[Graded] Two become Four

[TyDie]

It had only been a day since Takuma's discharge from the hospital... since he had been sealed with the Toukougenma. His life as a Jinchuuriki had begun, and so far he hadn't done much of anything outside of stay in his house, speak to his parents about everything, and work on his puppets. Janesisu had been quiet since his first encounter with the creature, Since the "Lady of the Stars" had spoken to him in the heavens themselves. It was so surreal, like a dream... but far too vivid to be a simple dream. But, other than his strange new appearance and such, all had been normal thus far. However, now that he was out of the hospital and recovered, he had to return to the hospital. Not for himself, but for the other Jinchuuriki.

Junpei had been admitted shortly after Takuma it sounded like, but he also came in in a much worse condition than Takuma. So Takuma had a hunch that the older boy would likely still be here... And as he came in, talking to the woman behind the counter, she immediately recognized his eyes and struck up a conversation. The talk lead to Takuma asking about the other boy, and getting instructions to his room. She probably shouldn't have given that info, but the young kid had a natural charisma, only made more powerful by his exotic appearance. It was sure to serve him well moving forward...

And so, arriving at the other jinchuuriki's hospital room, he'd simply walk into the room, as the door was open. "...Junpei?" He'd call out quietly, trying not to surprise the man too much.

[Willoria]

Junpei's dreams had turned into nothing but nightmares ever since the sealing. All through the night he would wake up covered in a layer of sweat, more than once he woke up screaming, searching the bed or his room frantically for a source of blood that wasn't there and the laughter of that beast in the back of his mind. It loved to toy with him, to torment him, to the point that Jun was glad today Rika had gone to work on her Iijutsu training further rather than spend the day with him again. He couldn't keep up his mask of strength forever, but he also just couldn't let it wane in front of her. He lay in the bed with his back to the door when he heard something akin to an annoying tapping. It was a sound he'd come to hate, the sound of something getting Shishire's attention. He tried desperately to ignore it, to no avail.

'Oh not this pompous little tramp...'

Junpei groaned and rolled over, sitting up that the blanket fell away. He still wore just the black trousers he had worn in the sealing. His forearms bore four black bands not unlike tattoos from his wrists to his elbows. On his chest was the seal and his eyes were still the crimson red though the schlerae had gone black. He turned his eyes towards the doorway at the sound of his name as he looked at the other speaking to him and it took him a moment.

"It's... Takuma... right?" he asked, his voice still slightly hoarse.

[TyDie]

Takuma searched the room and saw the man he had met in Akihito's chamber, but he could clearly see he had some new features. Of course, he had his own features that Junpei would no doubt notice, the most notable being his eyes; spiral shaped galaxies filled them, with small yellow stars serving for his pupils. As he moved towards the bed, a few white sparkles of chakra would flit off of him, falling down slowly before fading away. At a glance, they looked like stars flaking off of his body... "Yes, that's me. Man... I don't mean to be rude but uh... You look like hell." He smirked a little, though it was more a nervous smirk than a sassy one. He felt bad for the guy; his own recovery was nothing like this... But then, he heard the genma for the first time since his sealing.

"Shishi! How've ya been, you sexy soul ripping bastard?! How long has it been, a few hundred years? Or was it a couple of seconds? You know how it is with us; Time tends to mean little and all that. My oh my, your host is... scrumptious."

"Gah... You probably can't hear that, can you?" Takuma chuckled nervously as the voice rang out in his head. "I came to see you because... well... You're the only other person I can talk to about this stuff, y'know? Are you okay? I mean, you're in the hospital of course but like... you seem to be getting better. Right?" Takuma would sit in a nearby chair facing the man, eyeing his unique features. No doubt signs of the Soul Genma within him. "Those bands... talk about eerie. But I guess they could pass for tattoos."

[Willoria]

Jun turned and let his legs dangle off the bed, his feet still bare. He blinked a few times, slowly, before pinching the bridge of his nose and groaning. "Well, no offense taken, I think I feel worse than like hell." he admitted, suddenly freezing as he suddenly heard a voice that wasn't his, it wasn't Takuma's, and it wasn't Shihire's. He blinked rapidly a moment as he tried to process it before Takuma spoke up and he realized what it was. "Actually... I can." he admitted.

