The room was freezing. The only light came from the morning light that shone through the blinds, lining the bed that Xuan laid in.

His stomach flip flopped. He felt wrong. His bones felt different, so did his skin. It felt like his bones were cracking and scraping together, his skin like ice hanging from a tree.

Yuuhime sometimes came to visit him, which made him feel a little better, but Yamato also came. The things he would say to Xuan made his blood cold.

Yuuhime would come in afterward and hold his head close to her chest as he weeped quietly and bitterly. Her soft voice could only say, "I know, I know."

Xuan was still very much weak from getting zapped by Yamato again. He could hardly move, let alone walk around. So, as he lay motionless in the dark room, he heard Yamato's degrading comments to Yuuhime.

"You're seriously wearing that today?"

"Don't stuff yourself, it's not ladylike."

"Clean this up for me, I have other things to do. Chop chop, dear sister!"

"If you hate my cooking soooo much, why don't you make something? Oh, wait, you only make desserts! Where would you be if I wasn't here?"

"That makeup looks so terribly horrid against your complexion, go change it."

"Look at me, I've gotten three dates this week, and you've only managed to get one red headed boy that I easily beat up."

He wanted to beat Yamato up, lock him away forever for the things he said to her. He would lock him away, someday.

Today was not that day. Today, he sat in a cold room where to only light was coming from obstructing blinds.

He heard the door lightly knock. He knew it was Yuuhime, for she was considerate enough to knock before entering.

"Come in." Xuan called.

Yuuhime slipped in. She held a vase with red poinsettias.

"Those are pretty," He said, "why do you got 'em?"

"I wanted to give them to you," she explained, "it's very dull in here, and these flowers are bright even in the dark."

"Aw, thank you!"

She smiled and place the vase beside his bed. The flowers really did stand out nicely against the dark shadows that danced on the walls and furniture.

She sat next to his bed. "Can you move at all?"

"I tried, my head moves fine." He demonstrated by swaying his head back and fourth, resulting in hair in his mouth. He sputtered, trying to get the hair out of his mouth. "I can lean up now too."

He helped himself scoot up to a sitting position. Yuuhime clapped.

"Wonderful! I'm glad you're feeling better."

Soon, he might be able to run fast enough away. That's what they both hoped, at least.

"Soon," He said, "I'll be able to help around."

"Huh? Don't worry yourself with those things at all." Yuuhime huffed. "This is my house, not yours."

"If I'm gonna be stuck here, I might as well help with something. I'm no freeloader."

"I command you to be a freeloader. Focus on gaining your strength back."

He chuckled, rubbing his arms. They, along with his legs, became more burnt, fresh and oddly shaped burns taking up most of his legs and arms.

"Have you found my communicator yet?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said, "but Yamato hid it in a small safe behind a painting in his office. I have no clue what the password is, and he's always in there when he's not bugging me."

"Man, it must be exploding with messages..."

"It has been. I've heard the box vibrating when I'm close to it."

"Haha..." Xuan rested his cheek against his shoulder. "Must be Li Ling, he doesn't take this kind of stuff very well."

"Yeah..." She lightly brushed his hand, "Hey, I'm going to a sleepover tonight with my girl friends."

"Sounds fun!"

"Y-yeah, but-but what about you? Will you be ok?"

"Of course." He gave a lopsided smile. "Go have fun, don't worry about me."

"Are you sure? What if Yamato-"

He nodded profusely. "You deserve a break."

She smiled a little and held his hand. The burns started at the base of his palm, smooth yet rough, wet yet dry.

"I'm going at 6." She told him.

"Alright, I'll plan to go to bed then."

She giggled and got up. "I'll go get you lunch, it's the time."

"Thanks, for everything. I mean it." His voice slightly shook. 

"Of course, you don't need to ask me twice, my Xuan." She said.

He smiled, blushing. She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

He closed his eyes and his head went thud against the wall. He was a liar. He couldn't possibly tell Yuuhime how he really felt, she was too precious to him.

