The sound of voices rouses Erich from his nap and he cocks an ear to listen, not bothering to lift his head or open his eyes. The words are too indistinct to make out but the tone carries through the closed door easily enough; the conversation seems uncomfortable, not that Erich can blame them. He’s caught no hint of other yokai in their tangled nightmares, much less beings like himself and Alexis.

It’s not long before Ishida opens the door. “Erich-san? Alexis-san?”

Erich hums and cracks an eye open, taking in the way Ishida is peeking in around the door. He prods Alexis with his trunk to wake her, then waits for her to rise to her feet and free him from where he’s been pinned. ::You wish us to introduce ourselves?::

Ishida swallows and gives a jerky nod, stepping back from the door as Alexis advances. There’s no fear in his gaze or his presence, but Erich can feel how nervous the teen is. He doesn’t know what Ishida is nervous over — there are plenty of options, after all — but he hopes they can set him and the others at ease soon enough.

::We will not bring harm to you or yours,:: Alexis reassures Ishida as she steps into the main room and bobs her head at the two teens sitting on the couch. ::Greetings, young ones. I am Alexis, and this is Erich.::

“O-oh!” the young woman exclaims as she sits up, eyes going wide and presence shading towards /fascinated/. “You’re both so gorgeous! Uhm… can I..?” She’s sitting on the very edge of the couch, leaning towards Alexis with one hand half raised.

Erich pauses, confused by the young woman’s reaction to them. It’s nice, though, being greeted by cheer and fascination instead of suspicion or fear.

::Can you..?:: Alexis prompts as she lays down in a clear area of the room. She leans into Erich’s side as he settles next to her, making a contented noise and letting their powers mingle once again.

“Can I pet you?” the young woman asks in a rush, cheeks flushed. She peers at them cautiously, likely searching for an indication that she’s insulted them.

Alexis hums and exchanges a look with Erich; they’ve never been asked that before. ::You may,:: she decides at last.

The young woman cheers and moves to sit on the floor next to them, reaching out to scratch behind Alexis’ ear. “I’m Inoue Orihime, it’s nice to meet you!”

“Sado Yasutora,” the last teen introduces himself. “Ishida-san says you’ve been helping us?”

::We have been.:: Erich nods, then shoots Alexis an amused look as she hums and melts against his side. Apparently, being pet agrees with her. ::We’ve been guarding your sleep for over a month.::

“Why come forward now?” Sado asks with a small, thoughtful frown.

Erich snorts and gives Ishida an amused look, thinking on how the young man woke due to his conversation with Urahara. ::We certainly didn’t mean to, but it is, perhaps, for the best.::

“Why’s that?” Inoue asks, sitting up and leaning over so she can see Erich over Alexis’ back. “And why wouldn’t you want to talk with us?”

::There’s little reason to introduce ourselves to humans when we can perform our duties without it,:: Erich points out. ::Not many can See us unless we bring ourselves fully into the human world, either.::

::It’s the way things work these days,:: Alexis continues, tone sleepy as she stretches out and lets Inoue continue to pet her, her front paws kneading the air. ::There’s room in the lives of humans for the fantastical, but the stories are more important than the truth for beings like us. The occasional glimpse from the corner of a person’s eye, the easing of nightmares when someone prays for a baku to take their nightmares away… that does more for a human’s wonder and belief than coming face to face with beings like us.::

Inoue makes a soft noise of understanding, her eyes lighting up. “Oh!”

::But in this case, there is more at stake than usual,:: Erich says, instinctively tucking his chin down to further protect the hoshi no tama. He doubts these teens are a threat — especially once they understand what he and Alexis are doing — but the gift he’s carrying is so precious, so important, that he can’t help it. ::We have gone to Inari Ōkami and requested her aid in healing your companion, and she has provided us with a method to do so. Ishida-san believes it is best that he, and you, all be informed of this.::

Inoue gasps and Sado straightens, body going rigid and his half-hidden eyes sharpening.

“You’re certain it will work,” Sado demands, hands clenching into fists and his gaze fixed on Erich. There’s a threat there, Erich is certain, an unspoken ‘if you’re leading us on’ that carries violence in its wake.

(It’s the threat of someone who doesn’t dare give in to hope. The threat of someone who desperately wants to believe but can’t.)

::We are certain,:: Erich gently reassures. ::Already his soul has begun to mend, the bleed of power staunching and the wounds beginning to knit.::

Ishida steps forward then, dropping to sit on the couch and scrubbing his palms against his thighs. “What’s the catch? You… you said last night that you weren’t doing this for the recognition, but this… this is a gift from a greater kami.”

