The lunch was in chaos. Most of them were completely astonished by the skills of the albino while Shu just tried to keep his mind occupied with Lui's decision and plan. After eating, the albino slipped away from the dining room and reached the training ground. Lui was already there, waiting for him as he trained on his ice. Free and Valt was training at the far corner of the grounds. Half of the pairs were there, even Honcho and Wakiya bickering and at the same time smoothing their skills. Shu walked toward Lui and waited till he finished with his individual training. After a while, Lui stood up. He signaled Shu to come forward as he crouched beside a stray flower growing on the ground. Shu followed his example and crouched down beside him. "Watch closely" Lui said, one of his hands moving and stopping over the flower, showering it with ice crystals. For a moment, Shu thought he was completely icing it, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared intensely at the flower. After a while, he looked at Shu. "Touch it"

Shu moved his hand to the petals, touching it with his fingertips. A startled yelp escaped his lips as the albino drew his hands away from the flower. The petal was cold as ice, so cold that it almost burned his fingertips but his ice hadn't harmed the flower in a single bit. "How?"

Lui gave him a smug grin. "The power flow. As I said, we all have our own unique power flow in our body and when we match ours with someone else's, we can activate the power on without harming that person. That way, we can find many new techniques with fire and ice. I matched mine to yours, now it's your turn"

Shu gulped. "What if I accidentally burned you?"

Lui merely shrugged, standing up. "You have to find a way around it. Let's try it"

Shu nodded. His heart beating violently against his chest as he turned around. He realized that this might end up in a disaster, just like in the past. He didn't want to hurt anyone, especially with his fire. Lui sensed the hesitation of the other. "Man up idiot" He hissed, startling Shu. He nodded, placing a hand on Lui's wrist, trying to focus his scattered mind. When he was just about to flare up his fire, hesitation overtook his mind. Shu drew his hand away, shaking his head.

"I can't"

Lui narrowed his eyes. He grabbed into his shoulders and shook him, startling the albino. "What the heck!? Do as I say idiot!"

His shouts grabbed the attention of few others training in the training grounds. Free and Valt exchanged worried glances, looking at the two. It was clear that Lui was beyond furious and Shu looked completely beaten. "Guys?" Honcho tried, not wanting to see another fight occurring between the two. Especially when they're close to tournaments.

Lui sent a glare their way. The message was clear; stay away from their fight. Honcho drew back, giving an uncertain glance to Wakiya. Both of them agree, they need to interfere if things go out of hand. Shu just kept his gaze turned on his own hands as if he was trying to get a hold of himself. Lui grunted in displeasure. He tugged on his wrist and twisted it, turning the albino around in the process. A startled yelp came out from his mouth. Lui wrapped one of his hands around his waist tightly, trapping the albino in his tight grip. Their bodies pressed together. Lui took Shu's hand from his own free hand and laced their fingers. "Now," He said, his voice low and narrowed dangerously. "Do it, you're pissing me off" He said, leaning against his ear.

Shu shuddered at the close contact. He breathed heavily, it was impossible. He couldn't focus when he was trapped inside Lui's tight grip and to start with his fire was never smooth and controlled like Lui's ice. Lui tightens the grip on their arms pressing his cold palm against Shu's warm one. "Do it! Or else I'll activate my ice"

Shu closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips. "I'm not doing it"

Lui growled. "You asked for it"

"Lui" Free gave a warning call from the other side of the training grounds taking quick steps toward them.

Lui threw a glance over his shoulder. "Don't interfere our training session De La Hoya"

"It hardly looks like training for me" Free shot back. "You're practically torturing him"

Shu shook his head, gritting his teeth as coldness started to spread throughout his body. Lui's grip around his waist tightened as he activated his ice. Cold, Shu thought. So cold. His breath came out as puffs of air. Get a hold, Shu thought to himself biting on his bottom lip. "You can't resist this forever" Lui muttered, talking against his ear yet again. Shu narrowed his eyes, he could take it. He had to be patient. He had to get a hold on himself. He started to shake, his body reacting against his will as his fire started to warm his iced muscles. For a moment, everything was fine. Shu had the perfect control. Lui smiled. It was working, he thought. But the control was there for only a few seconds as Shu's fire flared, his wild flames pressing against his palm blistering the skin and burning it as a whole. His reaction was quick as the white tyrant released Shu stumbling a few steps back holding into his bloody hand. He bit back a scream. Shit, he thought, looking at his hand and regretted the action. There was almost no skin, the flesh almost visible through the pieces of skin here and there.

"Lui!" Gou yelled, running to his side. Lui pressed his lips together, wincing. "Shu, what the hell did you-" Gou started, but Lui shook his head looking at the albino, who stood a few feet away. His ruby eyes widen, glistening with horror and unshed tears. His palm slapped against his mouth as his eyes were focused on his hand, dripping with blood.

