"Do you think we can pull this out Lui?" Shu asked, staring at the scenery in front of them. It had been a day since their win against Yobuko and the next day they were supposed to have the duel. The headmaster announced the opponents at breakfast, and Shu knew they were screwed when Xander and Ruway were assigned as their opponents in the third round.

Lui shrugged at his question. The duo was sitting on the river bank, taking a rest after their two hour practice session. The water rushed down with a musical hush. The green fields glistened in the sunlight and danced to the melody of the wind. Everything seemed to be peaceful, except for Shu's worried mind. "I told you this so many times" Lui spoke, "Just stop thinking so much"

Shu huffed, picking a marble and tossing it to the water. He watched it disappear with a slight plop. "Yeah, Yeah, whatever"

Xander and Ruway were the best martial art students in the whole school, and Shu had seen Xander fight, and he had heard stories from Valt about Xander's strength. Shu pouted. Both of them had improved their fusion technique. Their combat styles are almost in sync by now, but after many practice sessions, Shu always fainted, or collapsed which caused them both to limit their training for only a few hours for a day. Lui did not say anything about that, and besides he knew rather than anyone else Shu was the one who kept blaming himself for his weakness. Sometimes even Lui winced at the self hatred the albino carried, it was something no one could bear to see. Shu seemed to be oblivious over the fact, he just drew himself toward the very edge in the training sessions, it was only Lui's threats that kept the albino from working himself to death.

Lui looked to his side. Shu's brows were wrinkled as he stared ahead, his mouth settled into a deep frown. The male sighed, standing up as he kicked the others ankle slightly, grabbing his attention. "Stand up," He said. Shu looked up at him and wordlessly obeyed thinking their rest time was over.

"Let's train again?" Shu asked. But Lui had other plans. Wordlessly, the white tyrant pushed to albino to the calm stream of water making him stumble into the water. He barely caught himself before falling face first to the river. "What the hell!?" Shu cursed, looking over his shoulder to see Lui with a sinister grin. Shu felt the rush of water, just reaching his ankles. Lui quietly stepped into the water to reach him, without any complaint. Everything seemed to be calm and settled until the white tyrant splashed water on the albino, drawing out a loud yelp.

"You should ease up that big head of yours"

Shu grunted, stomping his left foot on the water. "You didn't have to push me into a river! I could've died!"

"Now that's too dramatic" Lui complained, splashing another wave of water as the other male jumped to the side to dodge it.

"You're on" Shu smiled, splashing water at Lui as the white tyrant cursed, tackling him to the river. Both of them fell onto the swift stream of water with a loud splash. Shu felt the water, slightly warm from the morning sunlight, seeping through his clothes touching his skin. He looked up at the sky, clear blue, clouds passing by. "Lui" Shu talked. Lui sat down, without caring about the water soaking his clothes.

"Yeah?"

"I'm just wondering," Shu said, following Lui's example as he sat down on the water. "What are crystal flowers like?"

Lui raised his brow, "You haven't seen them?"

"No," Shu simply said. Even though the peace was issued several years ago, there was no trading between Moeru and Hyoketsu. The two kings forbid interacting with each other to the citizens. Shu smiled, it was funny how Lui and he were growing closer when they were practically forbidden to talk to.

"Come here" Lui said, walking to the river bank. He took off his knee high boots and stood on the grassy bank with his bare feet. Shu followed his example and took off his own when Lui fished out his rob from his body, leaving him half naked. His pale skin covered with droplets of water as he squeezed the cloth. Shu squealed loudly, spinning around his heel.

"What the hell!" He mumbled, tapping his palms on his rosy cheeks.

Lui grunted behind him, "What's wrong? We're both guys here, idiot"

"At least give me a warning blockhead" Shu shot back, still facing the river.

Lui just clicked his tongue and put his clothes back on. "Fine. I'm done"

Shu slowly turned, wishing his cheeks would turn back to it's normal paleness. He cleared his throat, averting his gaze. Lui smirked, reaching his hand to grab Shu's chin. The albino let out a startled gasp looking up to see the violet gaze upon him. "What?" Shu asked.

