Beeeep. Beep-beep. Beeeep. Beep-beep.

He was so gonna ignore that. There was no freakin' way it was seven already. He was dead. Totally inert. Like, not even able to peel his eyes open tired. He knew what it felt like to wake up at seven after a night like that, and this was definitely not it.

The damn alarm just kept beeping. It was only pulling him farther away from the comforting depths of sleep, and the more coherent he became, the more he realized that ignoring it was the wrong approach. At least, ignoring it before it had been stopped.

He rolled over on his side and fumbled for the "off" button. Screw snooze. He was free today, and if he was this out of it at seven then breakfast could just--

Big red numbers glared back at him as he squinted blearily at the now-silent alarm. "Four o'clock?" he blurted out. Too tired to be outraged, he made a mental note to get mad later. "What's wrong with you? Four in the freakin' morning? On a day off?"

The lump beside him stirred, mumbling something that could have been an apology. It made no further effort to resolve itself into a semi-conscious human being, and Hunter regarded it with grudging concern. It was testament to Cam's exhaustion lately that he couldn't count on his internal clock to get him out of bed.

But really... four in the morning? No wonder he couldn't get up.

"You're such a freak," Hunter muttered. Tugging the nearest corner of the blanket back over his shoulders, he dropped his head onto the pillow with finality. He closed his eyes as he tried to squirm back into a comfortable position. Stupid alarm. Should have checked to make sure Cam hadn't tampered with it before he fell asleep.

The lump moved again, and this time it was a decidedly more proactive gesture. Hunter growled, annoyed when his comfy nest was disturbed a second time. He was so tempted to tell Cam to stop moving or get out. Unfortunately, he knew the option Cam would pick wasn't the one that Hunter would choose, all other things being equal.

So he bit his tongue, opened his eyes again, and tried to be patient. "Where d'you think you're going?"

"Back home," Cam mumbled, the words still slurred from sleep. "Students will be up for sunrise meditation soon."

"So?" Hunter demanded. They were both free today, and he was damn well going to enjoy a morning in bed with his boyfriend. Even if it was just sleeping. "You're not doing it."

"I should go anyway," Cam muttered. For a moment, Hunter thought he meant the meditation, and he was opening his mouth to correct him when Cam added, "So I won't be here when they get up."

Oh. Hunter closed his mouth. That was kind of... depressing. He liked to think that the only reason they weren't together more was because they were too busy. He had never actually mentioned this theory to Cam, since he didn't really want to have it shot down. But the idea that Cam didn't want to be seen leaving his room in the morning did that pretty effectively.

"Everyone on the floor knows you're here," he grumbled, cross at having his vision for the morning challenged. "It's not like you'll be shocking anyone."

Cam didn't move, which Hunter took as an encouraging sign. "Plus I'll just have to go meet you at the Wind Academy later," he continued. He strained his eyes in the dimness, trying to see by the meager light from the window. "Be easier to go together, hook up with Tori then..."

Okay, so it wasn't a good argument. Either way, they all had to meet at the Wind Academy before they got on the road for Blake's race. But it was four in the morning, and all he really wanted to do was sleep. With Cam.

"Well," Cam hesitated. "If you don't care..."

When had this become about him? Obviously he cared. He wanted Cam to stay right where he was. Hunter wasn't the one making him leave. On the other hand, if Cam was going to give in if Hunter accepted responsibility, that was a whole different thing.

"Of course I don't care," he grumbled. "Stay all day. Stay all week. Stay the rest of the year, for all I care. Just quit waking me up at four o'clock. We'll both be happier."

There was silence for a moment. Finally, Cam shifted again and this time it seemed to be a downward movement, back into the comfortable haven of bed and blankets and no ninja responsibilities. "Get back to me," he muttered, "when you stop talking in your sleep."

Eyes already closed, Hunter smiled into the pillow. He had won. Three more hours of sleep. And the next time he woke up, Cam would still be here.

There was no alarm this time. Just the sunlight in through the windows and a vague sense that the day had already started. That was the Academy's fault. Between the so-called "sunrise" meditation, teacher prep, and the ninjas on breakfast duty, it was almost impossible to get up early enough to catch the campus sleeping. Not that he tried very often. Not that he tried at all, actually, but once or twice his return from the Wind Academy had been late enough to be that early.

Cam was curled on his side, facing the wall and apparently still asleep. Firsthand experience had taught him that Cam was an incredibly light sleeper, so he held as still as he could, watching Cam's shoulders shift slowly, minutely, with his breathing. Seven o'clock and he still hadn't woken up on his own. Cam seriously needed some time off.

