it now reached a little below his shoulders – and gathered them in his hands, twisting a leather cord around it so that it was caught in a high ponytail. With his hair out of the way, he stretched his arms above his head for a few moments. ''Alright, I'll be back in a while.''

And with that, he jumped into a tree, impossibly high for a human but easily done for a demigod, disappearing between the leaves. He easily hopped from branch to branch until he reached the main road, the one they'd just left for a more unnoticeable side path.

There, as he expected, was a convoy surrounded by guards. The blond ignored them and instead focused on three particular people – they seemed to be teenagers, twelve, at the most, but he could easily feel the aura of power surrounding them.

Demigods.

And if the looks in their eyes were any indication, they weren't very happy.

The first demigod, a boy, had wavy hair a shade between brown and grey, dressed in armor that matched the guards' outfits. The boy next to him was dressed the same way and a little paler than his companion, but that was easily drowned out by his striking hair color – a bright, overwhelming pink, kept in two pigtails. The last demigod was a girl with brown braids and lilac eyes, wearing a simple leather tunic with arm and shoulder guards, the only thing about her standing out a beautiful bracelet with purple gems.

Tenma narrowed his eyes and waited until the convoy was right beneath him and-

-dropped out of the tree, his hand closing around the girl's bracelet, easily slipping it off her wrist in her confusion. Then, before he even had the chance to take a breath, the blond jumped away, ignoring the furious shouts behind him.

He was aware of the three demigods leaping after him and threw a quick grin over his shoulder.

''Catch me if you can!''

He easily took to the trees again, leaping from branch to branch, hearing the rustling of leaves that followed him. A laugh broke itself from his lips as he flung himself through the air, feeling the wind rush past his face. For a few moments he closed his eyes, merely enjoying the adrenaline that came with freefalling, and then they snapped open, glowing an even brighter gold.

In the middle of the air, he took a step, golden light sparking beneath his bare foot and launching him forward. He sky-stepped further, shocked exclamations coming from behind him when his chasers realized the blond had godly blood in him.

A quick glance told him the three of them were sky-stepping as well, and if he looked closely he could even see a small smile gracing the leader's features, even though he tried hard to fight it.

They reached the end of the forest and Tenma broke out of the trees, letting the wind push him even faster until he eventually made it to a cliff.

There, he let the golden glow fade away and gracefully jumped onto the ground, taking a few moments to breathe in the fresh air and waited. It took only a few moments for his chasers to burst through the trees as well and catch sight of him, and he saw them falter in surprise when they noticed he wasn't running anymore.

Tenma grinned widely and easily threw the bracelet to the leader – the wavy-haired boy – who caught it in surprise. ''Thank you for the fun game!'' chirped the blond cheerfully and then directed his next words to the girl. ''I'm sorry for taking your bracelet, I hope you're not mad?''

She hesitated, accepting the jewelry when her friend offered it to her. She took a moment to inspect it and when she found no damage, she hesitantly smiled back at the blond. ''I-it's alright.''

The wavy-haired boy, who previously seemed ready for a fight, relaxed a little, although his chocolate brown eyes were still sharp. ''Who are you? You're a demigod, like us, right?''

Tenma nodded, balancing himself on his toes and reaching up to undo his ponytail. ''Yup! I'm a son of Arashi, my name's Tenma! What's yours?'' he asked, keeping his movements slow so they wouldn't startle as his blond locks broke free and fell messily around his head.

''Shindou,'' said the leader carefully, ''I'm the son of Ame. These are my friends Kirino and his half-sister Akane, children of the goddess of mist.''

The blond boy's cheerful grin shrank to a warm smile. ''It's very nice to meet you! I hope I didn't get you into trouble, I was just curious about you guys and I wasn't sure how to get your attention...''

''And so you decided to steal my sister's bracelet?'' asked Kirino, but he was smiling a little.

Tenma gasped in fake indignation. ''Steal? Who, me? I was just borrowing it!'' he cried dramatically, earning a laugh from Akane, and he beamed at her. ''Anyway, I was wondering, who were those guys with you? They didn't seem very nice.''

He saw the exact moment their expressions tightened, annoyance, anger and a mix of fear filling their gazes, and he knew he had been right.

''They work for a human lord. He has sheltered us and given us food, so we repay his kindness by working for him,'' said Shindou sharply and gave his companions a quick look. ''In fact, we should be getting back to him.''

They left quickly and Tenma didn't stop them, instead watching their retreating backs with a sad look. Maybe they didn't outright say it, but it was clear – humans either looked down upon demigods or revered them, and it was obvious in this case it was the former. But there was nothing he could do if they didn't accept it. It'd only make him seem like the enemy.

He found his friends easily enough and rejoined them.

It was a sign of their closeness that they only needed to take one look at his face and know something was going to happen.

Only a few days later, something did happen.

They made it to the lord's city with ease and getting in was not much of a task either, just before Shindou and the human guards arrived with the convoy. The lord – a man named Sato – wasn't very impressive. Overweight, dressed in too much gold and with a small, unimpressive mustache, he didn't seem like much.

