Content warning for mentions and depictions of pyromania. Please read at your own discretion.

Rin paused at her brother's door, her fist hovering over its surface, poised to knock. I'd might as well just get it over with, she told herself. He would never hate me.

As soon as she made up her mind, the door swung open. "Rin?"

She looked at her brother in his stunned eyes and sighed. "We need to talk."

"What about?"

"Let me in first, would you?"

He looked like he wanted to object, but let her in anyway. Rin stifled a gasp as she took a look around his room.

Len had lived like a monk for as long as they'd been on the island; his room had always been white and plain and sterile to the point where Rin would tease him for its constant ashen hues. But what lay before her eyes was the exact opposite. His room was in shambles; the dresser was messy and the wood was invisible beneath the layers of clothes, books were strewn across the floor rather than in their usual neat little corner of Len's bookshelf.

But worst of all was his bed. Along with the rest of the room, his sheets were disheveled—but worse than that, they were utterly in ruins. Scorch marks littered the sheet and charred it black, and in some areas, complete holes had been burned through like paper.

She wanted desperately to call out to him, to cry and hug him and cradle his grief-stricken head in her lap, but pushed those thoughts away to settle for a far calmer response.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He was silent. "Why didn't you tell me your pyromania was coming back?"

"I didn't want you to worry," he whispered.

Ever since the fire eight years ago, when they were children—the fire that had changed their lives, the fire that put them into this whole mess, the fire that had pulled them away from their best friend for what they thought would be forever—Len had developed his strange taste for flames.

At first, it was harmless; he'd light matches, watch the fire dance, and blow it out seconds later. But years later, it had turned destructive. He set notebooks alight, then stuffed animals, then curtains. He became a threat, much to his family's despair—all until Rin and Len came to the island.

He began seeing Miku to aid him with his pyromania, to keep his urges in check. It had helped, for the most part. He never set anything aflame, never even went near matches or lighters.

But now, it was all coming back. The burn marks and charred holes in his sheets were proof enough.

"I'm sorry," he muttered guiltily, "I tried to stop myself, but—but I found the matches, and—"

"It's okay." Rin hugged him gently. "We'll get Lady Miku to help you some more. You're going to be fine, okay?"

He nodded, keeping his head buried in the crook of Rin's shoulder. Normally, he hated being this vulnerable, but the only people who understood his urges and didn't despise him for it were Rin and Lady Miku.

What would Fukase think if he knew? Len wondered. After all, he's the one who suffered the most in that fire.

Both of them had been the culprits of the fire, but unlike his sister, Len was unable to let go of the guilt. It weighed upon him and sunk its claws into his soft heart. Rin had tried, multiple times, to explain that it wasn't their fault. That they were just following orders and protecting themselves and their own family, but Len couldn't believe her. So what if he escaped relatively unscathed if it meant that his best friend had to suffer?

Not that it mattered anymore. They were far too deep now to ever make amends. All they could do was follow Miku at her whim and fancy and hope that things wouldn't end up much worse than they already were.

