"You have to let at least one of us come. You've lost your damned mind if you think that there's any way in hell we'd let you go alone." Draidyan Lin was absolutely furious. He couldn't believe that his younger brother had the nerve to ask him not to come with him to fight Kanon. As if he could handle everything on his own.
Lin glared at Draidyan in anger. "Why do you need to come? I assure you that I'm capable of handling this on my own. There isn't a reason for either of you to put yourselves at risk." He indicated both of his older brothers with his hand. Lukida raised an eyebrow at Lin's logic.
"You seem to forget that both of us are just as skilled as you. Why would you take extra care to ensure that we remain safely behind the sidelines if you truly feel that this task will be an easy one? Normally you'd welcome our backup. It seems to me that you want to keep us out of harms way even if it puts you further in its path. That's not the attitude of someone on a simple mission." Lukida's voice was stern, but still gentle. Lin knew what he was doing. He was to a lesser extent playing good cop to Draidyan's bad cop. He was using logic and irrefutable facts to apply to Lin's sense of reason.
The approach worked, as Lukida no doubt had intended. Lin sighed and shook his head. "You're right. I have no idea what will happen when I meet Kanon. He could very well mean to kill me. Madoka is already in danger - I don't want to expose anyone else to possible harm."
Draidyan stared at him in confusion. "Your entire team is planning to come with you to help resolve the issue - you'd allow them to come with you but not us?"
Lin smiled slyly in response. "You truly thought that I was going to let them come with me? I always intended to go on my own. I was going to suggest that the team remain here to provide support should the need arise. "
"That's ridiculous. They've dealt with dangerous cases before, haven't they?" Lukida asked as he met Draidyan's wary gaze.
"Yes, they have. But they've never dealt with someone like Kanon." Lin reasoned calmly. He didn't yet realize that he'd just worked himself into a hole that he wouldn't be able to crawl out of.
Draidyan stepped towards Lin slowly before putting his hands on the onmyoujis shoulders. "You say that they've never dealt with someone like Kanon. They meaning that you're excluding yourself from the group." He paused and raised a questioning eyebrow for effect. "Does that mean that you have dealt with someone like Kanon before? Do you have some experience that I'm not aware of?"
Lin's eyes narrowed. He'd been caught - beaten at a game of logic he hadn't even realized he was playing. "No. I've never fought a spirit that even resembled Kanon." He answered honestly regardless of his desire to lie.
Draidyan grinned and stepped back. "I didn't believe that you had. You basically just confessed to me that you're just as inexperienced with cases like this as the rest of us are. You just rendered your entire argument invalid. Therefore, any points you made are now moot. Lukida and I are coming."
Lukida chuckled at Lin's expression. "Don't worry too much, Koujo. If it makes you feel better we'll wait a little ways away on standby until we think you might need help."
Lin sighed and shook his head in submission. "Fine. Do as you please, though do take care not to die. I don't wish to attend the funeral of anyone else in my family."
...
Twenty minutes later, Lin stood on a worn pathway that was still as familiar to him as the back of his hand. It was the road that led down to where Shun had lived.
Lin remained still on the familiar path, staring at the house off in the distance. It hadn't changed at all from the last time he had set foot there - the night of Shun's murder.
Draidyan and Lukida stood behind Lin restlessly, waiting for him to gather his bearings. Lin glanced back at them and noticed their impatience. He sighed deeply and turned back towards the house. He had taken enough time to prepare. Now it was time to move.
It took very little time to walk down the path. Before long, Lin was standing in front of the worn wooden porch, the exact spot where Tai Song had stood when before shot his son. Realizing that the final moment had arrived, Lukida and Draidyan made a decision. They couldn't allow their baby brother to handle this huge burden without their support.
Lukida took a step forward and placed a hand on his brothers shoulder. "We're coming with you. I know what I said, but please understand that when Nazuke got hurt, there was nothing that either of us could do to stop Kanon. It would never sit right with me if we let you go in there alone and you got hurt. If we're in there with you, we can at least say that we tried to help."
Draidyan offered a sly grin. "It's easier to just accept that we're coming in with you rather than asking us not to - you should know that we'd just walk in after you regardless of what you say."
Lin rolled his eyes. "I should have known better than to believe that I truly had your full cooperation."
The insult didn't affect either brother's desire to come inside with Lin. The onmyouji hadn't really thought that it would. He shook his head and bounded up the porh, pausing a moment before pushing the door open.
...
