It repeats.

Night after night they bound between the teens, working to give each as much sleep as possible.

Night after night Erich worries over the first boy, the teen with fire-orange hair and torn soul.

He and Alexis do what they can, press fragments of their Selves against his soul like makeshift bandages, but it’s not enough. They cannot stop the bleeding themselves, cannot give the boy what he needs to begin healing. They can only limit the damage. Can only attempt to give the boy a peaceful rest. Can only hope that time and sleep will heal what is beyond their own abilities to mend.

(He knows that hope is in vain.)

A man begins to stalk them, watchful and wary. But he keeps his distance and doesn’t interfere, and Erich… almost doubts the man sees them at all.

Alexis is certain the man does not. That he is only sensing the fluctuations in the teens’ souls and fears for them because of it. She even makes a game of it, darting past the man on her way from teen to teen, close enough to touch.

She crows her victory when the man’s gaze never strays towards her, no matter how often she does it.

But Erich, watching from afar with narrowed, suspicious eyes, is not so certain. There is something about the man he does not trust, and his lack of reaction only further solidifies that distrust. What man can sense the ripples of a soul touched by a baku but not see the baku itself?

Erich does not trust the man’s apparent inability to see them, but for the moment the man is no danger to them or the teens. He only watches from afar, checking in and monitoring their actions, especially around the teen with fire-orange hair.

(There’s guilt there, he thinks. Guilt enough to wound.)

(What hand did the man have in the boy’s injuries?)

Still, he sets aside his worry about the man and tries to focus on the boy. But he and Alexis are running out of ideas and the boy’s wounds continue to take their toll.

::We cannot heal him alone,:: she says one dawn. She is sprawled out on her side with a paw thrown over her eyes against the first rays of sunlight. ::We have done what we can, but he does not heal. I cannot— Erich, I fear for him.::

Erich sighs and sprawls out as well, pressing his back to hers. They are both tired and worn, run ragged by the effort of keeping four teens safe. Baku may not need sleep, but he wants it with a desperation he has never before known. He has glutted himself on nightmares night after night, torn the festering wounds open time after time in hopes of purging some of the illness, and still the teens remain troubled.

The other three are healing, though. Slowly, but they are healing. It will take months yet, he suspects, but the signs are there.

Not so for the boy with fire-orange hair.

::We could ask a kami,:: Erich suggests thoughtfully. ::There is a shrine to Inari Ōkami not so far. We could speak with her myōbu?::

::Do you think she would help?:: Alexis asks. ::Or— no, even if she cannot, she will know of a kami who can.:: She sighs and heaves herself to her paws. ::Come on then, there is no time like the present to ask.::

Erich groans but rises. Alexis is right and he knows it. The sooner they can make their petition, the sooner the boy might be healed.

They travel through the hidden ways, bounding past kami and yokai with little more than nods of greeting. Some go scattering, their dark intent lingering in the air, but neither he nor Alexis stop to chase them further. They have no time for distractions and will not be swayed from their course.

They stop only briefly at a little stand that straddles the border between worlds, staffed by a young kitsune who grins bright and sharp and trades them power for offerings of inari-zushi. The trade is no hardship — they are both full to bursting from long nights devouring dreams, and helping a young kitsune toward their goal of another tail is a fine use of that power.

The shrine is bright to their eyes, Inari Ōkami’s presence resting over it like a gentle blanket. It is a relief to settle before the altar, to place their offerings and bow their heads. It is a relief to place their hopes in someone else, even if only briefly.

They need help.

::Oh, how unusual!:: a soft male voice exclaims.

::Quite,:: a female replies. ::A pair of baku, come to pray?::

::What brings you here, guardians? What is so troubling that a well-paired match like yourselves would come asking assistance?:: the male asks.

Erich looks up and meets the sharp gaze of one of Inari Ōkami’s divine messengers. Two myōbu stand atop the altar, shoulder to shoulder, their pristine white fur gleaming in the sunlight.

::We come seeking help to heal a young human,:: Alexis begins.

::He is wounded, his soul shredded beyond our ability to heal, his mind tormented by nightmares we can only just contain.:: Erich coils his tail about his paws and looks between the myōbu. He hopes they will listen, hopes they will help… ::The nightmares we can ease, but his soul— we are not healers of that sort.::

Alexis nods and continues, ::We have done what we can, attempted to staunch the wounds with our Selves, but we are not enough. We hope… we hope that Inari Ōkami might hear our plea and lend us aid, whether herself or by pointing us towards a kami skilled in healing souls.::

::I see,:: the female says. She tilts her head and looks between them. ::We will bring your petition to Inari Ōkami, but I would like a few more details, first.::

::Of course, anything,:: Erich agrees.

Which starts a rapid-fire interrogation, the myōbu wringing them dry of every last fragment of knowledge they’ve gained about the boy and the other teens. He and Alexis do their best, answer as honestly and fully as they can, but there is so much they do not know. The dreams remain difficult to interpret, still more fantastical than anything he has ever devoured before, and some nights Erich suspects the teens to be involved in the supernatural.

It would explain much, after all.

The myōbu trade guarded looks at that revelation, ears flattening and tails swishing, but they say nothing and Erich does not ask.

(He hopes that does not mean their petition will be rejected…)

Finally, as the sun reaches its zenith, the male nods his head sharply. ::That is enough. Return in a week’s time and you will have your answer.::

Erich and Alexis both bow their heads once more, and say together, ::Thank you.::

By the time they look up, the myōbu have vanished once more along with the inari-zushi.

There is nothing left for them to do but return to the teens and hope for the best.