Chapter 49

'Ready everyone?' Hao asked.

'Of course! Let go kick some a-'

'Haruka language!' Karin chastised.

'Oops...sorry.'

'Let's go. Zero, lead the way.' Hao said knowing that Zero could snuff them out quickly. Zero let out a howl and darted off in one particular direction with the rest of the gang hot on its heels.

'Who's there?!'

Emily paused in between the process of stuffing her mouth full of chocolate cookies and stared at the door in alarm.

Her original plan had been to eat just a few cookies in the jar to suppress her hunger. The moment the cookie hit her taste buds however, the thought flew out the window as quickly as it came. She have completely forgotten how heavenly chocolate cookies tasted.

In hindsight, she should have took the whole jar with her and go somewhere safer but by the time she thought of it (which is now), it was too late.

She squeaked when a paring knife came soaring past her cheek leaving a small cut. She clutched her cheek. She couldn't believe that she can actually felt the pain of being cut. What is going on? Isn't she supposed to be dead?

A woman who had curly cyan hair tied in a ponytail darted forward welding a sharp butcher knife as if about to attack.

'What the-You're just a kid!' She went pale and dropped the knife.

'Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I really thought you were another run of the mill assassins or burglars or something! Thank god I only gave you a small cut. Yuuji-sama would have killed me otherwise!' She rambled as she took out a first aid kit out of the drawer.

'W-Who are you?' Emily asked shaking slightly.

'Me? Oh! My name is Gei Yin. Everyone calls me Yin.' She said with a slight accent in her voice as she cleaned the cut on Emily's face.

'You're not from here are you?' Emily asked hesitantly.

'No, I'm from China. What are you doing here though? Kids shouldn't sneak in to other people's house.'

'Yin!'

'Sephira? When did you get here?' Yin asked. Sephira took one look at Emily's bleeding cheek and sighed.

'I told you not to get caught.' Sephira said.

'Are we done yet?' Kazane asked impatiently.

'Almost...' Akane said tiredly. She reactivated the magic circle for the umpteenth time. Kazane stabbed at the monster and watched as it regenerated.

'Next one!'

'Okay...'

'Akane!' Kotone rushed to steady her younger sister as she swayed on her feet. Kotone turned to her older sister.

'That's enough Kazane! She's overexerting herself.'

'We have no choice. Without their regeneration ability, those monsters would be finished in less than 10-no, less than 5 minutes.'

'She already cast the spell for about 58 of them! Its more than enough to go against Fuyuki! Besides, Yuuji will be in no condition to fight.'

'Better to be safe than to be sorry Kotone.'

'But-'

'It's fine. I-I can still keep going!' Akane said as she staggered towards another monster trapped in the magic circle that have yet to be activated. Kotone gritted her teeth. If there was one thing Akane and Yuuji have in common, it was their habit of over exerting their own powers to the extent of harming themselves.

'Akane-' Akane shook her head cutting Kotone off.

'Don't worry. I won't fail you like Asahi and Fumiya did.' Akane said.

'No...its not that...' Kotone thought to herself urgently.

'Unbelievable...this is...healing magic.' Kotone whispered in awe as she stared at her unblemished arms. She turned to Shiro who looked pale and completely worn out.

'But then...Takumi, why didn't you-'

'I swear Kotone, I tried to bring him back but...Tak-nii, he...he felt too ashamed to face everyone after well, everything.' Shiro answered tiredly as he swayed slightly. Kotone stared at Shiro as if seeing him for the very first time. Shiro smiled in sadness and resignation.

'I'm sorry everything turned out like this.' Kotone could barely heard him even with her keen ears.

The sound of a gun shot rippled through the air.

Kotone clenched her fists. Something felt really wrong. Yuuji killed Takumi. There was no doubt about that since she was there when it happened. Yet Takumi was the one who had felt ashamed for everything? Why? What really happened? Most importantly, what did he meant by 'bring him back'?

Kotone walked away. For some reason, she kept feeling as if she have missed something really important ever since that conversation with Yuu.

'Our relationship is a little...complicated.' Hikari said.

'You do realize I have all the time in the world to listen right?' Yuu deadpanned. Hikari gave a mysterious smile.

'You sure? Because I wouldn't say that if I were you.' Hikari said as she rested her head in the palm of her hand.

'What do you mean?'

'Look at your hands.' Yuu's eyes widened. He lifted his hand up and watched his hand went translucent for a short moment before materializing back to normal. Takumi let out a sharp intake of breath and walked towards them.

'Y-You're...still alive.' Takumi burst into a huge grin.

'What does this have to do with-oof!' Yuu didn't get to finish as Takumi scoop him up for a bone crushing hug.

'Thank god! YOU'RE STILL ALIVE YOU BRAT! YOU HAD ME WORRIED FOR A SECOND THERE!'

'Wait! Tak-nii! Don't-whoa!' Yuu couldn't finish as Takumi he lifted him high in the air and twirled him around in circles all the while laughing merrily.

'Don't worry! I will not miss you! So don't ever think of coming back alright! If you do, I'll kill you!' Takumi stated with unbridled glee.

'How do you kill someone when he's dead?' Yuu mumbled as Takumi placed him down.

'I will find my ways. Anyways, tell mom and dad I love them! Then tell Shin-chan to play skateboard as much as he likes and make his Onii-chan proud!'

'Don't you think your parents will kill me for encouraging skateboarding?' Yuu sweat dropped.

'You didn't encourage him. I DID. Anyway, tell Kaoru-chan not too eat to much sweets or she's going to lose all her teeth. Then tell Sara-chan to be good. Then you have to tell Shinagawa-sensei to send lots and lots of food at my graveyard! I haven't ate her home cooked meals for AGES! Then you have to tell Nakamura to take good care of my horse and make sure he's healthy or I will haunt him in his dreams! Then you have to tell...' Takumi proceeded to list out every single person that he knew in the mansion and what message he wanted to deliver to them. Hikari chuckled at Yuu's exasperated face.

'This is it?' Yukino asked as she eyed the abandoned building. Zero let out a bark as if to reply.

'Apparently so.' Hao said.

'Watch out!' Karin exclaimed.

A blur rushed out of the building towards them and was repelled quickly by a blast of wind from Haruka. It was an oni with one eye. The oni dashed forward swiftly and Yoh sliced it in half.

The oni screeched as it regenerated.

'Spirit of Fire!' Hao called out and the oni burst into flames.

Haruka cracked his knuckles.

'Looks like we've got company already.' Haruka stated as onis of different sizes poured out of the building. Everyone else readied themselves.

'He's waking up.' Marco said as he leveled his gun closer.

Just then, Shiro's eyes snapped open. He looked around the place in confusion before his eyes focused on the familiar gun in front of his face. He rolled his eyes.

'Marco, I hope for your sake that this is not the way you always greet Victoria and Maria when they woke up from their sleep.' Shiro drawled. Marco sputtered and Shiro took the chance to bypass the gun aiming for his head and sit up.

'I'll kill you!' Shiro jerked at Marco's thought filtering into his mind. A wave of dizziness struck him and he clutched his head that was covered in bandage.

Oh no...

'You insolent brat! I'll ki-'

'Marco, that's enough.' Jeanne ordered. Marco reluctantly backed off.

'Now that he's awake, we have to find the ghost girl...' Jeanne's voice sounded in his mind.

Shiro felt slightly sick. As if his mind was slowly waking up, different thoughts and emotions were slowly filtering into his mind.

'I can hear them talking, should I go in yet? But what if Ms. Jeanne and sensei was not done healing him and I disrupt the whole process?'

'He better not do anything funny to Lady Sati. I will personally kill him if he does.'

'Damn, what if he attacks Lady Sati?'

'I wonder if he is as strong as Hao? I pray not. Otherwise, I won't be able to stop him if he decided to attack Lady Sati.'

'Finally, I am finished with cleaning this room! Now, onto the next one.'

'I have to hurry! I am late for my briefing! Camille is going to kill me!'

'What should I eat after this?'

'ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO WHAT JEANNE-SAMA IS SAYING?!' Marco's bellow snapped him out of his overwhelming thoughts.

'W-What?' Shiro rasped.

'I am asking on behalf of Jeanne-sama for the fifth time, where is the ghost girl?!'

'Marco-san, wait.'

'I do not have the obligation to listen to you! You woman-'

'Do not address Lady Sati with such disrespect!'

'Marco, you should not address people with such disrespect. Vile words are the roots of evil.'

'But Jeanne-sama-'

'SHUT UP!' Shiro screamed clutching his head in pain. Marco frowned at him. He was looking increasingly pale by the second. Did the healing process not work?

Utsuki burst into the room.

'What happened-oh!'

Shiro flew out of bed and ran for the bathroom, holding his mouth. A few seconds later, the sound of retching could be heard from within.

Haruka glared at the back of Hao's head as they followed Zero who was slightly ahead. Hao glanced at Haruka and he glared even harder.

'You got something to say Haruka?' Haruka snorted.

'I have A LOT to say.'

'Well, let's hear it then. Wouldn't want you to be distracted in the middle of a battle now do we?' Hao said while mentally rolling his eyes.

'As if! I probably wouldn't even get to lift a finger with the way you're going!' Haruka snarled. Hao shrugged.

'What can I say? Spirit of Fire is hungry.'

'THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN JUST FINISH THEM ALL IN ONE SWOOP! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THIS TOGETHER! YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST HAVE THE COURTESY TO LEAVE SOME MONSTERS FOR US! WHAT ARE WE EVEN HERE FOR IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF AND BURN OFF EVERY SINGLE MONSTER?!' Haruka said as he gestured wildly to Yoh and the others.

'I can't help it if my Spirit of Fire's fast.' Haruka let out an annoyed growl. Hao purposely tilted his head to one side and blink innocently.

'Haruka, the faster we finish this the faster we can go home right?' Hao continued. Haruka twitched at his overly innocent tone and the all too familiar posture. He let out a long suffering sigh.

'That was a low blow. Did you have to do that Fuyuki? Seriously?' Haruka grumbled.

'Do what?' Hao queried giving another innocent blink. Haruka gave him an unimpressed stare. Yoh couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

'What's so funny Yoh-dono?' Amidamaru asked.

'Owhh...right. You guys probably didn't notice but Hao-nii was imitating Shiro-nii. Shiro-nii does that to Kaoru-san once when she was trying to steal dessert from the kitchen after lunch. It was surprisingly quite effective.' Yoh replied.

'I did not imitate Shiro.' Hao huffed.

'Yes, you are.' Haruka said smirking.

'No, I'm not.' Hao retorted.

'Whatever helps you sleep at night.' Yoh replied cheekily. Everyone snickered. Hao glared at them in annoyance.

'Look, we don't have time to waste. Let's get moving.' Hao bit out.

['Aniki...'] Hao froze. Yoh sobered quickly the moment he noticed Hao's change in expression.

['Shiro?']

['Help me...'] Shiro whimpered.

'Guys, time out. Let's take a short break here.' Hao said and walked away.

'What? But-' Yoh stopped Haruka from chasing after him.

'It's fine Haruka-san.'

'5 seconds ago he was the one who wanted to finish things up quickly and now he asks for a time out?!' Karin whacked his brother on the head.

'Think Haruka, what could possibly stop him from whatever he's doing? What or rather, WHO could be of such an importance?' Haruka's eyes widened.

'He's finally awake.' Yukino said with a relieved smile on her face.

Standing a few feet away, Hao communicated with Shiro through their mind link.

['Shiro, what happened?! I thought they were supposed to heal you?!']

['They did but...t-the seal...']

['What happened to the seal?'] Hao asked urgently. Those idiots couldn't have...

['...it's gone.'] Hao swore mentally using every single language he had learnt all his life.

['My head really hurts...Nii-chan, what am I supposed to do? I can't stop the flow of thoughts from coming in.'] Hao never heard Shiro sound so pitiful. He mentally cursed Sati. She was so going to pay for that.

['Shiro, you have leave the mansion. There are too many people there. Their thoughts will poison you.']

['O-Okay. When will you be here?']

Silence...

['You were going after them weren't you?'] Hao let out a sigh.

['Take care of yourself while I'm away. I'll be back before you know it.']

['...Okay.'] Hao almost cringed at the disappointment lacing his tone. Almost.

He walked back towards the rest now more determined than ever to finish this quickly.

'Keep calm...Deep breath...keep calm...I can do this.' Shiro told himself as he tried his best to get use to the myriads of thoughts and emotions going through his head.

He frowned slightly as he stared at his hands. While his reishi have returned, he had yet to feel that overwhelming influx of furyoku that usually means his powers are going berserk.

'It's probably cause it got sealed off for way too long.' Shiro thought to himself. He'd wager that he have at most about half an hour or so before his powers start acting up.

'I better get out of here before my power restores itself. Otherwise...' Shiro cringed as he thought of all the devastation his powers could cause.

'Where's Yuuji?!' A loud exclamation made Shiro blink a few times. Iria never sounded so alarmed before. He washed his face and braced himself mentally. He winced at the onslaught of emotions and thoughts the moment he stepped out of the bathroom.

