Shu and Lui arrived at the school premises almost after the sunset. The sky was a healthy crimson mixed with orange and the soft cold breeze past through them as they walked their horses to the stables. Shu yawned, following Lui to the school. The others weren't waiting for them at the garden behind the school and both of them knew they would've given up on waiting for them due to the fact it took them more than four hours to reach the school. Lui was still holding a strong hold against Shu's wrist. He didn't want the latter to collapse on his face and as the first thing, they needed to meet Mitsuba.

Lui led Shu through the hallways and reached the medicine room. There was only Mitsuba inside, and she was working with some portions. She turned to them upon their arrival. Her face was grim as she looked at Lui and he didn't blame her for that. The rumours were going on that he killed a servant. He was pretty sure almost everyone inside the castle must be angry with him at this point. "Hi" He said, trying to break off the awkward atmosphere.

Mitsuba just nodded her head in return, eyeing Shu who was standing behind him. Lui looked over his own shoulder to see the other looking in between Mitsuba and Lui. "Mitsuba" Shu talked, taking his hand off from Lui's hold. "My fire is gone"

She blinked, "Hah?"

Shu nodded, walking to her. "Yeah. I drank the portion you made me yesterday, I think you accidentally added more flowers and then I fell asleep"

"Prince Shu" She said, sternly crouching in front of him and taking his pulse. "I forgot to make the portion yesterday, and I sent an informant to tell you that I wouldn't be here yesterday because I was out for work"

Shu stiffened, "B-but" He swallowed harshly, thinking back. He looked over to Lui who was glaring at the flasks inside the cupboards.

"Who gave you the medicine yesterday?"

"Kira did" Shu answered her, hesitantly. There was really something in that portion that made him lose his power. He clenched his fists, "Is it gone? Forever?"

Mitsuba checked his temperature and heartbeat, she shook her head. "My guess is it's temporary" She sighed, "But Prince Shu, I can't guarantee it until we really finds out what was in the portion"

Shu let out a shivered breath. Losing his fire was like losing a part of his own personality. Losing the symbol of his bloodline, simply he was losing his royalty. "I'll find out" Lui grunted, about to storm off from the room when Shu stopped him.

"No Lui, not the time."

Lui grabbed him by the shoulders, looking at Shu's crimson eyes. "You lost your power and we need that bastard to tell us what he added, to cure you"

Shu sighed, "You're already in a mess idiot. Think rationally. We have to give priority to your problem right now"

Lui raised his brow, releasing him. "What if you die while doing that?"

Shu smiled, "I won't." He turned around and walked to Mitsuba who was arranging his medicine with an extra booster. "I'll be fine"

Lui was about to yell when Mitsuba talked, "Your health is a bit fragile than it was before but it's not in a harmful situation. It's just your body reacting to the sudden disappearance of your power flow." She handed him the drink, "Drink this, and you will feel better, and don't overwork yourself"

Shu nodded, "Thank you"

Mitsuba smiled, "I'll look into that portion Kira made and try to find out and in the meantime" She tossed a look at Lui, "At least try to keep him away from that boy"

Lui nodded in reply walking out of the room. Shu chugged down his drink and thanked the blonde haired woman again before quickening his pace to reach Lui. Both of them walked in silence, knowing there are now words needed to describe the critical situation they're in. There is obviously something big going on inside the school, specifically after the arrival of the ravenette but aside from them all the others seemed to be charmed by his personality. Most of the teachers were always praising him and most of the students were already trailing behind him like dogs. Shu clicked his tongue, reaching for the dorms to see it empty. Empty except for their own squad talking among each other.

"You two are back!" Valt exclaimed as they turned to the duo.

Shu nodded solemnly, entering the room. "We didn't have any luck," He said, breaking the news to everyone. "Have you guys?"

Free crossed his arms, leaning against his bed. "Nothing. Not even a scratch in her body except for the stab wound"

Shu frowned, "That's weird"

Orochi was the next to answer, "We didn't have any luck either, Zac is still going through the records but I don't think there's much to see anymore"

Shu sighed, turning to Honcho. "We interviewed all of them. They all have their weapons with them"

Xander sighed, "All the others from Hyoketsu have alibis. They were either sleeping or hanging out with others. This situation is hopeless"

Shu bit his bottom lip, brainstorming. "There has to be something. A reason for her to not have any scratch aside the stab wound." He looked outside the window. The sun had already set embalming the surrounding with a thickening darkness. Everyone was silent, not one dared to look at Lui in the eye. Breaking the silence, the door opened and the others started to walk in. Honcho drew away from the wall with Wakiya and the rest of the noble and commander sons by his side.

"That's our cue" Honcho said, walking out of the room, "Sorry Lui"

Lui shrugged, "You tried'' He grumbled, walking back to his bed not wanting to deal with all the thoughts storming inside his mind. He was upset, obviously he was. He didn't know how to face his father after tomorrow. He didn't know how to face anyone after tomorrow. True, it was good to have friends who trusted in you but sometimes, somethings can only be weighed by their cons rather than pros. Right now, all Lui wanted to do was find a way to escape like he had always done. He was not the culprit. He can be many things but even he himself couldn't imagine him as a murderer.

