"We have no choice but to attempt an exorcism. I've been completely unable to find a concrete method of releasing Kanon from me." Koujo Lin stated bluntly into the cell phone situated beside his ear.

Naru sighed on the other end. "I'm assuming that you've at least discovered the spirit's identity? I trust that I don't need to remind you that it's near impossible for you to exercise a spirit without knowing who they were before death."

"I know all too well who Kanon was in life - that's also how I know that I need to be the one who ends him. These attacks weren't random. He premeditated everything he's done - he admitted that much to me during our encounter at the hospital. However I think that I've also come to the correct conclusion of why he feels that his actions against me are justified. I was ignorant of the situation and did not attempt to look for any information that was not easily obtainable. My reluctance to see the truth only made this charade more personal to Kanon." Lin responded darkly as an image of Madoka's smiling face popped into his head, tormenting him and making him angry, but most of all forcing him to realize that his lack of caution had caused him to completely fail her.

"What makes this personal to him?" Naru asked.

Lin stiffened. He was not emotionally prepared to explain to Oliver what he had just barely come to understand - and accept himself. "I'd rather keep the specific details private if that's alright with you. However I'll leave you with a piece of wisdom: the bonds of friendship should remain strong enough to transcend the passage of time, as well as the possible death of either person involved. If your friend moves away, or in my particular case, passes on, honor them by never forgetting the friendship you shared with them. It dishonors their memory to pretend that they never existed at all, or to deny the pain that their absence causes you. That pain is proof that they were real and mattered to you. That's something that most people don't want to forget - that they had someone who cared about them. I was a damned fool to ignore what shouldn't have had to be pointed out to me."

Naru was silent on the other end. Lin realized that his mind had probably wandered to the darkest place it could go - to the memory of Gene's death. The car hitting him - that time supposedly on accident, and then the second time to ensure that he was in fact dead. Then the yellow rug, wrapped tightly around his body with the hope that it would cause his mangled remains to sink after they were discarded in a lake. All of this occurring while Naru stood in their bedroom, one of Gene's t-shirts clutched in his hand as he was forced to see as well as feel every bit of pain the person closest to him was subjected to before he was finally, mercifully put out of his misery.

Lin knew how much Gene's death had charged Naru. Losing Shun had done very similar damage to his own emotional state. Though both of them were suffering silently through their own pain filled battles, they needed to stay strong throughout this ordeal before Kanon stuck again and claimed someone else's life.

"Oliver, are you still there?" he asked carefully. At first there was no answer, though after another moment of silence on the other line, Naru coughed.

"Yes, I'm here. I'm sorry, I lost my concentration for a moment. Based on what you've told me, I've realized that you'll most likely have your work more than cut out for you when dealing with this situation. You'll probably need assistance in resolving the issue. You can expect to see the rest of SPR's team and myself in China within a few hours."

Lin nodded though he knew that Naru couldn't see him. "I'd appreciate that. I'm not positive if we'll be able to figure out how to defeat him before he gets frustrated with waiting, but its worth a try. Plus, we don't have any other options left."

"I've updated Martin and Luella on what has been happening. Mother had a fit - she's deathly worried about Madoka. We've got to get her back before Luella tries to kill us both." Naru replied seriously.

Lin bit back the chuckle that he felt coming on - he knew that though petite, when angry Luella Davis was a force of nature that he didn't wish to be caught up in. Although even without that logic the nature of Naru's comment was plenty enough in itself to prevent him from laughing - Madoka was in danger. "I know. I can't allow Kanon use her to use her as a weapon against me. If something were to happen to her..." Lin allowed the sentence to trail off as images of Madoka lying on the ground covered in blood and slowly dying began tormenting him.

Naru released a small sigh. "Don't worry too much about her. Madoka is strong willed. She'd much sooner drive Kanon to the point of insanity than him breaking her. I'm sure she'll be alright."

"She might be pregnant, Oliver." Lin replied despondently. He didn't know why he'd brought it up. It wasn't Naru's fault that Madoka had been taken, and it sure as hell wasnt his fault that it might be with the addition of a baby growing inside of her.

