Uryuu put the finishing touches on the chalk circle and stepped back to give it a look. Everything seemed to be in order, the lines neat and clean, the focusing items set in their place, and nothing in the way. It was just like he remembered his grandfather showing him.

(He’d even snuck back into Ryuuken’s home to gather the chalk and stones and candles he needed from the storeroom. He was going to do this right.)

(He’d show Ryuuken that he was just as good a summoner as his sensei had been!)

Uryuu knelt just outside the circle and pressed his fingers to the edge, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. His magic rose at his call, sliding down his arms and into the chalk in a careful flow.

(Not too much, not too little. Steady. He needed to be steady.)

Light gathered in the lines. Spilled over into the crystals. Shimmered in the candle’s flames. The circle pulled at his power, demanding more and more and more until Uryuu was breathless and weak with it.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t pull his fingers away from the chalk, couldn’t even turn away from the light that shone through the room. Panic welled up and he struggled against the pull, trying desperately to contain the drain. His grandfather had never spoken of this!

The light flared, the gathered power crashing down and sending Uryuu backwards. He knelt on the floor and panted for breath, arms wrapped around his chest.

“Huh. I didn’t think there were any summoners left,” a voice said.

“Might not be,” a second answered. “That’s a kid.”

Uryuu swallowed and slowly looked up, dreading the proof of his failure. His circle hadn’t been to call two beings to him, much less anything intelligent enough to talk. Whatever he’d summoned, it wasn’t what he’d intended, and that… that meant he was in danger.

(His legs were too weak to let him flee. His pride was too strong to see him retreat.)

Two yokai stood in the center of his circle, eyeing him thoughtfully. Uryuu cringed back at the sight of them, taking in the bird’s head and wings on one and the wolf-features of the second.

(Oh, he was doomed. He’d summoned a tengu and some sort of wolf yokai!)

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, kid,” the tengu said, stepping across the chalk like it wasn’t even there. The yokai knelt at his side and brushed a clawed hand over Uryuu’s cheek, careful not to cut him. “We’re not mad.”

“Should probably not look like that,” the wolf yokai said, pacing around the edge of the circle and examining it. “You’re scaring him.”

“Ah, yeah, sorry.” The tengu sat back for a moment and Uryuu watched in surprise as the wings and bird head faded away, replaced by a surprisingly human head with feathery, bright orange hair. A fox-like tail flicked to the side, and Uryuu blinked in confusion as he stared at it.

(Tengu didn’t have fox-tails… had he summoned a kitsune instead?)

“Mixed heritage,” the maybe-tengu explained with a shrug, when he saw where Uryuu’s gaze was focused. “I’m not really good at shapeshifting yet, sorry.”

“O-okay?” Uryuu said warily, staring dazedly up at the yokai. “Aren’t… aren’t you going to punish me?”

“For what?” the yokai asked, then shrugged. “You’re… how old, kid?”

Uryuu scowled. “I’m twelve!”

“Yeah, see, I’m not really into punishing kids for being curious,” the yokai said. “Name’s Ichigo, by the way, and that’s Chad. What’s yours?”

Uryuu hesitated, feeling the weight of Ichigo’s name settle across his shoulders in offering of partnership. He’d not expected the yokai to do anything but leave at best, not offer to form a contract! “U-uhm… Ishida Uryuu,” he offered softly, shuddering as the contract snapped closed like a door in the wind.

It sank into his skin, into his very soul, and Uryuu wanted to cry at the weight and warmth of it. It was nothing like his grandfather had told him a contract with a greater yokai would feel like, didn’t carry the feel of teeth and claws and danger that were how his grandfather had articulated the sensation.

“You left that circle’s contract pretty wide open,” Ichigo told him sternly. “I know you were aiming for a minor yokai, but you need to protect yourself better if you’re going to practice summoning.”

“I-I… s-sorry,” Uryuu sniffled, scrubbing at his eyes. “S-sensei’s not around an-anymore, and Ryuuken w-won’t teach me anything…”

Ichigo hummed faintly, and Uryuu could hear Chad’s claws as the wolf yokai stepped closer to them and crouched at Ichigo’s side.

“Sounds like you should teach him,” Chad said.

“Yeah, I think I will,” Ichigo agreed.

Uryuu looked at Ichigo in confusion. “Teach me?”

“Mhm. Mom was once a summoner’s partner, and she learned a lot from him before her contract broke.” Ichigo gave Uryuu a faint smile and slowly reached out with his clawed hand to ruffle Uryuu’s hair. “I learned a lot from her, and I bet I can find a couple other yokai who can help once we get beyond the basics.”

Uryuu leaned into the touch before he could stop himself. “If… if you really want to? Thank you…”

Ichigo scoffed and tugged Uryuu into his arms, carefully rising to his feet with Uryuu perched on his hip without a sign of difficulty. “I’m not leaving a kid like you alone,” he said. “Chad?”

Chad rose and stepped closer, looming over the two of them as he eyed Uryuu. “I’m Yasutora,” he offered after a tense moment.

A giggle escaped before Uryuu could stop it, and he clamped a hand across his mouth to keep from making any more sounds. He stared up at Chad in fear, hoping he hadn’t offended the yokai by laughing at his name. But the solid weight of the offer remained across his shoulders, unchanged just like the yokai’s expression.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ichigo said. “Why do you think I call him Chad? He gets that reaction all the time.”

“Honest amusement is nothing to take offense at,” Chad replied, ears flicking to the side. He focused back on Uryuu then, patient and calm.

The calm was what did him in. Uryuu lowered his hand from his mouth, and said, “Ishida Uryuu.” And just like that, his second contract snapped closed and sank into his soul. It felt different from Ichigo’s, but no less warm, no less welcoming.

(Surely he was dreaming.)

Uryuu leaned into Ichigo’s side and blinked sleepily at the two yokai, wondering what was next. He was tired, drained from the summoning and wrung out by the terror of botching it, but… maybe there was something else he was supposed to do?

Ichigo chuckled and hitched him a bit higher, nuzzling Uryuu’s hair. “Let’s get you to bed, little summoner. Chad and I will be fine on our own, you just sleep and regain your reserves.”

He wanted to protest, but all that came out was a yawn. Ichigo made a soft noise of amusement, and Uryuu scowled up at him, even as he was carried out of the room. It didn’t take Ichigo long to find his bedroom, and the yokai wasted no time in pulling back the covers and setting him down.

“Get some sleep, Uryuu-kun,” Ichigo murmured again, nuzzling Uryuu, his feathery hair brushing across Uryuu’s skin. “We’ll still be here when you wake.”

“Can… can you stay?” Uryuu asked quietly, reaching out to grasp Ichigo’s hand, ignoring the faint traces of scale that he could feel.

“Of course.” Ichigo settled on the bed and leaned back against the wall. “I’ll stay as long as you need.”