He could say he was afraid, but he could get through it. He could smile and tell her everything was going to be ok. But he couldn't admit the terror that plagued him.

'Get yourself together!' He told himself. 'You're an ops chief!'

Yuuhime peeked in once again and gave him his lunch, a simple sandwich. He nibbled it.

"Mmmm...so yummy! Thanks!"

***

"I'm going now, are you sure I shouldn't stay?" Yuuhime asked. She held a duffel bag full of "super secret sleepover stuff" and a grocery bag of treats.

"Go! Everything'll be fine." Xuan reassured her. She bit her lip, then quickly pulled him into a hug.

"Call me from the home phone if you need me!" She whispered. "My number is **********."

"I won't forget," he said, "now go, so you won't leave your friends waiting."

She nodded and waved one last time. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

He nodded and waved back.

He listened to her footsteps clomp down the hall until she was outside. He sat in silence for only a few minutes when Yamato bound in.

"Guess what I have in my pocket." He said.

"Uh...lint? Your communicator?" Xuan tried.

"Nope! Nope!" He flicked out two slips of paper. They had gold lining and fancy lettering.

Yamato most of seen how confused Xuan was, because he then said, "They're theater tickets. One for me, and the other was originally for Yuuhime. But, since she's having her girl's night, we can have our boys night."

"I'm bed ridden, how am I supposed to get to a theater?"

"I'm strong enough to carry you." Yamato replied, a large grin on his face. "This aught to be an interesting night, eh, Mr. Tang Xuan?"

"Ah...yes, it shall."

"I've been told that your upper body is feeling better, correct? So put on your jacket. It's very chilly outside, then I'll carry you out."

Xuan hated the way the tall individual talked to him like a child. Just because his legs, which Yamato HIMSELF hurt, were temporarily hurt, didn't mean his mind reverted to that of a child.

Once his jacket was snuggly on, Yamato hoisted Xuan onto his shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Hm? Was this not what you expected?"

"Just hurry up!"

"Heh, heh, I see how it is."

Xuan would have rather been in one of those miserable hospital wheelchairs than be in this situation. He couldn't fight back, he couldn't even pinch Yamato's neck. In fact, his grip gave him just as much pain as just walking would have.

"Now, you must stay in the box seat I ordered for us. I have some acquaintances I must speak to, you see."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you."

Xuan was shoved into the back seat. Yamato hummed as he hoped into the front seat.

"What music shall we listen to? I know, what about...this!"

Orchestral music sang through the car. Such joyous songs, waisted on a moment like this.

"Have you ever heard of Nutcracker Solider? That's what we're going to see. After, we're staying for the play after that, The Misremembered Carols."

Xuan simply nodded. Like he cared. He'd seen a million versions of Nutcracker Solider over the Holiday season. Even if he'd never heard of The Misremembered Carols, he still could care less.

"Oh! And we'll be at Golden Theater."

"In Utgard?"

"Mhm! As long as you don't blow your cover, which you won't, you'll be fine." Yamato fingered the music box on his lap. Xuan's face went dark.

Once they reached the city, there was some wall guards who came in and searched. Xuan's face was covered by a mask. He felt paralyzed as the guard patted him down.

"He has a horribly terribly contagious disease," Yamato lied, "just by breathing near you, you get sick. That's why he has the mask."

"Then why's he here?" A guard asked.

"Well, there's only so much I can do for him at home. That's why we're here, to get a doctor's opinion."

"Ah! I see. Are you going to Dr. Fu?"

"Yes! Good old Fu Panko, what a guy, am I right?"

"Yeah. Well, you're good to go on through."

"Thank you for your service, my good sirs." He called as he went through the gate.

Xuan had never seen anything quite like it before. After all, the only time the Esper Union was in Utgard was under dire emergencies.

'Guess I know where it got its name from now.' He thought to himself.