Lin knew that both responsibilities inevitably fell on his shoulders. He hadn't been home when Madoka had been kidnapped by Kanon - it was his fault that he hadn't thought to bring her with him or leave one of his shiki there to alert him that she could be in danger. He'd been careless, and now the lives of Madoka and possibly even their unborn child could be in peril. Speaking of the possibility that Madoka bore his child - if it turned out that she was pregnant, he was the one who had gotten her pregnant, relying on a prevention method that was never one hundred percent guaranteed to prevent pregnancy. He had made the decision to take the risk despite the possible repercussions. It was his responsibility to care for her well-being and that if their baby.

"The child is yours, I presume?" Naru asked, jarring Lin out of his thoughts.

"If she's pregnant, yes." Lin's reason was monotonous. He was stifling his worry for Madoka - this was no time for him to emotionally fall apart.

"Mother will be ecstatic to hear that. She loves children - no doubt she'll be asking to be made the baby's godmother before Madoka is sure that she's pregnant." Naru paused as a thought hit him. "I would refrain from telling her until Madoka is safe - knowing that a child could be in danger as well would only remind her of Eugene. Not to mention that Madoka might wish to share the news herself."

"I'll allow Madoka to spread the word in that case." Lin agreed. He knew that if he took away the pink haired lady's element of surprise that he'd end up dead. The woman loved surprises too much to allow him to take away her chance at springing the surprise on her best friend. He allowed himself a small smile. He had to believe that Madoka would be okay.

"I believe that's a wise decision. If that's all I need to begin making preparations - two days is not very much time to organize a full investigation." Naru said dismissively.

"Of course. I'll see you when you arrive." The dial tone started and Lin knew that his charge had hung up.

The Onmyouji sighed and rested his head on the desk he was sitting at. A few hiurs He had a few hours before he could even think about creating a plan to save Madoka. He refused to think about the horrors that could be inflicted on her .

...

In a house not ten minutes away, a pair of magenta eyes slowly opened. Madoka Mori was startled awake by the sound of fire sizzling nearby. She blinked in the darkness of her surroundings until her eyes adjusted to the lighting.

When she could see clearly, she immediately realized that it wasn't entirely dark - she could see the vague outline of walls and furniture surrounding her. So she was in a house - that much was clear. What house she had no clue.

Reflexively the pink haired lady reached into her pants pocket for her cellphone. Her fingers were met with nothing but fabric. Her phone was missing. Now she was worried - she was far too careful to leave the one portable means of communication she had when going somewhere.

"I wouldn't bother looking for your phone. I assure you that its safely in my possession." A voice, smooth and clear, though thick with the undeniable intent of danger spoke from somewhere close to Madoka. She tensed up when she realized that she knew the voice, all too well.

"Why did you take me here, Kanon?" She asked, her voice full of anger. She cringed as she remembered Lin's father, pretending to be strong as he spoke to his son, all the while knowing that he'd never get the chance to repair their relationship.

"Isn't it obvious why you're here?" Kanon asked, though it wasn't really a question. It was more him wanting her to admit to him that she was here for a reason that wasn't all that hard to guess. "You're here because you seem to be important to Koujo."

"So what? You want to use me to hurt him?" Madoka questioned. She already knew the answer - the one thing that she had learned for sure about Kanon that though cryptic in his overall plans, he was straightforward about what each thing he did meant. He had taken her for a very specific and uncomplicated reason. He wanted to use her as ammunition against Lin - so that he could scare him or cause him continued pain, it didn't matter.

Despite the obvious answer of the inquiry, Kanon answered the question. "That is my goal, though not my only objective."

He was being cryptic again. Madoka sighed in frustration. "Would you mind telling me what your endgame is? What are you expecting from Lin? To torture him until he dies?"

Kanon's eyes flashed a darker shade of blue as he began feeling angry. "What if I told you that my overall objective is not to kill him?" he took a step towards Madoka who slid backwards on the floor where she was sitting. "What if I told you that I was the one who needs to die?"

She stopped moving as soon as the words left Kanon's mouth. Had he just confessed that he wanted to die? Why? Why would he want to die and how would he accomplish that by causing Lin suffering? "What do you mean that you need to die? You're a shiki - a ghost. You're already dead, right?"

Kanon chuckled darkly. "That's exactly it. I am dead, but have never had the privilege of being at peace. Being a shiki is a curse that I was forced to bear by none other than your dear Koujo."

"But you were a shiki - its his job to bind you to his will." Madoka defend uneasily. Why was Kanon bringing this up? He had bound a spirit like he would have any other - why was this one angry that it never found peace?

