Hello all! I'm so sorry I haven't been uploading lately! Thank you all who've been patient with me this far! Trust me, this story has a plotline! :)

Anyhow, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy! And yes, there is finally gonna be a little Yoshi/Gen fluffiness! The other stuff will come in due time! ;) But enough me, please read and review! I own nothing from this awesome anime! :D

Chapter 9

The Real Beginning

(Yoshi's POV)

I sat in the park, waiting for Gen to arrive. I bet he was wondering why the hell did I want to meet him here, or how I got the note in his apartment. That's a secret that will be saved for another time.

I just wanted to know what Kaguro did to him the last time that caused him to act like he did yesterday. I mean, the guy, although the last person I'd ever trust on Earth, was only talking to me and giving me a strange...gift. So what was so bad about that?

What the hell was I saying? This is Kaguro I was talking about here! Damn Ayaykashi who deserves to drop dead in the deepest pit of hell!

I sighed in frustration. No wonder Gen was so upset yesterday. But I wanted to hear the answer from him. And I had a few questions of my own I wanted to ask.

Today, one way or another, Gen was gonna tell me what I wanted to know.

Gen showed up, on time to my surprise, and starlted me out of my thoughts as he jumped right in front of me. I grinned half-heartdly, hoping he'd go along with it, but knowing he wouldn't.

"Nice way to make an entrence." I commented. Gen scoffed.

"Whatever. I'm here, so talk." he sasid coldy, arms crossed.

I opened my mouth to ask about Kaguro, but it seemed like Gen knew what I was going to ask, and answered my question for me.

"Before you say anything, I... I wanted to...apologize...for what I did to you yesterday." he said, his voice oddly quiet. He reached out to my cheek, which I forgotton had a bandage on it, and touched it lightly.

"I'm sorry, Yoshimori."

I shook my head, a grin spreading on my face before I could help it. "It's alright. It wasn't anything serious or something like that."

Okay, now that that's out of the way, time to get to buiness. "Gen, I want to know something. I know Kaguro gave you something similar to that egg- shaped thingy he tried to give me. What was it?"

Gen sighed, eyes narrowing before taking a seat on the bench. I followed suit.

"It...It was some strange kind of Ayakashi. That bastard said that it was me...I was it's 'master'."

I arched an eye brow. "It's master?''

"Yep. Apperntly it could sense my emotions, and when it hatched, it would be something only I could have created. I didn't understand what he meant until that night when fought him and his cronies."

Gen looked at his hands clenched together. "It was so strange. It kept...pulsing in my pocket...and it was overall driving me nuts!" he growled. His eyes narrowed in thought. "What? Gen, what?"

"He also said... that it would take the form of me... but I didn't understand what he meant. I guess... he literally meant way I was truly on the inside... a horrible monster..." he muttered softly.

I took his hand in mine. "Gen, when are you going to stop beating yourself up about that? You're not some evil Ayakashi that needs to be killed! I know it, everyone knows it!" I exclaimed.

Gen shook his head. "No, that's what you want to believe. Yoshomori, do you know what happened? To my older sister, Ryo?"

I fished around in my memory. His sister... I remembered him saying something about that once... but he threatened to rip my vocal chords out if I ever asked again. And trust me, when Gen gets that angry with his claw aimed right for my neck, I didn't need to be told twice.

"Was she... attacked?" I asked quietly. I knew how Gen felt about having to open up about his sister- as Tokine explained to me some random night ago- but I didn't fully get why.

"When I was younger, I was often teased and bullied a lot because everyone knew of my strange... power. My sister was in our grade now, and she... she was always protecting me. The kids often threw rocks and sticks at her because she was defending a 'demon', as they put it. She'd go right home and tell my father and my mother what happened."

Gen's hands started to shake, and I held them even tighter. "What happened?"

"My mother... she died a year before my eighth birthday. It was just Ryo, me and my father. Me and Ryo, despite our age difference... were really close. She had to walk me everywhere I went because as I got older, that hatred of those... humans... it would take me over and I would literally go into a blind fury."

He sighed, looking up at the sky. It was still fairly nice out, and there weren't that many people outside today. "Then this one afternoon, I had gotten extremely pissed at one of the kids when he called Ryo a demon defender, or something like that, I don't remember. That was like the last straw for me, and I snapped. I felt my Ayakashi power growing so strong inside of me, and I wanted to rip that kid apart so much, but Ryo stopped me. As a result... she took a beating. Later, I had to apologize, and she took a verbal abuse from the boy's mom."

I wasn't sure what to do or say, so I just kept holding onto Gen's hand with everything I had. No wonder he hated whenever we mentioned his sister... I'd want to break someone, too...

"The lady... she kept insisting that I needed to die, that I was a danger to her, the children, to my family. She said that one day, i'll kill everyone, and the only people to blame for that were her and my parents for not ending me before I was born. Ryo just kept apologizing, but... that stung. I remember clinging on Ryo's hand like there was no tomorrow. I didn't understand what was happening to me, and I never wanted this power!"

"Gen..."

His face... he's crying... oh God, Gen...