"You're blushing" He pointed out boldly.

Shu frowned, and slapped his hand away. "Shut up"

"Okay" Lui spoked again, cupping his hands together as frost formed along his fingertips. "Now back to the topic of the Crystal Flower"

Shu's attention snapped back to Lui, all momentarily embarrassments forgotten as he looked at him. "Yeah?"

Ice slowly started covering his wrists, running along his skin like blood running through veins. "I can't make the exact form" Lui mumbled as the shapeless lump of ice slowly started to take a shape. Lui's brows furrowed in concentration, the ice slowly taking the shape of petals. "Crystal flowers are called a divine flower. It's hard to exactly form the shape from ice, it never even melts in the sunlight, you know?"

Shu hummed, his eyes focusing on the flower forming on Lui's cupped hands. It was nothing like he had ever seen before. The petals were not round, it was a shape he had never seen before. It was almost like a pentagon. Each petal's edge was a small circle with the corners facing upwards. Shu unconsciously reached his hands to touch it. Under his warm fingertips the corners started to melt. Shu snapped his hand back to him, giving an apologetic look to Lui. "S-Sorry"

Lui smiled, "It's fine. The real flower won't melt when you touch. That's the miracle of it"

Shu bit his bottom lip, looking at the slowly melting flower on Lui's palms. "It's beautiful" Shu breathed, "So beautiful"

Lui let the flower melt in his hands, creating a small puddle down at his feet. He wiped his hands together and turned to Shu. "Happy now?"

Shu was crouching on the ground, staring at the puddle. "Crystal flowers never melt, right?"

"Yeah"

The albino fell back to the grass and stared up at the sky, sighing heavily. "I wanna touch a real one"

Lui sat down beside Shu. "Maybe..."

Shu sat down, drawing his knees to his chest, he wrapped his hands around them. "Do you think the war will end? For forever?"

Lui looked at Shu who was still staring at the water. "I don't know."

"Would you like it to end?"

If Shu asked this question at the start of the school year, his instant answer would be a big fat no. But after practicing with him, enjoying his time with him, Lui wondered whether this war would be worth it. Shu is the prince of the Moeru kingdom, and even though he never wanted to accept it, he liked the guy. He was a loyal friend and Shu himself had proven to be a strong warrior, a determined human who struggled to see another tomorrow. "I guess" Lui mumbled.

Shu hummed, turning to look at the white tyrant, staring right back at him. His lips curled into a small smile. "What?"

Surprisingly enough Lui smiled back. "I was wondering how these big thoughts fit into that small brain of yours"

Shu frowned, "You always ruin the moment ice prince"

"I don't like moments" Lui said, standing up to walk back to the school. He looked over his shoulder finishing his sentence. "Snowflake~"

The day spent away as the horizons grew dark with the nightfall. After a long night, it was finally the day of the third trial, the third round where the last competitors will be chosen. The first match set was between Valt, Free and Honcho, Wakiya. The competition started with the crack of dawn. The training ground showered with the warm morning sunlight as the two pairs stood at each side, waiting for their signal to start. Lui and Shu watched the battle from the sidelines. Shu shook his sweating palms, shifting from one leg to the other. Lui nudged and murmured to him to relax which for Shu felt impossible. There was several seconds of painful silence before the signal came. Shu spotted Natsu and the rest of the Black Panther army watching the battle. Christina was sitting close near the half walls which separated the spectators from the competitors. Her eyes were trained on Free and Shu wondered whether Free was the brother they talked about. His thoughts were broken by the battle cry. He focused on the battle in front of him. It seemed like Honcho and Wakiya had the upper hand of the battle. Wakiya had Valt trapped in the middle of what looked like a cyclone? Shu tilted his head, realizing that it was a secret technique unique to the Komurasaki family.

