There was a moment of silence between us before I stood up, adjusting my yukata and furs. Choromatsu lowered his extended hand, the worn straw hat hiding most of his face as I righted myself and only revealed the pointed frown that never seemed to move.

"What are you doing here..." I didn't phrase it as a question. The last time I had seen Choromatsu was during the Night Parade nearly four weeks ago, with our last actual interaction being more than six years ago. I didn't know how much being a daitengu had changed him, or if I was even considered safe around him.

"Just passing through," His mouth barely moved when he talked, "I heard some trouble and found you in the middle of it."

"And what did you want with me?"

"You're not my concern," Choromatsu looked towards the intersection of the alleyways, "Where is your escort?"

"If you mean Ichimatsu, he doesn't know where I am. The men you cast aside had kidnapped me," I narrowed my eyes a little, resettling the bag on my back from the rough handling.

Choromatsu seemed to take in a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh, "It falls to me, then...Tokushima isn't the kind of port city you can walk around in freely."

He reached up with his free hand and pushed the straw hat upwards a little, revealing more of his face before a slight smile rested on his lips, "I'll escort you to your destination. We can look for Ichimatsu there."

Choromatsu and I didn't talk much as he slowly picked his way through the streets of Tokushima, his wooden sandals clicking sharply against the cobblestone footpaths while I followed a few steps behind.

I couldn't help but think back to when he was human, always chastising the actions of his brothers and trying to gain enough rapport with the shopkeepers so they'd hire him. When we were paired together by the matchmaker and our parents, I tried to help him look around for a job but couldn't do much since I was expected to stay near the homestead and help out there. Choromatsu was a wonderful young man to be around but there was always something holding him back from achieving what he wanted in life. Now that he was a yokai, he didn't seem to have that limitation anymore.

The third eldest sextuplet carried himself with an air of superiority that held its own grace, something that could only be felt if one was close to him. It allowed us to walk through the crowded streets easily, the people parting in front of us to let him pass and I stayed within his wake. His eyes seemed to be scanning the crowd in front of him, his feet guiding him towards the piers where Ichimatsu and I were supposed to charter a ferry for passage.

My hands clung to the sling across my chest, worry growing in my gut as my mind screamed that we shouldn't proceed any further.

"Choromatsu, wait..." I called out softly, watching the sextuplet slightly turn his head towards me as he cast his gaze over his shoulder, "I...don't think we should go there..."

Choromatsu's eyes slightly narrowed, "That will draw him to you."

"What?"

"Your fear."

I paled, gripping the strap tighter as I heard Karamatsu's laugh echo in my ear. Choromatsu looked to either side of him, as if looking for someone specifically, before taking a few steps closer to me and pulling me close to him, wrapping his large cloak around me. I breathed in a soft scent of apple and pear, the calming scents making me close my eyes as I felt Choromatsu's hand slowly run through my hair in long strokes.

"He's terrified you that much already?" His voice was gentle, like a father consoling their frightened child. I could only nod, unsure if my voice would betray my frightened thoughts. A soft hum bounced around his chest before he removed his hand from my hair, shifting an arm around my shoulders and guiding me somewhere as I looked back towards the busy street. His free hand covered my eyes, "Don't look, just follow..."

With my head looking forward, I watched Choromatsu as he guided me to a small alcove off of the busy street, the night life stirring as the sunlight completely disappeared from the sky. He set me inside the alcove and pushed me back until my knees caught on a lip of some stonework, his hands catching my shoulders before I could fall over. I slowly sat down on a small stone seat, looking up at Choromatsu as he kneeled in front of me, pushing his straw hat back to completely reveal his face.

"Breathe, (y/n)," As he spoke, I felt a soft wind swirl around me, the breeze warm against the cold night air. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath slowly, feeling my heart start to slow down from its panicked race. The wind stopped when I opened my eyes again, feeling a sense of calm around me as Choromatsu kept looking at me, "Now...tell me what has made you so frightened of Karamatsu."

I took in another breath before telling him about how Karamatsu had started bullying me just before his fude brush broke, how the harmless scares had slowly grown into physical violence as he reveled in his yokai's abilities, only to be completely absorbed in its terror when his brush finally shattered in a fight between himself and Todomatsu. Ichimatsu and I had witnessed the fight, hoping to help him out before the second eldest vanished in a pillar of blue flames. Ever since, Karamatsu had prodded the other brothers who were still human with things they were terrified of, drawing Osomatsu into a fight that shattered the eldest's brush and fully transformed him into an oni.

Pressing through the tightness in my throat, I remembered how Choromatsu and Todomatsu had disappeared shortly after that, leaving Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, and I alone with the two oldest brothers as they poked and prodded. Jyushimatsu's brush broke during a fight between himself and Osomatsu, both of them disappeared afterwards and left a trail of bodies behind them from their fight.

Ichimatsu and I were left to bury our parents before we decided to move on from the town, swearing to never use the brushes again unless we had no other choice.