"The word you are looking for is... pristine." Shishire's voice was laced with annoyance, clearly despising Janesisu's presence and words. "He'll be a perfect shell once I've hollowed him out appropriately..."

Junpei visibly cringed, gritting his teeth as he tried to ignore the two genma and focus on Takuma himself. "I'll be okay." he admitted, trying to sound reassuring though the man was clearly exhausted still. "Apparently my new partner is... volatile, during sealing. This got pretty bloody. I only remember bits and pieces at the end." Takuma mentioned the bands and Jun lifted his hand to look at his right arm, turning it in the light to look at the bands. "Yeah... maybe I should finally get a few tattoos to look like they belong... though on the upside my gauntlets will cover these..."

"Oh just wait, dearie. Just wait until you unlock some of my power, they'll really begin to look truly wonderful, or as your friend says... eerie."

[TyDie]

Takuma chuckled as the boy responded to his comment about feeling horrible, silently agreeing with him... He looked a lot worse than Takuma did when he woke up. But as he heard the boy mention he could hear the Genma in his head, Takuma tilted his head curiously. And then, he heard a different voice; Probably Junpei's genma. It sounded a lot different than Janesisu; far scarier, if he was being honest. He could only imagine it must have been a much harsher entity than his. At least his had some kind of positive trait... even if so far it was just flaunting and flirting.

"Goodness me Shishi, you almost killed another one? You need to ease up on your host a little. Otherwise, how will you manipulate your way out of there? Killing the boy so early does you no good. Sheesh, I thought you were supposed to be good at this kind of thing... So much for that, right love?" The genma proceeded to chuckle playfully, clearly poking fun at the arrogant Soul Genma, while Takuma and Junpei were stuck in the middle.

"Right... I'm already getting the feeling our new prisoners don't like each other very much." Takuma would do his best to tune out the arguing spirits, while he tried to get to know Jun a little better. "Well, I feel a little fortunate then. Janesisu was far more accepting of the situation it seems, I woke up and was discharged the next day. But enough about them... You haven't been alone in here the whole time, have you? I mean, I hope you have friends... family... something."

[Willoria]

Jun leaned forward, an elbow on his knee, his face in his hand as the Soul Genma suddenly got very vocal about what it thought of the other spirit's words. He couldn't help a groan at how harsh it became for a moment and simply shook his head with a sigh as he tried desperately to tune it out and to listen to Takuma. "Yeah... safe bet that they don't get alone." he commented with an ironic chuckle. He looked at the kid sitting across from him a moment as he asked if he'd been alone and smiled lightly as he thought about the company he'd been keeping. "No, not alone. Neither of us are ever after all... or haven't you met one yet?" he asked, grinning widely.

"You gonna speak up, you sullen asshole?" Jun said suddenly, waiting for a response that didn't come. When it didn't, he picked up an apple from a tray on the nearby end table and threw it towards a dark corner of the room.

From the shadows a hand shot up and caught it before the apple could hit him in the face. "Tch." Rokuro said nothing, just made a sound of pure annoyance, and tossed the apple aside before returning to shadows in his cloak. Without a direct light on the corner he couldn't barely be noticed.

Jun laughed before looking back to Takuma. "When my girlfriend was visiting the other day he accidentally ratted himself out. I guess he didn't like what we were discussing." he said. "Apparently there's always one or more watching one of us hosts, you know, in case we go nuts." he shook his head, pausing as he realized something he said. '...I guess she technically is my girlfriend... even if it is an arranged match...'

[TyDie]

Takuma wished he could drown out Shishire's outburst, though in all fairness it was Janesisu who instigated it. He had a feeling that she was going to be doing that a lot more in the future... Eventually, he managed to focus more on Junpei than the voices overlapping in their minds, Janesisu's laughter and Shishire's anger fading to the background. He mentioned not being alone, and Takuma tilted his head. "What do you mean? I walked over here completely alone as far as I know..." He was going to inquire further, but then the Hizashi tossed an apple... and it looked like the very shadows caught it.

Takuma watched as the shadows emerged in the form of a human with a rebreather... and dark stones emerging from his skin. "You're... Rokuro. You're a Kouseki, like me." Takuma spoke in a mixture of awe and concern... why was he watching them right now? It was made clear soon after, as Junpei explained they were watched by these people in case of accidents. "Well that's not creepy at all. Jeez, you could at least say something you know. Instead of creeping around in the corner like that... sheesh."