Almost everyone stopped their training and watched them in horror. Zac choked, taking a step back as Orochi just merely watched. Free stepped toward them with Valt on his tail. Valt reached for Shu, who was watching in complete despair and horror. Free walked to Lui and examined his hand when Shu finally spoke up. "Yo-You have to mend that, now"

Lui raised his brow at the other. "I don't like to go to that smelly room. So, no thanks"

"Shu is right" Sisco said, "You have to treat your hand"

Lui glared at them, his stubbornness never fading away even in that grave situation. Finally, Shu gave up. He couldn't wait and watch till Lui lose all his blood. It was his fault that Lui was bleeding in the first place. "I-I'll go and get the meds. You wait in the dorms" He spun on his heels, racing toward the most familiar place in the school for him, the medicine room. He didn't wait for other's opinions about his decision because he couldn't bear to see that he lost control again.

When he reached halfway toward the room, the exhaustion finally caught up with him. He stumbled toward the fall gasping for breath. Shu was so focused on Lui's hand that he forgot that he had been working since the morning. He lowered himself to the ground, clutching to the fabric, clenching his eyes shut trying to steady his breath. Forcing himself up, the red eyed boy walked through the corridors and reached the medicine room. The familiar maid, Mitsuba, was there. Her blonde locks bouncing as she moved through racks of medicine bottles and various herbs. Shu knocked on the wooden door, taking the attention from the woman. Mitsuba turned around to see Shu. Her expression changed as she looked at the exhausted appearance of the prince. "Prince Shu? You came looking for your medicine?"

Shu walked straight toward his herbs. "I'll make mine, can you get me ready some herbs and the paste for burns?"

Mitsuba blinked. "Burns?"

Shu hummed, chugging down his cup of Katsueki flowers. The bitter taste lingering inside his mouth, making the boy grimace in disgust. Shu leaned to the table behind him until the dizzy feeling passed. "I" He swallowed. "I burned Lui's hand.... Quite badly. He refuses to come here. So I'm gonna take the medicines with me" Shu raised his eyes to look at Mitsuba. To see her expression. Is she disgusted? Or thinks that he's a monster? He almost looked surprised when he saw the worried expression in her face.

"Accidents happen often when training. Prince Lui is a tough guy" She said, handing over the herbs and the paste to apply. "And Prince Shu is the perfect doctor for him. I know your skill with the medicines"

Shu gave her a smile. "Thanks Mitsuba. I'll get going now" He turned around walking toward the door when Mitsuba talked.

"And Prince Shu, the medicine itself can't heal you. You need rest. Make sure you get it properly"

Shu looked over his shoulder, flashing a reassuring smile at her. "I will"

The walk to the dorm was almost running there. He balanced the herbs on his hands and stood in front of the door to think of a way to open it, because both of his hands were full. Shu kneed the door and pushed it from his shoulder opening just a crack that he could slip in. Almost the whole dorm was silent. Zac was trying to get the blood from Lui's hand. Wakiya was dodging the sight of the hand while Honcho tried to calm him down. Gou was sitting right beside Lui while the white tyrant kept hissing at the others to quit the staring. It was Valt who first recognized the figure of Shu standing by the door.

"Shu!" He called, snapping the boy off his thoughts.

Shu blinked, realizing that all the eyes were on him including Lui's. He hurried his steps toward Lui and placed herbs and paste over the nightstand. He ignored all the gazes. "I brought the medicine." He turned to Lui. "May I?"

Lui narrowed his eyes. "Get over with it"

Shu nodded, sitting down beside Lui. He carefully handled his injured hand on his hold wiping the blood off with a clean white cloth. The others watched quietly. No one made a comment, and no one moved their gazes from the duo. Some of them thought it was Shu's intention to hurt Lui but everyone knew that the act of applying medicine was genuine. Shu was really concerned about the white tyrant. After taking off the blood, Shu took the yellowish paste made for burns. He scooped a fingerful of the content and started applying it on Lui's blistered hand. The other winced as the pain hit his senses driving pain throughout his veins. There was a pin drop silence, that it was almost creepy. But no one wanted to break it. It was rather calming, everyone thought.