Free and Honcho were having a hand to hand combat, their swords crossing, sending sparks of flames and it was almost impossible to see the iron blades with the speed. This went for several minutes when Valt finally cut through the thick layer of air around him, successfully escaping the cyclone. Valt sprinted toward Free's side, dodging the constant attacks of Wakiya. It seemed for Shu that both Wakiya and Honcho had the plan to separate Valt and Free and attack because when those two bound forces together there was no defeating them. Valt jumped to the air to avoid a sword attack. He rolled to the side, successfully ending beside Free. The two shared a determined, fixated look. Free stepped two steps back and held out his palm. Shu was practically on his toes as he watched the boy. The legendary draining power of the Dorein kingdom unveiling in front of everyone. A yellowish mist covered the arena which was soon replaced by the same coloured light arrows, aimed toward the two, Wakiya and Honcho. Wakiya stepped in front of Honcho and summoned a cyclone of wind, making the draining light arrows fly in different directions. "Whoa" Lui yelped as he created a small ice wall in an instant blocking two arrows headed his way. Shu fired at another which went up in flames.

Wakiya narrowed his eyes, "Not so easily"

Free smirked, circling his finger as he pointed it at the two. The two blondes looked up to see two more unharmed arrows aiming straight toward them. Honcho and Wakiya jumped to the side, successfully dodging the arrows. Shu stared at them and realized that the arrows are not real and materialized. They are just like mist, evaporating as they hit the ground. It was almost like Free was giving his power a figure to make it easier to control. Wakiya was about to attack Free again when he felt something cold pressing against his throat. Using the distraction Free made, Valt snuck behind Wakiya, catching the blonde off guard. He pressed the sword closer, smiling. "Dead end"

Honcho clicked his tongue, ready to attack when an arrow slashed through his skin, making a fairly large gash dripping with blood. Honcho fell to one of his knees, clutching his hand. His brows wrinkling in pain and exhaustion. Free's power activating inside his body. Wakiya's sapphire eyes darted from left to right, looking for an opening. None of them were ready to give up. Valt stepped closer when suddenly Wakiya ducked his head, headbutting him in the stomach. Valt stumbled several steps back from the hard blow. Wakiya sprinted toward Honcho and blocked another badge of arrows aimed at his way. "Can you get up?" Wakiya asked. Honcho groaned but stood up. The two of them stood, back to back with each other facing Free and Valt at each side of the arena.

Shu blinked, Wakiya and Honcho had been like him and Lui. Always fighting with no sync between them, but at the moment, seeing them standing back to back fighting off the other duo made him realize how far they'd come. Honcho landed a swift blow to Free's left leg making the male stumble black, clenching his teeth in pain. Valt quickly recovered from his blow and blocked Honcho before he could attack again. It was evident to everyone that his pace was slowing down, the effect of Free's power was taking full demand inside his body. The battle continued more seconds until Valt landed an attack to Wakiya shin, bringing him to one of his knees. Before the blonde could recover Valt attacked his spine driving him to the ground. He pressed his knees against Wakiya's back and drove the sword toward his neck and this time Wakiya had no route of escape. On the other side of the arena Free had already taken Honcho down. The draining was in full effect that Honcho passed out from lack of strength in his body. A chorus of cheers echoed among the crowd as the headmaster announced the winners who advanced to the last round which will be held after a week in their parents presence.

There was an hour for their break before the second match started. Even the four who participated in the first match were there, eagerly waiting for the match to start. Shu stretched his arms, looking at Lui as the white tyrant spoke. "I'll take the giant, you take braid"

Shu raised his brow. "They have names, you know?"

Lui clicked his tongue. "Doesn't matter. I think we will have to use the fusion technique. You'll know when the time comes. And remember we can only use it one time maximum. Let's take the best use of it"

Shu nodded. "Got it!"

"Good luck snowflake," Lui said, a rare smile playing on his lips.

