Everything was going perfect. Genjiro walked her home and she offered him a kiss to his cheek. Her aunt and uncle turned up their noses at him naturally but Enya brushed it off. She didn’t really care what they thought. She thought Genjiro was wonderful.

For the next three days, Genjiro and Enya spent most of their time together. They have lunch together and dinner too. He always made sure to get her home before dark. Before they were scheduled to meet for the fourth day Enya came in and grabbed Effie. “I need you for a second. I’ll be back Genjiro.”

They sat down outside and Enya looked at Effie. “How do you feel about Rashomaru?”

Effie was taken back and she took a breath. “He’s my stars and moon. I would do anything for him.”

“And?” Enya scooted in and looked at her. Enya had really innocent red eyes now that she thought about it.

“He’s my everything. He makes my heart flutter greatly and he’s the only one who can calm me down.” Effie thought about it. “They say everyone has a soulmate and I think I found mine. He takes my breath away and I don’t think he even realizes it.” There was a blush across Effie’s cheeks. “Why do you ask?”

“…I am trying to figure it out.”Enya smiled. “Thank you Effie. See you at dinner!” Enya bounced up and went in to get Genjiro for their daily date.

Effie sat there and rolled her shoulders. She should have told Enya to say anything because that night… At the Kaname house when all of them were sitting around the table getting food and chatting Enya sat still for a moment. Genjiro was sitting next to her and across from them was Rashomaru and Effie. Nui was on the other end and Yukari and Masashi sat next to each other.

Enya slapped her hands on the table. “GENJIRO!” She startled everyone. “I decided that you are my soulmate. Effie says that Rashomaru is hers and that he’s her everything. THAT HE IS HER STARS AND MOON. I FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT GENJIRO! I want to be with him FOREVER. I love you.”

Effie had choked and spit out her drink staring at the blonde in total disbelief. Her face was red and she looked at Rashomaru quickly before almost tucking herself away from him. Rashomaru and herself hadn't even told each other they loved each other or discussed it in depth.

At that moment many things happened right after Enya blurted out that bombshell of a confession over the dinner table. Nui accidentally inhaled soup into her nose, Masashi began choking on his tea, and Rashomaru began coughing while doubled over–his face quickly becoming bright red. Yukari was surprised, but not nearly as much as everyone else. Everyone else aside from Enya and Genjiro were in a state of shock. Genjiro's jaw dropped, fortunately after he had swallowed a mouthful of rice. He couldn't believe his ears! A silly adorable grin came over his face as he realized what Enya said. It was like a bunch of happy bubbles were filling up inside of him and he was ready to burst! Of course, he completely overlooked the fact that Enya just spilled the beans on Effie's feelings towards his older brother in the same breath. 

Standing up and placing his hands on the table, he shouted back: "I LOVE YOU ENYA, AND I WANNA BE WITH YOU FOREVER TOO!!" Rashomaru buried his face into his hands and his father had finally cleared his throat, meanwhile Nui was groaning as she ran off to the bathroom to clean out her nose. The lovestruck pair were smiling at each other, Genjiro's eyes shining. In the past few weeks he began to realize he really, really liked Enya–even more than his bro. Soulmates were people you could spend time with forever and not be bored, right? Because that was definitely how he felt towards her. No matter what he did, she'd always smile or be surprised. Even when things didn't go as planned and he made a fool of himself she didn't seem mad. Plus, she was so huggable! One of his favorite things was lifting her up real high so she could pick stuff from the top branches, then she'd put the flowers on his head. Talking with her was always fun.

The peaceful atmosphere of dinner was shattered, even after they went back to eating like their declarations of love hadn't just happened. Effie and Rashomaru's feelings for each other were no secret to the boys' parents, after all it wasn't hard if you noticed. However, neither of them had ever admitted it out in the open. Once everybody regained their composure, Rashomaru was eating unusually fast, keeping his eyes glued to his bowl. His bangs obscured his face but the edge of his ears were still very red. There was this awkward silence that Genjiro didn't seem to notice one bit, and Nui eyed everybody as she slowly finished the rest of her soup. 

Enya was so happy she flopped herself at Genjiro and hugged him. She was so light compared to him. Effie was still staring in disbelief. She could barely hold herself together as she continued to now pick at her food. “You’re my favorite person Genjiro.” Enya lightly kissed his cheek before sitting back down for more food. Her hand was in his while they ate some finger foods.

Effie pulled herself up after she couldn’t eat anymore. She reached down and pulled on her tree of a boyfriend. “Come with me for a second.” She practically dragged him from his seat as they made their way outside. She was looking up at the sky for a second. The sun was delicately trying to set.

