Go where this voice gets stronger

Nobody's here. We're going up now.

**Mekaito said this matter of factly, lowering and grabbing Kaito from behind. His eyes faced up as he squeezed tightly, shooting over the wall again and disappearing from KAITO's sight. Once there, he set down the pale-looking Kaito, who went to hide behind a building while trying very hard to suppress and hold in his coughing. If they were found, he'd have a whole lot of explaining to do.

Soon the little robot was back for KAITO**

It went well. Your turn.

**and very soon, KAITO was experiencing the flight that made him so curious about Mekaito. It was over quickly, though KAITO was heavier so Mekaito looked a little tired afterwards. He leaned a hand against the building, glancing between his partners and the ground.**

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[If KAITO was completely honest, he didn't think Mekaito could actually carry him over. He was prepared to explain that he could stay outside while the master recovered. So when the little robot hoisted him up and flew him over so easily, he couldn't help but jerk in surprise.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he steadies himself. Looking around for the robot, he saw it looking... really tired. Of course, when it just lifted two full-sized bodies over a tall wall. Feeling a little sorry for making the little Kaito do so much work, he walks over and scoops him up into his arms. Mekaito's weight wasn't much of a problem to him, although he was heavier than expected.

Quickly looking around, he spotted the master and jogged on over. He stayed silent, waiting for the next step.]

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**Kaito looked relieved when he saw that KAITO was carrying little Kaito, although a bit concerned that the little robot seemed so worn out. He had wondered if carrying KAITO would be a problem for the little guy, but it seemed that he'd at least made it over. Why had his father made the little robot so strong, anyway? Did he think it'd be fighting monsters like some kind of super hero? Well, better not to think about it.**

Okay ....

**he stifled a cough with his hand, looking around to get his bearings**

... My house should still be the way I left it. Let's go there and figure out what to do next.

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Okay, [he says in a 'whisper'. He shifts Mekaito so that he's carrying the robot in a more comfortable position before he begins to follow.

It's difficult, to say the least. As they sneak around, heading for Kaito's home, KAITO can't help but notice how painfully similar things looked. The buildings, the roads, the layout of the neighborhood... he wanted to blame it on the same nostalgia that kept him searching for 'home', but it was almost too alike to brush off.

His grip on Mekaito tightened as he tried to focus himself. He needed to ignore it. He had to. For his master's sake. Mekaito's as well.]

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**Kaito, meanwhile, didn't feel much pain - he did, however, feel kind of like an idiot acting like some kind of a secret agent in his own hometown. How did it come to this...

But soon enough, he'd brought them home. He hoped his key was where he still hid it.

It was. Phew. He always did think his hiding spot was ingenious, apparently it served him well. The door was unlocked, and he reached for its handle to pull it open. The inside was very plain - gray walls, gray curtains on the window. No fancy or impractical furniture, everything in its place. The bedroom was further into the house, and so was his father's secret room. Kaito noticed a book on his desk. That was from the library, and it was really overdue now that he'd dropped everything to adventure from the city. Geh.

Would it be too conspicuous to return it before they left?

Better not to think about it. He stepped further into his house, soaking it in. He was back among society, although they couldn't know he was there.

There was a picture on the wall near his father's secret room - a picture of young Kaito with his father. He really did look a lot like Mekaito.**

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[If KAITO were human, he would've been holding his breath. It's like he's stepped right into the past before everything went wrong. Maybe when he was first 'born'. His hold on Mekaito turned into one of comfort, rather than necessity. He felt like a stranger in a familiar world.

It took a lot of willpower to step into the main area of the home. He addresses Kaito:]

You should rest now.

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Err -

**he was a bit full of feelings from returning, but they HAD come back for exactly that purpose, so he decided not to argue**

- Right. Yeah.

The bedroom's this way... **he wandered off toward it. It wouldn't be too hard to fall asleep in a real bed, right?**

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[KAITO just. Keeps an eye on him, just to make sure the man makes it to his bed without dying on the way there. B|]

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**takin' the radio with him cause falling asleep to music is habitual now. orz

Okay I'm in bed now ARE YOU HAPPY jeez**

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[YES finally. I mean, seriously. You're sick, dude.

/ahem

He looks down at Mekaito. The little robot has been relatively quiet, so he asks:]

How are you feeling?

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**Mekaito mutters some random incoherent noises.**

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[...yeah, that said a lot. KAITO carries him over to the nearby couch and lays him down. Mekaito worked really hard to carry them over; he deserved some rest. He takes his long-coat off and drapes it over Mekaito like a huge blanket. Of course, robots couldn't exactly get cold. It was mostly as a gesture.]