::There are no obligations or requirements placed upon him by Inari Ōkami or her myōbu. This is repayment for the deeds he has already done.:: Erich inclines his head to the two on the couch, then does the same to Inoue who remains kneeling at Alexis’ side. ::He is well liked amongst the kami and local yokai, and you are all looked upon favorably as well.::

Silence descends upon the room, the three teens exchanging looks that Erich cannot interpret. There’s something vulnerable in their eyes, though, and there’s a twisted, jagged-edged sense of relief in their auras, like Erich has lifted a burden from their shoulders they never thought they’d be rid of.

(And maybe he has. Underneath all the twisting nightmares and bleeding wounds are bright young souls without an ounce of training or preparation.)

(They have been forced to take a soldier’s mantle without any of a soldier’s training.)

(Erich wonders if there was ever any choice for them.)

::We suspect there will be changes in his soul from this,:: Alexis cautions, sitting up just enough to see all the teens. ::He is being healed by a hoshi no tama created by Inari Ōkami and strengthened by her myōbu. Even a healthy human soul cannot help but change under such influence, and his was gravely wounded.::

Inoue stares at them with wide, startled eyes, while the two on the couch tense and turn wary. Before Sado or Ishida can say anything, however, Inoue smiles and asks, “What sort of changes? Oh, oh! Will Kurosaki-kun grow fox-ears and tails like a kitsune? You said the myōbu helped with it, and a hoshi no tama belongs to kitsune, right? Oh, or maybe he’ll become a minor kami! He’d make a great protector, wouldn’t he?”

Alexis chuckles and reaches out with her trunk, gently ruffling Inoue’s hair. ::From what we were told, yes, he would make a wonderful protector.::

::We doubt it will be something as dramatic as any of that, however,:: Erich tries to reassure them. ::His soul is still human, after all. Merely… strengthened by the blessing given. It’s likely he will be able to step into shinkai with minimal effort, and be able to See those of us who linger beyond regular human sight.::

::He might find his strength greater, or his capabilities expanded.:: Alexis flicks her tail and leans forward, pushing her head against Inoue’s chest and humming happily when Inoue laughs and resumes petting her. ::But I doubt anything more will come of it in your human lifespans.::

The three teens settle at their words, though the wariness doesn’t entirely fade away. They’ve been lied to before, Erich suspects; the three teens are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but only this once. If they fail this test and cannot answer for that failure, they will never be trusted again.

(He knows that look all too well.)

(It’s them against the world, and woe betide any who stand in their way.)

Sado frowns down at his hands, then asks, “How long will it take to heal him? And why are you telling us?” ‘Instead of him’lingers unspoken in the air between them, and Sado’s gaze is challenging when he looks between Erich and Alexis.

::We estimate two months to finish what Inari Ōkami has bid us to do, and… perhaps a month or two after will see most of his healing complete?:: Erich offers. He wishes he could give them more solid information than that, but… he simply doesn’t have any. Everything he’s saying is a guess. ::As for why… Ishida-san believes it is best that Kurosaki-san is informed of this before much more time passes. And that he believes Kurosaki-san would benefit from your presence while he is being told, Sado-san.::

Sado mulls over Erich’s words in silence, one hand lifting to touch something underneath his shirt.

He’s not the only one thinking on Erich’s words. Inoue’s hands are slower than before as she continues to pet Alexis and her gaze is unfocused. And Ishida looks nervous to Erich, his shoulders stiff and his gaze darting to Sado and then away, fingers playing restlessly with the cuffs of his sleeves.

“I accept,” Sado decides before long. “When do you want to tell him?”

Erich relaxes and uses a paw to mime a shrug, relieved that things are continuing to go well. ::Whenever you believe best. Now is fine.::

“Then I’ll convince him to come to my apartment. We’ll tell him there.” Sado rises from the couch and turns to the door, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he does. He’s already playing with it before he reaches the door out, but pauses and looks back at Ishida and Inoue and says, “I’ll keep you informed.”

::Alexis?:: Erich asks privately, trailing after Sado and letting his presence fade a bit more into shinkai.

She sends a wave of confidence his way. ::Best meet him alone, don’t you think? I’ll stay here and keep these two company.::

He snorts but accepts her decision; she’s probably right, after all. Kurosaki is powerless — unlike the other three teens — and they are large and intimidating, whether they wish to look it or not. And because Kurosaki is powerless, he likely can no longer See the same way the other three can, so Erich will need to bring himself fully into the physical world in order to speak with him.

He has never stepped fully into the physical world before. Has never seen a reason to do so. It will be… a new experience.

(He hopes this next meeting goes as well as the first.)

(He really does.)