As soon as the door opened, Lin was met with the familiar living room of the Song household. Everything was the same as it had been last time he had seen it - after Shun's death, his mother had moved from the house in a rush, leaving everything but the bare necessities behind.
It gave everything an eery feeling, as though the house had been abandoned without warning. In truth it had, though for good reason.
"Koujo, its nice to see that you arrived here in a timely matter." Lin heard the dreadingly easy to recognize voice that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he slowly raised his gaze upwards. His stare was met with cold blue eyes directly in front of him. Kanon smiled slightly. Lin didn't respond at all, he simply began rubbing his head carefully where the now all too familiar migraine was beginning to pulsate. Kanon's spirit wasnt dampened by his old friends lack of response. He simply offered inquisitive smiles in the directions of Lukida and Draidyan who stood on both sides of Lin. "You brought company. It's intriguing to see that both of them are still alive. It seems as though humans are less fragile than I originally believed." Both men stiffened in anticipation for what Lin's response would be.
Lin ignored Kanon's comment, instead opting to change the subject. "Where's Madoka?"
Kanon looked genuinely surprised for a moment. "Madoka? Who in the world would that be?"
Lin glared at him in absolute rage. He took a step towards the shiki. Kanon smirked - he was far from afraid of his adversary. "Don't play games with me. . Madoka?" Lin asked again, enunciating each word slowly.
Kanon grinned. "She's fine. You worry far too much about her - she's a strong woman."
Lin wasn't convinced. "Believe me, I realize her strength, however I also acknowledge your power. You could have done countless things to her before I arrived."
"I could have. But would I is the question that you should be asking yourself." Kanon replied simply.
Lin let out a harsh laugh. "Honestly? I don't know what you would or would not do anymore. You could stoop down to any number of levels that the Shun I knew would never have dreamed of going to. I've lost all perception of who you once were."
Kanon flicnched. He couldn't stop the reaction. He knew that Lin saw it, but he refused to address it. Instead be turned his back to Lin. "She's over there, sleeping." He pointed towards the couch that was obscured from Lin's view.
Lin stepped past him so that he could see the furniture. Madoka laid on the couch, seemingly asleep. The onmyouji grabbed Kanon's shoulder, forcing the shiki to look at him. The expression on Lin's face was murderous. "What the hell did you do to her? Why is she unconscious?"
"She's not." Kanon said slowly. "I've already told you that she's simply sleeping. I've done nothing to her."
Lin sent a telepathic link to his five shiki. The bound creatures descended from above him in the form of thin whips. Kanon stared at the spirits for a moment before glancing back to Lin. "What do you intend to do?"
Lin's eyes were as cold as frozen coal. "I intend to end this game, as I should have done when you broke away from my control."
_
Draidyan and Lukida took that as their cue to back up. They walked to the porch so that they were out of the way. Lin barely noticed that they'd moved. His gaze was focused on the man in front of him. Kanon raised an expectant eyebrow as Lin stood still, not making a move to attack him. "What is it that you're waiting for?" He asked Lin calmly.
Lin didn't answer in the form of words. Instead he grabbed Kanon by the collar of his jacket. The onmyouji hauled the shocked shiki out of the house and onto the front porch.
Kanon said nothing as Lin whistled for his shiki. The five whips who had been floating inside the house flocked outside and began rotating above their master's head. Lin sent a telepathic command to the spirits. 'Kuài. Wéiràozhe tā de shēntǐ jiéhé bìng tuōlèile tā de ménláng.'
The bound creatures did as they were bidden. They quickly descended from the air and wrapped tightly around Kanon's body. The rogue shiki stiffened as he realized that he couldn't move. He also realized that he should have expected this method of attack from Lin. "Ah, I see. You believe that by restricting my movements you can defeat me?"
Lin stared at him blankly. "Not necessarily. You have many mental abilities that don't require the use of your body - restricting your movements does not render you completely defenseless."
"You want me to attack you mentally?" Kanon asked in surprise.
Lin cringed as memories of the sensory changes that Kanon had caused with the water at the hotel, as well as the haunting nightmares and his evil doppleganger ran through his mind. "No. That isn't what I meant. What I was trying to say is that although my shiki prohibit you from physically attacking me, you could still harm me with your mind manipulation. I intend to kill you - make no mistake of that, however I'm no fool. Even without physical means of attacking me, you could still very well decimate me before I'm able to counterattack."