'Right here Iria, could you keep it down? My head's about to split in half here.' Iria gasped.

'How did-' Iria didn't get to finish as Shinagawa swept past her and slapped him hard on the face. Aria's jaws dropped. Utsuki, Yainage, Jackson and Cado gaped. Marco whistled while Jeanne's eyes widened a fraction. Lady Sati merely blinked once.

Iria swallowed nervously. Her sensei have never looked so angry before.

'You foolish brat! Do you know how worried everyone has been?!'

'I'm sorry...' Shiro said quietly.

'Don't ever do that again!' She said and pull him into a tearful hug. Shiro went rigid instantly and closed his eyes as her emotions and thoughts literally flooded his head. He forced himself to slowly relax and awkwardly pat her back. Shinagawa pulled back and Shiro passed her the tissue box before she could wipe her tears using her sleeves.

Shinagawa accepted the box with a nostalgic smile. He always had been good at reading people, giving them what they need even when they didn't utter a single word.

'I'm so sorry, I couldn't hold myself back. The doctor said you were never going to wake up you see...' Shinagawa said dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Her eyes hardened and she adopted a stern look that usually meant the person on the receiving end of that stare was in trouble. Shiro took a step back in alarm.

'You got shot in the head and went into a coma! At the age of 16! What do you have to say for yourself?!'

'Errr...I got...careless?' Shiro replied hesitantly.

'You don't do careless Yuu.' Aria coughed out and Shiro shot her a glare.

'You should be thankful I am not your mother young man! You are so grounded otherwise!' Shinagawa scolded and Shiro have the decency to look slightly sheepish.

'I really am sorry Shinagawa-sensei. I'll do better next time.' Shiro said sincerely.

'You better.' Camille muttered under her breath.

Shiro's eyes swept around the room until it landed on Zen.

'Ah! It's you again!' Shiro said.

'I believe I haven't introduced myself yet during our last meeting. My name's Zen! Takahashi Zen.'

'You can call me Shiro or Yuu.' Zen blinked a few times.

'What's your last name?' Shiro averted his gaze and rubbed his neck.

'There's...a little complications about that. Oh yeah, before I forget.' Shiro opened his wardrobe and took out a box before shoving it onto Zen's arms. Utsuki walked towards Zen and stood behind him. Both of them stared at Shiro curiously.

'It's nothing much, just a small gift. I hope it helps.' Zen opened the lid and gawked. There were jars of various dried herbs in the box. Some of them were very rare and hard to find.

'I-I can't accept this!'

'Why not? Gifts are meant to be given away. Besides, I have no use for them.' Shiro said dismissively.

'That doesn't mean you can just randomly give them all away to some strangers! Do you know how valuable some of this stuff are?!' Utsuki asked in disbelief.

'Nope. Not at all. In fact, I just found out once I saw your reactions.' Shiro tilted his head to one side and blink innocently. Shinagawa, Iria, Aria and Camille suppressed the urge to smile. They all knew Yuuji knew how valuable they are. Nakamura and a few other servants personally hunted all over the place for the herbs after all.

'Look, its very nice of you Shiro-kun but...I just can't accept all this.' Shiro sighed and took back the box dejectedly.

'Well, I guess I have no choice but to throw them away then.' Shiro answered much to the horror of Zen and Utsuki.

'Yuuji! You must NOT throw them away! Our servants took YEARS to obtain some of those ingredients!' Aria said in a fake horrified tone. Shiro shrugged.

'I can always ask Nakamura to collect some more. I'm an heir of the family remember?' Shiro said sounding like a spoiled child though he was mentally laughing on the inside. Years? It only took them a week to get all those herbs with the Yoshifumi family's vast resources. Then again, Zen didn't need to know that. He stared at Zen who looked like he was mentally having an internal battle.

Looks like he was going to have to go for plan B.

'What are you doing?!' Utsuki asked in alarm when Shiro stepped out into the balcony with the whole box of herbs. He placed it on the floor and took out the jar which contained the least expensive herbs.

'I just thought I could use some baseball practice.' Shiro wind up his arm holding the jar preparing to throw it away.

'WAIT!' Utsuki grabbed the jar forcefully out of Shiro's hands.

'We'll take it.' Utsuki growled.

'Wha-' Zen backed away when she saw Utsuki's angry glare directed at Shiro.

'Just take it.' Utsuki hissed.

'I thought Avery's children are spoiled rotten. Guess I was wrong.' Utsuki's thought flowed into Shiro's head and he winced. A few images flashed into his mind.

Two tomb stones next to each other.

Utsuki as a young child roaming on the streets. Homeless, penniless and alone.

Sati's hand reaching out towards the child.

Meeting a young Zen.

'YUUJI!' Shiro snapped out of his reverie and shook his head. Iria and Aria was holding his arms at either sides, keeping him steady. Since when had they got here?

'Are you okay Yuuji? You're looking a bit pale.' Aria asked worriedly. Sati's eyes narrowed.

'You have reishi.' Sati stated and Shiro's eyes widened imperceptibly. There was a few sharp intake of breath and a myriads of thoughts flowed into his head all at once.

'I must protect Jeanne-sama!' Marco's loud thoughts penetrated his mind.

'Damn! Lady Sati is in danger!' Yainage thought as he stepped closer to Sati.

'That kid is dangerous after all.' Jackson thought wearily.

'What's reishi?' Zen queried in his thoughts.

'They seemed to know something about Yuuji.' Camille muttered mentally.

'What's this stiffling atmosphere?' Utsuki wondered.

'Are they going to attack Yuuji?' Was Aria's thought.

Shiro clutched his head and winced at the onslaught of thoughts. Why won't they stop?!

'Shiro-sama!' Shiro looked up and saw Sephira at the door with Gei Yin and Emily.

He did a double take. Emily?!

Marco aimed the gun at Emily.

'Michael!'

'Shamash!' Jeanne called out.

'Prepare to be exorcised ghost girl!' Utsuki said.

Sephira stood in front of Emily preparing to defend her against any attacks.

'Stop!' Shiro exclaimed. Yin's pupils dilated and she swiftly reappeared behind Utsuki knocking her out. Aria and Iria darted forward before holding a ballpoint pen knife against Jeanne and Marco's neck.

'What is the meaning of this?!' Marco exclaimed and Iria pressed the knife deeper into the skin of his neck drawing blood.

'Didn't you hear him? Young master asks you to stop. I'd listen if I were you.' Iria hissed.

'My deepest apologies Ms. Jeanne, Mr. Marco but I'm afraid you will have to leave this premises. We do not take too kindly to people who intend to cause trouble for our young master.' Aria said coldly.

'Besides, it is very rare for us to receive orders from young master. For that reason, we ensure his orders were carried out whenever they're given. Intentionally or not.' Yin said flashing a smile at a stunned Shiro before turning to face the Gandhara with a challenging smirk.

'So, are you going to behave yourself or do I have to knock you out like this lady over here?'

'How dare you address Lady Sati-' Sati gestured for Jackson to stop.

'I-It fine Yin. They don't mean any harm.' Shiro replied tiredly. Yin seemed to back down.

'Don't get me wrong. I only stopped because Yuuji say you meant no harm. If you decided to do anything stupid, you're dead.' Yin warned.

'We shall be taking our leave then Yuu, Shinagawa-sensei.' Aria said.

'Be careful.' Shiro cautioned. Yin gave a thumbs up.

'Yin, come on, we need to get that body out of here.'

Yin stared at the Gandhara with a warning look before slinging Utsuki over her shoulder like a sack and carrying her out of the room. Marco and Jeanne were forcefully lead out of the room after that.

Shiro clutched his head.

'Yuuji! What's wrong?!' Shinagawa asked.

'My apologies. It appears I have unintentionally destroyed a seal while healing your mind.' Sati responded.

'It's fine. You...you didn't know.' Shiro said as he gritted his teeth.

'Shiro-sama, let's go somewhere more quiet.' Sephira said softly.

'Okay. Just one thing though...' Shiro said. Everyone tensed as Shiro walked towards Sati.

'Thank you for your help Sati-san.' Shiro sketched a polite bow which baffled Yainage, Cado and Jackson. Sati gave a small nod in acknowledgement.

'Your welcome.' Was her calm reply.

Shiro turned to Zen and waved before rushing towards Sephira.

'Come on Emily.' Shiro reached out to grab Emily. Once Sephira was sure Emily was secured in Shiro's arms, she carried them away from the balcony.

'Yuuji be careful!' Shinagawa called out.

'Will do!' Was the distant reply.

Sara awoke with a start. She didn't know what woke her up but there was this sinking feeling in her chest. As she wondered what it could be, one person came to mind.

'Yuu-nii...'

She jumped out of bed without another thought and rushed towards Yuuji's room. She paused and backtracked a few steps when she heard voices coming from one of the rooms. Nakamura's room to be exact.

'Whatever happens. Don't ever leave Nakamura-sensei. Got it?' Yuuji asked. Emily shrugged and Yuuji sighed. Nakamura patted Yuuji's head.

'Don't worry Yuu, I'll take good care of her. If it helps, I'll ask Gei Yin to keep me company.'

'Y-Yuu-nii?'

Everyone turned to the source of voice and saw Sara standing at the door.

'You're awake?' Nakamura asked in surprise. She had been inconsolable after seeing Yuuji's condition, so he end up putting her to sleep. He didn't expect the effect of the medicine to wear off so quickly.

Hearing Nakamura's thoughts, Yuuji went on his knees and opened his arms.

Tears well up in Sara's eyes as she raced into his open arms and hugged him tightly.

'Did you miss me?' Yuu asked as if he just came back from a vacation.

'They said you were never going to wake up.' Sara sniffled.

'Well, surprise!' Sara whacked him on the head though the gesture was half-hearted.

'Not...funny...' Sara said scrubbing her eyes with the back of her sleeves. Yuuji's smile dimmed slightly.

'I'm sorry. I'll try not to let it happen again when I face Kazane alright?' Sara's head perked up and she stared at Yuuji with wide eyes.

'W-What?' Shiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'I...I have to go. Kazane's waiting for me.'

'NO!' Sara hugged Yuu's neck tightly.

'Sara...'

'P-Please, don't go. We already lost Tak-nii. W-We don't want to lose you too.' Sara pleaded tearfully. Yuuji's heart clenched. She wished Sara hadn't found out. He felt as if she was forced to grow up quickly because he failed to protect her brother.

Sure, the family have a gotten a lot more closer but somehow, it seemed as if the whole family was never the same without Takumi.

'Sara, I can't let other people fight my battles for me. From the beginning, Kazane, Kotone and Akane have always been after me. They are my responsibility. I have to go.' He explained gently to Sara who merely shook her head in denial. He pulled away.

'I'll come back Sakura.' Sara looked up in surprise. This was the first time Yuu called her by her full name.

'It's a promise.' Yuuji added.

'It's a promise!'

Yuuji jerked as he heard Sara's thoughts. Takumi had made her the exact same promise. On the day he died.

Oh hell.

'Sara, I-'

Sara bolted out of the room crying before Yuuji could say anything else. Yuuji massaged his temples. Nakamura placed his hands on his shoulder as a sign of support.

'I'll ask Shinagawa to..uhh...talk to her later.' Nakamura said.

'A-Alright.' Yuuji turned to Emily who was staring intently at him.

'What's that on your pocket?' Emily asked. Yuuji blinked and looked down.

He had almost forgotten about Hikari's bracelet. He took it out and held out the bracelet to her.

'Errr...how do I say this? This is actually for you Emily.' Emily snatched the bracelet from Shiro's hand.

She...she remembered seeing this bracelet somewhere.

'I-It's so beautiful. Thank you Emily!' a voice resounded in Emily's mind. It was a very familiar voice yet Emily can't seem to put a finger as to whom that voice belonged to.

Her head began to pound as million images of a girl seemed to flashed through her mind. She clutched her head and let out a cry of pain. Her mind suddenly had this strange sense of urgency to leave. She...She wasn't supposed to be here. She was needed somewhere else.

'Emily?! Are you okay?!' she heard Yuuji's panicked voice. His voice sounded so far away amidst the whirlpool of emotions inside her. Not really knowing what to do, she followed her instincts and sprinted out of the room ignoring his calls.

As Nakamura went after Emily, Yuuji merely let out a muffled groan as he covered his face with both his hands.

He really hated Murphy's Law right now.

'Shiro-sama...its time to go.' Sephira said quietly. Shiro let out a deep breath.

'Alright.' Shiro sighed. He held Sephira's hand and teleport away in a burst of flames.

'Kau Kau Furi Wenfe!' Horo horo shouted as hail stones impaled a few of the monsters surrounding him.

'Chuka Zanmai!' Ren lunged forward and a bunch of monsters was killed by a torrent of slashes.

'Homing Pendulum!' A small pendulum with wires attached to it zoomed by before penetrating a monster that was about to slash Keiko.