He shook his head as Rokuro returned to the shadows, turning back to Junpei. "Well... There goes privacy, huh? But, I haven't felt like I was gonna go nuts at all. I woke up just fine in the hospital, and Janesisu has been quiet until now." Takuma's head turned back to the darkness and he let out a huff, scowling at the man he knew was there. "Now I have to stay in here with you Jun. Can't let that guy be the only company you've got in here. That isn't right."

[Willoria]

Junpei laughed as Takuma was suddenly entirely uncomfortable as Rokuro's presence was revealed. Honestly he wasn't all that comfortable with Rokuro either, the man's very appearance was entirely creepy. On top of that, he was an absolute asshole. "Yeah no privacy at all... I get the feeling we're going to be learning a lot more about these things in the future than they told us before." Jun said with a sigh. "My... my girlfriend already knows about it actually." he said with a heavy sigh. "I didn't tell her, she recognized the signs. Apparently the last host for Shishire was her best friend before she died... needless to say she was really upset when she came from her Iijutsu training to find me in here and to find these." He held up his arm to indicate the rings from the genma. "To top it off, that prick told her she was better off leaving me, right in front of me."

"She is."

Jun rolled his eyes. "Yeah well... its an arranged match anyway. Forgive us for making the best of this shit." he snapped at the dark corner. He could have sworn he heard Rokuro drop something, but the man didn't move and Jun looked back to Takuma. "Don't worry, you don't have to stay. I think they'll release me by tomorrow anyway, and I'm sure you have better things to do, kid." he said with a bit of a laugh. "Besides, I'll just settle my boredom by throwing shit at the asshole in the corner or waiting for his ex to visit again... that's always entertaining." he added with a wicked grin. "One of the other guardians is apparently his ex, tell her he's been a dick and she'll ream him out. Entertaining as hell.

He couldn't see it, but he could feel a glare from the corner on that one.

[TyDie]

Takuma didn't like the idea that they hadn't really been given all of the information regarding what being a host would be like. He didn't recall anything about being watched 24/7, let alone by such a creepy guy like Rokuro. But that boy went on to mention a girlfriend, and Takuma's eyebrows raised. "Oh... I hadn't even considered anything like that. Well, I mean, I'm still pretty young but still... I hope this is all worth it in the end."

"Of course it will be, love! Just trust me a little, I'll give you all the power you could imagine. And don't worry... I'll be gentle, hehe." The innocent laugh at the end only made the young Kouseki blush harder, her sultry voice giving rise to his blood pressure.

"I wish she wouldn't talk like that..." He crossed his arms with a huff, turning his head to look towards the wall. Jun made clear he could be left alone, but Takuma shook his head. "But... I'd rather keep you company for at least a little longer. I mean, I can't be the only one here who feels a connection. We're the only two people in the whole village who can really sympathize with each other. I just... I don't know. Am I alone on that?"

[Willoria]

Jun couldn't help a laugh, not just at Takuma's blush but also at his spirit's words. "Maybe I really did get the better end of the deal. I think I'd be blushing something fierce too if I had to hear comments like that all day." he replied with a grin. "At least it sounds like yours doesn't spend a lot of time threatening though... Shishire keeps talking about forcing Rika to watch me go insane and die, like the last host..." He shook his head, and heard Rokuro shifting awkwardly in the corner though the man didn't say anything. It was odd, normally he couldn't hear the man at all unless he actually spoke.

"Oh it was delicious... she had become so strong, even I thought escape was hopeless. My my my. She truly as beautiful... and that end, that end was exquisite... bleeding out in the arms of one guardian, her own father no less... and another guardian looking on helpless, who happened to be her own lover, and he couldn't save her either. It was truly a beautiful sight when her soul twisted away with me in the danse macabre... Such delicious Irony too.

Her lover is Your Would-Be-Murderer right there in the corner too..."

Jun shook his head. "You're not alone. Right now the only people who understand us is us." he was telling Takuma, trying to ignore Shishire. "By the Light... I wish this thing would stop calling our guardians 'Would-Be-Murderers though. That bugs the shit out of me." he said suddenly, shaking his head before pausing as he suddenly processed what the spirit had actually said. "...what."