She sucked in air before she closed the door before them. Taking both of his hands she rubbed his knuckles with her thumbs. “Rashomaru?” Her voice was soft and low so no one could hear if they tried to eavesdrop.

“Everything Enya said is true but I would rather have said it myself… and perhaps I have been waiting too long for the right moment instead of making a right moment.” Her face was red as she looked up at him. “I love you Rashomaru. You leave me breathless with everything you do for me and my heart bursts every time you say my name.”

She closed her eyes for a few seconds. “I do believe that I was made for you and you were made for me.” Her hazel eyes opened up and she smiled up at him. “And I would have no one else on my futon or even in my bath.” She chuckled a bit. “I took way too long saying anything to you. I’ve loved you for a long time but I was too scared you would get bored or leave me.”

While the two lovebirds were cuddling at the dinner table, the other newly announced pair was steaming in embarrassment. Rashomaru was shoving food into his mouth when Effie pulled on him and asked him to come outside. He did, a bit too eagerly, especially after everybody now knew how he and Effie felt towards each other. Luckily Enya and Genjiro were too distracted with sharing food to notice. The coolness of the approaching dusk helped clear the stuffiness in his head. He could feel his face cooling down, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh. Effie took his hands and looked up, speaking softly. It was different from how she usually was, she was still blushing a little too.

She admitted that what Enya unintentionally revealed to everybody was in fact the truth. She said what they both had been thinking for a long time, but didn't have the courage to put into words until now. Despite having picked up the role of substitute parent early on in childhood, he was still a child himself. It was easy to forget that he was younger than Effie, still shy and inexperienced outside of sibling-family relationships. He was a lot like his father, who was a man of few words and instead spoke through his actions. They were both soft-spoken but incredibly earnest in everything they did. And so when Effie told him how she felt towards him in such vivid terms, he could feel as if somebody were squeezing his heart within his chest. 

He could feel the pricking sensation build in his nose, that feeling that told you it was getting red and your eyes were starting to water. He didn't expect to cry, but he was so very happy. He wasn't the only one who was worried that they would be left behind because they were too boring or not interesting enough. "I've felt the same way too. I know when we first met I said I would take responsibility, but I didn't want you to feel forced because of that. If you had decided that you liked someone else, I probably wouldn't have said anything. But when Enya said how you felt about me I…I was relieved. I'm not like Genjiro. I'm not very good at being open with my feelings. Sometimes I worry I don't have the right words to say. But if you'll have me, then I gladly accept."

He smiled, then reached to wrap his arms around her. Lifting her up so she could reach his face, locks of his hair hung around her. His gold eyes were wide like a cat's, nervous but in a gentle way. The two brothers were like night and day, Rashomaru being the quiet one despite being the eldest.

Effie had been forced to grow up fast in the world she had been born into. Life with Rashomaru was slow and she had finally been able to open up a lot more since she showed up. She even had a bit of sibling rivalry with Genjiro which amused Aelos to no end whenever he would watch.

The days of her yelling how scared she was to Aelos and him talking her through how to fight… It seemed like a long time ago. She had been running a marathon up until that point and finally, she had managed to slow down. If it had been anyone else she probably would have left the tiny village after healing but… she had come to love Rashomaru. She was filled in all the knowledge that Aelos had regarding relationships which stunted her a bit on what to do with who would become her other half.

That’s gross. That’s too direct… Why are you telling me this? What the hell is exotic dancing and why would he like it? I’m sorry I asked.

All of Aelos’s suggestions were more for adults and thus had landed her in the situation of never actually telling Rashomaru how she felt.

She chuckled a bit and shook her head. “Like there could ever be someone else who could captivate me like you do Rashomaru… There was never an option on that front.” Effie’s arms went around his neck as he pulled her up. It would be the only way they could be on the same level comfortable. His hair tickled her nose but she was more in love with how wide his eyes were. Those golden-yellow.

Effie closed the gap and kissed him soundly. Her hand moved from his neck and put her hand against his cheek so she could cradle his face. “I love you Rashomaru.” She only whispered the moment their kiss ended but they were barely not touching at that point. She could feel his breath against her. She was happy.