Lui watched the albino taking a roll of bandages from the nightstand and started to mend his wound. His eyes trained on his wound, there was no sense of fear or disgust inside them. It was rather a guilty expression. But Lui clearly understood one thing. Shu was skilled in this field of medicine. The reason can be the fact that he lived surrounded by medicine since he was young. Either way, Shu knew what he was doing, Lui could tell it just by the way his fingers moved when he bandaged his arms or the way when he gracefully applied the herbs making sure he gave Lui the minimum pain. After finishing bandaging Shu stared at his hand, his bangs shadowing his eyes. Lui couldn't make out his expression, but in his heart he knew Shu must be feeling guilty. Wordlessly, Shu stood up, gathering the leftover herbs and the bandages in his hands. Lui stood up with him, grabbing into the red eyed boy's forearm. "You better not be feeling guilty over this Kurenai"

Shu raised his eyes. Rather than guilt, his eyes gleamed in fury. Lui took a step back, surprised by his expression. "I don't need you to tell me that" Lui didn't reply. He watched as the albino walked out of the room, Valt on his tail following him with his hazel eyes filled with worry. Lui sat down on his bed, his brows furrowed as he thought into his words deeply. Shu was right, he thought grimly. And his anger is also right. He forced him to activate the fire. Lui sighed crossing his arms. He hoped that Shu would really be alright just as he shows the others. Shu walked out of the room, he didn't look back. He didn't hear the cries of his best friends trailing behind him. Then quite suddenly, he stopped. Placing one hand against the wall he leaned into it for support. It was too much, Shu thought, lowering himself to the ground, hugging the herbs to his chest. The memory clashed against his mind as he shook. He barely registered Valt sitting in front of him through his clouded eyes.

"Shu" Valt whispered, rubbing his back in a comfortable manner.

"Valt" Shu croaked out desperately, trying to find comfort. Valt pulled the taller into a hug trying to calm him down.

"It's okay. It's fine" Valt leaned against his ear, whispering smooth and calming words against his ear. "You'll be fine," Valt said, squeezing his pale hands.

Shu nodded sucking in a deep breath. His mind finally calming down under the warmth of his best friends. He didn't do it intentionally and his heart knew that. That's all Shu wanted at the moment. Valt took the herbs from Shu's hand with a small smile. "I'll put these back. You head to the library and calm yourself. Okay?"

Shu nodded. "Thanks Valt"

The rest of the day was gloomy. Thankfully they didn't have much training that day. Even when they were training Lui and Shu kept their distance. They didn't interact the whole day, and Lui didn't try to force Shu to train his technique again. He didn't want to pressure him much more. After an exhausted day of training and practice everyone went straight to their beds. The minutes ticked by, as Shu waited listening to the quiet snores and rhythmic breathes coming from the others. After he reassured himself that everyone is asleep he slipped out from his bed quietly tiptoeing to the training grounds. Everywhere was completely silent. The moonlight cast on the small pond near the grounds shone in a healthy silver. Shu walked toward the middle of the training ground. He liked the silence, it helped him to concentrate on his surroundings. The albino closed his eyes, his mind concentrating solely on his power. Minutes passed, Shu just stood there, trying to figure out his flow of power. When he registered it, he let out a spark of flames from his right hand aiming it toward the same flower which Lui showed him earlier. But sadly, he was not successful. The flower turned into ashes in a matter of seconds. Shu clicked his tongue, "Practice" he muttered to himself repeating the process over and over. He didn't even realize the fatigue was building up in his body. He didn't realize the hours passing by and didn't even register Free, who watched the albino with concerned eyes perching himself on the roof.

"Damn it" He cursed. "Just a little more concentration"

Free sighed, was about to go down and stop him when the albino closed his eyes again. As much as he hated to see him exhausted he did not want to break that concentration either. He just watched as Shu's eyes snapped open again. His fingertip gleaming with fire, so bright against the darkness of the night. He aimed it toward the last flower, the only flower left in the bush. This time it did not burn, instead the flower started to prevail amidst the fire. A gasp escaped his lips as he realized Shu's intention. To match the power flow of the body, and that was what Lui tried to do earlier that day. Is it even possible? He thought quietly as a smile spread across Shu's face. He pumped his fists with joy dancing inside his eyes but it was only there for a few seconds as he stumbled a few steps forward. Clutching the fabric of his clothes with one hand Shu lowered himself to the ground. His face twisted in pain, trying to catch his breath. Free frowned, about to jump down when Shu stood up again, leaving the premises not even realizing the sparks of sun rays gleaming from the horizons. 

Shu stumbled through the still quiet corridors of the school. His only source of light was the lamps burning at each side of the corridor. He made his way toward the medicine room and pushed open the door. The walk to get his own medicine was easier even in the dark. He was too familiar with it anyways. Mitsuba's phrase echoed inside his head as he reached for a cup, he needed rest he knew. And he can do that after all this. He gulped down the bitter liqueur and tiptoed back to the dorms. He quietly stepped through the beds reaching his own one, instantly falling asleep as his head touched his pillow. He didn't realize that Free's watchful eyes were still staring at him from his bed.