'Thank you.' Keiko said and Lyserg nodded in acknowledgement.

'Lucifer!' Luchist called out and the mechanical angel sliced through the monsters.

'Amida-Ryu Gokojin!' Many monsters were sliced in halves.

'Rigid wind!' Karin called out and send and arc of wind that slash through a few monsters.

Dire storm!' Haruka shouted and the monster were sent flying towards other monsters.

While they were dealing with the torrent of monsters, Hao was fighting Kotone one-on-one and was driving her into a corner. Meanwhile, Yoh and Yukino were working together to fight against Akane as per Hao's suggestion/order.

'We are getting overwhelmed.' Akane thought annoyedly as she evaded Yoh's attack only to fall prey onto Yukino's. She gritted her teeth. Yoh and Yukino weaved their attacks around each other so well its as if they have been fighting along side each other for a long time.

How in the Great Spirits could those two fight so well together?!

Unknown to her, Yukino and Yoh were thinking the same thing.

Yoh was admittedly a little bit creeped out. Yukino on the other hand kept being reminded of Yuuji as she fought with Yoh. The way Yoh fought was so similar to Yuu it was almost scary. The way he attack...they way he dodged...its almost as if she was fighting along side Yuu again.

'Nee-san, let retrea-' Akane felt her heart froze in fear when she saw Spirit of Fire's blade one inch away from Kotone's neck.

That one moment of distraction was enough to leave an opening for Yoh and Yukino whom both struck at the same time. The next thing Akane knew, Yoh's katana was an inch from her neck on her front while Yukino's katana was on her back.

She could see from the corner of her eyes that the battle was dying down from the other side and two of them (Ren and Luchist) were already approaching. Once everyone were together and both Kotone and Akane were surrounded on all sides, Hao let down his Spirit of Fire sword. At Hao's nod, Yukino and Yoh put their katanas away.

'What are you going to do Hao-nii?' Yoh asked.

'If you're going to finish us off make it quick!' Kotone said as she remained very still. Akane was glaring at them all.

Instead of using Spirit of Fire, Hao muttered an incantation which made the earth sprung up and covered them all the way to their elbows before slowly hardening into metal. Yoh let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

'What the-' Akane was cut off.

'Fuyuki, what's the meaning of this?!' Kotone said as she struggled to move.

'Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to have you killed and feasted on by my Spirit of Fire.' Hao admitted nonchalantly and Yoh stiffened slightly.

'Then why didn't you?!' Kotone growled. Hao kept quiet for a few seconds.

'Consider yourself lucky that Shiro loved you so much.' Akane snorted.

'Yuuji should consider himself lucky that I only shot him once.' Hao's expression hardened but he did not say anything. Kotone frowned, Fuyuki was staring at Akane but somehow it looked as if his mind was focusing on something else. She shifted uneasily when he turned to face her.

'What? Cat got your tongue Fuyuki?' Akane sneered. Hao's expression morphed into one of dark amusement as he delved into Kotone's mind.

'Say A-chan-'

'Don't call me that!' Akane interrupted heatedly.

'You wouldn't know where the Jewel of the Moon is would you?' Kotone went rigid while Akane's face went dark.

'Are you messing with me you son of a-urgh!' Akane choked for air as Hao grabbed her by the throat.

'Akane!' Kotone yelled.

'Hao-nii! Stop!'

'You can insult me all you want Akane, but Don't. You. Ever. Insult. My. Mother. Understand?' Hao hissed quietly so that only Akane can hear. All Akane could do was let out a croak as fear seeped into her eyes. Hao reluctantly let go and Akane wheezed.

'Let's try again A-chan. Where is the Jewel?' Hao asked sweetly. Yoh and everyone else felt chills crawling down their spine.

'As if...you didn't know! It's...with Yuuji...you jerk!' Akane gritted out in between gasps.

'Then don't you think it's strange how Yuuji never used it against you?' Hao queried and Akane's brows knitted in confusion.

'Well, where else would it be?!'

'You knew.' Kotone stated. Hao's eyes bored into hers.

'Yes.'

'...How? Even I didn't know until-' Kotone bit her lip and looked away.

'I have my ways.' Hao said shrugging.

'Am I...missing something here?' Akane stared at Kotone somewhat suspiciously.

'It's nothing you should worry about Akane.' Kotone replied quickly.

'By the way, where's your beloved sister Kazane, A-chan? Knowing her, I would have thought she would be here to save you by now.'

'Stop calling me that.' Akane ground her teeth together although mentally, she was asking herself the same question.

Zero's ears perked up before he suddenly let out a bark and dashed off ahead.

'Zero?! Where are you going?!' Yukino called out. At the same time, Fyra flew past Yoh.

'Fyra, wait!' Yoh exclaimed and Fyra veered to a halt.

'We have to go! He's here and he needs us!' Fyra stated urgently before rushing off with Zero in tow.

BOOM!

The ground shook slightly from the explosion.

Hao snorted.

'What a troublesome child.' He muttered more to himself than anything.

'Who's here?' Horo Horo asked. Ren looked heavenward.

'Shiro off course you idiot! Who else?!' Ren bellowed. Kotone and Akane's eyes went round.

'Errr...Sorry to burst your bubble but its impossible for Yuu to be here. I shot him right in the head.' Hao eyes gleamed as he gave her a strangely triumphant smirk.

'Well, why don't you go and see for yourself A-chan?' Hao said as he released them. The moment Akane could move she swung her fist at Hao but another hand stopped her.

'N-Nee-san?!'

'Why thank you Kotone. How nice of you.' Kotone scowled.

'Don't take it the wrong way Fuyuki. I just didn't want you to dislocate her arm.'

'What makes you think I'm going to break her arm?' Hao asked in a fake innocent tone. Kotone averted her eyes.

'I recognized that stance.' Hao chuckled as he read her mind.

'Shiro actually used it on you? I never knew he had it in him. Then again, you should have known better than to try and slap a kid in front of him.' Kotone's eyes widened. Yukino, Haruka, and Karin's jaw dropped.

'HE TOLD YOU ABOUT THAT?!'

'Nope. You did.' Kotone scrunched up her face.

'What's that supposed to mean?!'

'Nee-san, you were going to slap a kid in front of Yuu? Of all people?' Akane deadpanned. Kotone flushed in embarrassment.

'That brat puked on my skirt okay?'

'Nevertheless, you do not attack a child in front of Yuu. It's taboo.' Akane told her.

'If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you have a death wish.' Yukino uttered and Haruka and Karin both nodded in assent.

BOOM!

Another explosion rocked the building. Hao's expression closed up.

'As much as I enjoyed this conversation, we have to get moving.'

'You're right. We've wasted enough time dallying around.' Kotone admitted begrudgingly.

'Let's hurry then. If we're lucky, we'll might just finally be able to figure things out and see the truth.' Hao said.

'What do you mean Fuyuki?'

'Have you forgotten what Shiro said to you Kotone?' Understanding dawned on her face.

'What did he say?' Akane asked.

'I'll tell you about it later Akane. Let's hurry.'

While the battle was happening, Kazane merely waited patiently. She knew he will come. Someone who lasted that long in that accursed family would not be taken down so easily by a mere bullet. Besides, the Jewel of the Moon had implied to her that he will appear.

True to her prediction, he appeared in a burst of flames.

Both of them engaged in a silent stare down.

Kazane clapped her hands in a mocking manner.

'I have got to admit Yuuji, you really are impressive. You can still fight even after Akane shot you on the head.' She drawled. Shiro looked away and shrugged.

'Guess her aim was not as accurate as she thought.'

'Nope. Her aim was accurate as can be. The target just happened to be a lot more...resilient.' Kazane said as she circled him like a predator.

'I guess Tsuzuki wasn't as unreasonable as I thought when he choose to assign you as their children's playmate. I mean...you did manage to keep them away from all those assassins after all.' Kazane chuckled and Shiro's eyes widened.

'That was you?'

'Yes. It was none other than me.'

'...Why?'

'I wanted to see what was so unique about the new young servant who was able to gain Tsuzuki's acknowledgement in less than a year. Do believe me when I said Tsuzuki's acknowledgement is very hard to earn.' Kazane said.

'I know. Mille told me the same thing.'

'I do have a question for you though.' Kazane queried. Shiro eyed her suspiciously.

'How did you rat them out and get rid of them so quickly?' Kazane inquired. Shiro twitched.

'Their eyes.' Shiro answered quietly.

'Eyes?'

'They look just like mine when I got back from my...duties. And their footsteps. They were too quiet.' Shiro continued. Kazane watched him with profound respect.

'You truly are one of a kind Yuuji. No wonder Tsuzuki always claimed that you are the best servant among all of us.' Shiro stare at her with melancholic eyes.

'You were once one of the best too.' He said distantly. He took a deep breath.

'Kazane, stop this. Revenge won't solve anything.' Shiro said seriously.

'Oh but it will. Revenge fuels my anger and hatred Yuu.' Kazane said with sickening smile.

'Really? Then was killling Aniki-no, was killing Fuyuki fun for you? Does it make you happy when you shot Kotone with lightning while she was trapped in Spirit of Fire's hand?' Kazane's smile dimmed slightly.

'I can't wait for you to die Yuu. The moment you're out of the way, nothing will stop me from destroying every last one of that accursed family!' Shiro shook his head.

'Even if you did succeed in exacting revenge. The things that we've lost...they won't ever return you know.'

'SHUT UP! DON'T SPEAK AS IF YOU UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING!' Kazane's eyes were full of anger and hate.

Kazane moved with a speed that caught Shiro by surprise. She was never this fast! Shiro's instincts took over and his head jerked back as a blow meant for his jaw whizzed by. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kazane aiming for his rib cage and he sidestepped her attacks. He struck Kazane with a roundhouse kick and was blocked as Kazane defended herself against the strike with her forearm.

'Is this the best you can do Yuuji?' Kazane mocked.

'Don't get too cocky.' Shiro shot back.

They fought relentlessly as they traded blows with one another and alternating between offense and defense.

Kazane held out the Jewel of the Moon.

'Oversoul!' She called out.

Shiro glanced at Sephira with a slight reluctance in his expression. Understanding what he needed, she turned into spirit ball mode so that he could oversoul. She could never understand why he looked so reluctant though.

'I'm using her again. Like a tool.' Shiro thought mournfully as he stared at his hands. He darted to the right and barely managed to evade a lightning strike heading for his head. It struck the walls instead.

BOOM!

Kazane held up her hand and water begin to swirl upwards before freezing into spears of ice. With a wave of her hand the spear shot towards Shiro. Shiro focused and water gathered on the palm of his hands before materializing into a sword which he use to cut down the spears.

'Shiro-sama!'

'Woof!'

'Fyra! Zero!' Shiro called out in relief.

Kazane sent another wave of ice spears while he was distracted. Fyra countered the spears with his flames before they could reach his master. Shiro ran towards them and dissolved his oversoul.

'Shiro-sama, let's do this.' Fyra said as he turned into spirit ball mode. Sephira saw the same reluctance surfacing in Shiro's face once again. Fyra saw it too.

'I thought Shiro-nii don't use oversoul much because he hates treating Fyra and Sephira as if they were some sort of tools.' Yoh's words resounded on Fyra's mind.

'You're not using us.' Fyra said fiercely.

'Eh?'

'Fyra what are you saying?!' Sephira stared at Fyra with disbelief.

'You're not using us. We're doing this because we wanted to.' Fyra told Shiro.

'Fyra, I-'

'Look, if you really feel bad about this you can make it up to us by fighting Kazane with everything you've got!'

Kazane smirked and held out her hands. Lightning struck at a pillar and it crashed down on the area where Shiro previously stood.

BOOM!

The ground shook slightly from the impact.

Kazane let out a victorious smile.

'I win.' She said.

'Not quite.'

Much to her shock, Shiro reappeared in a flash behind her.

Shiro held his sword above his head and struck. Kazane closed her eyes. She won't be able to dodge his attack at such a close proximity.

Slash!

'KAZANE-NEE-SAN!'

Boom!

When they arrived at where Shiro and Kazane was, Kotone and Akane felt their hearts constrict. Shiro is standing behind Kazane with his sword held above his head and it didn't take a genius to know that Kazane won't have enough time to dodge.

Slash!

'KAZANE-NEE-SAN!' Akane screamed.

Boom!

After the smoke cleared however, Kazane was still unscathed. The wall on the other hand now had a huge slash mark.

'What is he doing?! Finish her off!' Karin said urgently.

'Don't understand why he stopped. He should have just sliced her in half...' Yukino grumbled.

However, Shiro de-materialized his sword much to everyone's shock.

'This revenge thing has go on far enough. Just let it end here alright Kazane?' Shiro said gently. Kazane's hair shadowed her face.

'That naive idiot!' Haruka exclaimed and was about to stomp over but Hao gestured for him to stop.

'Don't interfere. This is his battle.' Haruka scrutinized him for a short moment. Kotone, Yukino, Karin and Akane were doing the same thing.