And when the convoy arrived at the main plaza of the town and Sato was already waiting for it, Tenma and his friends were scattered around, watching the scene carefully. Unsurprisingly, the human immediately started yelling at the three demigods for 'being late' and publically insulting them, the crowd of humans slowly starting to get caught up in it, throwing insults as well and eventually becoming daring enough to start throwing rocks.

That was when Tenma gave the signal to interfere.

It was over in a matter of minutes, the humans fleeing immediately at the sight of Hikaru's bright fuchsia mana of destruction and the crackles of lightning surrounding the group. Once the short fight was over, Aoi immediately tended to the three injured demigods – she'd found out her power of healing quite quickly after they left the camp – and luckily there were no major injuries.

The second Tenma knew they weren't in any danger, he turned to Sato, who was being restrained by Kyousuke. His eyes sparked golden with his fury and the sky darkened, and when he spoke, there was a quiet roar to his voice that had the human lord recoiling in shock. ''If I ever see you hurt these demigods again – any demigod – I will personally come for you. Don't ever touch that what is mine, understood?'' he had hissed, and Sato could only give a shaky, terrified nod.

Kyousuke had let him go with just a warning and a flash of a deadly sharp dagger, and the man had fled as fast as his legs could carry him, tripping over his long robes in his haste to get away.

Tenma had allowed him to go, turning towards his three new charges – because after the display he'd seen, after he'd seen how they were treated, they were his dammit – and dropped in front of them, concern overwhelming him. ''Are you okay? I didn't go too far, did I? I wanted to step in sooner, but I wasn't sure if you'd let me...''

The three stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. ''You-'' Shindou's voice broke, exhaustion, pain and relief washing over him. ''You... Sato will hunt you down now.''

The blond shook his head, a soft smile touching his lips. ''I don't care. As long as you guys are okay.''

Kirino was the one to answer, breathing out shakily. ''Thank you,'' he whispered, clutching Akane's hand tightly. ''Thank you so much, we...''

''Don't thank me,'' said Tenma gently. ''I did what any sensible being should've done. You deserve so much more than what this town has given you. And... I know this might be a little overwhelming for you, but if you've got nowhere else to go... then, maybe, you'd consider joining me and my friends? I'd love to have you.''

In fact, he had already claimed them as his. He'd claimed them the moment they were attacked, the part of him that was a god roaring like a storm in protective fury and he knew that it would kill him if they left him now, although he wouldn't stop them should they choose to. He'd never stop any of his friends if it meant they were unhappy.

''I-I'd love that,'' whispered Akane hoarsely, and the blond's eyes widened. The girl looked towards her two companions. ''I'd really like that,'' she told them quietly.

Kirino and Shindou didn't seem to need any encouragement, for a smile broke out on the pink-haired boy's face and his friend relaxed in a way Tenma hadn't seen before yet. ''That'd be amazing,'' said Shindou, reaching out and curling gentle fingers around the blond's forearm, both their auras humming contently as they mingled together with an ease that surprised everyone. ''But...''

''What is it?'' Tenma asked immediately. ''If there's something you want to get, or if there's any problem, just let me know.''

Kirino seemed to catch on to Shindou's thoughts and shook his head. ''No, it's just, Sato has other demigods in his castle. They... could we free them? Please?''

The blond immediately stiffened and turned towards his oldest friends. ''Aoi, Kyousuke,'' he said quietly, yet they both knew that tone of voice – the commanding voice that left no room for argument. ''Please find them and release them. Hikaru, could you go with them? If you're attacked, I want you there, but don't kill.''

Kyousuke could protect himself easily, but his blades tended to make it messy, so Hikaru's mana made it far easier. The three of them nodded and, after receiving directions from Shindou, immediately left to carry out their duties, Kariya, Shinsuke and Akane deciding to tag along, the former so they'd be done sooner and the latter to reassure the captured demigods.

That left Tenma with Kirino and Shindou and the three of them set out to get extra supplies. A few hours before sunrise, they gathered at the plaza again where they met up with the last of their group.

Surprisingly, there were more demigods with them. ''We got everyone out,'' said Kyousuke quietly, immediately venturing towards Tenma's side, ''and they've all got supplies and are on their way to their families. These guys wanted to tag along with us, though...''

The blond threw them a quick glance, noting their worried expressions, and reassured them with a bright smile. ''The more the merrier! We'll just get you some supplies and then we can be on our way!'' he told them, balancing on the tips of his toes. ''I'm Tenma! It's really nice to meet all of you!''

Shindou, who seemed to know the new demigods, smiled at them. ''You can trust him,'' he told them and they relaxed. ''These guys are our friends, Aoyama, Ichino, Hamano and Hayami.''

Two hours before sundown, they left the city, fully stocked and not wanting to stay there a second longer than they should. They set up camp far away, the lights of the town not even visible anymore, and as Tenma watched his group – almost having doubled within the span of a day – he smiled.