Shu couldn't help but smile back. It was impressive how far they came mending their friendship along the way. "Same to you, ice prince"

The signal came to start the match. The four males stepped toward the arena with a loud cheer engulfing their ears. Everyone's eyes trained on them. Ruway and Xander had the mastery of secret martial arts in the Chikara kingdom. Shu was sure they had some secret technique up their sleeve to present whenever they are in a dire situation. Instantly the pairs broke up. Lui stomps his foot attacking Xander with his significant ice carpet while Shu pressed the ruby on his ring summoning the magnificent axe of Spryzen, shining against the morning sunlight. Ruway pulled out his double edged sword which he rarely used in combat. The iron was decorated with Chinese letters carved into the material. He lunged at Shu which the other barely dodged. "Fast" Shu thought, his eyes darting around trying to trace the figure of Ruway which was moving inhumanely fast. Concentrated, Shu thought as he closed his eyes. He picked up the sound by his ear knowing that this technique can only be defeated by listening because it can be deceiving to the eye. He heard the faint sound of a foot hitting the ground, and he could hear the swish of the sword. Shu snapped open his eyes and dodged, the sword and the axe crossing together as both of them stared right at each other. Ruway grinned.

"Not bad" He jumped backward, circling Shu. The two fought with an unnerving speed, clashing their weapons together sending out sparks. He didn't want to use his fire, not at the beginning because Shu knew his strength would burn away in an instant. On the other side of the arena, Lui and Xander were engaged in a brutal fight. Xander cracked the ice merely with his fist. Xander had strength which was greater than ten adults taken together but in the contrast, Lui had speed, and efficiency combined with brutal ice. His eyes formed a spear, glistening and shining in a crystal blue. He attacked Xander on and on which the giant dodged swiftly without breaking a sweat and on the other hand Lui was not getting tired either. Both of them had years of practice and the spectators instantly knew that this match might last longer than the first one and till the last second no one would know about the outcome of the match.

Lui looked over his shoulder, risking a glance at Shu who seemed to be holding better with Ruway. Ruway was fast, but Shu was strategic and diligent. It was a neck to neck match. But there was something he could never risk, Shu's strength. He looked at Xander who was advancing at him like a hound hunting the prey. Lui stepped to the side and attacked, his ice taking the shape of arrows. Xander broke half a dozen when Lui made one last arrow and flew it toward Xander taking advantage of the giant's distraction. It struck right at his right forearm. Xander grimaced and pulled out the arrow, blood blossoming out from his hand but that was it. He regained his normal strength and speed and Lui just stared for a second as a thought tackled his mind, this guy is a literal monster.

Ruway narrowed his eyes and clasped his hands together and pulled out a whip. Shu jumped back almost instantly, his expression guarded, eyes trained on the newest weapon which replaced his sword. This was the secret technique he trained for years and years. The weapon manipulation, and at the moment he could literally summon twelve different weapons. Xander mastered the paralyzing techniques that with one touch on the right pulse he could bring his opponent down but somehow Lui kept his guard, and it was impossible to touch the white tyrant without getting a frost bite at the moment.

Ruway striked the whip at Shu's direction, wrapping it skillfully along his ankle and pulled on it making the male stumble to the front. Almost instantly the albino brought his axe down to cut down the whip when Ruway pulled out another one and aimed it at his hand making the axe stumble to the ground with a loud clunk. The male pulled Shu toward him and jabbed him at the side harshly making Shu crash to the ground. Shu coughs to the back of his hand, instantly moving himself to a sitting position. Shu looked around when Ruway pulled on the whips again moving him around like a puppet and at last Shu realized there was no other option.

Fire licked along his fingertips as flames burst along his arms, burning the leather whip to crisps with only ashes left on the ground. Ruway grinned, "That's more like it" He pulled out a spear, getting ready to attack when Shu jumped over Ruway, landing a blow to his spine before landing perfectly on the ground. Ruway grunted in pain and fell face first toward the ground.

"Now" Shu thought, turning to Lui to see he also had the same intention. Xander was resting one of his arms against his bleeding forearm. Lui turned and sprinted toward him, Shu copied his actions and in the middle of the arena the two met. Lui intertwined his fingers with Shu's pale slender ones, the two activated their power fusion, letting out a massive blast of explosions. Fire and Ice embracing each other, a rare occurrence. Everyone was blinded by the white light and when everything settled and the view was cleared, they were met with Xander and Ruway standing perfectly on the other side inside a protection shield. Lui cursed when Shu spoke, panting. "He had that up his sleeve"

"I should've thought" Lui muttered back, "But as far as I know he can only use it one time a day, just like we do with our fusion technique"

Shu closed his eyes as he felt a rush inside his eyes, his head spinning slightly. After settling himself down the albino opened his eyes again.