'You rarely ever left Yuuji to fend for himself like this Fuyuki.' Kotone spoke. Hao give her an unreadable look.

'Because if we were to interfere, then the truth would never be revealed.' Yoh answered on Hao's behalf.

'What do you-'

'You know...this is the reason why I hated you so much.' Kazane gritted out gaining everyone's attention. Akane gasped when she saw the jewel her sister was holding on her hand.

'Wha-Why is the Jewel of the Moon with Kazane-nee-san?!' Akane thought to herself.

'You know what's the difference between you and me? Is that you're always so accepting and forgiving to everyone. You chose to forgive that accursed family despite all the things they did to you. That's not all you did, I know you've been searching out all those outcasts of the society. Prostitutes, drug addicts, even assassins. Honestly, no one who is sane will ever want to associate with those people and yet you willingly accept them and took them under your wing.' Kazane remarked.

'Y-You actually knew what I have been doing behind their backs?' Shiro said completely stunned. He had been very discreet about it.

Kazane twitched. Kotone scoffed. Akane smack her head. Yukino shook her head in resignation. Hao pinched the bridge of his nose as he blew out a long suffering sigh.

If there was one thing all of them could STILL agree on right now be it friend or foes, it's the fact that sometimes, Shiro just couldn't be discreet even if it's to save his own life. How the Yoshifumi could be so blind to everything around them, they will never know.

'I have known it for a while. Idiot...' Kazane muttered under her breath.

'Then you should understand! I don't want to fight you! I know we can't just erase everything and go back to the way it was but we can still start over!' Kazane steeled her expression.

'I will never understand you Yuuji. Like I said, we were completely different.' Kazane stated and Shiro faltered.

'I will NEVER forgive what they did to us. Not now. Not ever.' Kazane continued.

'And look where it lead you! You are on the verge of losing sight of what was the most important thing to you!' Shiro shot back as Kotone and Akane's smiling face flashed through his mind.

'I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE!' Kazane screeched.

She clutched her fists tightly as blocks of ice formed around her.

'K-Kazane nee-san?' Shiro drew back in alarm.

'I can't accept this!' Kazane growled Shiro darted to the left as a chunk of ice when soaring past him.

'We studied everything together! We underwent training together! We even killed people together! Yet how could we turned out so differently?!' Sparks of lightning formed around Kazane as she said that.

'ITS UNFAIR!' Kazane screamed and lightning burst from the palm of her hand before aiming itself towards Shiro. Shiro brought up a water barrier but was sent crashing against the wall unable to fully block the lightning attack. Shiro gritted his teeth in pain.

'Damn it! How could someone like you still remain so PURE and UNTAINTED!' Kazane shouted propelling a large chunk of ice at Shiro. Jets of water swirled towards Shiro's hand before materializing into a sword. Using the sword, he sliced the chunk of ice into halves only to pause at the numerous spears of ice positioned right above him.

'Sink into despair already!' The ice went hurling toward Shiro who sliced them with deadly proficiency. Kazane held out her hand and an ice sword materialized on her hand. Then she appeared behind Shiro in a flash, the sword held above her head.

'DIE!'

Shiro's eyes widened as the sword pierced straight through his back. Blood splattered onto the jewel of the moon. At the same time, the blood soaking his clothes came into contact with the jewel of the stars hidden in his pocket.

'NOOOOOOOO!' Keiko's scream pierced through the air.

The whole surrounding seemed to slow down as Shiro was struck by a wave of vertigo. He stared at the two jewels. They have accidentally found it on one of their target during their missions. They had thought that such a vast amount of power would be useful and had took it with them. Now, he wanted nothing more that to shatter them into a million pieces.

If he had known of the horrifying consequences that came with this power, that he would rather not have that power in the first place!

The two jewel began to glow a blinding white and everyone covered their eyes.

The light finally died down a few seconds later.

Crack!

'W-WHAT?!' A few cracks formed on Kazane's jewel of the moon. Similarly, a few cracks formed on the jewel of the stars unseen by anyone.

Then, she felt a surge of power flowing through Shiro and she withdrew her sword out of Shiro forcefully before taking a few steps back in alarm.

He winced slightly when he felt his powers stirring violently from within.

'Shiro-nii!'

'Shiro!'

Yoh and Hao was at Shiro's side instantly.

'You might want to...step back a little bit.' Shiro gritted out forcefully as furyoku began to leak out of his body.

'W-What's wrong Shiro-nii?!'

'My powers are returning too quickly...my body can't really keep up...' Hao's eyes widened.

'EVERYONE DUCK!' Hao barked as he pulled Yoh away from Shiro.

Shiro's scream reverberated through the walls as his furyoku burst forth like tidal waves crashing against the sea. Kazane could barely defend herself from the onslaught of furyoku as she skidded backwards slightly.

'What an overwhelming amount of power...' Kazane thought, feeling awed yet terrified at the same time.

'But...Yuuji have no control over his powers!' Yukino thought worriedly.

'He'll go berserk!' Karin exclaimed.

'Damn...If he continues expending that much power things could get dangerous...' Hao thought with a slight grimace.

'Wait...he's...' Haruka trailed off as the furyoku slowly began to recede as Shiro fought to get his furyoku back under control.

Shiro held up his hands at Kazane's direction and automatically jets of water blasted towards her sending her crashing into the wall. Shiro's eyes widened imperceptibly. Controlling water have never came so easily before but now...it felt almost instinctive.

Kazane staggered up.

'Y-You...I'm going to kil-' Kazane gasped and the next thing she knew she was screaming in pain. Her head felt as if it was about to split in half.

'W-What's wrong with her?' Yoh asked as he watched Kazane who was writhing on the ground.

'It was the same...like that time...' Shiro whispered as he stared at Kazane with sorrowful eyes. He felt his mind wandering back to that incident again.

Hao stared at Shiro who had a haunted look in his eyes.

'Shiro?' Shiro seemed to snap out of his thoughts. He walked towards Kazane but Hao caught him by the elbow.

'What are you trying to do?' Hao asked suspiciously.

'...Aniki, can you trust me?' Shiro asked quietly. Hao opened his mouth only to close it and reopened it again before he finally let out a long suffering sigh.

'Yes.' He ground out reluctantly.

'Then trust me on this one.' Shiro said determinedly. He took a few steps forward and knelt down in front of Kazane. He held out his hands that began emitting a glowing blue orb. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them once again.

'Here goes.' Shiro thought to himself and lunged forward, clutching both sides of her head.

'AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' Black auras started leaking out of Kazane as she tried to pry both his hands off her head.

'YOU ACCURSED CHILD! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!' Kazane howled.

Hao frowned. For a moment, there were two voices resounding together when Kazane said 'pay for this'.

'No way...' Akane covered her mouth with her hands. How could this happen?!

'What's happening to Kazane?!'

'Look closer, Karin. That's...not Kazane.' Kotone's jaw was set. How on earth could she have overlooked such a thing?!

'Is that the truth you were looking for Hao-nii?' Yoh queried.

'No. Shiro and I already knew about that.' He admitted. Akane seized him by the collar.

'You...the both of you knew she had been taken over and yet you did NOTHING?!' Akane raged. Hao's eyes burned with thinly veiled anger and Akane told a step back in shock.

'Ever since HE died, have you even bothered to LISTEN to Shiro when he tried to talk to you? No, you did not. Instead, you were so busy grieving for Takumi and putting all the blame on my brother that you couldn't even notice the remnants of that ritual taking over your own sister.' Hao hissed. Kotone shut her eyes.

'So that was what he had been trying to tell me all those times...' Kotone thought regretfully. She drew back in alarm when Hao directed his attention to her.

'I still have not forgiven you for that farewell blow you gave him Kotone.' Kotone shivered. She could practically feel the murderous edge in his tone. She turned to Yuuji and watched as the light shimmering from his hands purified the dark aura leaking out of Kazane. She hesitantly approached Kazane and Yuuji as the last of the shadow dispersed and the light finally dwindled from his hands. Akane did the same.

'...Kazane-nee-san?' Akane called quietly. Kazane opened her eyes and sat up looking disoriented as Shiro slowly move away. When she spotted her sisters, her lips curved into a gentle smile. Akane and Kotone didn't realize how much they have missed her smile until now. They lunged forward and hugged her tightly. The next moment they knew they were shoved away. Kazane glared at them with hate.

'DON'T TOUCH ME YOU-Urgh...' Kazane clutched her head.

'Ko-chan...A-chan...stay away...' Kazane whispered softly. Dark runes began to appear in her left arms much to Akane and Kotone's alarm.

'Yuuji! Didn't you already healed her?!' Kotone demanded but Yuu merely hid his face behind his bangs.

'YUUJI!'

'It's too late for that. The darkness was practically a part of her now.' Hao answered on his behalf.

'No way...' Akane fell onto her knees. Kotone grasped Shiro's shoulder with both of her hands.

'T-There must be something you can do Yuuji! You...you perfected it after all! Your healing magic!' Kotone said almost desperately as she shook him by the shoulders.

'Stop it.' Yukino muttered angrily as she pushed Kotone away from Yuu.

'I'm sorry...' Shiro muttered quietly. Kotone went rigid.

'I did my best to purify the darkness within her but...the curse has been residing in her for too long...There wasn't much left of her soul to save.' Shiro admitted.

'I know...' Kazane gritted out as she tried to hold down her left arm as she couldn't control its movement. The dark runes have spread towards her shoulder.

'Kazane-nee-san?'

'Ko-chan, A-chan, I don't have much time left so please listen to me alright?' Kazane said pleadingly. Kotone and Akane nodded vigorously.

'This whole thing was never Yuuji's fault. He just did what he had to. Takumi-kun...he...he was possessed and tried to kill everyone.' Kazane revealed.

'...What?'

Kazane gasped as she dropped on her knees.

'Kazane-nee-san!' Akane rushed forward but Kazane brought up a water dome separating both her and Yuuji from everyone else.

'I can't control myself any longer...Yuuji...please...hurry and kill it. Don't let it escape.' Kazane begged.

'Yuuji, what do you think you're doing?!' Kotone asked frantically as a scythe materialized in Shiro's hands.

'Yuuji, please don't! I've already lost a brother! I don't want to lose my sister too!' Akane sobbed.

'Please stop.' Keiko said.

'...Huh?'

'Stop making things even more difficult for my child Kotone-san, Akane-san.' Keiko repeated as she remembered the time where her son were born. How painful it had been to watch his grandfather attack her new born child. She would never told her grandfather but she have been so relieved that the firstborn had been Hao.

'We cannot help her. The curse have completely taken over her body.'

'Yukino's right. The only thing left to do now is to free her from her suffering.' Hao continued. Akane covered her face with both of her hands while Kotone embraced her.

Shiro lifted the scythe above his head.

'Don't worry, Kazane-nee-san. Once everything is over, I'll revive you so you can be reunited with your sisters.' Kazane shook her head.

'Don't bother. I...I can't face Ko-chan and A-chan after everything that I've done.' Shiro faltered slightly.

'I...I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Tak-nii said the same thing when I wanted to revive him.' Shiro gave a shaky smile. Kazane stared at him apologetically.

'Well...at least now I'll get to see Takumi again.' She thought to herself. 'Goodbye Yuu. Sorry for troubling you.' She said closing her eyes.

He brought his scythe down hard. As blood splattered on him, a black aura dissipated out of Kazane's body in an unearthly scream.

'Kazane-nee-chan! Kazane-nee-chan!' Akane sobbed as she hugged Kazane's corpse while Kotone sat quietly on the other side.

'Cheh...and she didn't even bother to say goodbye to her sisters.' Hao thought in annoyance as he could no longer sense Kazane's spirit anywhere. Turning to face Shiro, Hao send jets of clear water splashing at Shiro soaking him from head to toe. The feelings of unease emitted from Yoh's gang towards Shiro was getting unbearable.

'Clean yourself up.' Hao ordered. Shiro held up the palm of his hands in a cupping position and the moisture from his clothes gathered into a swirling orb of water on his palm. It was blood red. Yukino froze the orb blood mixed with water into ice before dispersing it into splinters. Shiro turned to stare at her with lifeless eyes. Yukino's eyes hardened with determination as she grasped both of his hands.

'It's alright now. Everything is over Yuu.' Yukino said softly. Shiro remained silent. Haruka walked forward and placed his hands on his shoulder.

'Come on, let's get out of here.' Haruka said quietly.

'What about them?' Karin whispered as she stared at the sisters.

'That's their problem. Anyway, we are getting out of here.' Hao said coldly.

'Fuyuki!' Yukino huffed when Hao pushed her away from Shiro. He then wrapped his arm around Shiro protectively before guiding his brother out of the building with a gentleness that had almost everyone gaping.

The moment they have stepped out of the abandoned building, Shiro looked up onto the sky where silvery flakes of snow drifted down from above.

'It's over.' He thought to himself.

So why did he feel so hollow?

It was almost at the crack of dawn.