"Yes, I realize that. And normally that would undisputed thing that an Onmyouji was supposed to do in his line of work. But Koujo made one fatal error." He was still looking at Madoka, but his gaze was far away - transported somewhere where Madoka couldn't see.

"Which was?" She asked carefully as she attempted to get him to focus on her again. She didn't like the faraway look in his eyes - she had no idea what darkness that he was thinking of, and in truth, she didn't want to know.

Kanon met her gaze again. "He bound me."

This confused Madoka even more. "I still don't see why you're upset - he bound you like he would have bound any other shiki."

Kanon shot forward and grabbed Madoka by the chin, yanking her painfully to her feet. The pink haired lady refused to make any sounds despite the fear she felt. Kanon smiled wickedly as he noticed the defiance written clearly in her expression. "Koujo has really told you so little that you don't know who I was to him in life?" the smile disappeared only to be replaced by a look that could only be described as.. hurt. "He cares so little that he'd keep my existence from even his lover?"

Madoka blushed at being called Lin's lover, though didn't comment on the question that Kanon had asked. He didn't seem to really be talking to her anymore anyway - more like he was having a one way conversation with himself.

Kanon released Madoka's face and stepped away. "I was once a friend of Koujo's. No, that's not right - I was more like a brother, the only thing separating us from being related was blood."

Madoka's eyes widened in surprise and fear. "You were once his friend?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kanon nodded thoughtfully. "We grew up together. Childhood friends, nigh inseparable up until we were teenagers." the shiki closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "I never had siblings - after I was born, my mother could never conceive again. Luckily for mother, her close friend had a son who was only about a year older than I was. She spoiled the boy like her own. Koujo and I grew up all but sharing our mothers. We were raised as if we were brothers in everything but blood. The fact that we were not related never seemed to faze us, or it simply never mattered. We were brothers. " Kanon laughed harshly. "Or at least I thought that we both felt that sentiment. I've been enlightened to much that I didn't know lately. "

Madoka could feel the burning behind her eyes. She was fighting tears. She wasn't forgetting all of the wrong that Kanon had done. It was more like she was beginning to understand why he had taken the actions that he had.

He must have felt so betrayed when he had realized that he'd been bound to the man that he had viewed as brother. Lin had used him as a slave against his will. The pain that he must have felt at realizing that Lin seemed to have disregarded a friendship that had meant so much to them when they were younger.

Tears began slipping from Madoka's eyes. She decided not to hide her sadness from Kanon - she knew that he wouldn't appreciate her sympathy, but in her own way it showed her acceptance of his story, and her understanding of his pain.

Kanon glanced at the crying woman for a brief second. "Do you wish to hear the rest or have I told you enough?"

Madoka dabbed at her eyes with the bottom of her shirt. "Yes, I'd very much like to hear the rest of your story - please continue."

"What do you think my natural hair color is?" Kanon asked seriously. The question was so out of the blue that Madoka was almost taken aback.

"It isn't black? The color looks very natural on you." She answered despite the odd question.

Kanon laughed for the first time without malice. It seemed almost genuine. "You'd be wrong. In life, I had white hair. It made it quite easy for me to hide during the winter months." He grinned slightly at the nostalgic memory of playing through snow drifts during his childhood, hiding from a boy with ashen black hair.

Madoka chuckled at the thought of a younger white headed Kanon and Lin laying in the snow making snow angels. "I can imagine. May I ask why you changed it to black?"

Kanon's expression became sad again. "I didn't decide for it to change. By the time that I had awoken after breaking free from Koujo's control, my hair's color had shifted. I have a theory as to why it changed, however." Kanon's voice was low as he ran a hand through his dark black hair. "I stated that Koujo and I were as close to being brothers as two people who didn't share blood could be. Not being blood related never meant all that much to us. However there was always a foolish desire that I possessed - to be genuinely related to my close friend. I wanted to be Koujo's real brother. My theory is that when I changed appearance after breaking away, I subconsciously shape shifted into a form that would make me resemble him more. Maybe so that I could better disguise myself from detection. Or maybe so that I could be closer to being his brother. It is an idiotic notion, though it is also my best guess."

Madoka smiled despite the tears that were still leaking from her eyes. "Its not idiotic - it sounds about right in fact. You can shape shift, so why would changing your overall appearance be all that difficult?"

Kanon looked deep in thought. "I shouldn't have been able to. His electromagnetic vision should have been able to detect my true form underneath the mask that I wore, but it didn't. Unless he ignored the fact the spirit that he was binding more than resembled his deceased friend."