The city glowed from bright lights, making it look golden. The buildings, while mostly sky scrapers, still were unique and interesting. He had heard that most buildings were casinos and resorts, for anyone to come and get lost in enjoyment. Although he didn't agree with coming here to forget about your problems and worries, he could at least appreciate the building design.

He expected there to be more traffic, but it really wasn't that bad. Of course there was lots of cars, but they all continuously moved without tire.

"Here we are, the Golden Theater itself." Yamato announced. Seeing the theater made him almost forget everything. It really was golden, or at least had the illusion of gold. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of cars were parked in the parking lot and two enormous parking garages on either side.

Yamato pulled into the back, where VIP parking was.

"Hello, sir." A man in a golden suit said. He had a golden wheelchair, which Xuan assumed was for him.

"Splendid!" Yamato said. The golden man helped Xuan into the wheelchair, which Yamato quickly took. 

He led them to a door that said "box seats." Entering, he was greeted with darkness and faint echos of music. Soon, they were at a balcony that overlooked a massive theater. Many seats of people swooped below them, all leading to a beautiful stage with golden statues decorating the already impressive scene.

"Take off your jacket, you'll look much more fancy." Yamato commanded.

He really didn't want to. Although the scene before him was amazing, it was also freezing.

Soon, they arrived at the box seat. It was very spacious, with a balcony overlooking the grand stage and a two speakers so they could hear everything better. Two seats, red velvet with golden trim, awaited them.

"Ah, what a view!" Yamato announced. He sat in his chair. Xuan also sat, not being able appreciate its comfiness. He was too distracted by Yamato's clamoring about this and that, how he hoped this would be an amazing brother-in-law experience, why he chose this specific theater, on and on and on.

'When he's not scary, he's annoying.' Xuan thought to himself, hardly surviving through it before the production began. How could Yuuhime stand to live with him?

The ballerinas came out onto stage with their puffy skirts and carefree leaps. From their arms, they flung poinsettias into the audience. Poinsettia petals floated down from a trap door above them, as well as from other trap doors above the general audience. The red petals bled into every aspect of the people below, covering them head to toe in the precarious red.

Xuan himself let one fall into his hand, its delicate features like bones.

"It matches you." He said to Yamato, refusing to elaborate.

"It's like my hair? My coat? No, it must be my eyes." He guessed, but was met with silence. The older chuckled under his breath and turned his attention back to the ballet.

Comparing Yamato to old bones lifted Xuan's spirits. He wished Yuuhime could have heard it and understood his thinking.

Throughout the performance, more things fell from the trapdoors. One was soft fake snow that tickled Xuan's face, another was fake leaves, and paper candies too.

"Isn't the lead dancer so gorgeous?" Yamato suddenly asked.

"She's...pretty." Xuan replied. In all honesty, he couldn't see the face of anyone. Besides, she couldn't possibly be prettier than Yuuhime.

"She shall be my fourth date."

"Good luck with that..."

"Why, thank you!" Yamato smiled.

Soon, the play came to an end. Xuan had to admit it was a very lovely performance, with great dances and amazing immersion. He glanced at the bone-like poinsettia petal, still in his hand, and pocketed it.

"Stay here, I'm going to rizz up that beautiful dancer."

"Please never say that again."

Yamato swooped out of the box. As soon as the door closed, Xuan attempted to stand. It felt like bullets were being shot into his legs, but he could stand. Then he tried to walk, which was even worse. Despite this, he made his way to the door and listened.

He heard the ambiance of speaking and laughter on the other side. Pressed his head against the door and sighed.

"Is this Mr. Yamato's room?" He heard someone nearby ask.

"Yes," Another voice said, "he's not here, though, so you'll have to wait, Dr. Fu."

"And you said instead of his sister, was a different person?"

"Yes. They were in a wheelchair, but their face was obstructed by a mask."

"I see. Let me know when Mr. Yamato returns. Perhaps this new person can be...helpful."