Sara stared at the wrought iron gates intensely as she sat at the entrance spot where had Yuu left earlier. The cold wind blew into the house and Kaoru sneezed.

'Sara, its cold out there. Let's close the door and wait in the living room.' Shinichi suggested. Sara shook her head. He sighed.

'Sara, you've been waiting here for hours. You're going to get sick.' Kaoru said worriedly as she plopped down beside her. She was dead tired.

'I don't care.' Sara said stubbornly. Kaoru stared at Shinichi for help. Shinichi let out another sigh.

'Sara, we have to trust him. He'll...he'll be back.' Shinichi winced at how hesitant he sounded. Sara hugged her knees.

'Tak-nii never made it.' Sara whispered and both of them winced.

'What if...what if like Tak-nii, Yuu-nii never came back?' Sara said tearfully.

'NO! Yuuji's strong!' Shinichi's voice cracked slightly.

'S-Shinichi's right! He'll...he'll make it!' Kaoru said although her eyes were shimmering.

It's not like they couldn't understand how Sara felt. Losing Takumi had been devastating to them all. Like Sara, they didn't wish to lose another sibling.

Both Kaoru and Shinichi jerked slightly when Sara abruptly shot up from her seat.

'What's wrong Sar-'

'Shhhh! Did you hear that?' Shinichi and Kaoru went quiet and tried to listen. Their hearts almost stopped when they heard that small barely audible footsteps.

The metal gates opened and Sara's eyes widened. Yukino, Haruka, Karin, Luchist and Opacho entered through the gate. Fuyuki appeared shortly after with his arms wrapped protectively around Yuuji.

Sara sprinted out of the house towards Yuuji but was suddenly blocked by Yukino and Karin. Fuyuki shifted his arms slightly so Sara couldn't see Shiro's face.

'S-Sara-chan...now's not a good time to play.' Yukino said giving a strained smile.

'Yukino's right. Yuuji really needed some rest. Why don't you visit him later?'

'I want to see him now!' Sara demanded.

Shinichi and Kaoru rushed towards them. From their height they able to catch a glimpse of Yuuji's face. When Hao saw them, he glanced at Sara and shook his head.

'Sara, let's get inside. It's cold out here.' Shinichi pulling Sara away. Kaoru gazed at Yuuji worriedly.

'But why can't I see Yuu-nii?!' Sara whined.

As soon as she said that, Hao felt Shiro's body convulsing against him. He started coughing out blood.

'Yuuji!' Kaoru called out urgently when Shiro swayed slightly to the right.

Hao steadied Shiro by the arm a few seconds before he made a crash onto the ground.

'Get Nakamura-sensei!' Hao barked out.

Mikihisa and Yohmei jerked up when they heard the entrance door of Funbari inn slid open. Mikihisa walked out of the living room. Keiko and Yoh pretended they've never seen him. The rest of the gang watched the three wearily.

'You're finally back.' Mikihisa greeted. Keiko coldly brushed past her husband as if he didn't exist. Yoh did the same thing. Everyone shuffled past Mikihisa awkwardly.

Yohmei purposely timed his walking so that he will bump into Keiko and Yoh when he got out of the living room. Much to his shock however, he received the same treatment. A tick appeared on his forehead.

'Ehem ehem!' Yohmei cleared his throat. Keiko stopped walking. She turned to Yoh.

'Yoh, you and your friends must be tired from the fight. Why don't you all go and take a dip in the hot springs while I prepare something for us to eat?' Keiko asked kindly. Mikihisa and Yohmei's eyes widened. Before they could open their mouth however...

'You went to a fight Keiko?!' Kino asked as she walked out of the dining room. She was honestly surprised at Keiko's unusually reckless behaviour. Her daughter's abilities are after all not suitable for combat.

'Do you know how dangerous that is?!' Yohmei exclaimed.

'I'm fine. I'm just going to grab a quick shower and a few change of clothes. Besides Kaa-san, have you forgotten? Hao-nii already invited us to join him for breakfast at the mansion. In fact, he even asked me if we would like to have a sleep over at his place! You know...so that we can save ourselves from all those...nuisance.' Truth be told, Yoh had been truly surprised at the offer at first but he realized Hao had most probably known about his reluctance to go back to the inn from his mind reading abilities.

Meanwhile, Mikihisa and Yohmei twitched at the indirect jab.

'Oh dear...I almost forgot about that. How forgetful of me!' Keiko said.

'By the way, you guys are invited too!' Yoh said cheerily as he directed his gaze at his Ren and the others.

'Did Hao say what time we have to be at the mansion?' Keiko asked.

'I'm not sure. Wait...' Yoh's eyes went slightly distant before refocusing and he turned to his mother.

'Hao-nii said breakfast will most probably start at 8.30 am today. He told us not to be late.'

'I see. Well, we'd better hurry then.' Yoh nodded and rushed up the stairs with the rest and walked towards their respective rooms. When he was at the end of the stairs, Yoh stopped and Horohoro almost bumped into him.

'Yoh? Why did you-' It was then that they notice Anna leaning against the wall next to Yoh's room. They alternated between staring at Yoh and Anna wondering what will happen.

Yoh's face was completely blank. He all but breezed past her and went into his room. Everyone else glanced at each other before shrugging and they carefully tiptoed around the itako.

When there were no one in sight, Anna turned to stand in front of the shoji door to his fiance's room. Her hand hovered slightly near the door for a short moment before she dropped it and walked away.

Unknown to her, Yoh was leaning against the door of his room on the other side.

He had never felt so conflicted in his entire life.

He clenched the hem of his shirt tightly and focused his gaze down at the floor.

'Kotone, Akane, Yukino, stop staring at him already! Seriously, he's already uncomfortable enough! You guys are making it worst!' Takumi said in complete exasperation.

'I'm sorry, it just that...he and Fuyuki look so alike but then...' Kotone trailed off and gestured at Yuuji up and down.

'Yuuji is just fine the way he is.' Takumi cut her off.

'But for their personality to be so contradictory, don't you think it's a bit...weird?' Yukino calmly voiced out everyone's opinion.

'Yeah...I mean, don't they have limit for this kind of thing? No offense to Fu-err...Yuuji but even from the time we first meet Fuyuki, I have never seen him looking shy. Ever. Seeing his face looking like this is just...too awkward.' Akane admitted.

He felt his cheeks burning. Takumi who was holding his hand squeezed slightly. He wasn't sure what just happened but for some reason, it actually made him feel less nervous.

'Well, even if they have the same face, Yuuji is Yuuji and Fuyuki and Fuyuki. Awkward or not, you'll just have to get used to it.' Takumi squeezed his shoulder to show a sign of support and he forced himself to relax.

Someone came to stand in front of him before kneeling down and a pair of warm eyes meet his gaze.

'It's a pleasure to meet you Yuuji-kun. My name is Kazane.' Her voice was soft and soothing and her smile was very gentle. Like Takumi's.

'Is it okay if I call you Yuu?' Kazane asked. He shrugged.

They could call him anything they want. Its not like he remember his real name anyway.

She grasped his hands gently before standing up and pull him towards the girls.

'Come here, let me introduce you to my sisters Yuu. Don't worry,' She winked. 'If it helps, I promise not to let them eat you.'

Kazane smiled brilliantly.

'Congratulations Yuu. You've officially passed all the inspections. Tomorrow onwards, you'll start working independently like the rest of the servants.'

He released a breath he didn't know he was holding. 'Thank you Kazane-nee-san.'

'Congratulations Yuuji!' Yukino chirped.

'Great job! I knew you can do it!' Kotone told him smiling.

'Thanks.' He told them.

'T-THAT'S SO NOT FAIR! HOW COME I'M STILL UNDER PROBATION WHEN HE STARTED LATER THAN ME?!' Akane whined. Kazane flicked her forehead.

'That's because he's a fast learner and is meticulous in his work. Unlike you.'

'Nee-san is right. A-chan, you're too careless. You really need to pay more attention to the small details.' Kotone advised. Yukino nodded in agreement.

'Especially the table setting part. You keep getting the wrong cutleries when you set the tables.'

'That's cause they all look the SAME!' Akane complained.

'That's why you need to pay attention to the small details A-chan.' Kazane chided good naturedly.

'Ermm...Akane-chan, if you don't mind...I could help you with the table settings.' Akane was in front of him in a flash, a humongous smile on her face.

'Really?!' He nodded slowly in affirmation and Akane let out a whoop of joy.

'Thanks Yuu! With your help, table settings are going to be a BREEZE!' Akane told him. Kazane and Kotone flashed him a grateful look.

'You're welcome.' He flashed them what he hoped was a smile. He's still not very sure how a smile works but from the pleased look on their faces he assumed he got it right this time.

Takumi had told him the real purpose they were adopted in the first place. He don't really understand it but he had come to accept it. He also knows he will have to do it eventually.

Now, he was confused.

He was standing between Yukino and Akane. Yukino was trembling from head to toe looking like she was about to burst into tears. Akane meanwhile looked deathly pale.

'YOU CAN'T DO THAT!' Kazane screeched at Tsuzuki and Sayuri who remained unfazed.

'Why not? They are talented enough. Besides, you admitted it yourself that Yuuji and Yukino are among the best servant in the house. Coming from you, that's a feat in of itself.' Sayuri answered.

'THEY'RE TOO YOUNG FOR THIS!' Kotone argued.

'All the better. They will have an early start. Think of it as sending a kid to learn music lessons or something.' Sayuri told them. Kazane and Kotone looked completely speechless.

Takumi slammed his palms on the table in a rare display of fury.

'YOU'RE SENDING THEM OFF TO TRAIN TO BECOME ASSASSINS! HOW COULD YOU COMPARE IT WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!' Tsuzuki sighed.

'Takumi, Kazane, Kotone, since you haven't realized it, let me spell this out for you. Our decision is FINAL. We called you here not to discuss this, but to INFORM you of our decision.'

'BUT-'

'Like I said, it is NOT up for discussion.' Tsuzuki cut them off harshly.

Takumi would have lunged at his parents if Kazane and Kotone didn't hold him back.

'They will start their training tomorrow.' Sayuri told them, her face cold and apathetic.

'I won't let you.' Takumi growled. Sayuri's lips curled into a sharp smile.

'I'd like to see you try.' She held up a very long cord that is fastened to a handle. Takumi, Kotone and Akane stiffened slightly when they laid their eyes on it. Even Yukino trembled more while Akane let out a terrified whimper.

He knew he needed to do something. He also knew that if he didn't calm them down, something bad is going to happen. The only problem, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

In the end, he did what his gut feeling told him to do. He took a hold of Yukino's trembling hand and squeezed them slightly. He did the same thing to Akane.

He got nervous when both of them stared at him with a very stunned look but he didn't let go. He took a deep breath.

'It's okay Tak-nii, Kazane-nee-san, Kotone-nee-san. We'll be fine.' He was thankful his voice didn't shake.

Everyone turned to face him and he almost curled in on himself but his gut feeling told him not to do it no matter what. So he didn't.

'Everything will definitely work out.' He honestly didn't know where on earth that come from but it had felt like the right thing to say so...he just went along with it.

When Yukino did not tremble anymore and Akane began to look a lot calmer than when she first entered the room, he knew he had done the right thing.

Though the way Tsuzuki and Sayuri were eyeing him scared him a lot more than he'd like to admit.

It made him feel as if he had unleashed something he was never supposed to.

He scrubbed his hands again and again but no matter how hard he tried, the taint of blood wouldn't come off.

He closed the tap and inspected his hands for the umpteenth time. It was reddish from all that continuous scrubbing yet...the taint is still there. He could feel it.

He collapsed to the ground and pulled his knees up towards his chest. His stomach churned and he felt like he couldn't breath. He didn't understand why was he shaking so much.

Today was their first mission. Of course, he also made his first kill today but in his defense, that guy was going to shoot Yukino and Akane. At such a dire situation, he hadn't allowed himself the moment to think. He had stab him straight at the heart with a knife before he could pull the trigger.

If he had hesitated for even one second, Yukino and Akane would be the ones who were dead.

He was only protecting his friend. It was the right thing to do. It's justified.

Moreover, he had already known that they adopted him for this purpose. To become an assassin. He had accepted that fate. He knew that.

Yet a small part in the back of his mind kept screaming at the wrongness of it all.

He covered his ears and tried to will his mind to shut up for once.

He felt arms go around him and he jerked and tried to push them away.

'...ji...Yuuji! YUUJI! STOP! IT'S US! TAKUMI AND KAZANE!' He froze and looked up into their faces. They were looking at him with compassion, understanding and acceptance. Instead of the disgust and horror he was expecting.

His chest felt tight and tears pricked the corner of his eyes. He rubbed them away. Assassins don't cry. His teacher had said.

Takumi and Kazane both enveloped him in a tight hug.

'It's okay Yuuji. You did the right thing.' His eyes widened in disbelief.

'Takumi was right. You were only protecting Akane and Yukino. If you hadn't stopped him, I would have lost two sisters tonight.' Kazane told him rubbing his back.

