Blood spilled on the floor, my body in pure agony.

My Godai Shakujō dis-activating on its own, I straightened up and backed up against the wall. Red hot liquid was streaming out of my mouth and my wounds, soaking my clothes very rapidly.

It was over.

Kaiken was dead.

And it was going to be the end for me too.

I couldn't see much of anything anymore, my vision blurred. I could hear Ayame's frantic voice shouting my name but it seemed so far away.

Subaru... I would have liked to see you one last time and know that you're alright...

***

On the other side...

Tsunan Hitachiin opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. He sat bolt upright when the realization that he had fallen asleep at a certain redhead's apartment the previous night dawned on him.

He was surprised at himself; it didn't resemble him to let go of himself like that.

He noticed that his shoes had been taken off and a quilt had been placed over him. It was definitely Shun's doing. It did resemble her to be so full of attention towards others; which was also why she didn't wake him up and let him sleep, knowing that he badly needed some rest.

Even if he was a bit embarrassed by himself, he felt thankful towards her for having let him occupy her couch the whole night.

He glanced at the empty bed then, wondering where the red-haired girl was gone. Her small pet animal was still sleeping.

Getting to his feet, he made into the kitchen. He didn't find her there and there was no sound coming from the bathroom either. It was only when he returned back into the bedroom that he noticed the small note on the bedside table she had left him, where she wrote:

Off to Ayame's house.

I've prepared tea and coffee.

Will be back soon.

He remembered that Shun had told him she'd visit Ayame on the latter's request to see if a demon had his hand to do in what happened at the Tsuge's eight years ago.

The doctor grew a bit concerned.

After washing his face, he decided to grab some tea in the kitchen. His cheeks took a slight shade of red when he found her tea incredibly good.

He was hesitating between waiting for her to return and going to join her at Ayame's place. But finally, he decided to pay heed to the ugly feeling he was having and headed for Ayame's place.

***

His eyes went wide, his heart going insane.

Ayame stilled and paled, transfixed with shock for a minute, before he rushed to the red-haired girl who had backed up against the wall, away from the inanimate monster which was lying on the kitchen's floor, bathing in its own blood.

The girl was in no better state. She was mortally wounded and losing blood at alarming speed.

'Shun! Shun! Hey!' he shouted at her, frantically. 'Hold on!'

The girl's eyes were glazed over and she didn't seem to be able to respond.

He snatched the phone off the floor next to him and with trembling fingers, he dialed a number, his insides twisting with dread.

***

Just as Tsunan stepped out of his car, his cellphone rang and he was puzzled to see that it was Ayame. He picked up immediately.

'Ayame?'

'Tsunan! Tsunan! Where are you?'

'I've just arrived in front of your house,' he replied, turning to face the said-house, his breath catching at the blond's panicked tone.

'Come quickly! Shun needs you!'

The doctor didn't leave Ayame time to finish and dashed for the front door. Flinging it open, he barged in and what greeted his sight was a mortally wounded Shun who was sitting in a pool of blood on the floor of the kitchen.

His heart skipped a beat, a shrill running down his spine.

***

Later, the same day...

My eyes opened to a familiar white room, my mind a little hazy. I blinked several times until something hit me- I was alive!

The sudden realization sent me sitting bolt upright in bed and I groped at my lower abdomen frantically.

'Shun?'

My head snapped to the side and I met Doctor Tsunan's concerned look. I was at the infirmary of the organization and the day was coming to an end.

'How are you feeling?' he asked, but I was too confused to reply. I remembered perfectly well what happened with Kaiken. I had been mortally wounded. I should be dead right now. How did I survive? I didn't even have any injury anymore. Even my old wounds were gone.

The doctor brought his stethoscope over my abdomen to listen to my breathing before he took out his small flashlight and held it to my eyes to check their reactivity.

'You don't seem to have any sequel,' he said, as he put his flashlight away and took notes in his writing pad. 'Your ECG and X-RAY results are good too,' he pointed out, checking them.

He took a few more notes before he put his pad down and gave me a stern look.

'What took over you?' he scolded, upset. 'What you did was foolhardy! You could have died!'

I averted my eyes and hugged myself, murmuring, 'I know that it was foolhardy but it's just that... that demon has destroyed Ayame and Shuko's lives. He needed to die; it was necessary that the demon of their nightmares disappear, even if I had to sacrifice myself for that.'

I looked up into his eyes then and apologized, 'I'm really sorry.'