Kanon grinned sadistically. "Oh, you're right. I could very well end your life just by using my mind. Or at the very least, I can make you wish that someone else would do you the courtesy of ending your suffering." As soon as the shiki said that, he fixated his ice blue eyes on Lin's ash gray ones.
Lin began screaming. Draidyan and Lukida both paled at the bloodcurdling noise that their brother was making. They were unable to see what was being done to him, although it obvoius that something was incredibly wrong. While they fought to figure out what was going on, Lin waged a mental war with himself.
He saw himself standing on the front porch were Tai had always stood in his nighmares. He was holding the loaded pistol that had been used to kill Shun. He slowly raised the weapon and aimed it at the frightened boy in front of him. He was so certain that it was unloaded. He pressed the trigger, and heard the gut wrenching noise of a bullet leaving the chamber. Shun gasped and stared at him with accusatory blue eyes, before collapsing into the white snow that was slowly being turned a viscious red. The waking nightmare began anew endlessly, repeatedly forcing Lin to kill his best friend...
"Lin!" The voice was warm, like a blanket that wrapped around Lin's senses, comforting him and bringing him minor relief from his personal hell. Even if it brought him comfort, it wasn't enough to break the illusion. Lin knelt down on the porch as he once again shot Shun in his mind. Kanon stared at the young woman in wonder - she had broken the sleeping spell he'd placed on her.
Madoka Mori ran onto the porch as fast as she possibly could have. As soon as she saw Lin land on his knees on the porch, she knew that she knew that she had to help him. If her words weren't enough, she hoped that her touching him would save him from from whatever demons he was facing.
The petite woman shot towards Lin seemingly as fast as a bolt of lightening. She hit his shoulder, causing him to lose his balance and topple backwards with her on top of him. Madoka gasped as they landed on the porch. At first, Lin didn't react. He was still caught up in Kanon's illusion. Madoka felt tears streaming down her face. She had thought that she could help him but...
"Madoka?" Lin's voice was low. At first Madoka was sure if she'd really heard him. She looked up to his face and saw familar gray eyes that were narrowed in confusion. The pink haired woman laid her head on Lin's chest and cried. She'd gotten through to him.
Kanon watched the spectacle for a moment before looking away. He felt dead - not physically, but emoionally, as if Lin's emotional torment was feeding into him. He hadn't thought this through - he'd come to realize that somehow, even though he was no longer under his "master's" control, he still had a mental link with him. Any strong emotions that Lin felt seemed to be passed onto Kanon.
It was part of the reason why Kanon felt so out of control. He wasn't only dealing with his own emotions, but the emotions of someone else. Any torture he inflicted on Lin was a double edged sword. But so far, it'd been worth it. Causing Lin to feel like he had been the reason for Shun's death was of no exception.
Fighting past the emotionally dead feeling, Kanon coughed loudly to earn Madoka and Lin's attention. The couple stared at him with completely different expressions on their faces. Lin's was stoic - any emotions that he might have been feeling were perfectly veiled. Madoka however wore a mask of absolute rage.
"What were you doing to him?" Madoka asked as she rolled off of Lin and helped him to his feet.
"I caused him to see an illusion. One that evidently, troubled him greatly. I wonder if its because he feels a passive sense of guilt for my murder?" Kanon shifted uncomfortably against the whip like shiki that still held him and forced him to remain still.
Lin flinched. Kanon had hit a nerve - he had always felt like he had played a major role in the death of Shun. If only he'd allowed Shun to go home on time, Tai may have never gotten angry and pulled out the gun... No. Lin shook his head slowly. It wasn't his fault - it couldn't have been. He hadn't known what the risks of not letting Shun go home when he needed to would be. If he had known he would have let him go home. "You're not wrong. I've always wondered if your death should have been pinned on me rather than your father. I was the one who asked you to stay late. I should have respected your desire to go home on time, but I didn't. You ended up dead by Tai's hand, but sometimes, it feels as though I was the one who pulled the trigger. I've wondered countless times whether or not you blamed me for your death. Though its obvoius that you have some grudge towards me, it is not becuase you blame me for your death. If that were the case, you would have murdered me as soon as you broke away from my control rather than torturing me and extending my life. You killed Tai as soon as you were ready - without stalling or torturing him anymore than his death entailed. In my opinion, that signifies that you wanted me to live longer. You've cast your blame, therefore I can safely assume that I'm not at fault for your death."