Kira entered the room after a few minutes. He was talking heartily with another prince from a minor kingdom. Shu instantly retreated to his bed without a word at his sight. Kira raised a smile at him for which Shu hesitantly responded. He still felt uneasy around him and the subtle nuances where Lui talked about the incident was enough to raise up his insecurities from the past. "Any luck today?" He asked, walking up to him.

Shu just shook his head lightly. He could feel Lui's watchful eyes close by. Kira sighed heavily, "You're going to get punished because of him"

Shu raised his head about to object but decided against it. The albino turned around on his heel and walked out of the room. Kira was shady. He failed to spot the difference in the beginning but now seeing him acting all charming after all he had done Shu found him disgusting. He walked to the record room where Zac was still working. He always knew Zac had a strong friendship with Lui and the former won't give up on helping him at any cost and as far as Shu knew, he won't either. He walked into the gloomy room only lighted up by the candle standing on the desk where Zac was going through some files. "Zac?"

Zac looked up. His sapphire blue eyes tired after a whole day of nonstop working. "Oh, shooting star"

"Anything?" Shu asked, walking to stand beside him.

Zac sighed, "Just nothing. All the weapons are right in place and that woman is from our kingdom. So, she didn't have a Hyoketsu dagger."

Shu felt all his hopes crumbling down. Whoever the person planned all this, he or she was a pure genius. Shu looked around the room when his eyes stopped at a locked up closet. "What's that one?"

Zac looked over his shoulder, "Oh. Those are immigrants records. Most of the times our kingdom keeps records from their initial king-" Zac shot up from his seat, "Wait! That woman's husband-" He hurried toward the closet.

Shu blinked, "What is it?"

"As far as I know, that woman's husband is an immigrant. I didn't even think of checking his initial kingdom but after you asked, just maybe he's from-"

"Hyoketsu '' Shu concluded running up to him.

"I don't have the keys" Zac grumbled, "I don't think they will give access to us. Let's break the lock"

"But Zac, it'll get us in more trouble"

"Me in more trouble" Zac said, with a small smile. "I'm keeping you out of this because only your genius brain can help Lui out of this"

Shu opened his mouth to object but closed it again. Zac did have a point. This wasn't the time to become a lawful person. "Do it"

Zac broke the locks from his special sword. The lock slashed in halves and dropped to the floor with a quiet thud. Zac opened the two wooden doors as a cloud of dust surrounded them. Zac coughed, his eyes already going through the records looking for the Hyoketsu record files. He pulled out a dusty book and walked to the reading desk and placed it beside the candle. The papers were old and crusted but the ink was still the same. The words are crystal clear. Zac went through the list quickly with Shu impatiently standing beside him, currently occupying on pointing out a sudden memory that charged his mind.

Last night, he woke up for a brief second, Shu remembered. That moment he saw something fall to the floor from Lui. He rubbed his temples. Something seemed to be forcing its way out of his mind but before he could think about it Zac clapped his hands together, "There it is! He's an immigrant"

Shu placed his palms on the reading desk, "We got a lead, finally!" The memory inside his mind clicked into place, last night Lui dropped his glassed fire just before he got to bed. He had it with him until he reached the dorm. Someone from inside stole it from him and dropped it near the corpse. Shu pushed himself away from the table and paced around the room. One of his hands rubbing his chin while the other was wrapped around his waist. "No scratches on the corpse except for the stab wound, the glassed fire stolen and framing Lui and the husband who is an immigrant from Hyoketsu" Shu stopped on his track, "And the kid" He thought aloud, "The kid knew something happened to his mother before I even utter anything to him"

Shu snapped his fingers, "Bingo!" He said aloud, sprinting out of the room. Zac watched the albino with a small smile, exhaustion washing over his body. He slumped himself on the chair and dropped his head to his folded hands.

"I trust you, shooting star"

---

Shu ran along the dorm rooms when he clashed with Free who was coming down the hall. The albino grunted as he fell back to the floor with a painful thud. "Whoa" Free breathed, "Are you okay?"

Shu looked up at Free, "Yes. Yes, I'm fine"

"You look so worked up" Free said, offering his hand to the albino. Shu took his hand and let the blonde pull him up.

"Found a lead, and I'm pretty confident about it," Shu confessed.

Free frowned. He paused for a second and looked around for any spying ears. Without another word, he took Shu's wrist and walk out of the hallway to the stables, "Now spill"

Shu nodded and revealed all the clues he had gathered. "In conclusion, she killed herself. This is no murder and there is obviously a reason behind this."

Free nodded, "We'll have to go back to that village and find evidence. That is our only chance to save Lui."