Ruway smiled, "Surprise!" He said, launching himself forward. Suddenly, Shu felt too exhausted to move. His legs were planted to the ground as he just watched Ruway advanced at him. It was over, Shu thought mildly. He couldn't take it, he thought when he heard Lui's voice.

"Oi! Wake up idiot! It's not over yet" Lui said, wrapping his arm around Shu's waist and jumping back dodging the attack of the other male.

Shu blinked, this is not only about him. Shu thought, forcing his mind to fight. The ache in his muscles, the pain in his lungs was nothing he was unfamiliar with Shu thought. "Sorry" He rasped out, "Just got lost for a moment"

Lui stared at him for a long second before letting go. Both of them got to their stances again and it seemed like Xander and Ruway had put together a plan in their moment of distraction. Xander attacked Lui driving him away from Shu. None of the others knew that they only had one shot in power fusion without Shu passing out in exhaustion. Shu found himself getting slower and slower by each attack. He coughed to the back of his hand dodging another bow from the double edged sword he summoned out of thin air again. Ruway was not hesitating while attacking him, and Shu somehow felt glad about it. The last thing he wanted to happen was getting pitied by his opponent amidst a battle. The albino landed an attack on Ruway's shin. Taking his chance from that opening, he stepped back and grabbed his axe which was instantly knocked out by Ruway. Shit, Shu thought falling back, clutching the right side of his torso. His organs felt like they were melting slowly by seconds. He rolled to his right escaping a fatal blow from the sword which cracked the ground where his head was several minutes ago.

"Damn" Shu mumbled, standing up. He lit up a fire, making a circle around him getting a momentary chance. Ruway circled around him as Shu tried to fish out his medicine. He needed time to pick himself up, and he was quite sure he lacked time at the moment. Lui risked another glance at Shu who was trying to defend himself against Ruway's attacks. But the other male was also slowing down, their momentum was breaking slowly by exhaustion.

"Don't get distracted when you're battling," Xander said. Lui froze on his spot realizing Xander's fingers are about to be pressed into a vital vein on his neck. Without thinking twice the white tyran willed ice to cover his whole neck. Frost formed along his pale skin as the giant drew his hand away, hitting Lui in the side before jumping back. The white tyrant fell into one of his knees clutching to his side. But he was not ready to go down easily. The attacks were relentless and the audience were on the edge of their seats, awed and impatient. Lui thought everything was going smoothly when he heard the agonizing yelp to his right. He quickly created an ice wall blocking Xander and looked at Shu who was on his knees, his hands clutching Ruway's double edged sword just a few inches away from his throat. Ruway was forcing the sword in while Shu held it in a death grip, glaring daggers at the other male. Blood blossomed out from his knuckles running along his pale skin like droplets of paint.

"Shit" Lui cursed, when Xander broke through the wall. Without giving the other a chance to attack, Lui sprinted to Shu and landed a flying kick on Ruway. The male was too focused on Shu that he did not focus on his surroundings which gave Lui the chance he needed. He raised his palm forward and made an ice wall, surrounding them without any opening for others to break through. The walls got thicker as he applied more ice, they needed time. Shu needed time. He looked at the albino in his arms, panting wildly as he looked at him. "You got your medicine?"

Shu nodded as he tipped open the small flask and drank the liquor, grimacing at the foul taste. Shu closed his eyes for a second waiting for his strength to improve slightly. Lui just looked at him. "Isn't it working?"

Shu nodded, "It is. I think I spent too much energy."

Lui reached to Shu and took his hands on his own. Shu looked at Lui, his forehead dripping with sweat, his lips slightly parted as he tried to catch his breath. "We-" Shu stopped to cough to the back of his hand. "We have to do it again"

Lui raised his brow, "No! That can kill you"

"O-one more time, please" Shu pleaded, his crimson eyes dull with the exhaustion washing through. Lui just watched him quietly, Shu's hands still on his own as he unconsciously traced his thumb along his knuckles. Lui sighed,

"Shu, I don't know" He said, hesitating.