"I asked Ryo if the lady was right. That I deserved to be dead, not Mom. And she... she stopped and bent down to my level and told me that as long as she was alive...not one thing would ever come to harm me. I hugged her. I wash petrified that I was really going to harm them... but I didn't know why I would. I didn't understand anything. "

His whole arm was trembling now. "Later on that night, I... I overheard her and my dad talking about today. She...she said something along the lines of sending me somewhere to help me...cope with my abilities. My dad wanted to do the same. I was hurt. I thought she wanted to protect me, but then again... I kinda knew that she hated me just like the others. For having to clean up after all my fights... lying to cover her bruises..."

Gen stopped and took a shaky breath. "I ran. I ran and I cried and I was angry and confused and... scared. I wondered for a time if I really should just end it, just so I wouldn't have to deal with people lying to me."

Gen smiled a little. "Ryo...she realized I overheard everything, and tried to explain to me what happened... and I attacked her. I cut her so deep... there was no way she should have lived. I was horrified because I thought I killed the only other person who could have saved me from myself. It was around that time that your brother and the medical team showed up. He said something to me, and after that...it was just darkness."

I wasn't sure what to tell him, or even what to say. How do you respond to something like that?

No wonder he didn't want to live back at Karasumori...why he was so afraid to allow himself to be loved... to love back...

"Gen... I'm sorry..." I finally got out in a pained whisper. I looked at him.

"I'm sorry." It seemed to be the only thing that was appropriate to say at the current time.

Gen shook his head, this time looking right at me. He looked... relived. Like, really, truly, relived. "For what? You never harmed me, Yoshimori. You care about me, just like Tokine, Chief... everyone."

He smiled again. "Thank you, Yoshimori."

I nodded, my throat too closed up to speak. It was right about this time that I realized I'd interlaced our fingers together. Gen stood up, and his hand slipped away from mine. It felt a lot less... warm... and weird, for some reason.

"Hey, I'm gonna head on back, okay? Keep this between us, alright? I...I'm still not too comfortable letting everyone know about this yet." I nodded again, gathering all my courage.

At this point, I felt it was now or never.

"Gen... wait!"

Gen turned around, hands in his pockets, his usual bored yet adorable expression on his face. His head was tilted just enough so that I could see his eyes glistening a bit in the afternoon sunlight. "Yeah?"

Mustering all the courage I thought I had, I walked right up to him, stood on my tiptoes... and planted my lips on his. I grabbed his wrist so he wouldn't run.

I felt him freeze, but I didn't care. I wanted him to know that he means too much to me to let him feel alone and carry these things on his shoulders.

As I pulled back to catch some air, wondering if I made the right move, Gen's arm looped around my waist, pulling me closer to his body. My heart was racing so much, even more than the first time I kissed him. "G-Gen?"

He looked right into my eyes, and I couldn't pull away. I rested my hands on his chest. "Gen...I...I love you. I always have. I always will." I whispered.

He leaned in a bit close, just enough for me to feel his breath on my face. My heart should've just burst out my chest at that point.

"Shhh... don't talk. Just don't... talk..." he breathed quietly.

And this time, he leaned in close and completed the kiss. I let my eyes close as he lips stayed on mine, warm and tender. His arm tightened around my waist, holding me there...like I wanted to leave this.

I allowed him access inside, and felt his wet, warm tongue tracing ever crevice of my mouth. I shuddered. This was really so new to me, but... it felt right...all of this felt right...

Compared to the first night where I randomly kissed him, this... this was real.

I let out a soft moan as he pulled me deeper into the kiss. My fingers dug into his shirt, holding on as much as I could. I didn't want this to stop... I never wanted him to let go of me...

"G..Ge...Gen..." I managed to whisper again after the need for air became too great, "... I love you."

Gen smiled, tracing his thumb across my cheek. "I love you too, Yoshimori Sumimura. I'm no longer afraid to say it. And I'm no longer afraid... to give you my heart." he whispered back.

I smiled. He understands now... he knows that he's never alone...

"Come on. You can stay at my place tonight." Gen said softly as he released my waist and grabbed my hand, fingers interlacing with my own. I nodded.

'Gen... after all these years of pain... of feeling alone and confused and hurt... you deserve this... you deserve to be happy. I hope you always stay like this...', I thought to myself as we walked back to Gen's apartment.

"By the way, I know you told Masamori about us, Gen." I poked lightly, laughing as his face turned a shade of red.

"Shut up..." he mumbled. I laughed even more.

Things are gonna be strange, and hard too, since that damn bastard Kaguro is still alive. I know that we're both going to put under the most we've ever been through thus far. But...

...it's okay. Gen is here. He's alive. We're together. And we have our friends, the Orgnazation... my older brother...

I looked up as the sky began to shift into evening colors. Yeah, my life is definitely going to get more interesting from here. But I'm ready for it.

I'm truly ready to begin.

Okayyyy, doneeee! :) I think it was a bit tricky and a bit rushed, but I hope I did okay. I'll allow my readers to tell me how I did!

Thank you for reading! I'll try to have the next chapter up at some point, no idea when. Until then, see ya! :)