Joker's POV

Hmm, this feels soft. Must have landed on some kind of celestial clouds. If Raiha could see this…Well, I rather he lived a long and fulfilling life. That guy needs a new perspective. Being wrapped up in his destiny to fight with Fuuko-chan. I opened my eyes. Erh? Is Heaven supposed to be a room in a dwelling of ancient Japan?

"Nope. You're still alive. My friend, you are one lucky guy to have survived such an injury and so happened to be in the vicinity of the villa where the Lady Sakura resides in." (A/N: Sakura-Hime is the incarnation of Yanagi, for those who didn't read the manga.)

I got up in a hurry after a voice answered my rumbling. Ouch! It hurts…my chest. Bandages. My clothes…Kuso! My hat!

"Funny when a person realized that he's alive and hurting, the first time that comes to mind is unimportant things like a hat."

I glared at the owner of the voice, the full impact of my gaze shot daggers at him. The man took a step back, his hand pressing at his chest, as if to hold the heart that's inside.

"My hat. Where is it? I wouldn't ask twice." The man swallowed and pointed to the left of my bedding. His voice still paralyzed in his throat after my initial actions rooted him to his place. I lifted the mask that shield my eyes from everyone but Kurei-han and wore it. I turned to the stranger who intruded and gave him my most apologized smile. "Gomen ne, I'm not used to go without something covering my features."

"I'll say. You have one of the coldest eyes I've ever set my eyes upon. Those orbs show death and retribution in them. Are you an assassin by chance?"

I nodded. If I explained that I was one of the Uruha, the right hand man of Kurei-han and from the future. He'll think I've lose my marbles.

He nodded, and then said, "Then your former master must have betrayed you or you have been in a terrible battle."

"The latter," I replied. Like Raiha, I'll never betray Kurei-han. Although when he said that Kurei-han being my master sounds odd to my ears. When I decided to join the Uruha, I've made two conditions to him. One is I do as I wish, come as I go. Never bonded to anything then my own free will. Another is to treat him like a friend, a colleague, rather than someone who has superiority over me. In turn, I became his closest confident.

Then, a feminine voice intruded the conversation. "I see you have awakened."

I looked up and nearly gasped in surprise. The girl before my eyes is an exact replica of the girl of healing that Kurei-han kidnapped under the orders of Mori Kouran. Then everything falls into place.

"You healed me." That was a statement of fact and the shocked expressions on everyone's face confirm my suspicion.