"We have only a few hours," Shu fidgeted with his robes, "Will we make it?"

Free grinned, a rare excitement playing inside his eyes as he walked toward the horse beside Kuro. A massive stallion with the colour of smoky cream. "Haru, ready for a ride boy?"

The horse neighed as Free turned back to Shu, "We'll make it there as fast as we can. Get on"

Shu smiled back at him accepting Free's hand hauling him to the horse. Free pulled on the reins looking over to see Shu who was looking agitated holding onto him tight. "Hold tight, we're leaving" Free said. The horse galloped down the path with an unbelievable speed.

"Whoa" Shu breathed to Free's robes, "He's s fast"

Free nodded, not wavering his eyes from the path ahead, "Fastest in the whole stable. Only Lui and I can control him. He's a hard one"

Shu looked at him in awe, "You're awesome"

Free just smiled, shaking his head a bit. "To solve a mystery like this in a day, you're a pure genius"

The rest of the ride was in silence as both concentrated on the ride. The darkness passed them by and Shu shivered at the cold. Out of the pure need to go on, both of them didn't even think of grabbing something to warm themselves from the cold nights of Autumn. He pressed his face against Free's shirt trying to warm himself in the least as the piercing cold wind attacked them mercilessly. About halfway through their journey, Free slowed down. "Shu?" He talked, concerned, "You holding on alright?"

"Yes" Shu breathed, a puff of air coming out from his mouth. "Don't stop, let's go"

Free hesitated for a second but nodded. He knew how stubborn Shu could be at moments like this and besides it was obvious to half of the school that there is something going in between Shu and Lui. So, seeing Shu this worked up in an affair that matters Lui's face wasn't something strange. When they reached the Ishikari village, it was pitch black. Free tied the horse out of the village borders as they decided to advance by foot. Everything was quiet unlike before. The stores were closed and the boats were lined near the sea in a perfect line. The only sound inside the town was the splash of the waves against the beach.

It should be past ten in the night, Shu concluded, looking at the quiet area. They walked past the closed stores and the small thickets to reach the lines of houses. Some of them still had the candle light filtering through the small windows in the front. Some distant laughter and chattering caught their ears. In these months, fishermen usually didn't go out to the sea at night due to the heavy waves that can bend wooden boats in mere minutes. Instead, they stayed with their families enjoying this rare opportunity to spend time with them. Shu led Free to the line of houses they visited earlier in the day. Mr. Ito's house was still lit up. "That house" Shu whispered to Free. The blonde nodded, following him. Shu walked to the door and raised his hand to knock on it when he heard a smacking sound and a child screaming. The albino stopped, freezing on his action for a moment. Free frowned, sharing a look with Shu who looked bewildered. Their thought was cut off by Mr. Ito's voice. "Shut up. I'm doing this for the benefit of you all"

"Stop lying!" Another childish voice yelled, "You killed mom, you-" He was cut off by another smacking sound. A pained grunt echoed from inside followed by a loud thud.

"No" This time, the voice was smaller, it was the other child, "Dad, please don't hurt him"

It was then Free heard the echoing footsteps coming toward them. Without a second thought, the blonde grabbed Shu's wrist and pulled them toward the shadow of a thicket nearby. They both watched through the leaves as a woman walked to the house and Shu instantly recognized her, "It's his sister" Shu whispered to Free. Free's frown deepened, there's something big obviously going on. Suddenly, the sounds inside the house died down and something felt unsettling.

"Shu" Free started and Shu cut him off instantly.

"We have to go and see"

Both of them rose from their hiding spot, weapons in their hands. They stepped toward the door slowly and cautiously. The sounds coming from the insides were just murmurs and soft whispers. Free and Shu shared a lock before Free kicked down the door taking everyone by surprise. He stepped into the house to see the adults, spooked by their sudden appearance and the two boys in the other corner of the room. The smaller one was crying, holding onto the older boy who was on the ground, bleeding. "Oh gods-" Shu breathed, rushing to the kid but the woman stepped in blocking his path.

"This is none of your concern"

"Out of my way" Shu said, tightening his grip on the Spriggan Axe. The woman looked at his weapon for a minute and looked back at the Prince seeing the threatening glare of his burning red eyes, she finally moved. Shu ignored her and rushed to the child's side. He was bleeding from harsh, blistering whip marks all over his body. His cheek was bright red as a thin stripe of blood ran down from his mouth. Both of them cowered when Shu reached out, "I'm not gonna harm you" He said, calmly crouching down in front of them.

The younger boy was the one who responded to him first, "You came earlier today" He muttered, "Where's mommy?"

Shu bit his bottom lip when he heard the man dropping to his knees in front of Free. Shu turned to see his dark eyes blazing with anger, "I'm the Prince of Dorein Kingdom. I hold the ultimate power of Draining. If you want to live, don't even think of trying to fight back against me"

The man glared at him, "What do you want?"

"The truth" Shu said, looking him straight in the eye, "What did you do to your wife? Their mom?"