It was then that Genjiro realized there were two empty seats at the table. Having conveniently missed the moment they had excused themselves, he looked around to find they were nowhere in sight. "Where'd they go?" Nui, having fully recovered from her food malfunction was busily trying to get a bite of everything at once. "Effie pulled your brother outside for a bit. They'll probably be back soon." That only stalled him for a few minutes as once he didn't see the dining room doors open, he decided to go look for them himself. He was pretty much finished with his food, and he grinned at Enya before giving her a little peck on her cheek. "I'll be back in a minute! Gotta see where they went before everybody's done." Slipping outside, he poked his head in the rooms as he made his way out of the house. Rashomaru and Effie had a few more moments to themselves before they heard his voice calling for them.

"EFFIEEE!!! BRO!!! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?? You didn't finish eating!" It was a good thing he didn't spot them right away, giving them some time to avoid more badgering from a cheeky younger sibling. When he saw them, he ran over with a smile on his face, waving. "There you guys are! Where'd you go? Nui said you left and you didn't come back, so I came to find you!" Rashomaru was pretending to readjust his hair tie avoiding direct eye contact with him. "I needed some air…and I thought I heard something outside so I wanted to have a look." Both statements weren't technically wrong, but it sidestepped the more obvious reason he and Effie were both coincidentally in front of the house together. Genjiro didn't notice anything different, so he assumed everything was fine. "Oh, ok! I'll be going back in. Better hurry before mom brings out dessert!" Once the door closed behind him, there was a small sigh of relief from outside. 

Effie quickly jumped down from Rashomaru’s arms as Genjiro came out to check on them. She managed to stay in Rashomaru’s shadow which helped her face a bit. It would be Genjiro who would break up their moment but Effie was just glad they both got a chance to breathe. “I’ll meet you back inside.” She reached up as far as she could which would be his chin without his help. She placed a kiss and went back inside.

There was a subtle nose and Aelos was by Rashomaru’s side. “Nice save.” The incubus had waited for his daughter to go inside before he came out. “I think… That I approve of you two more than I did before and I didn’t think I would say that. I’m still worried about her Rashomaru.”

There was a book in Aelos’s hands. “I’ve been researching reincarnation. It’s going to get a lot harder before it gets better.” He overturned the really old book. It was written in some kind of ancient dialect. “Turns out reincarnations like Effie are rare and only happen when the deceased bare strong ties to life. There’s one more factor to it.”

He sat down on the fence and kept his voice down. “The new moon.” He pointed up at the twin moons. “It has to happen on the new moon. Apparently, the reincarnated can lose themselves on it. They are more emotional on those nights and for Effie, I guess I never realized it’s true. The difference is how in control she is of her feelings. The circumstances she grew up in forced her to mature a lot more than most children. She’s always been on edge and always aware of everything. She’s not anymore. Just being here is dangerous– It’s good but dangerous.”

Aelos didn’t want him to feel bad. “Her being here is going to keep her alive but it also has a negative to it. You’ll need to take care of her.” There was a sigh. “I tried to figure out more about her condition but of the others, I found out… All of them were killed for their rampaging. None of them made it to their nineteenth birthdays. At least of the documented cases.”

The demon looked uncomfortable. “I need to go away for a while for business… Will you be okay with her? Protect her like I would while I’m gone? I’ve never been away from her and I don’t want to make her go with me. She’s at home here and she’s finally acting her age. She deserves this… So can I entrust her to you?”

Letting Effie go in first, he agreed that having them both return with a slight delay would throw off any of Genjiro's wild theories. Rashomaru jumped when Aelos suddenly appeared. He didn't expect Effie's father to appear half the time when he did. While Aelos restated his approval of Effie and his relationship, what he said next changed things in a way no one could predict. Reincarnation was an unusual thing. From what Cyril had told him, there were still mysteries surrounding the causes and possibilities of a soul returning in a new body. It wasn't like necromancy or summoning, from what he had heard. There were more unpredictable elements and involved the lines of fate. So when he was told things would get harder before they got better, Rashomaru began worrying too.

Effie's existence with her other self was no accident, and the positions of the heavenly bodies had played a part. The fact 'Effie' even existed at all was because Amadrya–Aelos former wife and lover, wasn't ready to pass on. From what he saw the night Genjiro's memories returned, Amadrya was already at the line of being a vengeful spirit. She was spiritually and emotionally trapped in her last moments before death, full of rage and hatred. This all meant that on the new moon, Effie would be the most vulnerable. If the necklace had barely contained Amadrya back then, the moment Effie's spirit became weaker than hers–Effie would no longer exist. He came to understand a little more about how Effie came to be who she was when he had rescued her from the flooded river. All her life she had to endure the threat of death and to survive however she could. And while the Kaname household was the first safe haven she had apart from her father's house, she would no longer be constantly reining in her thoughts and feelings. It was a double-edged sword. She was happy, but she would also lower her guard.