Rin spent the rest of the day with her brother, talking with him, reading to him, taking care of him as she had wanted to for years. It was both unfamiliar and comforting at the same time, and Len was allowed to be content for the afternoon.

~~~

Miku hissed with pain as blood from her fingertips dribbled onto the Jomon Sugi's roots at her feet.

No matter how many countless times she had done this, the pain never seemed to quite fade. As if the massive tree didn't just want her to enter its cavern with an offering, but with a warning as well.

The tree's maw opened up as Miku's blood was soaked into its roots, disappearing into the rich earth. As she had done many times before, Miku stepped inside and the wood grew tight and closed behind her.

A small ghost of a smile twitched on her lips as she beheld the sight before her. The tree's core glowed a brilliant pink and aqua blue; roots and vines shrouded a semi-hidden human figure.

"Hello, Luka." Miku's voice was abnormally gentle as she made her way over to her friend's sleeping figure.

Although Luka had been fueling the tree's core for decades, her hair continued to grow and now overflowed across the roots and soil. Miku gathered it and gingerly set it around her shoulders, framing her body in pink locks.

"It's been a while since I paid you a visit. I'm still trying to gather enough power to set you free... but I think I found someone for the final push. He's a kid from overseas, with hair like a flame and eyes of stars." Miku's smile grew, thinking of the child she had carefully scouted since his youth. "I think you'd like him. He reminds me of you, a little bit."

Miku stroked Luka's cheek with her uninjured hand and stooped down until her lips almost brushed her forehead. "I hope it's enough power," she whispered. "It has to be enough. But you never know. This tree, this island, is one of greed."

Frigid roots began to wrap themselves around Miku's ankles. "Yeah, yeah. Relax," she snapped, standing up straight. "A bit of teasing never hurt anyone." Reluctantly, the roots retreated.

The grinding sound of wood splintering and parting began as the tree's maw opened again.

"Miku?" She spun around to face her intruder. "I had a feeling I'd find you here." He sighed, dabbing at his cut palm with a handkerchief.

"Kaito," Miku narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Why are you here?"

Kaito stepped forward, his blue scarf fluttering as the tree's maw closed behind him. "I heard that you ordered Piko and his partner to cast a glamour over the ship. Is that true?"

"But of course. Fukase's legacy is etched in many minds, and he's proved to be slippery in the past. This was the best way."

"Very well." His gaze shifted to the sleeping girl at the tree's core, shrouded in pink light.

"You have another thing to ask." Kaito nodded. "Don't hesitate. Ask away."

He paused for a moment more and met Miku's gaze. "If this doesn't work," he started softly, "what will you do? Will you search for more power, or will you finally give up?"

"I have to keep trying," Miku replied, almost desperately.

Suddenly, she was the same little girl as she was decades ago, watching her best friend get swallowed by the massive tree. Dread had filled her every cell as she screamed out Luka's name. The tree's roots and vines wrapped around her, and as her consciousness slipped away, she became the tree's core. Whatever powers that had lay latent within her became the tree and the island's fuel and steadily drained away from her. What had started out as a fun graduation trip between two friends had suddenly turned into an irreversible nightmare, and Miku had stayed on the island by Luka's side ever since.

"I can't give up on her. Not yet." She gazed at Luka's sleeping face. "I need to get her back before all of her power is gone."

"Yes, but at what cost?" Kaito pressed. "How many lives are you going to ruin in order to save just one?"

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any better solutions," Miku spat.

"You can't keep lying like this, no matter how much you think you can. You won't tell anyone what you're doing, you won't let anyone actually help you. You're using them. And one day, they're all going to turn on you."

"And you? What will you do?"

Tension hung thick in the air. A few moments of silence felt like a lifetime between them.

Frustrated, Kaito finally broke away from her gaze. "I'm trying to help you here, but you don't get it. One of these days, we're all going to be in danger. And no one—not even you, with whatever power you think you have—will be able to stop it. The island won't give you a thousand second chances."

Miku was furious. She seethed quietly, scowling at Kaito as she took in his words. "You are out of line," she hissed. "Get out."

"I warned you."

"Get out!"

With that, Kaito turned on his heel and left, throwing one final disapproving glance Miku's way.

As soon as the tree's maw closed, he sighed and leaned back against it. "Why don't you get it?" He whispered aloud. "I want you to be as happy as anyone else, so just let go already..."

~~~

"Are you sure this is the right way?" I frowned at the messily scrawled map that Fukase had provided for us. It was supposedly a hand-drawn map from Len, so I couldn't help but be skeptical.

"You're the one who's supposed to be good with directions. You tell me," Fukase retorted.

"How am I supposed to be good with directions when the map we're supplied with looks like it was drawn by a fifth grader with a D+ in geography?" I sighed. "We'd probably get there faster if we wandered around the island hoping for the best."

We trekked through the forest for a few more minutes before coming to the plateau where the trees thinned out. The sun came through the trees a bit stronger here in the glade, which is why I thought I was seeing things when a bluish gray building shimmered into view in the middle of the clearing.

"Hey, Oliver. Why'd a building just appear in the middle of the island?"

Apparently, I was not just seeing things.

Before I could respond, two familiar figures emerged from the building—Rin and Len.

"You made it!" Rin cheered. "It's almost sunset, so we were starting to think you guys wouldn't show."

"I still can't believe you guys are really here," Fukase said, sounding somewhat glum. "You guys were so cryptic about everything, too."

"Cryptic?" Rin questioned. "I thought I was quite clear."

"The cryptic part might've been me." Len offered a guilty smile. "Sorry about that. Anyway, let's go in before it gets too dark." He beckoned lightly. "We've got a lot of explaining to do, so we might as well do it over tea." 

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoyed anyhow :>

Until next time!

~Stargazer