"Tomoe, I need to talk to you."

Tomoe sighed as he set down the plate he had been washing and turned to face Nanami. Judging by the look on her face, she had been dreading this moment as much as he, although he wasn't as outwardly expressive about his feelings as she was.

Desperate to avoid eye contact, Nanami took great interest in the floorboards beneath her feet. They were freshly scrubbed and polished so that they shone like new. Tomoe was undoubtedly responsible for that since Mizuki was still inferior to the fox when it came to the art of cleaning.

Unnerved by the awkward silence sucking the oxygen out of room, Tomoe instinctively resorted to his default emotion: irritation. "Well, what is it, Nanami? Don't just stand there and waste my time." he huffed.

Nanami flinched at his harsh tone, but she knew deep down that the yokai wasn't actually mad at her. Their time together had taught her that Tomoe was made up of layers of different emotions, each one masking the one beneath it. While he may act happy, he could actually be depressed, and he may seem angry when he is really just concerned. She tried to learn long ago to take a closer look at Tomoe's mannerisms before making assumptions, but the heart and the mind don't always cooperate with each other.

"Don't freeze up, Nanami." she silently coached herself. "You can do this. You need to do this, for Tomoe's sake and your own."

"Tomoe, I- We- You and I-" Nanami sighed in exasperation as her words got caught in her throat.

Tomoe frowned. "Spit it out already, Nanami."

"Can't you see that I'm trying to?!" Nanami exclaimed, growing flustered.

Tomoe looked away, his ears flattening against his head. "Sorry." he murmured.

After taking several deep breaths to calm down, Nanami wrung her hands nervously. "Tomoe...can we discuss this in private?"

"I was wondering if she would notice that we were being watched." Tomoe thought to himself.

"Yes, of course. Lead the way."

Turning, Nanami hastily shuffled out of the room and down the hall toward the front porch. Before pursuing her, Tomoe shot a glare at the not-so-well hidden Mizuki, Onikiri, and Kotetsu, silently warning them not to follow. Once he was satisfied, he walked briskly down the hall and joined Nanami outside.

"I wouldn't exactly call the outdoors private, but-" Tomoe began but Nanami cut him off.

"Tomoe, we're not working out." she blurted, her eyes squeezed shut as she struggled to speak.

While Tomoe's face remained blank, his heart wrenched painfully. "What do you mean, Nanami?" He knew exactly what she meant.

"Our relationship isn't working out, Tomoe; we're not as great of a match as I had hoped. I think...I think we need to break up and go back to being just friends." There she had said it, and no matter how much it hurt, Nanami couldn't take back those words.

Inside, Tomoe felt his heart cracking before finally shattering into a million tiny pieces and dropping into a bottomless abyss. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to maintain his poker face in front of Nanami. He could already tell how much this hurt her, and he wouldn't allow himself to make it worse. "If that is what you truly want then I shall not argue. Now, what would you like for dinner tonight?"

"Tomoe, I know what you're doing; don't change the subject." Nanami stated. She looked away guiltily. "Are you...Are you upset?"

Tomoe sighed. "Nanami, I am your familiar, and as such, I must hold you best interest above my own. If breaking up with me is what is best for you, then so be it."

Tears sprang to Nanami's eyes, but she hurriedly brushed them away. Tomoe was trying to act strong for her, so she needed to do the same for him. "Tomoe, I'm sorry..."

"It isn't your fault, Nanami. Don't beat yourself up over this. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Liar! I know you're lying to me!" Nanami thought to herself, but she couldn't bring her lips to move.

"Now, if that is all, I must get back to work. Also, you still haven't told me what you would like for dinner tonight: Sushi, salmon, soup-"

"Salmon. Salmon sounds good." Nanami replied. "Tomoe, I really am sorry. Please don't be too upset."