'Don't ever do that again, is it clear?!'

I nodded.

'Tsunan,' called a familiar voice at that moment and we both looked at Ayame who was standing in the doorway. I wondered when the latter had arrived. 'Can I talk with her a minute?'

The doctor took a glance at me before he acquiesced with a sigh and walked out of the infirmary.

Ayame moved to sit down at the edge of my bed, staring at the floor. I threw my legs over the side to allow him more space.

I wondered if he was alright after everything that happened. I noticed that his head was bandaged and apologized, 'I'm sorry I had to hit you. Does it hurt?'

He glanced at me but didn't answer.

'I wanted to thank you for what you did. You have washed the dishonor off the name of my father. You have put the demon who killed Naoto and my family out of action. You saved my life.'

'Anyone else would have done the same.'

He remained quiet for a minute before he declared, 'But I'm going to be frank with you. What you did doesn't change anything. I don't trust you for that much. The others are right. When we know the existence of demons, we can easily commit a crime and blame in on possession. And the fact is that you have pleaded guilty for the massacre in your village. I'm sorry.'

He was looking away as he said that, a pout on his lips. I didn't really know how to react to his words or what to say, so I simply murmured, 'Okay.'

He jerked to his feet then and digging his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he stomped his way out of the infirmary.

***

Tsunan Hitachiin shook his head at the younger male's words. The doctor was standing just outside of the door of the infirmary in the corridor, with his back pressed against the side wall, eavesdropping.

Ayame came out of the room and paused for a minute when he saw Tsunan and then, lowering his eyes, the teenager walked away.

Katsuya Hattori came into view at that moment.

His expression became puzzled when Ayame went past him without speaking a word. The ginger-haired boy continued his way up to Tsunan then and the two males exchanged a quick look before the youngest entered the infirmary, while the doctor left to inform the master that Shun was awake.

***

'You almost died.'

I looked up at Katsuya Hattori as he entered the room. He gave me a gentle smile, walking his way up to me.

'I still don't know how I survived.'

He raised his eyebrows at me. 'Tsunan didn't tell you anything?'

I blinked, bewildered.

He grinned and explained, 'The juzu bracelet that he wears gives him the capacity to heal a person no matter the gravity of his or her wounds. It is passed down from one head of the Hitachiin clan to the next. The number of times he can use the ability of the bracelet is equal to the number of beads, which means that he has to be careful while using it, as it is not infinite and thus, he reserves its usage in extreme cases. Though, with each new wearer, the bracelet recovers its full capacity all over again.'

I understood better now and was filled with gratitude towards the doctor.

'Oi! Are you that unhappy with us that you were ready to leave this world just to be rid of us, ne?!'

We both looked at the person who said that. It was Master Kagami, the latter standing in the doorway with Tsunan.

'No. No, of course, not,' I whispered, his teasing making me smile.

I didn't know that the master was back from Kusunoki yet.

'I'm going to see Ayame,' Katsuya told me, getting to his feet and leaving the master, Doctor Tsunan and I to ourselves.

The dark-haired man crossed the room and unexpectedly, he pulled at my cheeks to punish me for my recklessness. 'What took over you to do that, huh? What took over you?'

I cried, my eyes stinging with tears.

When he finally let go, I rubbed my hot burning cheeks, giving the master a mortified look, his method of punishment making me feel like a small child.

He plumped down on the nearby bed then, his expression serene.

I was baffled by his mood swings.

Taking out his box of cigarette, he was about to lit one up when, Doctor Tsunan gave him a severe look, groaning, 'Not here!'

'Oh, sorry,' the master apologized, in a nervous giggle, putting the cigarette back into the box, this finding it's place back into the inside pocket of his jacket. After a small silence, he told me, 'Shun, know that even if I don't approve that my children sacrifice their lives in combat, I am thankful towards you for having eliminated the monster who deprived every one of us of Rinshō and Naoto. As the master, it was supposed to be my job. So, thank you, sincerely.'

'Knowing that what happened has been the work of a demon, doesn't bring any comfort; I am well aware of it. I don't consider that I have any merits,' I murmured, grimly, but honestly.

The truth was that there was no known way to prevent possession. And this disturbing fact, made the world look even more frightening; life, even more ephemeral; people even more, vulnerable.

He stared at me a minute before he half-smiled and said, 'Let's take you back home, alright?'

I nodded.

Thank you for reading!

Special Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to my first follower @Zuhayr_Dhunny. Thank you for your support!