I felt the tears start to run down my face as Choromatsu held my gaze, unable to turn away from the piercing blue color as I hiccuped through the discovery of a safe place to stay for the harsh winter months. It was almost the new year when Karamatsu had found us, dragging Ichimatsu out of the run-down house and tossing him towards the oni that had been waiting outside. I didn't know how Karamatsu convinced Osomatsu to join him but the oni clearly played with Ichimatsu while I was fighting against Karamatsu, both yokai obviously stronger than us and making it clear that they could easily kill us.

That was when Ichimatsu expended the last use of his brush, somehow fighting off both the oni and ao andon.

Choromatsu's face didn't shift as I recalled the last five years being on the run, refraining from using the brush as I was harassed by Karamatsu's little 'games', his actions becoming more bold with each passing year until the most recent Night Parade. My eyes flooded with tears as I felt Choromatsu's arm wrap around my back, pulling me close into a hug as I told him of the sexual harassment within the last few weeks, explaining why I wanted Ichimatsu by my side.

My fingers reached up and clung to the feathers wrapped around his shoulders over the cloak, pulling the fabric close to my face as Choromatsu's hand rubbed light circles over my back, my breathing slowly steadying once more before I pulled away, pushing the tears off of my face.

"So, that's what happened when I was gone," Choromatsu settled in place in front of me, raising a hand to his chin as a thoughtful look passed over his face, "With Karamatsu being an ao andon, it is problematic that you're this fearful of him. Considering you're the last of us with an intact brush, I can understand his game. If your brush were to shatter then your yokai would have no fear of him and he wouldn't be able to feed from you anymore, so he tries to push you into a situation where you feel like you can't use it."

I sat there in silence as his words started to make sense to me, remembering the thought I had on the mountaintop and slightly frowning. I had the chance to use the brush against him, but I still held onto my humanity despite the overwhelming fear of being eaten alive by Karamatsu. I wanted to keep my promise to Ichimatsu to not use the brush unless I had no other choice, but I also wanted to keep it as a way to protect him...

"I think you should refrain from using the brush for now," Choromatsu lowered his hand, gently placing it on my right knee before letting it fall to his side, "If Ichimatsu is holding onto his humanity like you said, then he's going to keep you safe for as long as he can."

"I know he will..." I lowered my eyes to my left wrist, remembering the band Ichimatsu had made me when we first started our engagement. The yarn band had fallen off a while ago, but I smiled gently at the memory of the colors, purple and my favorite color. It was shoddy work that was definitely made by an untrained hand, but I still loved it regardless.

"Do you know how to keep the fear from taking over your mind?" Choromatsu asked as he stood up, assisted by the staff while pulling the straw hat low over his face again.

"No, not really," I shook my head as I looked up at him, "Whenever I feel scared, it's like my mind shuts down and I go with whatever my instincts tell me. It's different from when I'm afraid of something unseen...It's like I'm not thinking straight."

"Then that's what he's doing," Choromatsu lowered a hand towards me once more, my own hand slipping into it before he pulled me up from the seat, "Ao andons are tricky to deal with since they can become anything that makes you terrified, but it sounds like Karamatsu is isolating your fear of him and amplifying it to such a level that your mind shuts down."

"Then...what can I do?" I followed him again as he moved through the thinning crowd, staying close to him as his head started to look around us again.

"Gain confidence in yourself. It's an easy answer for something hard to do," Choromatsu's blue hues met my own, a small smile resting on his lips before he looked away.

"How? I've messed up so many times tha--"

"That's where you start. Focus on the small things that you've accomplished recently," In a rare moment, his hand met my own and held it gently while leading me through a thick gathering of people before giving it a reassuring squeeze and letting go, "If you need a headstart, then I'll give you an example: you haven't given up on helping Ichimatsu."

His words made my face flush a little, my gaze shifting to the ground to keep the blush hidden. The commotion around us slowly died as I could hear wood groaning against itself while the soft sounds of water lapped against a shoreline, my attention shifting up to see that Choromatsu had brought me to the docks.

There weren't many boats in port with quite a few piers remaining empty, the people walking around the docks were either workers that were unloading fishing boats or deckhands that were repairing broken planks or warped support poles.

"Speaking of..." Choromatsu looked towards his right, drawing my attention to someone quickly approaching us, their body hidden by the veiled straw hat sitting on their head. The veil parted to reveal Ichimatsu, his face twisted in anger as his bright blue hues were fixated on Choromatsu.

"What the hell did you do to (y/n)," The tone didn't turn into a question, Ichimatsu's hand reaching out and dragging me away from Choromatsu as the kitsune stepped between the daitengu and I.

"If I had done something to her, you would've known about it already," Choromatsu's voice was calm in the face of Ichimatsu's anger.

"Ichimatsu, wait--"

"Don't lie to me, I could smell her fear on your wind!"