[TyDie]

Takuma shrugged as the older boy talked about which genma's ways were worse, not really liking either of them so far. "I think they're both pretty awful if I'm being honest... Hopefully it gets better over time, not worse." Suddenly, they were both interrupted by the taunting voice of Shishire rising up in their minds... And in that moment, Takuma realized that he was much happier with the voice in his head as opposed to Junpei's. The previous host died bloody, at the hands of her guardians... at the hands of the man in the corner, it sounded like.

"So it's true then... You really are here to kill us if we lose it." Takuma addressed Rokuro, not really expecting an answer, but knowing full well he heard him. His starry eyes once more went over to Junpei, and a moment later the boy would rise from his seat and move towards the man's bedside. "Make me a promise, Junpei." The boy started to speak, a fire of determination in his eyes. "Once you're out of here, we'll get together and try to get through all of this together. We'll figure out these spirits and use their powers for Sunagakure. Your predecessor bested Shishire for a long time it sounds like. If not for that damn war, she might still be alive. So if she could do it... so can we."

He'd hold a hand out to the man, expecting a shake in return. "Deal?"

"Aww, how cute... Our hosts are already getting along Shishi. Isn't that just the cutest thing? Oh, if only it would last... Truly, it's tragic that they'll both be gone within a decade. My bet... I'll give em a year. Tops."

[Willoria]

Jun felt sick as as Takuma addressed Rokuro in the corner, and again heard the man shift awkwardly and yet he didn't say a word. His attention was quickly diverted though as the other boy moved to his bedside instead, as if seeking privacy from the guardian in the corner. "Hm?" He fell quiet, listening to what Takuma had to say and nodded slowly. He took his hand awkwardly and shook it. "Deal." he told him. Honestly the boy annoyed him the day he'd met him, but today he seemed different, more determined maybe, and a lot less childish. He knew he'd probably annoy him again later, but fact was the kid was right. They were in this together and they'd need one another to be able to pull through it all.

Of course then the other boy's spirit spoke up, and naturally even Shishire couldn't stay quiet on this. "Less... I have plans for this one... by time I'm done with him, he's going to ring that lovely neck of his girlfriend's himself... I'll take everything just as I've promised, child..."

As the two boys struck their deal however, there was a shuffling from the corner. Rokuro stood to his full height and pulled back his hood to reveal his face, something that clearly once had been quite handsome but now permanently scarred. He stepped closer and sat across from them a moment before looking at each of them in turn, and in silence for several moments, before finally speaking. "If you two really want to survive this." he began, his voice like ground glass and gravel dragging across stone behind his rebreather. "Stop believing everything they tell you." he advised. "We aren't here to kill you, either of you. If it ever comes to that, trust me, what we kill won't be you, you'll be long gone... we are here to guard the village from you, your learning is intense, when you unlock your power there are moments when you are a danger to those around you. My Sensei's approach is to train you directly, not just linger in the shadows... when he gets back, talk to him. His name is Meiyo Souta." He sighed heavily behind his mask, getting up and pacing back to his corner before pausing to stare out a window. "We aren't your enemy, don't let them lie to you and make you think otherwise, we're a resource if you let us be."

[TyDie]

Takuma rolled his eyes as the spirit within Junpei started up again with it's threats, but it was Rokuro coming forward that caused the kid to break his handshake from Junpei and turn to face the Kouseki. That raspy voice sent shivers down Takuma's spine, but as the man went on to talk about what the future might hold and what their actual purpose was, Takuma raised an eyebrow with suspicion. "Well of course we can't trust these spirits, Rokuro. But skulking in the shadows isn't doing you guys any favors either. If you guys want to train us and be a part of the growth, go for it, but I don't want or need a bunch of creepy guys watching my every move. That's just... odd."

Takuma would take a deep breath before going to sit down, closing his eyes in thought. "You are Suna shinobi. We all are. Jinchuuriki or no, we're all comrades. Me and Jun have just been given a unique chance to do what no one else can. But we'll need all the help we can get I'm sure, if these beasts live up to reputation. Whoever this 'Souta' is, he's right; train us. Especially you, Rokuro... There's a bad reputation among our people about you. I want you to prove it wrong." He opened his eyes to look at Rokuro as he finished, the stars within them swirling slowly as if they were alive.

"Oh, don't let him fool you, love. He's always taken a harsh approach to me and Shishi. If anyone is going to run you through, it'll be him."