Lui was the first to wake up in the morning. He was advised to meet the healer to check on his hand and he was careful enough to not spill anything in front of Shu. He knew that the latter is already feeling guilty over his burn. After he left the dorm, one by one the others started to wake up and at last the only person sleeping, curled into his sheets was Shu. Xander walked to the albino and shook his shoulder. The others were too busy with their own work. Shu whimpered, opening his crimson eyes, dull from the exhaustion washing over him. "Whoa, you look awful bud"

Shu pushed himself up. Thankfully, the effect of the medicine was still in his body giving him the strength he needed, without that he would be totally screwed. He stepped out of his bed, giving Xander a reassuring look. His eyes wandering along the room to find the familiar mop of light blue hair. But when he found none, Shu concluded that Lui must've left early for training. He dressed as usual and followed Shu to meet up with Wakiya, Honcho and Sisco waiting for them by the hallway to go for breakfast. It was then Shu saw Lui, sitting with Gou already having their breakfast in quiet. His eyes immediately flew toward his burned hand, thankfully it looked better than it had before. Maybe he applied healing magic or something? Shu thought grimly walking to their usual table. He was mostly silent the whole day. After their lunch, it was finally the training time. Shu walked to the grounds to see Lui, stretching as usual in the far corner. The rest of the students were already practicing. Shu walked straight to the white tyrant. His heart thumping fastly inside his chest as he walked toward the white tyrant.

Lui noticed Shu walking to him. He stopped stretching and turned to him, he could feel the passionate but nervous expression of the other. "Let's wait till you're ready"

Shu raised his brow, placing one of his hands on his hip. He was aware of the eyes all around them. All of them were watching them from afar with anxious hearts waiting to see what will happen next. And this time Gou was more than ready to interfere if something happened but on the other hand he also knew that Lui would be pissed off if he ever did that. "Do we have that much time?"

"We don't" He deadpanned, keeping his eyes trained on his pale face.

"Let's do it now," Shu said, surprising the other. Lui just stared at the other as if he was waiting for a confirmation. Shu nodded, his eyes burning with passion and determination, the nervousness slowly vanishing. He was ready, Lui thought as they took the same stance as yesterday. Lui behind Shu, wrapping one of his arms around Shu's waist while Shu laced his fingers with Lui's cold ones.

"Get back everyone" Free said, alarmingly. Both of them seemed to have the same sync with them and with what he saw last night, today the power is going to be more than just a burst out.

"Ready?" Lui asked, his voice soft unlike the other days. Almost as if he's trying to calm Shu down. Shu shivered at his breath hitting against his ear. The red eyed boy nodded, activating his fire as he concentrated on his and Lui's power flow. They have to be one in order to compare them. Shu focused on the male standing behind him, his coldness settling inside his skin and his whole body, the sweet scent of forest and mint thrilling his nose as he realized, he could hear Lui's power flow. Unlike the stormy personality of the boy his power flow was soothing, like a rush of a brook. Calm and coherent. He could feel their powers merging. Ice and Fire, complete opposites but working together.

Lui grinned, Shu had mastered it. He could feel the calmness of the other's mind and his power flow bursting through his veins. And at that very moment the two activated their own powers. The fire didn't melt his ice, the ice didn't consume his fire instead there was a burst of power aiming at the isolated land in front of them. When the smoke cleared, Shu opened his eyes. Panting from the exhaustion and the intensity. His eyes widen, right in front of them a long trench dug up from the burst out. Half covered with dying embers and the others half with frost. The rest of the squad was speechless. On one hand, horrified, and on the other hand, amazed. "Wow" Honcho muttered, blinking.

Lui gave the others a smug look before turning to Shu. His expression completely changed as he saw the albino who was deathly pale, beads of sweat running down his neck. "O-Oi" Lui yelled, catching Shu by his forearms before the latter collapsed. Shu blinked several times, his brows furrowed and face twisted in pain. Shu let his head fall into Lui's chest, coughing violently. One of his hands moved to his aching heart.

"Call a medic! Now!" Zac yelled, running away from the training grounds to the headmasters office. Lui tightened his grip on the albino when he realized that Shu's hold was growing leaner at each second.

"Shu" He said rubbing one of his arms on his back. Shu didn't answer, the little coughs had turned into wheezes as Mitsuba came running to the scene with Valt and Free on her tail. She advised Lui to lower Shu to the ground. Lui sat down on the dusty ground with Shu clung to his shirt trying to catch his breath. "What's going on?" He demanded as Mitsuba took out a white piece of cloth and placed it under the albino's nose.

"Sedative" She explained, watching the wheezes stop and his breath becoming normal. "That's the only way to stop his misery for a while"

Lui gazed at the albino, unconscious in his hold, breathing shallowly. It was the first time he witnessed the real nature of his illness and for a second, his heart grew heavier. A little part of him knew, Shu didn't deserve this.

He didn't ....... 

Here's another chapter! Hope you guys like It! Author is out!!