The man kept his silence, averting his gaze to the floor. Free brought the sword to his neck as a warning, "I'm waiting for answers"

The man didn't speak. It was hopeless, Shu knew, to get him to talk. He turned his attention back to the bleeding child and reached out to him, "Can I see your wounds?"

The child stared at him, "I'll tell you"

"You know what happened?"

The small one nodded, "Yes, I know everything. I know everything he did to my mother."

The man grunted in anger, glaring at the boy but free nudged him with the sword, "Stand up, you're going to the capital with us now"

"You can't force me"

"Abusing children and a conspiracy against a Prince is enough to execute you. So, don't tempt me" Free warned nudging him again. The man rose to his feet with the woman who quietly followed. Shu took each of the kids' hands helping them to walk out of the house. A fairly big crowd had gathered outside the house out of curiosity. Free looked through the crowd, trying to figure their next step. They had to take all these culprits to the school before sunrise and Free was pretty sure they didn't have much time left at their hands. Behind him, the two kids clutched onto Shu's robes tightly, finally trusting his words of protection.

"What's going on?" One of the men questioned, "Where are you taking him?"

"He's one of us!" Another yelled, "You nobles can't treat to us villagers like this"

Shu groaned and their density. There are practically two kids with him and one is bleeding all over and still the villagers are trying to save the man by attacking them instead. "Back off" Free warned, "These people are culprits of a conspiracy and child abuse. If you have anything to say for their defence, we'll deal with that in the courts when they are taken prisoners."

The crowd fell into a hushed silence. This was the first time Shu had ever seen this side of the blonde prince. Back at school, he was always zoning out or sleeping in some random corner but right now, standing in front of him was a leader. Someone who would stand up against injustice. Shu smiled, Free De La Hoya was a person filled with wonders. The youngest kid, Aki as Shu found out, reached for his hand and took a step back. Shu squeezed his little hand with a soft smile, "You'll be fine, don't worry"

Aito, the elder kid, was still watching cautiously. He didn't seem to mind the bleeding wounds all over his body. This attitude toward pain made Shu concerned about the little one. Just how much pain he endured to get used to it this well? Free turned to Shu, breaking off his thoughts, "We have to get them back to the school before sunrise"

Shu nodded, "Yes, we'll need a carriage at least."

Free hummed, racking his brain for answers when Natsu appeared out of nowhere, clapping loudly, "Well, you two are being a pain in the ass, you know?" He said, sighing. "I lost my precious sleep because of you two"

Christina followed him close behind. Free turned to her in absolute confusion. "The headmaster saw you two taking off at dead night and ordered us to follow you two and give protection" She said, her tone was neutral.

"You followed us?" Shu asked, bewildered but happy at the same time. They had a way to go back to the school. "You are helping Lui too?"

Natsu shook his head, "Helping Prince Lui is not our job, you guys are the ones who trusted him in this case. We don't have evidence to prove his innocence. Did you two find any?"

Free stared at the ground, "The truth was that they found the real culprit but didn't gather any evidence. The man's word is the only confession they are left with and if he talked against Lui tomorrow, he would be good as dead"

Shu bit his bottom lip, "We have to get to the school"

"And that" Natsu said, "We can help you with"

"We're assuming you two want to take all of them with you too?" Christina asked, already turning around to walk away.

"Yes" Shu said, if the man did not confess at least the two boys will but seeing the status of them Shu wasn't sure whether he should hold onto that hope either. Christina and Natsu led them toward the carriage they had brought with them. Free got on his horse and gave Shu a nod. Shu nodded back at him walking into the carriage with the two kids and the man and the woman were taken to another, with their hands chained together.

The first thing Shu did after getting to the carriage was to ask Christina was any medicinal supplies which she provided from the back of the carriage. "Thanks," Shu said, turning to Aito. "May I?" He grimaced but nodded and Shu got to work as their journey back to the school began and Shu was sure it would take some time than they arrived. He could only hope they would be there on time.

---

Lui woke up with an agitated mind. The bell ran earlier today, waking up all the students as the first sun rays hit against them. Lui looked over to Shu's bed to see it empty. He frowned, where the hell he would go this early? Valt groaned, stretching his arms, "Gosh, it's so early"

"Everyone is asked to get to the training ground," Kira said, already dressed up.

Zac looked over to Lui who was not betraying a single emotion on his face. "Where's Shu and Free?" Xander asked, looking over to their empty beds.

Kira snorted, "If you're smart, you should have gone to the headmaster like them and beg for forgiveness for choosing Lui's side."

Valt frowned, "Shu and Free are not like that"

"Then, where are they?" Kira challenged, raising his brow.