Hunter shifted just a little, turning his head enough that he could stare comfortably. The fine black lines of Cam's tattoo stood out in sharp contrast to his skin, and he resisted the urge to reach out and run his finger over them. He had finally managed to memorize the Japanese characters, shown them to one of the other teachers and asked her to translate.

Kazoku, she'd told him, proving that his drawing ability was better than he'd thought. Family.

The two parallel lines beside the characters still stumped him, though. They weren't part of the meaning, or so he'd been told. So they were either something else entirely, or just--literally--the number eleven. That didn't make any sense to him, but he hadn't dared to ask after the first time Cam had told him to mind his own business.

Maybe he would ask today.

He heard a sigh, and Cam shifted onto his back. His eyes were still closed, but they opened incrementally as he tilted his head toward Hunter. "Hey," he murmured, his squint easing slowly as he transferred his gaze to the ceiling. "What time is it?"

Without moving from his stomach, Hunter lifted his head and looked over at the clock on the table. It was actually a little after seven... maybe he shouldn't make a fuss over Cam's lack of an internal alarm after all. "Seven-twenty," he said, sliding his arm across the pillow as he laid his head back down on top of it. "You sleep okay?"

Cam considered the ceiling a moment longer. "I seem to remember someone calling me a freak in the middle of the night," he said after a moment. Turning his head toward Hunter again, he added, "Other than that, though... yeah."

"Don't go there," Hunter told him. "If you get upset over the name-calling, I'll have to get upset about the alarm. Trust me--it won't be pretty."

Cam's lips quirked. He pushed himself up on his elbows, and his gaze slid past Hunter. "Hand me my sweats, would you?"

Hunter didn't move. "You mean, my sweats?" He couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face. "Get 'em yourself."

Cam did a pretty good glare for someone who had just woken up. "Has anyone ever told you that you have the emotional maturity of a fifteen-year-old?"

"You've mentioned it once or twice," he agreed smugly. Cam was surprisingly self-conscious about his body, and he usually wouldn't even get out of bed without clothes. Hunter didn't mind embarrassing him every once in a while.

Cam slid out of bed without a word, shooting Hunter a "touch me and die" look as he went. Hunter just smiled, staying right where he was until the sound of Cam's feet on the floor and the whisper of fleece made it safe to stare at him again. He rolled over, glad of the warmth that made Cam forego socks or a shirt as he padded across the room.

"Cam," he said suddenly, catching him just before he would have stepped through the door. Cam looked back at him, a questioning look on his face. "Why eleven?" he asked, reaching up to tap his own shoulder when Cam frowned.

His expression cleared, but he didn't smile. "It's not eleven," he said neutrally. "It's three. In binary."

Binary. Of course. Because everyone used--

Oh. Three? "Family of three," he said quietly, watching Cam's face for confirmation.

Cam hesitated, very still. "You read kanji?" he asked at last.

Hunter propped himself up on one elbow, studying him. "Just yours."

Cam didn't answer right away, but finally he nodded once. "Family of three," he agreed softly.

"When did you get it?" Hunter wanted to know.

Cam shrugged, like it didn't matter. "When I was eighteen," he answered. "Like everyone else." His mouth twisted, maybe wry, maybe something else. "Dad doesn't know I have it."

Definitely wry. "Funny that he wouldn't," Hunter said carefully, not sure how far he was allowed to push.

"Yeah," Cam said shortly. "Funny." He looked like he was about to say something else, but then he shook his head and vanished through the doorway.

Hunter rolled onto his back again, staring at the ceiling as he thought about that. If there was one thing he understood, it was how strong the bonds of family could be. And if there was one thing that bothered him about his relationship with Cam, it was the distance it seemed to be causing between Cam and his father. It was none of his business, really... but he felt somehow responsible.

By the time he got out of bed, pulled on a pair of boxers, and made his way out of the bedroom, Cam had already been and gone from the bathroom and was stretching on the floor in the main room. He woke up disgustingly fast, Hunter decided, especially for someone who consistently got way too little sleep. He took his turn in the bathroom, still thinking about Cam's "family of three."

When he emerged, he made his way over to the couch and leaned against its arm. He wasn't totally sure he was welcome right now, but he figured he would find out. "Can I ask you something?"

Cam glanced up, not releasing his stretch. "Sure," he said, turning his face back to the floor.

Hunter frowned, hitching one hip on the arm of the couch and wondering how to ask. "How much do you remember about your mom?" he asked at last. If nothing else, he thought, it should matter that he cared.

Cam didn't move. "Before I went back in time, or after?" His voice was maybe a little amused, which was a good sign.

"Either," Hunter said with a shrug.

There was another pause, and then Cam said quietly, "Not enough."

Hunter's mouth quirked. He knew that feeling. "Yeah," he agreed sympathetically. "Same here."