[Willoria]

As Takuma responded to Rokuro, Jun found himself rather shocked. He'd thought the kid was rather reserved when he'd met him, talkative, but not quite so ballsy. He found himself staring at him wide-eyed as he spoke to the guardian the way he did. He simply shook his head and fell quiet, letting the two speak for the moment.

Rokuro meanwhile shook his head. "No, we aren't comrades." he said harshly, glaring at Takuma. "You're weapons, and you need to realize what kind of position you are in, kid." he added. "The village protocols regarding Jinchuuriki mandate that we stay in the shadows and you never hear of us. But after the Shishire host Sachiko, the former Kazekage's own sister, Souta changed that. But you aren't in a position to make demands. We are here to help, but we are here to monitor you as well." Rokuro stood and moved for the door. "As for the clan, if they actually paid attention that reputation wouldn't exist anymore. I don't really give a damn what you want me to do. Kaede will be on duty if you need anything."

As the man left the room Junpei let go of a breath he'd been holding and shook his head. "By the Light... did you have to piss him off more?" he asked, trying to ignore the sounds of Shishire laughing in the back of his mind.

'I've never seen a guardian so willing to kill a host before... the amount of times Souta had to stop him from killing Sakaki during training... you know he doesn't feel physical pain? It's quite a sight, child. Last time Souta broke his sternum just to slow him down.... what a beautiful sound that was...'

[TyDie]

Takuma was a little stunned by the harsh tone Rokuro had taken - Though in all honesty he shouldn't have been. He made clear they weren't comrades, they were still watchers, and Takuma frumped in response as the Kouseki finished speaking and made for the door. Junpei raised his question and Takuma shrugged, crossing his arms as he sat. "Hey, listen, it's not my fault. I want to be friends, I don't see why they're all hyped up about this... I'm in complete control, haven't felt like I was going to lose it at all. So they're worried about nothing, y'know? I've got this... We've got this." Janesisu's laugh rose up in the background, her sultry chuckle filling Takuma's mind.

"That's right, love. You've got the reins, and you're holding on tight. Just don't let that grip of yours slip... I'd hate to buck you off so quickly. After all, I do so love to take my time with this..."

It was a mixture of threat and compliment - something Takuma expected to hear more of from the genma throughout their time together. The lustful tone to her voice didn't help things either, the boy turning a little red as she made her innuendo. "See? No big deal... We've got this. The Light will see us through these dark beings."

[Willoria]

Junpei stared at Takuma in shock and shook his head. "You're fucking reckless, Takuma." he said simply. "You really have no idea how dangerous these things are do you?" Hearing the voice of the spirit inside of Takuma didn't make him feel any better either. Nor did the voice of Shishire.

"And you think you do? Shishishi... If you really knew, you would have given up already... just let me take that beautiful body of yours already. There's so much I could do with it..."

Jun pushed himself out of the bed, the floor feeling cold under his bare feet. But when he turned to say something further to Takuma he quickly realized he wasn't ready to even do this much yet. His legs felt weak and he quickly grabbed onto the edge of the bed, dropping to one knee as he tried to catch his breath. "Well, shit."

[TyDie]

Takuma looked at the older boy awkwardly as he cursed at him, but ultimately sighed and shrugged. "I don't want to live in fear, Junpei. He said simply, resting in his chair and leaning back, tilting his head to look at the ceiling. "We're stuck with these spirits now. Until the day we die. If I live in fear the entire time I'll drive myself mad, y'know? Those handlers, like Rokuro, will do what they need to to keep us under control and help us grow. But the fear of them killing us? I won't let that rule me any more then I'll let my fear of Janesisu rule me." As he sat up, he heard Shishire's taunts and rolled his eyes. "I'm already sick of that one, to be honest. Do you think it makes you sound cool, to talk like that?"

He knew the spirit could hear him, it had been responding to everything said thus far. "Oh, Shishi always talks like that. Deep and mysterious, ominous and cold. He loves being all spooky and scary, but he's a big softie deep down, arent'chya Shishi!" Takuma couldn't help but snort with laughter as his own genma proceeded to emasculate Shishire, devolving into a full chuckle. But this was all interrupted as Junpei tried to stand... and failed. His knee buckled and he fell to one knee, panting with breath. Takuma immediately went to his side and tried to help him back up.