Kanon was at a loss for words. He stared at Lin without speaking as the Onmyouji pushed Madoka behind him and slowly began approaching Kanon with a newfound intent in his eyes. Kanon didn't have to guess very much to tell that the intent was to kill him. Lin stood in front of him a moment later. He closed his eyes and sent another telepathic link to his shiki. 'Sān, nǐ bǎ tā shìfàngle - piàn chuānguò tā de shēntǐ, zhídào wǒ shuō tíngzhǐ.'
Following their master's command, three of the whip like creatures released Kanon. Before Kanon could attempt to free himself, the shiki began slicing through him rapidly. Kanon screamed in agony as the spirit weapons ripped through his form. He couldn't break away - he was stuck in place.
Lin took a deep breath before poising his fingers for the nine cut spell. He released his held breath as he spoke the words of the powerful incantation.
Rin. Power for him to be able to end Kanon's life.
Hyo. Energy for him not to falter in his task.
Toh. Harmony so that his shiki could work together to help him kill Kanon.
Sha. Healing for all of the pain that Shun's death and revival as a shiki had caused.
Kai. Intution, for the lack of intuition that he had possessed when Kanon had broken away from his control.
Jin. Awareness to compensate for how much he hadn't knowm about Kanon until it was in front of his eyes.
Retsu. Dimension for the hope that Kanon would move past this realm and into the next.
Zai. Creation for the hope that killing Kanon would create happier circumstances for the future.
Zen. Absolute for his desire to give Kanon the peace he so desparately wanted.
Lin moved his hand downward in a slicing motion as Kanon screamed in pain. The sound sent chills down Lin's back as he stared at his former shiki with bated breath. Kanon struggled against the shiki holding him as the other whips continued to slice through his skin. Lin watched them for a moment before sending a single command through their telapathic link. 'Tíngzhǐ. Zàizuò de gèwèi jiāng tā shìfàng.'
The three shiki who were cutting into Kanon ceased attacking him. The two who were left holding him released their hold on his body. Kanon collapsed forward, barely managing to stay upright as he fell to his knees. He stared up at Lin with a completely unguarded expression on his face. "Finish it Koujo. You're so close now." he muttered quietly.
Lin stepped towards him, fully prepared to oblige Kanon's wishes and end his life. However, as soon as he took a breath to speak the first words of the exorcism ritual he had decided to try, he stopped dead. Flashbacks of a white haired boy with a gigantic smile and icy blue eyes began popping into his head. He saw them as they wrestled on the ground of Shun's room, fighting over who would get the first turn of whatever game they'd been playing. He saw them as they laughed too hard about a dumb joke that he had made. He saw them as Shun stormed over to his house late at night, furious and upset over an arguement that he'd had with Tai that evening. Even with all of those things, what he saw most was his friend. No, Shun had been his brother in everything but blood. He knew that sentiment still rang true even after all of these years. He still loved the white haired boy who he had watched die when he was far too young.
Though he looked different and most certainly acted different, that didn't change the fact that Kanon was without a doubt Shun. Lin couldn't kill him - not after he'd already watched him die once in real life, and definitely not after he was forced to watch him kill Shun repeatedly. Lin felt to his knees beside the fallen shiki. Tears began streaming down his face as he stared at the dark haired man who had once had hair that was white as fresh snow. "I can't kill you. No matter what either of us say, you're Shun. I can't kill you again."
Kanon felt heat behind his eyes. 'Dammit'. He thought to himself in frustration. *if he keeps this up, I'll back out too. He has to kill me, if he doesn't, I'll be stuck in this cursed existence for eternity.' Shun reached forwards and grabbed Lin's shoulders, forcing his old friend to meet his gaze. "You have to kill me, Koujo. I'll never be able to be at peace if you don't. You don't understand. The only thing that I've ever wanted you to do was acknowledge that I am Shun. I wanted you to reconcile me with the boy that I was once was. Before I died, I asked you one damn thing. 'Don't forget me.' - its obvoius that you ignored my wish. After I came to you as a shiki, you bound me. I was not aware of my surroundings - I couldn't communicate to you what I needed you to do. I guess that before I died I'd hoped that you'd know what to do. But instead of purifying my spirit, you bound it and made me a slave. Worst of all, you were not strong enough to maintain so many shiki after you bound your sixth - I broke away and regained my awareness. I remembered that I used to be human, but am no longer. I was made aware again that my own father, if he even deserved that title, was the one who shot me at point blank. Those are things that no one wants to remember, but I was forced to because I couldn't move on. You never came looking for me - you still didnt' realize that I was the spirit of Shun, or you simply never cared. The thought that you didn't care and were perfectly alright with my death turned into a burning desire to make you see me as I once was. Though the circumstances of my death corrupted me - made my personality shift to one of darkness. This change fueled a desire to harm you rather than convince you." Kanon paused as he began crying. He didn't feel like fighting it anymore - he'd fought how he really felt for long enough. He was ready to be honest.