He had felt himself shaking with suppressed sobs and buried his head into Takumi's neck.

Maybe this is what family felt like?

When Shiro woke up from his dream, his head throbbed and he ached all over. He could feel an undercurrent of raw power thrumming beneath his skin, restrained and bursting to be free. It made him feel as if someone had set him on fire.

Someone seemed to be muttering a few swear words beside him.

'I told you to keep an eye on him!' That voice hissed. 'Now his fever just spiked even higher!'

He had a fever? When did that happen?

'Excuse me?! The water have been less than 10 degrees for the past THREE days! It's not like we can do anything if his temperature refuses to go down!' A girl shot back sounding angry and frustrated.

'Yukino, Shinichi, that's enough.' He recognized that voice as his brother's. 'There's no use arguing now. Now the most important thing is to bring down his temperature. If it goes any more higher than this his brain's going to be fried.' He felt a cold hand on his forehead.

'Hao-nii, maybe we should send him to the hospital-'

There was a few snorts.

'If the hospitals could do something about this we would have sent him there already.' Yukino huffed.

'The last time we sent him there they made him worst.' Shinichi added.

'You mean...this have happened before?!' Keiko asked alarmed.

Shiro wanted to ask what is happening but all that came out of his mouth was a wordless croak. Everyone went quiet and there were shuffling noises in the background.

He felt someone lifting up his head and a glass of water pressed onto his lips. He could only take a few sips as his throat felt awfully raw and tender.

Shiro forced his eyes to open. He blinked blearily as he realize where he was.

'Why m I lyin in a bah tub?' Shiro's voice slurred slightly.

'You've been having fever for three days Shiro-nii.'

'T-Three days?!' Shiro thought to himself in shock. He tried to recall when he fell sick. Instead, a sense of vertigo washed over him. He dimly heard his name being called a few times.

'YOSHIFUMI YUUJI WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!'

He forced himself to focus. His brother only called him by his full name if it was something urgent.

'...Fu...yuki?'

'Yuuji, I need you to focus and redirect your power like last time.' Hao told him. It was only then that he noticed his brother gripping tightly on his hand. The grip tightened further. 'NOW.' He added giving him a look that says he's going to be in a world of pain if he doesn't do as he says. Shiro closed his eyes and forced himself to redirect his power.

Hao grimaced slightly as his brother's excess power was forcibly siphoned into him through their gripped hands.

'Hao-nii!' Yoh was about to reach over but Hao quickly yelled ' Stay back!' before he could touch him. As soon as he said that, an outburst of magic dispersed out from within Hao, damaging everything in its path and leveling all the occupants in the room. Hao finally released his grip and held onto the edge of the bathtub for support.

Shiro's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his head sunk into the water. Hao cursed the Great Spirits under his breath and quickly pulled him by the collar of his shirt before dragging his head back onto the surface. Trust his idiotic brother to be stupid enough to drown himself in the bathtub. He felt his forehead.

It was a lot cooler now compared to before.

Hao let out a relieved sigh.

Somewhere in the middle of the night...

'Kotone-nee-san, I don't think we should be here!' Akane hisses as they both hid behind a pillar just as a servant pass by.

'We've run away from this long enough. It's time we find out what really happened that night when Takumi died.'

'That's still no reason to sneak into the mansion in the middle of the night and take such a huge risk! We could have lured him out instead!'

Kotone was about to retort when they heard the sounds of someone sobbing in one of the rooms. 'It...sounded like a kid.' Kotone muttered. For some reason, her instincts told her to sought the person out.

'Nee-san! We don't have time to worry about other people! We need to get out of here ASAP!' She suppressed the urge to stomp her foot as Kotone began looking for the source of voice.

'If we get caught, its going to be all your fault'.' Akane grumbled under her breath.

'Why are you crying?'

Emily jerked and turned swiftly to face the intruder. Her brows furrowed. She have never seen them before.

'Who are you?' She sniffled. Kotone shrugged.

'Just a passerby.' Akane snorted at her answer. 'Why are you crying?' She asked again.

Emily wanted to bark out that its none of her business but the moment she made eye contact with them, she stopped.

Like her, the two strangers have the eyes of someone who had just lost someone important to them.

After a few moments of silence, Emily took a shaky breath.

'I...I found out I was the real reason why my sister died.' Emily told them.

'My sister died trying to protect me from my drunk stepmother. That crazy woman was so drunk she couldn't even differentiate her own daughter from her step daughter. Can you believe that? I might as well have killed her. I couldn't accept the fact that my sister died protecting me...so I killed myself. Great Spirits...I don't even know why am I telling you this.' Emily covered her face with both her hands. Akane let out a snort.

'I didn't know the life she saved was such a waste of space.'

'What did you say?!' Emily reeled back in shock when Akane directed his gaze at her. Her eyes blazed with such an intensity that she was surprised she haven't combust right there and then.

'She sacrificed her life so you could LIVE! How could you just kill yourself and waste all her efforts just like that!? If that is your way of atoning to your sister, I felt really sorry for her because she just wasted her life for nothing.' Emily stared at the floor.

'I...I...What have I done?' She looked devastated.

'You mean...you're dead?' Kotone asked, her brows furrowing.

'I've been dead for some time now.' She hiccuped.

That was when Akane began to notice it as well.

'This girl...she's breathing. How would she still be breathing if she's dead?'

Kotone slowly cupped her cheeks. Her hands did not pass through her. She withdrew her hands.

'No, you...you're not dead. At least, not...anymore.'

'What do you mean?'

'You're breathing. Which means you have a pulse.' Emily felt her own hands and true enough, she had a pulse. She gasped.

'I'm...I'm alive.'

'But how? Dead people can't come back to life.' Akane said confusedly.

'No, she can.' Kotone said quietly. She finally understood.

'I swear Kotone, I tried to bring him back but...Tak-nii, he...he felt too ashamed to face everyone after well, everything.'

Kotone assumed that he meant bringing his spirit back so that everyone could have a closure.

However, she understood now that what he had really meant at the time was to bring him back from the dead.

Bloody hell...Yuuji could revive the dead.

That foxy little...how powerful exactly has he become? More importantly, how did he acquire such immense power?

Kotone chewed her lip. She had seen what happened to Kazane when she obtained too much power. What if Yuuji end up getting influenced just like her?

Kotone decided she could think about it later. For now, she turned to Emily. 'What do you plan to do now?'

'What?'

'You're being given a second chance at life. What are you going to do with it?'

'I...I'm not sure yet.' Emily admitted.

Akane elbowed her and shot her a look that says, 'Why are you showing her so much concern? She's got nothing to do with us!'

Realizing that she was right, Kotone quickly stood up. 'Well, we really must be going. We've overstayed our welcome after all.'

'Take her with you.' The three jerked in surprise and turned. Kotone and Akane got into a defensive stance.

'Fuyuki.' Akane growled.

Hao rolled his eyes heavenward when he came back into the room holding a cup of coffee in his hand. Yoh's head was tilted to one side and he was snoring slightly in his seat. Shiro slept on peacefully on the bed unaware of his brother keeping vigil over him.

Thanks to Shiro, they hadn't slept for almost three days. Now that Shiro's condition had been stabilized, he had threatened everyone to take some rest. His flames had managed to scare everyone off but his twin had been insufferable.

He placed the coffee on the nightstand and quietly made his way over to Yoh. Grumbling under his breath about his two idiotic siblings, he lifted him up and carried him across the room before gently placing him on the couch. He took out a spare blanket from the cupboard and covered Yoh with it.

Done with his task, Hao finally sat down nursing his cup of coffee. He swept his gaze across the room and peered at Shiro sleeping peacefully on the bed before turning back to Yoh who was drooling on the couch. He shook his head and mentally lamented how on earth had he gotten so soft.

He abruptly turned to the balcony.

'How long do you plan to hide there?' He asked. There was a shuffling noise before two figures entered the room from the balcony.

'Jeanne. Sati.'

'Hao.' Jeanne greeted in return while Sati gave a nod.

The three remained silent for a few minutes.

'I have been wanting to talk to you for a while.' Sati said. Hao quirked an eyebrow and plastered a fake smile on his face.

'What about?' He asked casually.

'It's about your brother Shiro.' Hao's eyes narrowed slightly. He was beginning to have an idea where this conversation was going and he did not like it.

'What about him?' His expression remained amiable and calm not showing any hint of his real emotions. Sati remained calm and took a deep breath.

'Three of us are blessed with the ability to revive the dead. Truth is, we can only revive people if there is still a residual portion of their soul left within their bodies after they have been physically hurt. Once someone is completely dead. No matter what we did, there is no way to bring him back. Am I right?' Sati inquired.

Hao nodded in agreement.

Jeanne continued. 'Lyserg's parents as well as Marco's wife and everyone else have long since passed on to the other side. The only thing left of their physical entity are nothing but bones and ashes. Yet your brother was able to bring them back to life without any backlash. You should know as well as I do that a power like this defies comprehension.' Jeanne's eyes bored into Hao's. Sati was staring at him solemnly.

'Your brother wasn't just simply creating things Hao. He is completely altering the reality we are currently living in. That kind of power transcended beyond what humans are capable of. That's why...I have reason to believe one part, if not all of Shiro's power actually belongs to the Great Spirits.' Jeanne stated.

Hao's smile morphed into a smirk.

'As expected, nothing less from my rival Shaman King candidates. Indeed. The power that I have once stolen from the Great Spirits now resides within Shiro. However, that power belongs to Shiro now. It is for him to do as he please. Why should I make him return them?'

'Because if you don't, he will die.' Sati said solemnly. Hao's smirk slid off his face. Sati sighed and gazed into the distance.

'That infinite amount of excess magic is too much for him to handle as of this moment. If this keeps going, his body would not be able to withstand the burden. I healed him so I would know.'

They were quiet.

'...Why are you telling me this?' They were not friends, they have no reason to warn him about this. Not that he needed any, he could tell that his brothers health was already deteriorating.

'Because I unintentionally broke the seal you placed on him. That seal does not only block his reishi, it also restricted the flow of power from overwhelming his body. You could say I felt partially responsible for his current condition.' Sati admitted with a sigh.

Hao looked at Jeanne curiously. 'And you?'

Jeanne looked at him seriously. 'I admit we didn't have the best history. Nevertheless, someone who would run towards every nook and cranny of the earth seeking for forgiveness on his brother's behalf could never be evil. I would never condemn such a pure hearted child for his brother's sins.'

'Huh...so Liam told you about that.' He had tried to stop Shiro the moment he had found out about it. He was Asakura Hao. Though he could admit to himself now that he had been the one in the wrong, he would never ask for forgiveness. What's done is done, there is no turning back.

For some unfathomable reason, Shiro (like his twin Yoh) had this naive mentality that he could still have a clean start. He came up with this self misguided mission of compiling a list of those who had been wronged by him and had been wandering around in HIS identity seeking for forgiveness.

Thankfully, he still had a smidgen of common sense and remembered that he was dealing with 1000 years worth of random killings so had limit himself to people who had been wronged in the past 5 years. As of today, he hasn't even reach a quarter of said list.

Damn that Luchist. He was very sure that man was the one who supplied him that list and provided the financial backing for him to fly around the globe.

He had ended up reviving quite a number of people along the way. Among those that have been revived, very few were able to figure out that the one seeking for forgiveness was not really 'Hao' despite the vast change in personality.

Among the few who came to know Shiro for who he is, only Liam and Jean had been able to fully figure out what Shiro was trying to do all this time.

It was what swayed the couple to not only let go of their grudge on him, but to make an effort to really start over by inviting him to dinner. He had wanted to reject the invitation but Shiro had looked so hopeful he found himself unable to say no.

He really should have rejected the invitation. Really.

'Yes. They have been surprisingly concerned once they found out about his head injury.' Jeanne voiced out. It almost baffled her how anxious Lyserg's parents have been.

The moment Marco accidentally let slip the information of Shiro getting shot in the head, Lyserg's mother had dropped her whole pot of chicken soup and almost scalded her feet. Then Liam had started grilling Marco for information with the ferocity of an inspector questioning a highly wanted suspect. Poor Lyserg had been just as baffled by his parents behavior as everyone else and have apologized profusely when sending them out the door.

Hao chuckled. 'I see.' Jeanne's eyes narrowed correctly guessing that Hao had read her thoughts.

'What do you plan to do after this?' Sati inquired gesturing to Shiro.

Hao merely regarded her coldly. 'That is of no concern to you.'

'In the first place, that power was stolen. If anything, it should be returned to where it belongs.' Jeanne declared.

Hao sneered mentally. So that's what she really wants.

Hao gave her a cold smile. 'You need not concern yourself too much over it. I know what I'm doing.'

Sati sighed as the tension in the room rose a few notches and shook her head.

'It's time we leave.' Sati told Jeanne and turned to face Hao. 'We have already accomplished what we came here for. In the end, the choice is up to you.'

Sati glanced at the prone figure sleeping in the bed curiously before leaving with Jeanne.

