Yun disposed of Ling in a bush. He wanted to beat him up even more but Yamato had told him if he did that, then he might miss Xuan. He didn't want that, so he left it at that.

"He won't suspect his best friend to be under my control." Yamato had told him.

"What about his eye?"

"Cover it up. After you're done with him, leave him in the park or something!"

Yun walked through the dead city. It was as if the city itself knew what he did. As if it were judging him.

Why should he be judged? He was right! Whether he killed Xuan tonight or not, that didn't matter. He was in the right, and he would prove it.

"Couldn't come any quicker?" Yamato asked at the spot they agreed on meeting: near the underground miracle. Yuuhime lay unconscious still.

"Li Ling is huge," Yun said, "we could have saved time if you let me kill him here. He'll be a nuisance later, too."

"But don't you think it'll be even better to watch Tang Xuan kill him?"

"...maybe just a little."

Yamato gave a hearty laugh, one that echoed through the empty streets. It ran shivers down his back.

"Ugh," Yamato leaned on a wall, "all this work to get all the espers I've burnt feeling sick is a lot of work."

"...how are you even doing it, again?"

"Basically, in simple people terms-"

"Wait, are you calling me stupid?!"

"-my divine power is in their bodies, so I can send signals to their bodies to hurt."

"You called me stupid!"

"No I didn't. I put it in simple terms."

"That's basically insulting my intelligence."

"Well, my astute colleague, I can't help but perceive you as dull-witted and dense, thanks to your previous enterprises. You're blessed I'm succoring you to posses your kinfolk."

"...I get it, you're smarter than me. Doesn't mean you're better."

"I've actually looked at your grades from middle and high school. You are slightly intelligent at best and downright, laughably, idiotic at worst."

"School's stupid. The only reason I passed any of those classes was because of my brother...do you want me to show you what really matters?"

As Yun said this, he cracked his knuckles. Yamato laughed, folding his arms.

"Is this a challenge?"

"Maybe."

"So you haven't learnt anything. I should have known, since you haven't even got a 1 GPA."

"That doesn't mean shit."

"I had a 4.0 GPA, everything I did was perfect. I never got a low score."

"And now that doesn't even matter, eh?"

"It's just something I have to brag about. It helps me in being a lawyer, too."

Yun swung a punch but Yamato easily dodged. He pinched the back of Yun's neck hard, causing the younger to yelp and stop.

"L-let go!"

"How submissive, that's very good!"

"Don't say that!"

Yamato let go and looked to the dark alleyways all around.

"He's coming. Can't you hear that?"

Yun listened. The faint tapping of someone running nearer and nearer filled him with a great joy.

Yun jumped into nearby ruin. Xuan didn't know he was working with Yamato yet, so a sneak attack was his best bet.

"Yamato!" Xuan yelled, darting towards him. He was pale, in pain, and determined.

"Mr. Tang Xuan! I'm so glad you're here." Yamato clasped his hands. Xuan looked at Yuuhime, becoming increasingly more furious.

"What did you DO TO HER?!" His staff was at the ready, itching to attack Yamato.

"She's just taking a little nap, nothing bad." Yamato purred. Xuan's grip on his staff tightened, clearly about to initiate an attack. Yamato was ready for this, as he knew that Xuan would try this.

Just as he expected, Xuan swung his staff at him. Yamato dodged, feeling the ground shake. Perfect again, just like he calculated.

"What the?!-" Xuan was cut off by Yun, who grabbed his neck and easily held him down. Xuan gagged.

"Ahaha~!" Yun sang. "Oh, my dear brother!"

"Yun?!" Xuan hissed. Scowling, he fought against Yun's tight hold on his neck.

The ground sook again. This woke up Yuuhime, who didn't quite know where she was at first. When she saw Xuan, she cried out in dismay.

"No!" She got up, holding her stomach. "Don't hurt him, you monsters!"

Yamato smirked and strolled over to Xuan and Yun. Grabbing hold of Xuan's hair, he jerked him up and looked at Yuuhime.

"Careful with your next words," he cooed, "or you won't like what happens next!"

Xuan slammed Yamato with his staff, breaking free from both the grasps that were on him. He only ran a few feet when the ground shook the hardest it had, opening a huge gash in the ground. The screams of miramon were below them, threatening them with certain doom if they fell through the earth.

Yuuhime reached out for Xuan. She knew he was weak just by the way he stood. Why did he come alone again?! Someone would have helped him!