"I can handle it" Shu said, squeezing Lui's hands. "I promise." Lui let out another sigh but nodded. The ice walls shuddered around them and the two of them realized that Xander was trying to break through. Shu stood up beside him and gave him a swift nod and activated his fire, the exhaustion was reduced but he knew when the burst of power was over, he'd have to suffer like he had never suffered before. The ice walls melted under Shu's flames, making a water puddle underneath their feet. Everyone started their round of cheers again as Xander and Ruway attacked each of them, driving the two into different directions. And this time Shu wasn't lucky enough that Xander waited in front of him with his face contorted into a smile. Shu dodged the attacks the best he could, but the strength inside his body was fading away like the last embers of a flame.

On the other hand, Lui tried to reach for Shu several times. Their last shot to win was to activate the power fusion again but Ruway and Xander had figured out that they did not give them the slightest chance to collide. Shu's steps back as Xander charges at him which felt like for the hundredth time. His footsteps and his attacks getting sloppier by each passing second. That's when the blow came, right to his gut. Shu felt all the breath inside his body being knocked out as his exhausted body flew backwards before slamming into the half brick walls at the end of the arena. Everything was a blur for a few moments as the albino gasped for breath. He saw Lui blocking another attack of Ruway, his violet eyes distracted from his own battle, focused on his broken figure. He moved his head and hissed, it was like someone was crashing thousand bricks against his skull. Out of his fading peripheral vision Shu saw Xander walking to him.

"Give up Shu" The redhead said, "I don't wanna hurt you anymore"

Shu stood up and stumbled. His whole body was screaming at him to stop as he leaned against the wall to focus on the battle again. "No" He croaked out, looking for an opening. He needed to get to Lui, fast. Xander raised his hand, about to knock him out when Shu activated his flames again. The redhead jumped back in surprise. In this mere moment of distraction, Shu gathered all the strength left inside his body and sprinted toward the other. Lui seems to have the same idea, he stopped Ruway momentarily using an ice wall.

Everything seems to happen in slow motion. The first thing Shu felt was the cold touch of Lui's fingertips as they laced with his own. He closed his crimson eyes as Lui's hand wrapped around his waist. His forehead resting against his own. This was much closer than they had ever been when activating their powers but Shu did not care. He placed his head on Lui's neck and breathed into his ear, whispering. "I'm just releasing my power"

Lui hummed, and that was it. Shu gave out everything left inside his body. Crimson flames dancing around them, mixing with crystalized ice. Shu leaned against Lui, giving half of his body weight for the other to handle as his knees buckled underneath him. Lui's grip was strong. One of his hands wrapped around his waist while the other rested on the back of his head. A bright light emitted blinding everyone in the area as the power fusion activated, more powerful than before. Shu clutched into Lui's rob, clenching his fists, gritting his teeth. Lui held onto him as the power slowly faded away as the surrounding became clearer. There was a stunning silence before the referee spoke up.

"Ruway Sun and Xander Shakadera out of bounds! Kurenai Shu and Shirosagi Lui wins the match"

Lui looked to his side to see Xander crouched over an unconscious Ruway, but by the looks it seemed as if the latter had no major injuries and just a minor concussion. He let out a relieved sigh as the cheer broke out. Shu shifted in his hold and slightly pulled away. His face flushed bright red as he looked at him, crimson eyes dull with exhaustion and pain. His lips curled into a small smile, "We did-" Shu stopped, knitting his brows together.

"Shu?" Lui asked moving his hands to catch the albino as he fell to his knees. "Shu!" Lui said, his voice filled with alarm and worry.

He heard footsteps closing around them but he did not dare to move his eyes from the albino who was breathing heavily. "Hey" Lui said, wrapping one of his arms around his shoulders and grabbing the boy closer. "Can you hear me?"

Shu nodded as he broke into a coughing fit, his eyes watering from the impact, tremors running down his body. Shu pressed his hand against his mouth trying to stop the coughs when Lui noticed something strange. His breath caught in his throat, his eyes widened as he spotted the albino's hand, which was closed against his mouth. The pale skin inked with red as droplets of blood ran down his knuckles.