Once they were gone, Hao went and sat down on the bed. He brushed off stray hairs from Shiro's face.

He know better than anyone how detrimental those powers are to Shiro's health. However, returning those powers to Great Spirits is a huge risk in of itself. Handing back the power that was stolen meant that Shiro had to place himself completely at the mercy of the current Shaman King. The current Shaman King hated him with every fibre of his being. The fact that the feeling is mutual doesn't help either.

No. Shiro mustn't return the power. Shiro would no doubt get caught in the crossfire and end up killed or worse, his existence would get erased. He wouldn't put it past that unforgiving being.

'This is all your fault. If you hadn't interrupt me and mess up that whole ritual, we wouldn't be having this problem.' He muttered and let out a ragged sigh.

Unnoticed by him, the other person across the room have been steadily gripping his blanket tighter and tighter despite having his eyes closed.

Tsuzuki and Sayuri had finally allowed him to meet the rest of the heirs. Which includes his brother.

He sketched a bow at his biological sibling who was watching him with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. Meanwhile, Shinichi, Kaoru and Sara alternated between staring at him and Fuyuki.

Everyone have always told him about his uncanny resemblance to Fuyuki.

He had thought that they were exaggerating. Now that they were meeting each other face to face for the very first time, he could see it. Looking at Fuyuki was like looking at a mirror image of himself.

Fuyuki whirled to face Tsuzuki and Sayuri. He was most likely going to thank them for allowing them to reunite with each other.

'Why is my brother a servant and not an heir?!' Fuyuki had demanded instead.

Everything went deathly silent for a short moment.

Takumi had always praised Fuyuki for his maturity in handling things. He begged to differ.

His brother was BRASH and IMPULSIVE.

You do not confront someone of Tsuzuki and Sayuri's caliber. Especially not without any preparations firsthand. If there is anything he had learnt during his time serving them, it's the fact that

1) They are all about making transactions in their own terms.

2) You do not offend the couple at any cost!

Thank heavens, he did not see that long cord he now recognized as a whip anywhere nearby. He mentally sighed in relief. It seemed that heirs have some sort of special treatment so his brother is safe.

He was glad that Tsuzuki and Sayuri valued him so much. Any servants who have the guts to confront them like that would never get away with it unscathed.

For Gods sake! What was Fuyuki thinking?! He had only meet him today. How could he be so sure he had what it takes to become the heir of the Yoshifumi family? He had completely no idea when it comes to managing business. He wasn't born a genius like him. Last but not least, they both knew blood relations does not apply to them when they are ADOPTED in the first place.

As expected, Tsuzuki and Sayuri had voiced out his thoughts. Poor Fuyuki had been speechless.

Even so, things went a bit messy afterwards. Between the couple and his biological brother that is.

It had took him a few tries before his brother finally understood that he didn't mind the favoritism (whatever that had meant). As long as Fuyuki is happy (and completely safe from that whip thing), he is fine with being the servant.

He always get this warm and fuzzy feeling in the insides though, when Fuyuki gets annoyed on his behalf.

He wished it didn't feel so nice.

It made persuading Fuyuki (to drop the whole heir subject and let things be) a whole lot harder for him.

It was when they went out shopping for clothes together that he found out he very much liked the color white.

Takumi rolled his eyes in exasperation when he procured another article of clothing from the rack. It was once again, white in color. Kazane shook her head smiling while everyone else tried to stifle their laughter.

It's not like he could help it, it was only the white colored ones that had caught his eyes. Anything that was not white looked boring so he didn't bother to give them another glance.

'Yuuji, you need to improve your fashion sense.' Takumi said. His hopeful look fell and a pout replaced it. Guess this one is a no either.

'Yuuji, if we didn't know any better, we would've though you're color blind you know.' Kotone teased.

'But...the other colors are boring!' He whined and everyone snorted.

'I told you already Yuu, no more white. You've already picked a lot of white colored ones earlier.' As if proving his point, Takumi pointed at one of the bags that have only white clothes. 'Try picking other colors this time.'

Fuyuki snickered.

'You should have named him 'Shiro' instead of 'Yuuji' Tak-nii.' Fuyuki had said as his eyes glinted with humor.

He blinked. What was this ominous feeling out of a sudden?

'Shiro?' Takumi tested the name and his face scrunched up. 'Nah, Yuuji sounds better. Shiro sounds like a name people would give their pet or something.'

'Actually….the name Shiro kinda suits him.' Kaoru looked thoughtful out of a sudden.

'Well I'm with Takumi. Yuuji Yoshifumi had a nicer ring to it than Shiro Yoshifumi.' Shinichi spoke up.

'Really? But I thought Shiro Yoshifumi sounded kind of unique.' Sara added in her two cents.

He didn't know what had happened. Somehow, they forgotten all about buying clothes.

It was debate that went quite out of hand. Even Tsuzuki and Sayuri had given their opinions on it. The whole thing went on for about a week or two. Finally they came to a consensus and retained the name Takumi gave him.

His mischievous brother had refused to give up. He had continued calling him Shiro though. It was more his own amusement than anything else. Those who didn't know about the story tend to give him a funny look whenever he call him that.

Hao raised an eyebrow when Yoh plopped into the seat next to him looking disgruntled.

'How was it?' Yukino asked.

'There's something very wrong with Shiro-nii.' Yoh declared.

'...I take it the discussion didn't go well?' Haruka asked sympathetically.

'It went well actually.' Keiko admitted as she took her seat opposite of Hao.

'Isn't that good news Yoh-kun?' Manta queried.

'It went too well.' Yoh grumbled. Now that caught everyone's attention.

'How so?'

'Well, we explained everything as carefully as we could but all he did was kept quiet the whole time! Then after we've explained everything, he just said 'Okay, I forgive you.' Then, he asked to be left alone cause he's tired and needed to rest!' Yoh explained.

Yukino's eyes widened in surprise. Hao paused slightly and turned to Yoh. 'He said he was tired?' Yoh nodded in response.

'...I see.' Hao said quietly.

'You know what? Maybe I should go and talk to him again.' Yoh stood up but Yukino held him back.

'I think...you should give him some time Yoh-san.' Yoh gazed at her for a few short moments. Then he flashed a smile.

'Alright. If you insist,' Yoh plopped back in his seat and turned to Hao. 'did you get some rest today Hao-nii? You've been awake for 3 days straight after all.'

Hao shrugged. 'I'm fine.' He reached for his espresso but Keiko pulled it out of his reach.

'You should take care of your health Hao, you're not doing anyone any favors if you collapse.' Keiko chided gently. Hao twitched slightly in annoyance and glared at Keiko who seemed completely unaffected.

'Hao-nii, just go and get some sleep.' Yoh pleaded.

'I'll sleep whenever I want to.' Hao retorted and made a swipe at the mug Keiko is holding.

'No, you should get some rest now. You look awful.' Keiko said as she took the mug further out of reach.

'Even Shiro-nii looks less awful compared to you.' Yoh added.

'No one asked for your opinion.' Hao snapped.

Everyone else watched on as Yoh and Keiko attempted to convince an increasingly irate Hao to get some rest. Yukino and Haruka were amused but Yoh's gang just seemed spooked by the whole thing.

Unnoticed by the others, Shinichi, Kaoru and Sara were staring at Keiko with a mixture of longing and envy.

'You have better have a good explanation for this Principal. Or else...' A very buff man threatened while a very sheepish boy sat next to him. The man had dark brown hair and a beard while the boy had lighter brown hair and wears a small headband around his head.

Mr. Avery felt sweat dripping down his back as he regarded that cold gaze directed at him.

'O-Of course Mr. Enseioth. We just needed some help from your son here to convince someone-' A slam on the table silenced him. There was a slight dent on the table.

'My son had only recently recovered from his long term illness. He is already far behind from his peer in his studies. You made him skip his classes and come all the way from America just to TALK to someone?!'

'Dad calm down, I'm sure Principal have his reasons.' The boy placated and his dad shook his head.

'You have been sick all your life Melos! It was only recently that you made a complete recovery! What if the illness come back?! More importantly,' he glared at Mr. Avery who drew back slightly trying to put more distance between himself and the other.

'WHO could be a GOOD enough reason to make you fly all the way here to Japan?!' He ground out, his teeth baring. Mr. Avery swallowed.

'Errmm...that's a bit confidential-' Mr. Avery was completely cut off when Melos father pulled him off his seat by his collar.

'Dad, stop! You're scaring the Principal!' Melos cried out.

Mr. Avery wondered (not for the first time) how could the parent of such a polite child have such a barbaric father. Maybe its a Greek thing?

'Who is it?! Who is that jerk that have the nerve to disrupt my son with his studies! IF YOU DON'T TELL ME, I'LL PUMMEL YOU TO BITS!' When he wasn't getting any answer, he raised his fist and swung.

'Y-Yu-Yuuji!' He squeaked out and covered his head with his hands. He mentally apologized to Yuuji for the betrayal of trust but he just wasn't ready to die yet. Ados Enseioth was a very muscular man and that one punch would undoubtedly kill him.

Surprisingly, the fists stopped just a few centimeter from his face. Following was a very long moment of silence.

'Yuuji, as in...Yoshifumi Yuuji?' He asked gruffly. Mr. Avery blinked, was it just him or did he looked a lot less threatening than before?

'Erm...Yes.'

Mr. Avery was slowly lowered back into his seat before Ados settled back into his seat. For the first time, he looked completely calm and serious.

'We're listening.'

Two days later...

The arrow whizzed past the air and accurately hit the center of the target, splitting the arrows already lodged there in halves.

Sitting on the bench slightly further away, Keiko watched her son in concern as Shiro aimed another arrow at the target, his expression cold and stoic. She turned to Hao.

'Hao, can you talk to Shiro and ask him to stop?'

Hao turned to her in annoyance. 'Like I told you, I already tried,' He hadn't wanted to, but Keiko had been pestering him every five minutes non-stop. 'He said no. Therefore, we just let him be. He'll stop when he want to.'

Yoh who was sitting next to Keiko sighed. 'He's been at it ever since he woke up. He should get some rest.'

Hao shrugged. 'It's been three days. He should have completely recovered by now.' Plus, Hao had sealed off his power again. Too bad it didn't do much to help Marco and Utsuki.

Yesterday, Nakamura reluctantly informed Shiro that Emily has been missing for two days. It was only then that Shiro finally remembered about her. As Hao had expected, Shiro had been too busy grieving to really care about anything and merely dismissed it. Nakamura's mouth fell open for a moment when he heard that.

Not long after, Utsuki and Marco came over and demanded the whereabouts of Emily. Shiro told them she was missing without much elaboration. Marco did not believe him one bit and had tried to attack him. He would have lost his left leg if not for his so-called holy maiden's exceptional healing skills. Utsuki on the other hand suffered from a broken right arm which had been healed by Sati.

Everyone had been giving Shiro a wide berth after that. Even Yoh and Keiko were wary of him.

In the end, Sati and Jeanne both confronted him privately. Hao was not sure what had been conversed between them (nor did he much care) but after that, the X-Laws have completely dropped Emily's case. Sati have also requested for Utsuki to do the same. Seeing that Sati have personally made that request, Utsuki reluctantly complied. The Gandhara then left the next day (except for Zen who stayed to monitor Shiro's health) while the X-Laws left the day after that, much to the Avery's shock.

Hao mentally shook his head. He pretty much knew that they would confront Shiro but the results of the confrontation was beyond his expectations. To think his brother actually managed to convince the X-Laws and the Gandhara to stop pursuing Emily without engaging in battle...not bad.

Still...it would be best for Emily to stay with the sisters for now. Yuuji is in no condition to take care of anyone in his current mental state. Until he stabilize his mental state and tamp down that unleashed bloodlust, they are going to have to take care of Emily on his behalf. They owed Yuuji that much anyway.

'Take her with you.' The three jerked in surprise and turned. Kotone and Akane got into a defensive stance.

'Fuyuki.' Akane growled.

Two sharp tip pointed to the back of their necks made them freeze.

'Wouldn't do that if I were you.' Aria voiced out.

'It's really been a while Kotone-nee-san, Akane-chan.' Iria smiled.

'When did you-'

'You've left the house for quite some time so you might not know,' Hao inspected his nails. 'Shiro have been drilling basic self defense techniques on every single servants in the house. They're not anywhere near your level yet but considering the fact they could sneak up on you, they're good enough. By the way, pretty much every single one of them knows you're here.'

'Then why didn't they rat us out?' Akane spat.

'Because I asked.' Fuyuki shrugged and crossed his arms. 'Let's make a deal. I'll let you leave this place. On one condition - you take her with you.'

'If we don't?'

Fuyuki's smile was unsettling. 'Well, I'm sure Tsuzuki and Sayuri would be ecstatic to see you both.' They both paled slightly.

'I'm not a bargaining tool!' Emily hissed. 'And if you detested me so much, just say so! I could just up and leave on my own!'