"I don't think he would have done that. Maybe you didn't change your form - what if what we're seeing is a strong illusion that even Lin's vision can't see through?" Madoka asked. It was definitely a plausible theory. From what she knew of Lin's electromagnetic vision, it wasn't sure proof. He could still be tricked by illusions.

Kanon raised an eyebrow as he pondered Madoka's suggestion. He had to admit that it had merit. "You're implying that I subconsciously put an impenetrable illusion on myself so that I looked like him?"

Madoka nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Even in death, you never let go of your devotion to Lin - you still wanted to be his brother. Maybe you still do?" She asked gently, phrasing the last sentence like a question.

She met Kanon's gaze and was mesmerized to see genuine tears in the shiki's eyes. "Perhaps you're right. You're perceptive for a human - I can see why Koujo was drawn to you." The shiki wiped his eyes on his sleeve before reaching towards the table behind him. He picked up a rectangular object and threw it to Madoka who caught it just before it hit the floor. It was her cellphone. The pink haired lady stared at the device in confusion, as if it were some foreign object she had never seen. Kanon noticed her confused expression and sighed.

"I want you to call Koujo. I'm ready to end this charade. Tell him to come to where the end happened and the beginning started. Koujo will know what it means, unless the years have made him incredibly dense."

...

"He said to come to where the end happened and the beginning started. I don't know what that means, but he said that you would."

Madoka's voice, sweet and strong, spoke to Lin through his cell phone. It brought him comfort knowing that she was alive, but the words that she spoke brought him equal amounts of pain.

It wasn't difficult to guess what end Kanon was referring to. In fact, it was the only logical conclusion. The end had been his death - the end of his life as a human and the end of the memories that they would make in their long friendship.

It was a thought that brought Lin both happy and devastating memories. He missed Shun, but could not retain his past sentiments towards who the white haired boy had become.

Shun Song would never have stooped so low as to kidnap someone, and murdering them would have never crossed his mind. Then again, Shun would have never thought that he would die that night. He would never have dreamed that he was walking home through the cold snow for the last time.

That possibly even explained why he had not moved on after death. He had died so unexpectedly, there had been no time for him to do any of the things that he might have wanted to before taking his last breath.

But most of all, Lin felt that he had been his friends link to remain in the physical dimension rather than moving on and seeking everlasting peace. Shun had asked him one simple thing; 'never forget me'.

Lin had obliged that heartfelt request until two years after Shun's death, when he bound his first shiki. He began having severe, debilitating migraines and stomach churning nightmares of Shun dying in multiple, gruesome ways.

He put up with the scarring dreams until one night when he had a particularly violent dream of Tai holding a cigarette lighter. He had approached Shun slowly from behind before throwing the lit lighter at his son.

Lin had screamed a warning to Shun so loudly in both his dream and reality that his throat had been raw. Even though he had yelled so loudly, Shun hadn't been able to hear him. The lighter hit him in the back, igniting his clothes and hair. The once pure white locks were burned to an irreconcilable black.

Lin had woke up screaming. Both Draidyan and Lukida had rushed to his aid. One look at his expression had told them everything that they needed to know.

After that night, Lin slowly began pushing Shun from his mind. He still reflected on his loss almost daily though refused to let his mind linger. Eventually, his nightmares became less and less frequent, until they ceased altogether. His headaches hadn't disappeared, however. He had originally attributed them to stress, but he now wondered whether or not that was the truth.

"Lin, are you still there?" Madoka's voice asked, this time sounding concerned. Lin realized that several minutes of him being completely lost in his thoughts had passed. How many times had Madoka called his name...? "Lin, answer me of you're still there!" She was insistent now. Lin coughed to clear his throat and signify that he was still on the phone before answering her.

"I'm here. Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts." He muttered apologetically.

Madoka sighed sadly in response. "Do you know where to go to find us?"

Lin chuckled without humor. "I do indeed. I went there many times during my childhood. The place holds many, many fond memories as well as dark memories that still haunt me." He shook his head to clear his mind from the onslaught of memories. "I'll be there soon."

Lin grabbed his jacket from where it was hanging on the wall before opening the front door. He was just about to step out when a thought hit him. He was completely alone. If everything went to hell, no one would know where to find them.

He couldn't bring himself to wait for Naru. There was no telling how long that it would take him to prepare for an investigation on such short notice.

He had to go now.