Cam lifted his head, shifting the direction of his stretch, and he contemplated Hunter for a moment. "You know what's strange," he said, his tone more intent than it had been before. "Sometimes I feel like... almost, like I know her better than I know Dad."

Hunter waited, but he didn't say anything else. "Because--of us?" he guessed. "The way he is about us, I mean?"

Cam just nodded. "I've known him all my life," he muttered. "I never would have thought he wouldn't be okay with this."

"He'll get over it," Hunter offered, a little uncomfortable. He really didn't know what to say. "I just... you know, take some getting used to."

That made Cam smile, but he shook his head slowly. "It's not you he doesn't like," he said. "It's--I think it's me. The fact that I would... you know. Be with another guy. He's really traditional about some things."

"So is Sensei Omino," Hunter countered. "He's cool with it."

"You're not his son," Cam pointed out.

Hunter opened his mouth, then decided to let Cam have that one. How did he know how his parents would have reacted? Otherwise normal people seemed to freak out over gay issues. He knew there were students at the Academy that didn't like his relationship with Cam, but their view wasn't encouraged and they had so far kept their mouths shut around him. It was only through teacher gossip that he knew the sentiment existed at all.

"I don't know," Cam said with a sigh. "It's not like he lectures me or anything. He didn't disown me. I guess I got off pretty easy, in terms of coming out to family members."

That was a really sad statement. He had gotten off easy because he hadn't been disowned? Hunter frowned. He had a strange family, that was a given, but he'd have laid down the law if any one of them didn't like Cam.

Of course, it was possible that he was thinking a little longer term than Cam was. To him, Cam was family, and even if he didn't dare say it out loud, Cam had become just as important to him as the doofs he called "brother" and "sister." Sure, it would've hurt if they had decided that straight was the only way to be... but he just couldn't wrap his mind around the idea.

Maybe that was what it came down to. He couldn't picture it. He just couldn't imagine people who called themselves "family" turning their back on one of their own because of the way they loved.

He was such a sap. And he couldn't even admit it aloud, because none of it helped Cam. He also couldn't ask whether it was Hunter, specifically, that Cam wanted his father to come to terms with, or just the idea of being gay in general. Maybe it wasn't a fair question... but teacher contracts would be up for renewal soon. He wouldn't mind knowing where they stood before he committed to another year.

"We should go," Cam said abruptly, unfolding himself from the floor and turning toward the bedroom. "I'm going to go change."

"Wait--" That had deserved an answer, and he had totally dropped the ball. This wasn't all about him. "Cam, your dad's gonna come around. He's open-minded. He accepted his three worst students as Rangers, right? And us. Me and Blake... he accepted us even after we were on the wrong side twice, right?"

Cam had paused, his back to Hunter. He didn't answer, and Hunter continued, "Maybe he just needs to get used to it, you know? I mean... you said he doesn't lecture you. So he's not trying to change you. He's just... maybe he's just--surprised. I don't know."

Cam turned, lifting one hand to push his glasses up before he seemed to remember he wasn't wearing them. "Yeah," he said reluctantly, catching Hunter's eye. "I want to think that's true."

"I think it is," Hunter said firmly. A little conviction would probably go a long way here. "So... let's go, eat breakfast or something, and let your dad work things out for himself."

Cam just looked at him. "I thought we were going to eat on the road."

"I'm hungry," Hunter replied. Actually, he just wanted to know whether Cam would go to breakfast with him "in public," so to speak. "It won't take long. And maybe it'll keep Tor from complaining that all I do is look for places to eat."

"I thought you just did that to annoy her," Cam remarked, looking more amused than anything. Was that a yes, Hunter wondered?

"Can I help it if she eats like a girl?" he inquired. "Between her and Blake, I don't know how either of them has the energy to do half the stuff they do."

"It's called nutrition," Cam informed him. "They don't eat empty--"

"Don't want to hear it," Hunter interrupted, talking over him. "Nutrition is about not going hungry, okay? After that it's way too much work. Point me toward the buffet line."

"Which opens at eight," Cam said smoothly. Maybe they had argued over food one too many times. "So if we're going to get to the Wind Academy when we said we would, we need to get moving."

"You don't think we should go like this?" Hunter did his best to project an air of puzzled curiosity.

It was worth it for the look Cam gave him. He smiled to himself as Cam headed for the bedroom without another word. That was definitely a yes. Score one on the relationship front. He wondered idly if Sensei Watanabe would hear about this, and if he did, whether he would say anything to Cam. If holding hands was bad, breakfast was probably a whole other level of inappropriateness.