'Just because you're human now it didn't mean the X-Laws and Utsuki are going to let you off just like that. They were paid to get rid of you. Even if you're no longer a threat, they will still finish you off for the sake of maintaining their reputation.'

'What does that have to do with you?'

'Personally, I don't care if you live or die. However, Shiro invested in a lot of effort to keep you safe.' and anything that annoys the X-Laws make him happy. He gestured to Kotone and Akane. 'These two here are pro-assassins. They'll have no problems keeping you safe from those people.' Hao said nonchalantly.

'What about Yuuji? Wouldn't he be upset if he knows you handed Emily over to us?' Akane questioned.

Hao shrugged. 'She's useless to him anyway. If anything, he should have known better than to waste his time on something that doesn't bring back any form of benefit.'

'...What makes you so sure that we would keep her safe? For all you know, I could just finish her off the moment we are out of here.' Kotone remarked.

'Because you owe it to my foolish brother of course.'

'We owe him NOTHING!' Akane hisses.

Something flashed within Hao's eyes. 'You really think you owe him nothing?'

'Well it's not like he ever told us what really happened to Tak-nii that night-'

'I'm not talking about Takumi. Yes, you owed him that too but that's another story for another time.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Kotone demanded, eyes narrowed.

'Iria, Aria, escort Emily out first. I'll escort these two out by myself.' The two nodded and a minute later, only Hao, Kotone and Akane remained in the room.

Hao crossed his arms. 'Say...if the both of you were Sayuri,'

'We would NEVER be like SAYURI!' Both Kotone and Akane snarled.

'IF you are Sayuri,' Hao repeated. 'Wouldn't you both agree that Yuuji made an outstanding servant and assassin?' Hao asked seriously.

Akane snorted and eyed him with ridicule. 'What kind of stupid question is that?!'

'I shall assume you agree then. Now on to the next question, didn't you find it...peculiar that he still gets punished despite his flawless performance?' Hao asked slowly and relished the moment when he sees the cogs in their head turning.

Their mouth opened and closed, words forming on their lips before dying away a moment later.

'Don't know the answer? Good. You both turned your backs on him when he needed you most. It's about time you two pay the price for it.' Hao thought vindictively.

He turned his back on them. 'See yourself out. You know the way.' He told them before leaving the two assassin's in the kitchen.

Hao smirked. Revenge is indeed a dish best served cold. He was honestly curious as to what is going to happen when those two finally sought out the Yoshifumi couple.

'Ever since the incident, it felt as if Shiro-nii turned into another person altogether.' Yoh grumbled snapping Hao out of his thoughts.

Hao snorted and turned to him unimpressed. 'Who exactly are you trying to fool Yoh? Yourself?' Yoh looked confused.

'What's do you mean?'

'Everybody's got a dark side. It's just part of human nature. Like it or not, Shiro's an assassin.' Keiko and Yoh grimaced at that statement. 'It's inevitable for him to have a more sinister side to his personality. The only reason you've never seen this side of him before is because he's never had any reason to direct it at you.'

'Until Otou-san, Kaa-san, Mikihisa and Anna decided to went after you.' Keiko said quietly. Both Yoh and Keiko gazed at Hao as if they committed some horrible sin and Yoh opened his mouth.

'If you apologize one more time, I am going to throw you out that window.' Hao interjected before Yoh could say anything. Enough is enough. They've apologize so many times he was sick of it. It's not even their fault. Besides, did apologizing change anything? No, it didn't change anything. So get a grip and move on.

Yoh blinked a few times before grinning sheepishly.

'Speaking of apology, a few servants told me that they saw Mikihisa scouting the perimeters of the mansion.' Both of them stiffened at the news.

'Have you both thought about what are you going to do about them?' His question was greeted with silence. 'You don't have to answer me if you don't want to. Just thought I should remind you that you're going to have to face them sooner or later.' Hao shrugged and turned back to Shiro who released another shot. The arrow once again hit the center of the target, splitting the arrows already lodged there in halves.

The door abruptly slid open and everyone turned. A boy with brown hair stood at the door smiling brightly. Yoh and Keiko couldn't help but thought he looked familiar somehow.

Shiro stared wide eyed at the newcomer as he lowered his bow and arrow. '...Melos?'

Ah...now Yoh remembered. He was a Shaman Fight participant. They fought against each other once. Rather, Faust did.

'What are you doing here-' He trailed off when Melos all but glomp him.

'SURPRISE! Did you miss me?' He asked cheekily. 'Oh! And before I forgot, the professor, the social worker and the kids sends you his regards!' Melos chirped. His exuberance turned into one of confusion when Yuuji didn't spoke a word.

'...Yuuji?'

Crack!

The arrow he had been holding snapped in half from his tight grip. Shiro took a few deep breaths and prayed for patience.

'You...you're not happy to see me?' Melos looked uncertain and a tad hurt.

'No, I'm...It's good to see you. It's just...' Shiro placed both hands on Melos shoulders. 'Melos, I want you to answer my question honestly alright?' Shiro said slowly. Melos blinked a few times but nodded. 'Did the principal sent you here?'

Melos stiffened. 'Ermm...'

That was all the confirmation he needed.

'I'm going to kill him!' Shiro declared as he threw his bow and arrow aside and stomped towards the exit.

'No wait Yuuji!' Melos pulled him back.

'The nerve of him! Making you skip classes when you're already struggling to catch up in your studies!'

'Why is it always that statement that pops up?! It's just a few classes!'

'I'm going to skin him alive, roast him on a spit, slash him into bits and pieces and then...' Melos rolled his eyes heavenward as Shiro began listing out all kinds of torture methods under his breath. Melos eyes bulged when he actually grabbed his sword leaning against the wall. He swiped it out of his hands.

'No! You do not get to kill the Principal!' Melos said firmly. The two stared each other down.

'Fine, then I'll dangle him off the roof.'

'No!'

'3rd floor then.'

'No!'

'2nd floor.'

'NO!'

'...1st floor?'

'Yuuji. You're not hanging anybody upside down the roof.'

'Can I at least punch him?' Shiro wheedles.

'Great Spirits sake, you're a hundred times worst than dad!'

'You finally got a chance to go to school and act like a normal kid! He had no right to disrupt your normalcy!'

'Oh and why is that? Could it be that you were worried about me?' Melos asked casually though he was watching Shiro closely waiting for him to slip up.

'Y-' Shiro swallowed back his words before they fell out of his mouth. He saw the way Melos face fell and he immediately knew that he was trying to get him to admit to some sappy things again.

Brat.

'Pffft! As if I care!' It wasn't unknown whether Shiro was trying to convince himself or Melos.

'If you say so.' Is Melos candid reply. It was a lie and they both knew it.

Shiro fumed slightly but in the next second, his expression gradually went calm again. Melos brow furrowed slightly at the unusual response.

Seeing that he was about to return to his archery, Melos quickly shoved a piece of paper under his nose before he could leave.

'I got 9th place for my last test!' He sounded super pleased with himself. Shiro stared at him skeptically, glanced at the results listed on the paper then passed it back. Melos spared a hopeful glance at him.

'So? What do you think?'

'Hn.' Was the comment.

Melos purposely let out a dramatic sigh. 'Great Spirits, how did I befriend such a boring guy? I worked so hard for my test and all I get is this one word that is not even a word?! You could have at least shown a little more enthusiasm!' He rambled and this time, it was Shiro who rolled his eyes. He eyed him closely for a few moments before holding out one hand as if to receive something from Melos.

'Hand.' It sounded strangely like a command. Yet even stranger, Melos didn't seem affected at all by his tone. Instead, he obediently extend his hand towards Shiro who calmly place his index finger and middle finger over his pulse.

Yoh and Keiko stared at Shiro curiously as he read Melos pulse. Feeling their stares Melos tilted his head and made eye contact with Yoh. He instantly brightened.

'Ah! You must be Yoh right?!' Without waiting for a reply, he continued on. 'I've heard all about you from Ch-' Shiro cleared his throat very loudly cutting Melos off and shot him a warning look. Melos flashed him an unrepentant grin.

Yoh's eyebrow quirked up at his brother very blatant attempt to redirect the topic.

'You seem to be doing very well Melos-kun.' Melos stiffened slightly at that voice. He turned to face Hao who glared at him with unconcealed disdain. Yoh and Keiko regarded Hao with slight surprise. Hao was always calm and composed but now, he wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that he didn't like Melos.

Shiro's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Indeed. Ados and Maya rarely let you out of his sight. You couldn't have sneaked out have you?' He release Melos hand and crossed his arms looking accusing. Those movements were only slight but it coincidentally manage to block Melos from Hao's line of sight.

Hao's eyes got even colder if that was even possible. He knew it wasn't a coincidence and that Shiro was blocking Melos from his view on purpose.

Melos Enseioth was born with an incurable disease and was doomed to die this year. At least, that was what would have happened if his foolish brother had not intervened. The Enseioth do not have any enmity with Hao and their meeting with Shiro was completely accidental. Literally as in...Melos father mowed Shiro down with a car while he was on his way to visit two foolish brats in the hospital.

Shiro have been confined to that hospital for one night, in the same room as their son Melos. It was only one night, yet one night was enough for Shiro to decide that he didn't want Melos to die. He had completely cured Melos of his terminal illness but because he was injured from the accident, he almost killed himself when he overused his healing skills. If Hao hadn't been there in the nick of time to stabilize him, his idiot brother would have joined Takumi in the afterlife.

He honestly do not understand what Shiro sees in this kid that he was so determined to save him but in Hao's eyes, Melos was weak and he was a burden to Shiro.

A knock on the door made him pause in his thoughts. Everyone turned to the door.

Shiro's eyebrow furrowed. Didn't he told them he do not want to be disturbed?

The door creaked open and the green haired boy entered hesitantly. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Hao's eyed the visitor with interest, Yoh looked surprised while Keiko was curious.

'This must be Mr. Diethel's son.' Melos thought to himself.

'What are you doing here Lyserg?' Yoh asked.

Lyserg let out an awkward smile, 'My parents sent me here actually.' He admitted and turned to Shiro whose expression had turned unsightly.

'I am not going!' Shiro cut him off before Lyserg had even opened his mouth. Keiko, Yoh and Melos's eyebrow rose slightly while Hao merely looked amused.

Lyserg smile was still awkward as he replied, 'They expected that answer so they want me to tell you they won't take no for an answer. And that you're in charge of bringing the dessert. They wanted Banoffee pie by the way.' Lyserg looked a bit embarrassed as he relayed the message while Shiro's brow twitched in annoyance.

'I'm not going!' Shiro repeated for emphasis. Lyserg shrugged and hold out a piece of folded A4 paper. Shiro gave him a questioning glance.

'Mom asks me to pass this note to you if you insist on rejecting the offer.' Shiro took it and unfolded the note.

'I refused to take no for an answer. You have two choices young man! Either you show up for dinner on your own or Liam will drag you to our house by force.' It was printed in bold red and the font was huge enough that everyone could see it.

Shiro looked a bit stunned while Hao took one glance at the paper and his expression turned thoughtful.

'Just go.' Hao told him.

'Nii-san?!'

Hao sighed. 'If you don't show up, Liam really will come after you.' Shiro grimaced.

'Great. She'll stuff me to death again.' Shiro muttered under his breath.

Lyserg's eyebrow shot up. Again?

Melos who was close enough to hear what he said shook his head ruefully. Yuuji had complained about the exact same thing whenever his mother invited him to dine with their family. Therefore, he knew this has nothing to do with the food portions. Rather, it was his eating habits that was the problem.

Tsuzuki is typing continuously into his laptop while Sayuri browsed through the files on the table. Once in a while, she would pass one of the files over to Tsuzuki and they would discuss about it before either approving or rejecting the contents of the file. Somewhere in between, their visitor arrived. Despite the hostility emanated from the two, they acted as if they didn't exist and never once turned their attention towards them.

Akane purposely cleared her throat loudly to garner their attention.

'Five minutes.' Tsuzuki and Sayuri said at the same time without looking up.

Akane bristled. Can this couple get anymore arrogant?

Kotone merely shook her head. Some things never change.

Five minutes later, the files have been arranged neatly to a side and the laptop have been closed.

Tsuzuki and Sayuri finally regarded the two guests standing in front of them.

'It's been a while Kotone, Akane.' Tsuzuki's tone was casual yet it grated on Akane's nerves.

Kotone smiled coldly. 'Yes, it has been a while Master Tsuzuki, Mistress Sayuri.' The way she addressed them both was cold and mocking. 'I hope our absences haven't cause you too much trouble?' She asked innocently.

Sayuri's face turned unsightly. The nerve of her! They were the ones causing them trouble most of the time!

Her face turned calm in a split second. 'Of course not.' She said kindly.

They peered at each other with an indifferent expression yet underneath all that calm exterior, a storm was raging within.

Author's note:

Hello everyone! I know its been a really long time but hope you all enjoyed the update folks! And of course! Please don't forget to REVIEW! Reviews are good for author's soul! X-P