Valt stammered, "I-" He pursed his lips, he really didn't know where they went but he was sure Free and Shu would never betray them. "They'll come back"

Lui dressed quietly, his mind running thousand miles a time. He wondered whether Shu went. He wasn't sure why he was upset not seeing Shu. He didn't want anyone's help to face this situation but a part of his mind disagreed with him. It would've been better if Shu was there. The students one by one walked to the training grounds and stood in a circle with Lui in the middle of them. His arms crossed, his violet eyes looking straight ahead. He didn't do anything wrong and he was not going to act like a culprit either. 

The teachers gathered on the podium in front of them alongside the headmaster. He looked straight at Lui, "Your time is up, you found any evidence"

Lui kept his silence and stared at him with dead looking violet eyes. He could imagine the happiness on Kira's face. The thought itself was enough to send his blood boiling. "No," Lui simply answered as murmurs started to evoke from the crowd. His friends looked at eachother, concerned.

"Okay then" The Headmaster said, about to speak their punishment when the galloping sound of a stallion echoed. Free appeared in the school entrance right in front of the training grounds. Sweat beads ran down his skin as he jumped off from the horse and stopped them.

"We brought evidence"

Two carriages followed Free and stopped. Everyone watched as if hypnotized by all that's going on. Natsu and Christina stepped out from the first with a man and a woman bound to chains while Shu stepped out from the other with two kids clinging to him at each side. One heavily bandaged. Both small and skinny. "Shu? Free?" Valt asked, tilting his head.

Honcho blinked, "Did they find something?"

The headmaster looked at them expectantly when Natsu and Christina led the two culprits to the middle of the circle, forcing them to their knees. Shu walked and stood beside Lui who gave him a questioning glance. "Prince Shu" The headmaster talked, "I'd like to have an explanation"

Shu took a deep breath and nodded. The two kids didn't let go of his robes as he started to speak. "First, I'll start with my first clue, the lack of a struggle in the corpse. We found her dead inside the kitchen where there's no backdoor and it's the most well lighted place in the whole school despite the time and if a murder was in there, she would've seen them and there's a very little chance for a surprised attack but if it was, the sword won't be in front of her body, but in the back" The headmaster nodded.

Shu grimaced, he hated to talk about their mother's death in front of the kids, but he did not have any other choice left. "We sent the body to Christina to check on to have any other bruises or cuts but there was none. So, none of these things made any sense except for one way she should've died. She killed herself"

A series of gasps echoed from the crowd as their martial arts teacher spoke up, "You can't really come into that conclusion just by that clue, you should know that"

"I do" Shu said, "That's why I went back to the village after Zac said her family are immigrants from the Hyoketsu kingdom itself and that unsolved the mystery of the dagger, one from Hyoketsu and almost everyone from the kingdom had one. Is that right?" Shu asked, looking at the man who was glaring daggers at him. He just grunted in response. Natsu kicked him.

"He asked you a question"

"...Yes" He finally answered.

"Then comes the question, why did she do it? She has two kids" Shu said, running one of his hands through the younger one's locks as his grip got tighter. "That's when the real murderer comes to play. He sold his wife's life for money" Shu stated boldly looking at the man in disgust. "I think you can explain what happened that night"

The man looked at his feet, "A-A man came to our house and I was having problems with catching fish these days and our income was really low" He admitted. "So... to keep them fed" He looked over to the kids, "I had to accept the money"

Shu rolled his eyes, "You have a drinking problem. You are addicted to alcohol. You sold all your fortunes and earnings to keep your addiction fed and these two innocent kids left unfed for days. Each night you go around sleeping with women leaving them alone in the house without anything to eat. That's why you needed money, Don't lie to everyone"

The man drew a sharp breath looking at Shu in hatred, "Don't spat out lies like that, you filthy noble"

This time Christina was the one who warned him, "Talk with respect."

"I have proof from the villagers," Shu stated, ignoring the insults. "Before we came back I talked with a few of them and when they saw their status," He said, looking at the kids. "They agreed to speak the truth to me."

"Okay fine" The man yelled out, "I fucking did. So what? I was suffering to feed them all these years and why can't a man have his fun while he's able to? And you know the one who gave me money in exchange for my woman's life? It's him" He said, pointing at Lui. The White Tyrant silently watched everything blinked in confusion.

"Me?"

"Hah?" Shu said out aloud, "He went from the murderer to a dealer now?"

Lui rubbed his temples, "You're lying"

The headmaster looked at the man, "Do you know the seriousness of this accusation? You're accusing the Prince of Hyoketsu kingdom"

"I'm telling the truth" He stated, looking at Lui with a hostile face.

Shu bit his bottom lip, enraged at the turn of events. How come people can change their statements to the point they wanted. But before he could talk, Aito spoke, "The man" he said, his voice was small. "The man had a scar across his chest" He said quietly.

Shu turned to Lui instantly. "I'm sorry for this" He muttered, getting a hold of his robe and pushing it aside to reveal his muscled white chest but there were no scars. "Thank the lords"

"Excuse you" Lui growled, pulling his clothes back to place. "What the hell are you-"

"Saving your ungrateful-" Shu stopped, "Never mind"

The headmaster talked again, "What else do you remember?"