"Ichimatsu!" I grabbed onto the veil trailing down Ichimatsu's back and pulled down, yanking his veiled hat off and catching it in my arms, locking eyes with Ichimatsu as he turned around in anger, "Choromatsu didn't do anything to me. He helped me!"

Ichimatsu's face dropped its rage, looking slightly shocked for a moment before turning towards Choromatsu in disbelief, the daitengu not moving from his position.

"Then why was she scared?"

"Because she sensed something was wrong. Since you weren't around, I handled the matter in your stead."

I felt the air around the two yokai suddenly grow tense, making it hard to stand near them as I took a step away from Ichimatsu. It felt like a large weight settled on my chest, the surrounding air thickening as a wind began to pick up from the ocean.

"Ichi..." My fingers reached out for the back of his kimono, brushing against the fabric before he turned towards me, his eyes widening in realization. The wind picked up as the heaviness in the air disappeared, Ichimatsu fully turning to me and gently taking his veiled hat from my arms before pressing me against him.

"Did he really not do anything to you?"

"Choromatsu helped me calm down and gave me a few tips on how to fight off Karamatsu. We came down here when I was able to walk on my own again," I took in a deep breath, looking into his eyes before shifting my gaze towards Choromatsu, "Thank you for keeping me company while I was separated from Ichimatsu."

"You're welcome," The third eldest gave a slight nod before looking towards the city limits near the shoreline, "I wish you luck in your journey."

"Same to you, windbag..." Ichimatsu growled out, turning his head towards the dockmaster station. An idea settled in my head, my eyes growing wide with realization.

"Choromatsu, hold on!" I called out, stopping the daitengu from leaving and drawing his attention back to me. I stepped out from Ichimatsu's arms, looking up at the kitsune as he returned my look with an inquiring gaze, "Why not let Choromatsu accompany us?"

"What?" Both brothers questioned at the same time, Ichimatsu's response more intense than Choromatsu's.

"I mean...he hasn't done anything to hurt me, so I think I can trust him," I looked over to Choromatsu, meeting his neutral gaze before shifting back to Ichimatsu's surprised look, "He helped me calm down when I was scared..."

"(Y/n), he's a daitengu! They're crafty when it comes to their mentality, so he probably just used the situation to make you think that he's kind," Ichimatsu leveled a glare towards Choromatsu, the daitengu's eyes instantly returning the glower.

"You're just as cunning, kitsune," Choromatsu's voice lowered, "No one can say that you're completely innocent in this, as well."

"Shut the hell up, Fappymatsu," The childhood insult seemed to incense the oldest of the two, his blue eyes glowing in the darkness as the gray marks on his face started to light up red, "You were always about the talk, never taking action when push came to shove...so explain why you finally decided to take action tonight."

"Because unlike me, you were always passive when it came to Karamatsu's threat," Choromatsu growled out, his teeth growing into sharp points that partially extended past his lips, "You could end the source of (y/n)'s fear, but you insist on playing husband to a woman that is on the verge of losing herself. You were always a coward, hiding behind that farce you call a persona, Darkmatsu."

A growl rolled through Ichimatsu's throat, his own eyes starting to glow while the gray marks on his face stretched into bright red lines across his face. His own teeth mirrored Choromatsu's as they elongated into sharp points while the pupils of his eyes shifted into narrow slits.

"I should kill you where you stand..."

"Just like you've failed to do with Karamatsu?"

"Stop!" I stood between both yokai with my hands outstretched towards either monster, my voice shaking, "I don't want you to fight each other here or at any time! You both used to be close when you were human, so what makes this any different?"

Both yokai flinched as if they'd forgotten I was still here, their forms becoming more human as the seconds ticked by.

"I don't think I was manipulated by Choromatsu," Holding my ground while locking eyes with Ichimatsu, I ran a hand through my hair, noticing that it had fallen down to its full length, "I didn't feel threatened by him at all and he made me feel safe and secure when I was panicking about the docks."

"The docks? Why were you afraid of this place?"

"I don't know...maybe I thought that Karamatsu would be here, just like he was at the previous destination on the mountaintop," The wind shifted some of my hair about before dying down, "Regardless, it was Choromatsu who helped me through it."

"She also told me everything that happened between her and Karamatsu," Choromatsu slowly walked up next to me, his wooden shoes and staff sounding against the stones. Ichimatsu narrowed his eyes towards his brother before looking back at me.

"If you want him to accompany us, just say it, (y/n)," The look on Ichimatsu's face was sullen, but had some expression of understanding underneath it.

I sucked in a breath before looking towards my feet.

It's true that I did want Choromatsu to accompany us, but I also knew that Choromatsu was probably in the same predicament as Ichimatsu. Just because he was sane enough now didn't mean that he'd stay that way for the entirety of the journey. Between the six yokai, though...the daitengu and the kitsune were the least likely to attack a human for the sport of it.

The wind shifted around the three of us as I looked towards Ichimatsu, my eyes firm as I opened my mouth.