"Easy man... You're not ready to get out of here yet." Takuma's concern was clear, and if possible he'd help the older boy get back into bed. "Look, you've got a girlfriend. It might be arranged, but think about how she'd feel if you hurt yourself by rushing?"

[Willoria]

"There's a difference between refusing to live in fear, and refusing to acknowledge the danger you're in." Jun warned him. He allowed himself to be helped back into the bed, even though it embarrassed the hell out of him to do so. Though the comments about Rika made him chuckle a bit. "I honestly have no idea how she'd feel about it, Takuma." he answered bluntly. "We only just had our first date the day before I met you in that office and found out all this was happening. I had only just met her." He sighed, running a hand through his red hair as he looked down for a moment, wincing as yet another harsh mental image was sent through his mind by Shishire.

"You think you're sick of Shishire already? He keeps making me see the worst things... mangled corpses... walking death." Jun couldn't help but to shake his head and sigh. "She was best friends with the last host apparently. We hit it off so well the first day we met, I was dreading meeting her but things went so well, and now this. I've put something back in her life that murdered her best friend and she's already terrified its going to do the same to me." He looked towards the door a moment. "And Rokuro is already telling her to run but she won't."

'What the hell have I done?'

"Shishishi..."

[TyDie]

Takuma didn't respond to the concerned comment Jun had made about how he was handling being sealed as a Jinchuuriki. Frankly, as far as Takuma saw it right now, he was handling it far better than Junpei was. Jun didn't seem to be in a position to be giving advice on that subject. But as he went on to speak about the situation he was dealing with, it became much clearer much faster how hard this was for Junpei. Janesisu hadn't assaulted his mind with such images, nor had she really threatened him all that much about losing control or dying. In comparison, Janesisu seemed far nicer than Shishire. Couple that with the personal issues Junpei was facing, bearing the same spirit that his girlfriend's best friend had been host to.

It was no wonder why he was taking this so hard.

"Try and focus on the positives Junpei. You can't undo this sealing thing, but you have a way now to serve The Light in ways no one else can. You have a way to make such a mark on this village that you'll be remembered and respected for centuries to come. It's almost like being Kazekage..."

"Better, actually. Your leaders are still mortal, but with enough of my power you can transcend even that, Takuma. You could come and join me in the stars above... Wouldn't that be sweet, love?"

Janesisu's interruption gave Takuma pause, but after she finished he couldn't help a small smile... To be one with the cosmos. Oh, what a joy that would be. "You'll get through it all, Junpei. I'll help you as much as I can. We'll do it together, you already shook on it." He grinned at the boy, then chuckled as he started to walk towards the door. "I'll leave you to rest now, do you want me to pass anything on to the nurse on my way out?"

[Willoria]

Jun sighed as Takuma tried to get him to look at things positively. It was honestly hard for him to think of it that way. While he was grateful that Rika knew about Shishire so he at least didn't have to keep the big secret from her anymore, the trade-off wasn't worth it at all. He was starting to question how much he was putting her at risk in it all. He even almost laughed as Takuma compared their roles to that of the Kazekage. He heard Janesisu's promises to Takuma and couldn't help shaking his head at what was happening. 'Seems Janesisu is better at the manipulations than you are...'

"Just because your friend is a gullible sap doesn't make Janesisu good at it..."

Junpei looked at Takuma a moment and nodded as the boy tried to assure him that he'd help him get through it all and he simply smiled. "True, we will. And we did." he admitted. As Takuma asked if he needed anything from the nurse he simply shook his head. "No, I think I need to get some more sleep. I haven't gotten much since the sealing yet." he added.

'I get the feeling I'm going to be the one helping him... this thing in him isn't his friend, no matter what he thinks...'

[TyDie]

Takuma could sense that Junpei still wasn't alright. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if the boy was going to be alright for a while. This whole sealing thing seemed to really be getting to him, but Takuma didn't truly understand it. It's not like he could have known that his girlfriend's friend had been the previous host. Plus, it was still a good thing overall; both he and Rika would get used to the presence of Shishire, and the potential it'd give Junpei to help the village would shine through all the darkness that he would have to carry with him.

"Get some rest then Jun. I'll see you when you're out and ready to start exploring the potential of these spirits." Takuma would give the boy one last wave before making his way out of the room... Man... I hope he gets his chin up soon. I'm gonna need a friend that I can talk to about this stuff.

"Oh, but you already have that friend, love. You have me... Heheh."