Aito silently reached for Shu's hand and Shu grabbed it, giving the comfort the child needed. "He was tall, and well built." The younger said, "He had a deep voice and carried a long sword"

Shu eyed Kira from the corner of his eyes. His eyes were growing dark by each second. The man visibly gulped. "O-okay fine" He stammered, "I lied. The one who came to me is much older than the kids here." He said rubbing his hands together. "He was an enemy of Hyoketsu but he didn't reveal the name" He begged, "Please have mercy on me lords"

Headmaster shook his head, "You accused the Prince of Hyoketsu, abused your children and was indirectly involved in your wife's death. You will be taken to the King's court for all these crimes"

Natsu walked to him and dragged the man from the ground. Christina followed him with the woman as they both walked out of the training grounds as the man spat curses at all of them. Natsu gave a look at Shu over his shoulder with a small smile. "Seems like you do have a lot of faith in Prince Lui"

Shu huffed, turning back to the teachers. "Prince Lui is proven innocent and would be made free from all the false accusations." He stated. "Prince Shu and Prince Free and all the others who took part in proving his innocence" He smiled, "You all did a great job. Go ahead and have you breakfast. The classes will continue as normal."

Everyone was about to walk away from the training grounds when Mitsuba finally stepped in. "Can I have a moment, please?"

The headmaster nodded, "Yes, Mitsuba?"

"Someone had messed up the portions of mine and as an effect Prince Shu has lost his fire"

A series of gasps followed her statement. Free blinked looking at Shu, he didn't have the least idea that Shu had lost his powers. "Shu" Valt whispered, concerned at his friend. Shu sighed. He didn't have much energy to think about it all. He wanted to pass out as soon as he could.

"What's going to happen?" Zac asked, walking to Shu's side. "Is he going to get his powers back?"

Shu bit his bottom lips, this was the question he had on his mind all day long. Mitsuba nodded, "Thankfully, yes. I found the dregs of the portion and it's temporary. You will receive your powers by tomorrow."

Shu let himself relax finally, at least it was not something permanent. Mitsuba talked again, taking their attention back. "But there is still the danger. If anyone can enter the medicine room and change the portions as they need, it's going to be dangerous"

The headmaster nodded along, "I agree. I'll look into that and add protection to the medicine room"

"And you" Mitsuba turned to Shu with an accusing glance, "Better take your medicine and rest full day, today."

Shu ducked his head with a soft apology and nodded. Mitsuba smiled walking off from the training ground as one by one the others walked out to take their breakfast. Shu turned to Lui who was watching him, the former grinned, "A thank you would be fine"

He clicked his tongue when Free walked to them, "You owe me one, Lui. I never skip sleep" He yawned walking away and all the others wordlessly knew that they wouldn't be seeing Free for the rest of the day.

Honcho knelt by Shu's feet to look at the two kids who seem to be overwhelmed by all the attention. "Hello there" He grinned, reaching out to ruffle Aki's hair. "Are you hungry?"

The younger clutched Shu's hand and nodded slightly, turning to Shu instead. Shu smiled at both of them, "Let's go and get some breakfast, shall we?"

Valt grinned, "Now that sounds like a feast" He cheered already running towards the dining hall as the rest followed them. The initial burden in their hearts lifted by the sudden turn of events.

"You went somewhere with Free at night and came back with two kids?" Lui raised his brow, questioning.

Shu flushed. The two kids were walking with the group occasionally smiling and enjoying the company and affection. "It sounds so wrong when you put it that way"

"That's why I put it that way "Lui smoothly answered ignoring the pang of jealousy in his heart. It did not make sense. Why did he care if Shu hung out with another person? He shouldn't be thinking about it much. The breakfast was uneventful and after the breakfast Aito left the table with Ruway and Xander who promised him to teach some fancy martial art moves. Aki sat between Lui and Shu listening to the conversations going on around the table when Shu yawned.

"I want to pass out"

Lui rolled his eyes, "I can see that"

Aki listened to both of them, turning his head from side to side as the two males bickered with each other. He leaned against Shu sleepily, "I want to sleep too" He mumbled under his breath hugging Shu's arm with his small hands.

Shu smiled down at the boy, "Let's go then"

Lui huffed, "You two are annoying" He stated boldly standing up. "I'm going to meet up with the headmaster to sort things out."

Shu nodded, "Good luck with that"

The others went back to their own training as Shu and Aki walked into the quiet dorms. The younger inhaled sharply looking at the lines of comfortable beds and the big room. "This is huge!" He squealed.

"Come here" Shu said, leading the younger one to his own bed. Aki climbed upon the soft mattress and yawned. He turned to his side, already asleep amidst all the fluffy blankets. Shu smiled softly at the boy, realizing this may be the first time he's receiving any type of comfort or love from anyone. He laid beside him and stared at the ceiling wondering how many children around the world suffer because of harmful parents. Shu turned to his side and looked at the small child sleeping beside him. He had always known that people are not perfect but sometimes humans lose their qualities as humans which is the main reason for everything that's going on.