"Yes, Dr. Fu."

Xuan scrunched his nose. 'Damn, Yamato's dragged me into his personal problems.'

He grumbled and waddled to the balcony. He watched the people lining back into their seats as all the speakers yelled, "Ten minutes until The Misremembered Carols!"

Soon, he heard Yamato's loud banter coming closer and closer. He sat back down as fast as he could. Yamato happily came in and flicked his phone in his face.

"See this number? It's the lead ballerina's. Her name is Mille, you see. She's going to be my fourth date."

"And why do you need four dates?"

"Connects, Mr. Tang Xuan!" He yelled, "The more people you know, the further your scope becomes."

Xuan looked doubtful, but asked no more.

"Ooh, the second show is starting."

As Yamato was about to sit comfortably once again, a knock came from their door. His eyes narrowed, annoyed.

"The show's started, too late for visitors." He murmured.

"Mr. Yamato, open the door!" Xuan recognized the voice as the person "Dr. Fu" was talking to.

"The show has started, can it wait?" Yamato called back.

"No, it really can't."

"Well, that's really too bad, isn't it?"

"Mr-"

Yamato turned up the speakers and smiled, satisfied. "I don't even know that man, isn't that just so funny?"

Xuan only missed Yuuhime. He wished he could cuddle her and tell her about how funny it was how he secretly called Yamato old and how beautiful the fake snow was.

'At least she's having a good night.' He thought. Yuuhime loved her friends, that was a trait he admired about her.

The knocking at the door began to get very loud. Yamato gritted his teeth, glancing back at it.

"Can't I have a moment of peace?" He hissed and got up. He swung open the door, "What is it?!"

Xuan peeked over. Two people stood in the doorway. One was a tall and blond man, and the other a feline Esper. Both had decorative masquerade masks on, obscuring their faces just enough so he couldn't make sense of who they could be.

"Hello, Mr. Yamato," The feline Esper said, "My name is Dr. Fu. I heard you wanted to see me?"

"Whoever told you that? Dr. Fu Panko isn't an Esper, and you are as clear as day."

"Dr. Fu Panko is unfortunately unavailable. I'm his relative, Dr. Fu Shy."

"Where are your credentials?"

"Is this enough credentials?" Fu Shy pulled out a strange device from his bag.

"And that is?" Yamato asked, annoyed. "Nothing I care about clearly. Good night."

And so the door was shut on their faces. He looked at Xuan, a glint in his eyes.

"Poor us, Mr. Tang Xuan. It seems some Shadow rats found me."

"Eh?! What did you-"

"You're going to help me, understand?"

"What-"

Yamato opened the door and, staring forward, said, "Ready?"

***

Xuan's eyes fluttered open. He was back in Yamato's van, bumping along the long highway.

His legs felt really sore, more so than before. He rubbed his knuckles, feeling his dirty gloves.

Wait. Dirty?

"Awake, I see," Yamato hummed, "good, good."

They were just at the theater.

"You passed out, so I just had to take you home."

He didn't even feel tired.

"Unfortunately, there was an attack at the theater."

Now he remembered. Two Shadow Decree people were there.

"But we were fortunate enough to leave before that happened. You really saved me the trouble."

"What did you do?" Xuan asked.

"I didn't do anything," Yamato replied, "you did, though. You did an amazing job."

He remembered now. He fought the Shadow rats. He didn't just fight them, he brutally beat them. Something still nagged him.

"Why didn't you just..."

"I understand your thoughts." Yamato interrupted. "I am very powerful, thank you for noticing. But instead, I've set myself as a powerful adversary, a force to be reckoned with."

The rest of the ride was silent. Yamato, pleased, and Xuan...

He didn't know how to feel. What he did know was the extent of the music box's power. It finally hit him that Yamato could easily make him hurt his friends from the Union, fight the people he cared so deeply about.

Kill the people he so dearly loved.