It'd been almost a year since he left the demigod camp and he couldn't have been happier.

  ~'0'~  

The market is a huge success.

Humans are wandering around, children playing tag, adults looking at the many products the stalls have to offer. The Raimei Clan has spread out and Kyousuke can see his shieldbrethren in the crowd, close enough to keep an eye on each other – through centuries of fighting together, it makes them uneasy to let the others out of their sight.

But at least they seem to be enjoying themselves.

The demigod relaxes slightly at that, but it seems that was a mistake for the moment he does so, a shout catches his attention. Immediately his head snaps in the direction of the sound and it takes him barely a second to figure out the situation.

Aoi is standing, gaping, her wrist bare of the friendship bracelet she shares with Midori and Akane. Her surprise fades into anger as she leaps after the thief – a boy with brown locks, long enough to reach his lower back – and Kyousuke's eyes widen when he recognizes the boy from the tournament.

He shakes his surprise away and instead gives chase, noticing his Clanmates doing the same out of the corner of his eyes.

The mortal races through the crowd, dodging around people with the same agility and grace he displayed during his matches earlier today, and ducks into a side street. The Raimei Clan is nothing if not persistent, though, and give chase.

The boy – Matsukaze, his name was – navigates through the backstreets easily, it seems, but Kyousuke can't help but doubt that thought once he notices the wall up ahead. A dead end, not very high – eye-height, maybe – but still high enough to halt a mortal.

Matsukaze, instead of stopping like expected, jumps.

He lands on the wall so lightly it almost seems like he simply floats down, and he half-turns to throw his chasers a quick look, a fleeting grin thrown their way before he runs once more, balancing on the wall with an ease that seems almost inhuman.

The intent behind it is clear.

Catch me if you can.

He seems to be aware of the demigods following him, the immortals moving with the same ease as the boy himself, but he also doesn't seem to care. Instead he jumps onto a roof, easily accessed from the wall, and continues fleeing from his chasers, this time over the rooftops.

He moves easily, not afraid of slipping, balancing precariously on his bare feet. But Raimei hasn't been one of the reigning Clans because of their laziness and soon enough, Matsukaze is intercepted by Kariya and Hikaru, the duo coming in from the side. The brunet makes a sharp turn, dodging them.

However, he's also going straight for the street now, the gaps between this roof and the one on the other side of the street much wider than those he has crossed before.

The mortal only runs faster and as he reaches the edge of the roof, he leaps, arching through the air and shifting his center of balance midway so that he lands gracefully and lightly on the edge of the other roof. He takes a second to glance over his shoulder and wave at the demigods following him – wave! – and then he's off again.

They chase him through almost half of the city, always almost catching him before he dances out of reach again, leaping over the rooftops and racing through the streets until eventually, they reach one of the smaller plazas, abandoned now that all the humans are at the market.

It's there that Matsukaze is suddenly knocked off his feet, yelping as he crashes into the ground hard enough to create a cloud of dust that causes the brunet to cough.

''I believe it's time for this game of tag to end.''

Kyousuke rolls his eyes at his shieldsister. ''Do you have to be so dramatic?'' he mutters under his breath, a little annoyed that Midori managed to stop the mortal while he could not.

The girl in question ignores him, focused on the human. ''Aoi's bracelet. Give it back,'' she orders, steel in her voice, and is therefore surprised when the brunet merely grins and throws it at her. She catches it with ease, blinking down at it for a few moments, and then passes it to Aoi. ''There you go.''

Matsukaze combs his fingers through his long brown locks, grimacing at the many knots he finds, and then easily pushes himself into a somewhat sitting position even as Raimei's other members sky-step onto the plaza, until the entire Clan is gathered there.

''Why'd you take Aoi's bracelet?'' asks Shindou, guarded in case the human tries to make an escape but relaxed enough to stay neutral in this situation and not give in to his annoyance.

That seems to become a lot harder when the brunet's response is a cheerful grin. ''Just a bit of harmless fun,'' he says and Kyousuke realizes that this is the first time they've heard him speak.

Right after that, that thought is discarded when the familiarity of it hits him.

He'd know that voice anywhere, and as he stares into grey eyes, his breath leaves him.

He knows that face. It might be younger and his hair might not be blond, his eyes not golden, but he knows it.

And he knows it's impossible, but the proof is right in front of him.

''You- Tenma?'' he whispers, the name causing a ripple of shock to go through his shieldbrethren, the silence suddenly seeming that much heavier because this is impossible.

Tenma died two hundred years ago. They were all there and they all know there's no way he survived, and yet...

And yet grey eyes flash golden as the mortal pushes himself to his feet – bare feet – and brushes his long brown locks out of his face, his teasing grin shrinking to a genuine smile, soft and warm and oh so familiar it's painful.

''Hey guys.''

  ~'0'~  

To be continued...

  ~'0'~  

Tenma as demigod, before he died almost two hundred years ago.

~'0'~

Thank you for reading, we hope you guys enjoyed it! The next chapter should be up by tomorrow! 

Yara & Archerr