Cam was dressed before he was, probably because he had everything he needed in a knapsack and didn't have to go searching for it. He amused himself by watching Hunter change, making sarcastic comments about anything that caught his eye, and generally warming up for the day's road trip. He had a tendency to spend his time on such trips either being snarky or staring at Hunter--sometimes both simultaneously--and Hunter couldn't say that he minded very much.

Cam was a lot funnier than he gave himself credit for. It was just because he was so smart, Hunter often thought, that some of his humor went over other people's heads. Or maybe they just weren't looking for it. Cam did deadpan so well that sometimes it was hard to tell whether he was serious or not.

And as far as the staring went... well, Cam was in good company on that one. Hunter tried to make up for all the time he didn't get to see Cam by watching him like a hawk--or maybe, a beetle?--when they were together. It could be its own hobby: Cam-watching. He could go pro in a matter of hours.

Finally they were both ready, and only a few minutes after breakfast had officially begun. The morning meal was an informal affair on the weekends, with so many students off-site or just sleeping in. The hallway was empty as they left, although they passed Ethan at the door on their way out. "Senseis," he said, nodding to them and continuing without a second glance.

Things were quiet outside too, although there was a subtle hum in the air that would linger and intensify throughout the day. The concentration of ninjas did something to the local elements, making them... easier to read, or more responsive, or something. Hunter hadn't quite figured it out yet, but he knew that the more people there were around, the more energized the site felt. In downtown Blue Bay Harbor the reverse was often true.

Most of the occupied tables in the dining hall only had a few people at them when they walked in, and after they had collected something to eat they claimed their own empty table. It was typical of early Saturdays that the people who were up were up for reasons other than socializing. There were never enough of them to fill the room, either, so people tended to spread out.

"Good morning, Hunter."

He didn't jump, but if he had been anywhere else he might have. "Man, Sensei, way to scare a guy out of his wits. Are you on stealth duty this morning or what?"

"I fear it is no testament to your ninja skills that you can not detect a person approaching you from behind in a nearly empty dining hall," Sensei replied, his grave tone belied by the amusement in his eyes.

"Good morning, Cam," he added, ignoring Hunter's snort. "Perhaps you could assist our head teacher in rediscovering the true way of the ninja?"

Cam smiled, just a little. "I'll do my best," he replied.

"Hey!" Hunter exclaimed. "I don't need you two ganging up on me! I get enough of that from the teachers!"

"You will find, I think, that there is a reason for the traditional discipline of the Thunder Academy." Sensei's tone was mild, but Hunter knew a reproof when he heard one. Sensei Omino didn't think Hunter ran his classes as strictly as he should, although it was a discussion they'd had several times.

"We'll see," Hunter said noncommittally. He didn't know whether being so close to Sensei had given him more or less leeway in his duties as head teacher, but he was allowed to make his own mistakes. He wasn't going to do anything just because "that's the way we've always done it."

"You will be off to Blake's race this morning?" Sensei inquired, letting the old argument slide. He knew perfectly well what they were doing, too. It was just a polite way of changing the subject.

"Yeah," Hunter said, reaching over to steal one of Cam's grapes. "We're going over to the Wind Academy right after breakfast to pick up Tori. We'll tell Blake you wished him luck."

"Do that," Sensei agreed with a small smile. "Tell him also, if you would, how proud I am of him. Although he has not chosen to pursue the way of the ninja at this time, I hope he knows that I find his current endeavors equally worthwhile. He will always have a place here."

Hunter swallowed, shooting a quick glance at Cam. "I'll tell him, Sensei. He'll be glad to hear it."

Sensei saw and correctly interpreted the look. "You too are always welcome here," he told Cam. "I know that your Academy has not been completely... tolerant, this past winter. You will not find such a reaction here, from me or from any teacher I employ."

"Thank you," Cam said quietly. He lifted his eyes for a moment, and there was a glint of gratitude in his expression. "I appreciate that."

Sensei nodded once. "I will leave you to your day off," he told them. "Greet Tori for me as well, if you will."

"Sure thing," Hunter said with a grin. "We'll tell her you're waiting up."

Sensei raised his eyebrows, but he said only, "Stay out of trouble, Hunter." Giving Cam a pointed look, he reiterated, "Do your best to keep him and trouble apart."

Hunter sighed loudly, but Cam looked amused. "I try," he told Sensei Omino. "I really do try."

"We are all grateful for your effort," Sensei said, very seriously.

"Don't you have cryptic things you should be telling your students or something?" Hunter demanded.

Sensei smiled. "Good day, Senseis," he said, inclining his head formally.

"Good day to you too," Hunter muttered, but the grumbling was just for show. He was thoroughly pleased with Cam's reception. He caught Cam's eye as Sensei turned away. "Feel at home yet?"

Cam's mouth quirked, but his reply was serious. Toying with his breakfast, he said quietly, "I wish home was like this."