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**he looks up slightly when the coat is draped on him, but Kaito did the same when he was hiding him the very first time he was sent over the walls. So he just kind of rolls with it and shuts down for a while**

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[And that's that. KAITO wasn't sure if he should join them and go into sleep mode just yet. Everything was still both new and not-new to him. He straightened up and looked around a bit before finally indulging his curiosity.

Everything was... relatively plain. No television, no computer, no buzzing cellphones or any other electronics. Just enough things to get by with. Nothing very excessive. He couldn't help but wonder if other people lived the same way. After being with Kaito for this long, he didn't think that this home suited the man very much at all.

He stepped carefully and quietly, peeking around corners of the home to sneak a glance into rooms. There wasn't much -- just standard stuff. Some books, a few photos...

...oh, there was one with the master as a child. He looked exactly like Mekaito (or the other way around). He smiled--

--and then promptly froze when he saw the father.

If he had a heart, maybe it would've stopped. Maybe he would've died. The father in the photo... looked so much like his previous master. The one who left, just like everyone else.

It was too much to look at. He turned away and returned to the main area. Mekaito was still sleeping peacefully on the couch, and he could only assume Kaito was doing the same.

He suddenly felt very tired.

Sitting on the floor, he leaned back against the foot of the couch and closed his eyes. It him took much longer to fall asleep.]

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**Kaito had still been coughing throughout the night, but sleeping had been considerably easier than it was out in the wild. In the morning when he woke up, he felt only slightly less crappy than he had been lately. But he remembered - in a house, there were medicine cabinets.

So he'd taken some over-the-counter medicine that had been in there the entire time, checked on the androids, and then searched his cupboards just in case there was anything. However, as he thought, he'd packed all of his unperishable stuff when he left.

Therefore he grabbed a bite from their usual supplies and thought about reading some of the library books they'd 'checked out.' The books weren't any use to them while they were wandering around in nature, so he hadn't looked at them, but just in the other room was his father's secret computer. The least he could do while recovering was continue his research.**

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[KAITO only slightly woke up at the sound of someone moving around. Part of him acknowledged that someone in the environment was awake, but the rest of him remained in a suspended state. It was likely the human Kaito, his processors deduced. There didn't seem to be an urgent reason to wake up, at the moment.

Either way, when he was deep in sleep mode like this, it was a little difficult to come out of it. He was the equivalent of an old man now.]

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**the other two members of the Kaito squad had settled around the couch, and both seemed to be asleep. Well, no reason to wake them up. He had no idea that KAITO was registering anything that was going on - human sleep and robot sleep were different, something he had no idea about. He picked up a key from the table, scooped up some of library books, and turned his head slightly toward his friends as they caught his eye again.**

....It's my turn to start helping you.

Next time, for sure...

**he mumbled as he slipped the key into the door of his father's sanctuary.**

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[Help... them? Things were starting to piece together now. Was that why he was studying? Why he continued to insist on studying, even now? But they hadn't malfunctioned at all during their travels. In fact, KAITO was proud of how able he was the past few weeks. He still might've been a little rusty here and there, but it was of little concern to him now.

Now that his mind was whirring, his body was also starting to stir. As he was waking, he thought of what to do. Should he stop Kaito? But the man wasn't doing anything wrong, other than studying. In fact, studying here in the comfort of the home, was much better than remaining outside. And they were still, technically, in hiding from the rest of his city. Maybe the human couldn't go outside.

He was awake, his eyes blinking open, but he didn't make any effort to move. Things... were a little safer now, weren't they? Maybe it would be all right to let Kaito do as he wanted.]

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**Suddenly KAITO's coat which was being used as a blanket got a bulge in the middle as the little robot sat up. A moment later, Mekaito pulled the garment off his head and looked around, noticing KAITO at the foot of the couch**

... Oh

Good morning.

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[Since Mekaito greeted him, it'd only be polite to greet back. He was fully awake by now anyway, even if he felt like he hadn't really 'slept' at all. He looked over his shoulder to see the little 'bot.]

Good morning. Do you feel better?

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I think so...

**Mekaito sure wasn't as tired as he had been the day before, but he didn't know if he'd recharged enough to do any more heavy lifting. He started to assess himself, still talking.**

We're staying in the house, right?

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[He nodded.]

I think so. We're not allowed outside, because we're not supposed to be here.

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Okay.

**the little robot looked behind him at the window. He remembered when he had first woken up, he stared out of it with curiosity as his new Master told him the same thing - not to go out. He never understood it, but he never questioned it either.**

Is Master still sick?

**he'd never gotten sick before, and he was the only human he'd been around for any length of time. He had no idea how long it would take someone to recover, but apparently houses were VERY IMPORTANT to that and so he figured it couldn't be that much longer now. Maybe he would even be better by the time he woke up.**

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