---

It was almost noon when Aito and Lui walked into the dorm looking for the two who were missing for the whole day. After Xander and Ruway taught him the basics he took off to find Shu and Aki and found Lui instead. The White Tyrant had just got to know about the Kuroda family adopting the two boys in their own household. Aito didn't show any significant change in his face as Lui broke the news. He looked at him with a passive face and just nodded. Lui didn't blame the kid for his behaviour. Too much pain and too much disappointment can make a person numb and apathetic for all the changes in the world.

Lui led Aito towards the dorms to see the other two sleeping peacefully on Shu's bed. The albino had his arm draped over Aki's small frame hugging the younger one close. Aki's face was pressed against Shu's clothes as his small hands grabbed a handful of his robes. Aito smiled, it was the first time anyone had hugged his little brother to sleep like that. Even when mom was around, she had been vulnerable to their father's violence and rarely had any time to tend to both of them. "They look peaceful," Aito observed, walking to the bed. Lui quietly followed, staring at both of them.

Aito reached down to Aki and slowly shook his little brother awake, "Time to go"

The younger grunted cuddling into Shu's warmth ignoring the calls from his older brother. Shu curled against him, cracking one eye open. "Huh?"

"Good morning, Snowflake" Lui rolled his eyes. Shu opened both of his eyes and rubbed the sleep off them before focusing on the toddler at his hold. He smiled, running a hand through his soft black hair before finally turning to Aito as he sat up.

"Morning" He stretched. "I slept like a log"

"You slept like a freak" Lui helpfully offered.

Shu shot him a glare, "Don't curse in front of kids"

"Yes Grandma" Lui shot back, waking Aki in the process. He looked disoriented for a moment before finally sitting down beside Shu, peering them with his big black eyes. "Hello"

Lui's lips quirked slightly upward at the child's cuteness and Shu gasped, "Oh my god, you smiled!"

Lui scowled, "I did not"

"You totally did" Shu said, turning to Aki, "How did you do it?"

"Kurenai, stop imagining things and leave the child alone" Lui said, flicking Shu's forehead and the albino groaned.

"That stings"

Aito cleared his throat, "We're getting adopted by the Kuroda family"

Shu pursed his lips for a minute before speaking, "Well, that's a good thing. The Kuroda family is a kind family as far as I know"

Aito nodded, "Christina talked with me. She seems nice"

Shu smiled, "Do you like to go there?"

Aito shrugged, "It's fine either way I guess. Like, what have we got to lose at this point"

Shu sighed, "You have a long life ahead of you. Don't worry, it will get better."

Aito really smiled at that, "I hope so"

While they were having the conversation beside them Aki and Lui were bonding with each other. The White Tyrant had Aki in his arms as the younger played with his hair. Lui didn't seem to mind the acts of him. Shu squinted suspiciously at Lui, "You're being suspiciously soft right now Lui"

Lui growled, "Will you stop?"

Shu smiled, standing up. Aito tugged at his arm and led him toward the corner of the room, out of earshot of the other two, "C-Can I see mom?"

Shu blinked, "Your mom?" Shu asked, not sure whether it would be edible for a young child to see her corpse but then again it was his mother. "Okay" Shu said, "But we won't have much time inside the investigation rooms"

Aito nodded, "I just want to see her face"

Shu looked over his shoulder at Lui who had given the child something to play with. Investigation rooms, he mouthed looking at him and Lui nodded in understanding. It was almost hilarious how both of them have gotten used to each other's body language. Shu led him out of the room to the investigation rooms where the body was kept. It was covered in a complete white cloth from head to toe and Natsu was talking with his other comrades inside the room. The male turned to them as the door opened.

"This is out of bounds" He said seriously.

Aito gripped on Shu's hand looking at the body on the table. Misaki's face softened in understanding. She put a hand on Natsu's shoulder with a slight nod. "Come in, you two"

Shu let out a relieved sigh, leading the boy to the cold room. It was exceptionally colder to keep the body without rotting for a few days of investigation. Aito walked toward his mother as Misaki uncovered the white cloth from her face revealing the pale skinned women beneath. Aito stayed composed for a few minutes before his face crumpled like a sheet of paper. "Mom" He whispered dropping to his knees burying his head on the cold table of the room. He sobbed openly and loudly. Shu rubbed his back comfortingly sighing.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Natsu finally announced that they have to leave the room. Shu nodded and muttered a thank you under his breath guiding Aito out of the room. The boy leaned against the wall of the hallway with a sad sigh. His eyes puffed with all the tears. "I'll miss her"

Shu hummed, rubbing his shoulder. "I know, but you have to be strong for your brother"

Aito nodded, "I will"

Shu smiled at him, "I know you will. You're an amazing brother"

Aito wiped his face, looking up to Shu. "Are you okay though?" He asked, "I heard you have some fatal sickness"

Shu blinked, "Oh, that. I'm fine"

Aito hummed, "Would you come to see us? I mean, Aki would love to see you and Prince Lui again after we leave to Dorein"

Shu nodded, "Don't worry, I'll make sure to visit you." He knelt in front of the little boy and opened his arms. Aito gave him a welcoming smile accepting the hug.