"I am not upset, Nanami. I've experienced heartbreak before, and I have endured. Now, please excuse me. The dishes aren't going to wash themselves, and Mizuki is of no help whatsoever." Spinning on his heels, Tomoe hurried back into the shrine and to his room. Once he had shut the door, he allowed the tears he had been holding back to fall as he slid to the floor. Despite being the matchmaking goddess's familiar, love was not his friend. Whenever it reared its ugly head, Tomoe always wound up huddled in a dark place with another bruise on his scarred heart. Love was his enemy, putting his heart back together like a puzzle only to break it back into fragments once more.

"No more." he thought to himself. "I am done with love's cruel games. My heart is not its toy, and I will not allow it to play with me any longer. Fate has made it clear that love is not meant for me, and I shall not fight it any longer. I only hope that Nanami doesn't think this is her fault. In all honesty, she has done me a great kindness; without her, I never would have realized the truth. I was not made for love, so I shall live without it, as I was meant to."

Unfortunately, the pain in Tomoe's chest wouldn't fade despite his revelation, but he couldn't sit around and cry like Nanami would. He had a job to do. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve and rising to his feet, he returned to the kitchen, snatched up the plate again, and continued to clean it as if nothing had happened. Little did he know that Nanami was watching his from the doorway, a worried frown on her face. Quietly, she shuffled back to her room and flopped down onto her futon with a loud sigh. Sensing his master's sadness, Mamoru scampered over to Nanami and curled up on top of her chest, staring up at her with big, brown eyes.

"He's trying to act tough, Mamoru, but I can tell he's upset." Nanami murmured. "I'm worried about him; I don't want him turning back into the old Tomoe." She shuddered at the thought. "I have to do something, but what?"

Mamoru didn't say anything.

"Maybe Kurama can help. As a famous pop star, he is bound to have dealt with some major breakups before, right?"

Mamoru just blinked up at her.

"Then again, he and Tomoe don't get along very well......but I don't know what else to do. Alright Mamoru, we're going to pay Kurama a visit, assuming that he's home." Scooping up the fluffy shikigami, Nanami set him in her purse then headed out the door. "Tomoe, Mizuki, Mamoru and I are heading into town! We'll be back in a little bit."

No answer. With a sigh, Nanami headed outside and began the trek into the city. "Don't worry, Tomoe. I'm going to fix this."

--------------------------------

"Have you seen this man?"

The middle-aged gentleman glanced back and forth between the girl and the picture with an incredulous expression on his face. "Of course I have. That's the famous pop star Kurama."

The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance. "No, I mean have you seen him, as in around here recently? My friend and I have heard numerous rumors about him staying in this city."

The guy cocked a curious eyebrow. "What's it to you?"

"We must meet with him!"

The man snorted in amusement. "Sorry kiddo; I can't help you. Even if I could, I doubt you and your pal would be able to speak with him. He has probably got bodyguards nearby twenty-four seven."

The girl cursed under her breath. "Thank you anyway." Turning, she hurried back over to a boy with shaggy, black hair that hung to his shoulders and sat beside him on the large park bench. "Still no luck, master. I'm sorry."

"Sakura, why must we stay in a place with so much miasma? It is truly sickening." The boy grumbled before coughing into his shirt.

"I'm sorry, Atomu, but it is for your protection. The city crowds reduce the chance of you being found."

"Can't you just use your fox fire to locate Kurama?"

"That would risk drawing unwanted attention to ourselves and put you in harm's way, so I cannot. Plus, I'm still not very good at it."

Atomu groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "Then we better keep moving and find Kurama before dark. I don't want to think about what wanders these streets at night."

"I would protect you."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Atomu's mouth. "Then who would protect you?"

"I am a yokai and a familiar; I do not need someone else's protection." Sakura stated simply.

"No you do not." Chucking, Atomu stood up and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Let's take a break from searching for Kurama and grab a bite to eat; I'm starving."

"I do not let you starve." Sakura scowled.

"It's just an expression."