"You'll need to take care of her." Those words were nothing new to him, but they held a greater weight now. Aelos was doing all he could to learn more about Effie's unique condition, but what he had found so far did not seem promising. Those like her had never survived past the age of nineteen, because they had to be put down from completely losing themselves due to their reincarnated existence. In spite of everything, Aelos truly loved his daughter. This wasn't an easy decision for a father and Rashomaru could understand that. They all wanted her to live a normal, peaceful life–like everyone else. Back when Nui had teased him, he swore to take responsibility for Effie's well-being. He would keep that promise, even when things would grow more difficult. "I will do everything I can and more to make sure she stays safe. You have my word, and I am sure Nui and my parents would say the same." She had been through so much, it was time she was allowed to live as she wished. He would carry that weight, just like he had with his brother ten years ago, until Effie's spirit was safe.

Aelos smiled a bit. “Never doubted you for a second. Oh, I did manage to hunt down the demon who was with the most recent case besides Effie.” He paused a moment and closed the book. “He said that the closer they got to her nineteenth the worse it got… but it also looks like all of the demons had told the reincarnated who they are. We have an advantage since Effie has no idea who she was. This will make it easier to subdue her.”

He rummaged around in his pockets and pulled out two wooden objects with words written on them. “Here,” He held them out and chuckled. “It just so happens that I know one of the onis who run a spa in Kujishoku. She said that you can’t come too often but… the ever occasional vacation wouldn’t hurt. Just show these to her and she’ll let you have a few days there. If she ever gets too stressed take her for the hot springs. She’s always loved them. The owner’s name is Fuka and she knows about Effie’s condition. She has special herbal soak which is why she asked you don’t come too often. Takes a bit to get a hold of the herbs but she should have them in case of emergencies. Family secret so she wouldn’t give me the ingredients.” There was an eye roll. “Also something about sleeping with her sister… but let me worry about that.”

It should have been no surprise that Aelos was a bit of a man whore. It was after all in his blood but he was a devoted father. “Also, in Nisshoki there is a district where syndicates are. My whore house is there with a woman named Ayane. She’s the one who was Effie’s wet nurse when she was a baby. If you ever need help and I’m not around… Nisshoki isn’t that far from here. Ayane is the madam there so she can help you without too much trouble.”

He rubbed his blonde locks and looked up. “You should have Genjiro take Enya home soon. It looks like it’s gonna be an early night and I don’t much care for her aunt and uncle.” He hopped off the fence. It should have been no surprise that Aelos had looked into everyone near Effie. “Take care and just remember Ayane and Fuka.”

Back inside Effie was anxiously waiting for Rashomaru to come back so when he did she just tilted her head at him. Dessert was already on the table and Enya was halfway through hers. The girl spent more time with them than her actual family.

Rashomaru committed all the information to memory, after all he knew he might need it soon. And now he knew why Aelos had specifically told him not to let Effie know about her other soul. The shock and sudden loss of identity would cause it all to come crashing down. His role as a support was more important than ever. And of course, Rashomaru did make note of Aelos' comments of his own…looseness. The man had done little to hide it, and it was a wonder how Effie managed to put up with this. He gave Aelos a nod as the latter left. Before he entered the house, he switched his thoughts to happier things so it wouldn't be visible on his face. Nui was hovering over her plate, safeguarding one of the red bean filled sweets for him from Genjiro's gaze. Dinner was finished and the plates were brought back to be washed.

"Genjiro, it looks like dusk will come earlier today. It'd be best if Enya arrived back home before dark." Genjiro looked up and a light went on in his mind. "…Oh! Right, thanks! Come on Enya, let's go! I saved an extra snack for you while nobody was looking~" Just like his older brother, Genjiro spoiled people he liked. After saying goodbye to everyone, Genjiro walked Enya back to her aunt and uncle's house. He'd never seen her house before and it was his first time seeing a friend's house aside from Nui's. But Nui lived by herself, so it wasn't the same. And besides, nowadays Nui spent more time at his house than her own during the colder months. While they walked, he pulled out the red bean pastry he had swiped when everybody heard his brother coming in. It was flaky and delicious, and it was still slightly warm in the cloth he wrapped it up in. He tucked it into her hand, giving her a wink. 

They chatted all the way, then when Enya became more quiet he guessed they were pretty close. He wasn't sure if he should go inside, so he at least walked her up to where he could see her go in at a distance. He also wanted to see which parts of the house were close to the trees, bushes, and other things he could sneak into. Memorizing the way wouldn't be too hard as long as he followed the right path.