"Thank you for everything Shu - san"

Shu caressed his hair, "I'm glad you two are okay."

The moment was broken by a loud squeal of Aki who ran to Shu jumping out from Lui's arms. "Hugging time!" He squealed, grabbing the opportunity to have affection greedily. Shu laughed. The whole day, the four of them walked around enjoying their time until Christina called them by sunset. Shu and Lui led them towards the school gates and waved them goodbye upon their farewell. Shu was content how the turn of events ended with happiness. Some stories need happy endings and he hoped Aito and Aki would find their own.

Lui sighed, watching the carriage disappear from the horizons. Both of them distracted to notice the footsteps of Kira closing behind them as he grabbed Shu's hand trapping him inside his hold. "What the hell-" Lui cursed, turning on his heel. His hand encased in ice. "Kira," He growled, his voice dangerously narrowed. 

Kira grinned, pulling out a dagger as he pressed it against Shu's throat wrapping his other arm around his waist pressing their bodies together. "Aw, c'mon cousin, I'm not going to harm him"

"Get your filthy hands off him" Lui growled, ice encasing both his arms. His violet eyes enraged with hatred.

Kira leaned down and nipped at Shu's ear, his violet eyes planted against Lui's in a mocking way. Shu inhaled sharply, narrowing his eyes at the dagger by his throat. "W-what do you want, Kira?"

Kira moved the hand which held the dagger to Shu's shoulder and ran it down along his arm, just over the skin not even bruising him in the process. He stopped right by Shu's hips. "I want nothing~" He sang against his ear sending a shiver down his spine.

Lui took a step forward, ready to attack when Kira took a step back with Shu. He dangerously brought the dagger back to the albino's neck clicking his tongue, "Now now, be careful ice prince~ You might harm him"

Lui growled, helpless. Kira narrowed his eyes, speaking against Shu's ear, making sure every word sent shivers down his spine. "You still think I poisoned your portion Shu?"

Shu blinked, trying to twist his head to look at him but Kira's strong hold kept him at place. "W-What do you mean?"

"I can be many things" He spoke, "But will never hurt someone I hold close to me. It's weird" He spoke, glancing at Lui who had no clue what he was saying, "You ignited a spark inside my heart" He huffed, "Like, I might live again..."

Shu frowned, "Kira?"

"We're such sad creatures. Us humans. We fall in love, we fall out of love and get hurt." His voice held something genuine behind those words. For a moment, Shu saw the broken boy behind such a strong demeanor. "I almost...almost stopped all my plans when I saw you" He laughed softly , "But my hatred is deeper than the feelings I have for you. I've been watching you since you were young."

Shu shivered, "Huh?"

"You looked so sad those days, looking out the window, waiting for the freedom you thought you'd never have. I thought I'll make you mine but alas, my cousin brother always steals everything, all the things"

Shu looked at Lui who was trying to advance, "K-Kira, what are you saying?"

"I love you" He whispered against his ear. Shu froze on his spot going rigid in his hold. In any other matter, he would have blushed but right now in Kira's strong bruising hold he didn't know what to do. "I have loved you since I was ten. I looked at you and found courage to live. You smile, your expressive eyes estranged me from my goals for three whole years. I would've stopped but you started falling for someone else instead. You fell for my enemy." He stopped twirling him around that Shu was facing him. His grip around Shu's waist tightened as Kira brought their faces together, their noses almost touching. Shu stared at him, helpless and confused. "Human feelings are not for me. I loved you and now it's over. You were a distraction but now it's gone. Good bye, my love" He sang with a smile. For the first time, Shu saw the pain behind those violet eyes. Something hidden deep inside. Walls that couldn't be broken. Wounds that couldn't be healed. "Sometimes I wonder why I was so blind but then I remember..."

He took a deep breath pressing his lips against Shu's forehead . His crimson eyes widened, lips parted in surprise when he pushed away with a tear falling off his cheek. He whispered against his ear, his last words before he left.

Then I remember, I'm only human after all...

Kira released him and pushed him back making him stumble on Lui who caught him. Kira jumped on the barrier of the school and looked at Lui with complete venom in his eyes, " I will take revenge. I will take revenge from your whole family. For my father, for all the things I lost because of that wretched royals. Mark my words Shirosagi" He jumped back and disappeared from the view, leaving the two surprised boys behind. That day, both of them stood closer to each other watching the other boy leave, not knowing the monster he was going to become. Not knowing what hardships were going to come. Not knowing that one day Kira will leave behind the most precious gift both of them ever had.