A/N: Going away on vacation, so I thought I'd post beforehand. This chapter is rather shorter than usual and ends in a really evil place, but I do like the effect, if not so much the length. *shrugs*

Hm, didn't get many reviews last chapter. Guess I've let this poor thing sit for too long, eh? *sighs* Ah well, it really can't be helped. Hopefully its old readers will find it again.

. . . I really want Li to meet Koryu. -_-;; Damn plot keeps getting in the way, though. XD

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"Having Tea With Beautiful People"

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Koryu was bewildered, to say the least.

The Kinomotos were quite possibly the most friendly, endearing people that he had ever met. Even more so than the selfless Kohaku, in fact, and he could not bring himself to dislike them in the least for it, which was an unusual feeling for him. Their individual actions were slightly irritating at times, true, but Nadeshiko and Fujitaka themselves were wonderful and made him feel all floaty.

True, that might be partly because of the fact that Nadeshiko was a very delicious-looking soul, but he couldn't bring himself to so much as nibble at her skirts. She was too kind, too beautiful. It was no wonder that her husband was still so enamored of her, despite the fact that they could no longer touch.

Besides, Fujitaka had made him tea, and while Earl Grey wasn't quite a pure soul, it was pretty damn good the way that guy made it.

Plus, there were scones. Koryu liked scones. Especially with jam, and Fujitaka had really good jam.

It is kind of hard to be evil with jam on your face, though.

"Hold still," Fujitaka said, wiping at Koryu's mouth with a napkin. The demon resisted the urge to remind them that he wasn't an infant. They hadn't seemed to understand the first eight times he'd explained, so why waste the energy?

"Would you like some milk too?" Nadeshiko inquired politely, withdrawing her head from the refrigerator door. "We've got an awful lot of it. Touya seems to like it more than usual lately."

"No thanks," Koryu replied, shaking his head. "Not my style, you know?"

"I don't think there's any sake, if that's what you mean," she said doubtfully, going back into the fridge. "There's a bottle of wine and a six-pack," the ghost called back a moment later. "Would either of those do?"

"Whatever." Koryu shrugged. Fujitaka smiled at him and moved to the refrigerator, rummaging through it briefly and returning with a carton of orange juice.

"I think it's a bit early to be drinking, Nadeshiko," he said in amusement as he poured Koryu a glass. "And I can't imagine that Koryu-kun has much of an alcohol tolerance."

"Hey!" Koryu bristled. "I do so!" he protested.

"Oh, there's a note over here!" Nadeshiko exclaimed suddenly.

"I already saw it, dear," Fujitaka told her with an amused smile. "It's from Li-kun- he and the children went out to pick up Tsukishiro-kun."

"Oh, good." Nadeshiko beamed at him. "I'm glad he's back. He's a very nice boy. Today's been so wonderful!" she added with a giggle. "I finally got to talk to Touya again!"

"You what?" Fujitaka looked startled. "But . . . HOW?"

Koryu suddenly realized why that name had been tickling the back of his brain. "This Touya you keep mentioning . . ." he began slowly.

"He's our son!" Nadeshiko chirped proudly.

Never mind, then. Mortals couldn't have an angel for a child- the name was just a coincidence.

But, uncomfortably, Koryu remembered a conversation he'd had on a bus once with a friendly redheaded woman. She'd said, 'In this life there are no coincidences- there is only the inevitable.' And, for some reason, he'd remembered it.

Only he wasn't sure just what kind of "inevitable" this was supposed to be.

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O:D

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"I really don't mean to be so troublesome, but I'm fine now, honestly," Yukito reasserted for the fifth time. Shuichiro was not deterred.

He was, however, interrupted.

"YUKI!" Touya literally bolted into the hospital room, his hands automatically grabbing his friend's and eyes scanning him worriedly. "What happened, are you all right, I thought this wasn't supposed to be going on anymore, I was so-"

"BREATHE, Kinomoto," Li cut in, elbowing him sharply as he entered. "He'll be fine."

"You don't know that," Touya said with a dark glare.

"Actually, I do," Li informed him with a slight smile, and then turned his attentions to Yukito, bowing slightly. Again, he seemed disturbingly like Eriol. "It is so good to see you again, Yukito-san," he said, relief clear in his voice.

Yukito giggled slightly. "Nice to see you too, Li-kun," he replied with a smile. "How've you been?"

"Much better, now that I'm home," Li told him, returning the smile and again redirecting his attention, this time to Shuichiro. "Doctor," he said politely, bowing for the second time. Shuichiro nodded in return, and Li gave him the sweetest smile he could, sensing the other's lacking people skills and hoping to put them on better terms.

After all, he needed to find a polite way to kick him out before visiting hours were up. He really didn't feel up to sneaking around a hospital, especially since it was usually so crowded and happened to sport several very bored security guards. It could be done, of course, but it would be so much simpler to get this all over with now.

"Shall we wait for Sakura, or should I just cast a sleep spell myself?" Li asked Touya finally, tilting his head towards Shuichiro. "It's unlikely that the doctor will remember very much, and Sakura could always use Erase on him if necessary. Only, we don't have much time before visiting hours end . . . "

The other three stared at him.

"A sleep spell?" Shuichiro frowned slightly out of curiosity. "Are you an angel or a demon?" he asked after a moment's reflection. He was more or less used to magic by now, though it was a surprise to find it at his place of work- before, it had never really seemed to touch this place, or at least not its interiors.

"I'm just a human," Li replied with a shrug, looking mildly pleased that the other knew about such things. "Touya is an angel, though. And Yukito, of course," and here he smiled warmly at the bedridden young man, who looked puzzled by the "angel" comment, "is as always himself."

"If you need me to leave, I can," Shuichiro told him with a faint shrug. "As long as you won't be doing anything that might hurt one of our patients, I don't mind."

"That would be very kind of you," Li said with yet another smile. "You don't really have to go if you already believe in magic, but I'd like to check Yukito-san out before it gets dark. We really do need to get home while Touya is still . . . well, you know, if you know that there ARE angels." He shrugged slightly, looking a little sheepish.

"Yes, I know," Shuichiro replied with a small nod. "I'll get the release forms. I'm assuming you'll be quick?"

"If Yue cooperates, yes," Li agreed. The doctor shrugged slightly and left, not bothering to ask what that had meant.

Meanwhile, on the bed, Yukito was already in the familiar trance that heralded Yue's appearance. A brief light show later, the guardian slipped off the bed and met Touya's eyes solemnly.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly.

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* tbc . . . *

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. : angels never came down

there's no one here that they wanna hang around

but if they knew, if they knew you at all

god knows even angels fall : .