Kisuke pivoted on his toes, keeping Alexis in view as she prowled a circle around him. She’d surprised him during their first bout, taking advantage of his hubris to send him tumbling but… not this time.

This time, injured or not, he would win. He’d already begun to make plans, to memorize her style, and—

“You know, I believe you came out here to help him stretch, not tumble him about like a cat with her kitten,” Erich’s voice cut through the air, heavy with dry amusement and an underlying edge of exasperation.

Kisuked twitched and tried to pivot to keep both of them in his line of sight, uncertain if Erich had arrived to join in or simply to take both of them to task. Either way, that he’d been unaware of Erich approaching until he spoke was… not good.

(He’d lost more of his edge than he’d thought, it seemed.)

(Damnit.)

(He couldn’t afford to grow complacent!)

“But he’s such an entertaining opponent!” Alexis replied with a grin, even as she took a step back and settled into a more casual stance. “He makes all the best faces.”

Erich snorted and stalked closer, pausing just out of Kisuke’s reach and sweeping a calculating look over him. “Too much more of that and you’d make his injuries worse,” he chided absently, then arched an eyebrow at Kisuke and asked, “May I check your wounds?”

Kisuke blinked, surprised by the question, then flashed a smile at Erich and said, “Maa, of course, of course. It doesn’t feel like anything tore, but…”

“I’d rather be certain,” Erich finished for him, then slipped into Kisuke’s personal space and nudged his arms aside, pulling open Kisuke’s kimono top with professional ease. “Well, it hasn’t bled through at least,” Erich murmured as he leaned in, strong-sure-clever fingers checking the bandages.

Kisuke swallowed and licked his lips, staring down at Erich’s fluffy, slightly mussed hair and battling the urge to run his fingers through it to see if it was as soft as it looked. It was all he could do to hold still as Erich’s warm hands moved across his side, occasionally brushing bare skin as he went. Trying to hold onto the tattered edges of his control, Kisuke looked up, looked away, and—

Alexis smirked at him, a wicked-teasing-pleased edge to her expression that left Kisuke wary and uncertain.

(Maybe… maybe they were courting him?)

(Checking his wounds didn’t need this much touch, did it…?)

Erich hummed a few notes, then abruptly cut himself off and straightened up enough to give Kisuke a sheepish look. “Sorry. May I use a bit of song magic to be sure? And perhaps encourage it to heal a bit more, if necessary.”

“Go ahead,” Kisuke agreed, forcing himself to sound even-sure-calm despite the shock of being asked; Ren had said they’d talk to the pair about that, and Erich and Alexis had both apologized for it but…

(He… hadn’t expected them to keep their word.)

(Or, at best, for them to ask his permission for the sort of magic he’d complained about, not… not everything including healing.)

Erich hesitated, a small frown pulling at the corners of his lips and a concerned look in his eyes, before he finally inclined his head when Kisuke said nothing more. “Thank you,” he said, then began to hum the familiar melody the entire family seemed to use for healing.

But this time… this time it matched his hazy memories of safety-healing-wings—

(So it had been Erich who’d sung his wounds closed on the lake shore.)

(Did that mean… the other parts of his memory were right…?)

(But… no, it couldn’t be, could it?)

(Wings?)

Almost without conscious thought, Kisuke leaned closer and reached up. Brushed his fingers across Erich’s arm. Wondered if song could hide wings-feathers-eyes and—

Erich didn’t stop humming, but he did arch an eyebrow in amusement, arm moving just slightly to press into Kisuke’s palm for a single heartbeat before slipping away again. The power he was weaving crept along Kisuke’s skin and into his wounds, soft as silk and just as strong, soothing the itch of accelerated healing almost before Kisuke had a chance to register it.

Erich may have once been a soldier, but it was clear he’d dedicated himself to healing at some point.

(Was Erich as accomplished a warrior as he was a healer?)

(What would take to tease a spar from him…?)

The song trailed off into silence, Erich’s power withdrawing from Kisuke’s side even as the man himself withdrew from Kisuke’s personal space. “That’s about all I can do today,” Erich admitted with an easy shrug. “Too much can over-stress your body and leave you worse off, even for those of us adapted to the power.”

“So you do have limits,” Kisuke teased, mind turning over the new information; it was reassuring to know that there was at least some limit to their abilities, no matter how powerful Ren had made it sound. Still… he suspected that the limit of healing was not quite where Erich had indicated it was.

(Truth, but not the whole truth.)

(He was familiar with that sort of talk.)

“Everything has limits,” Erich said as he moved to stand at Alexis’ side. “A thing you could both stand to remember.”

Alexis laughed, bold-bright-cheerful, and elbowed Erich in the side. “Worrywart,” she teased, voice unbearably fond. “I knew exactly what I was doing.”

“Of course you did,” Erich said in exasperation, even as he nudged her elbow away from his side when she went for a second blow. “Menace.”

“Your menace,” she said with a smirk.

Erich snorted at her words, but there was something so warm-fond-loving about the look he shot her that Kisuke had to look away.

(Even if he believed that they were courting him, a look like that…)

(A look like that wasn’t for someone like him.)

Erich seemed to sense something of his thoughts, if the light brush of apologetic reiatsu against his senses was any indication. Though what he had to apologize for, Kisuke had no idea; Erich was a man deeply in love with his wife and unashamed to show it, and Kisuke’s awkwardness with the display shouldn’t factor into anything.

“Let’s go back inside,” Erich suggested after the silence began to stretch between them. “You need to rest and we all need to eat.”

“Maa, maa, I’m not that tired,” Kisuke protested, even as he followed the two back towards the house. “I know my limits!”

“I’m sure you do, but this still isn’t a time to push yourself to those limits,” Erich agreed, the sheer certainty-belief-trust in his words taking Kisuke aback; Yoruichi and Tessai taking him at his word was one thing, but… someone who’s only exposure to him was ‘grievously injured and recovering’?

(How… strange.)

Kisuke huffed a sigh, then shook his head when both Erich and Alexis gave him concerned looks. “Maa, sorry, I’m just…” he paused, struggling to decide what he wanted to admit to, then shrugged and continued, “restless. Your home is lovely, but…”

“It’s not what you’re used to,” Erich finished with a nod. He tipped his head towards Alexis, something that looked like question in his gaze, then said, “After we eat, lets go for a walk. Maybe that will help settle you enough to sleep without aid tonight.”

“It’ll also help determine how soon you can make the walk back to Karakura,” Alexis added.

“Maa, you don’t have to—”

“I want to,” Erich interrupted, gaze stern.

Kisuke laughed awkwardly and looked away, uncertain how to deal with such… such focus being directed at him. Part of him wanted to slip away, to refuse the offer and hole up somewhere where he didn’t have to deal with these two fascinating — and frustrating — people.

But at the same time…

“Well, if you’re sure. It certainly couldn’t hurt,” Kisuke settled on, though he doubted simply walking around would do anything for his restlessness. The chance for more time in Erich’s company, though… to maybe weasel more information out of the man…

He wouldn’t turn that down.

(He wasn’t a fool.)