"Xuan!" Yuuhime screamed. "Why?!"

Xuan looked at her with sadness in his eyes and a smile on his face.

"We both know that no matter how hard we try, this will always be the outcome!" He yelled back. "Yamato and Tang Yun will never leave us alone as long as long as we're alive!"

No! That couldn't be! Yuuhime wiped her eyes, refusing to believe that's how it ended.

"I-"

Yun jumped at Yuuhime, tacking her down. Xuan ran and grabbed Yun, pulling him away.

"I refuse to let you hurt her!"

"That's really sweet."

"Oi!" Yamato ran over and grabbed Yun. "What are you doing? This wasn't in our agreement!"

"I'm killing Yuuhime right here, right now!"

Xuan had grabbed Yuuhime and ran. His whole body pounded against itself, his anger and fear drowning him.

"Watch out!" Yuuhime yelled.

The ground shook again, and the gash opened up wider, just beneath them.

They fell.

***

Xuan struggled up. His head felt light. He tasted blood in his mouth, it's disgusting taste in between his teeth. He spit it out, his spit red on the rocks below him. Wiping his mouth, he looked around.

"Yuuhime!" He called. "Yuuhime, are you there?!"

Before he got an answer, his back was hit. His face was punched, causing him to skid into a bunch of sharp rocks.

"I'm killing you! Tonight!" Yun cried, laughing.

"Not on my watch!" Yamato hissed. "He's coming with me."

Xuan didn't like either of those options, so he slashed at them. The music box flew from someone's arms, skidding behind a rock and tapping Yuuhime's foot.

She stared at it, eyes wide. The demonic object wasn't in any demon's possession. She slowly reached out for it. When she finally felt her fingers touch it, she flinched. It was cold and covered in blood, a bloody handprint from someone. Who, she didn't want to know.

She saw the doll inside it. It looked a lot like her, the thing she hated the most. It was as if it indicated that it was made just to control her. She scowled, ready to destroy it before she hesitated.

Xuan was getting hurt out there. She heard his screams, the breaking of bones. The roars of miramon were closing in. She wanted to break the box right then and there, be gone with it now. But...

Peering out from her hiding spot. She couldn't go out and help, her legs were both broken now. She couldn't crawl, she knew that would be too slow.

She saw a pattern in Yamato and Yun's attacks. It wasn't obvious at first, but when she noticed it, she couldn't ignore it. She saw the way Yamato would lash out but then let Yun or Xuan hurt each other or themselves, instead of doing it himself. She saw the way Yun swung his staff, the way he utilized his shadow clones, and the way he did it all in a pattern.

She noticed how Xuan was too hurt to even notice.

The music box stared at her. The doll stood still, as if...

...as if it were inviting her to use it.

She wanted to refuse. This thing had caused so much pain, so much suffering. There wasn't a good part in the thing's entire structure.

But when she heard the horror from outside her hiding place, she felt in her very bones that there was only one thing she could do thanks to her current condition.

She slowly held up the music box. She shivered, terrified of what she was about to do.

***

When Xuan was controlled by the music box before, he remembered how painful it was. It was the sort of pain that one could never forget. It was as if ropes made of barbed wire were being tied around his limbs, like he were a puppet.

This time, it was different. This time, it wasn't harsh or cruel, it was gentle and apologetic. It was soft hands guiding him to the right path.

"You shouldn't have to go through this." A beautiful and gentle voice said.

"Why wouldn't I want to?" He replied.

"This is a horrible thing."

"I don't think so."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be!"

"Hm?"

"I'm thankful."

"Why?"

"Because this feels very nice."

He heard the voice sniffle. He felt his himself getting gently led along.

"You can stop whenever you want." The voice whispered.

"I don't want to," he replied, "I want to keep going."

"Even after all the pain?"

"Yeah."

"How can you do it?"

"I have the people I love."

"What about the people who..."

"They don't matter." Xuan smiled. The voice was silent for a long time before stopping and hugging him.

"Sunflower...you're so sweet."

His eyes fluttered open to see Yuuhime's face very close to his own. Blinking, he saw that Yamato and Yun were gone.

"Where are our brothers?"

"...they fell." She replied. The miracle shook around them, rocks crashing and miramon screaming.

"Is this...our end?"

"If it is, I'm happy to have it with you."

He smiled at her. She smiled back. Both couldn't tear their eyes from the other.

And then it was dark.