Lin didn't think. He just grabbed Kanon around the shoulders in a hug. Kanon stiffened in the embrace but quickly realized that it felt good. It was Lin's way of saying that he recognized him - that he knew that he was Shun. Kanon returned the hug awkwardly without meeting Lin's gaze.
The Onmyouji's grip on Kanon's shoulders tightened as a thought hit him. "What made you kill my father?" he asked weakly, unsure if he truly wanted to know the answer.
Kanon lowered his head. He remembered exactly why he had taken the life of Dajun Lin. "I killed him to make a point to you. I somewhat predicted that you would realize that I was Shun. I also think that I hoped that part of you would want to save me rather than kill me. That hope was foolish however - I'm already long dead, and there is no way to reverse that without necromancy, and you are no necromancer. I wouldn't want to live like that in the first place. I killed your father to prove to you that you can't truly save anyone. Not your father, and not me. It was a move that I should never have made against you, but it is also one that I can only apoligize for. If the past could be changed, I'd like to think that we'd been having an entirely different conversation over a bowl of sake."
Lin chuckled darkly. "I believe that we would. However I see your reasoning - flawed as it might be, I can see why you killed my father. "
Kanon felt tears of shame leaking from his eyes. "I'm not positive if I'm happy that you understand. I take no satisfaction in knowing that it took me such great lengths to convey my identity to you and that it took you so much pain to simply see who I am."
Lin made a choked noise deep in his throat as the wave of emotion that he felt began overpowering him. He tried to fight back the tears but failed miserably as he began sobbing. He couldn't remember crying so much since the funeral service for Shun. Kanon grabbed him and hugged him tightly. "Kill me, Koujo. Please, just end it. I don't want to hurt you anymore."
Lin was stiff as a log as he removed Kanon's arms from around him and stood up. He swayed slightly on his feet. Draidyan and Lukida who had been huddled in the corner of the porch for the entire ordeal took a slight step forward. Madoka held up a hand to stop them as she walked to Lin's side and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You can do it, Lin. You're strong enough - and you know that even though it'll hurt like hell, granting him the peace that he desires won't only give him peace, but it'll put your mind at rest as well. Do it for both of you." Madoka's voice was strong though her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She stepped away from her boyfriend to give him the space he would need to do whatever he chose to.
Lin spoke the words of a purification ritual that he picked up on rather than the exorcising ritual. He realized that despite everything that pointed otherwise, Kanon was not a malevolent spirit. An exorcism would cause him more pain than he deserved.
As he spoke the words, Kanon's form began glistening, as if he were a mirage in the desert. Lin watched his form flickering in and out of existence until Kanon became semi transparent. The rogue Shiki smiled at Lin with a wide grin as a feeling of warmth began encompassing him. His hair changed to a snowy white before his skin color began to become even more see through until he was barely visible. Just before he became completely transparent, he met Lin's gaze seriously before mouthing a single sentence. "I forgive you."
Then he was gone.
Lin shook on his feet as sobs began racking his body. Shun was gone, dead again, killed by his own hand. Why couldn't it have ended differently? Why wasn't there a way to save his friend? A gentle forced bounded into Lin's side. It was Madoka. She hugged Lin tightly as he cried. The words he had wished he had said before Shun was gone came to his mind and he spoke them in a rush. "I forgive you too, Shun. I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you sooner."
Draidyan and Lukida came up behind their the brother and wrapped their arms around him in an awkward sort of group hug. Tears glistened in their eyes but they refused to cry - they had to be his rock.
They stood like that as Lin cried hysterically until the sounds of other people could be heard. Kazuya Shibuya bounded up the porch towards the scene, though quickly saw Lin. He realized that he and the rest of the irregulars had arrived to late. Everything had been said and done.
Kanon was dead.
A/N So this is it - the final main chapter. The last chapter will be the epilogue, which will sum this entire rollar coaster of a fic up.
Chinese translation: (each Chinese sentence that Lin said is below in English - my Chinese came from Google translate and I apologize for anything the disgraceful translator did wrong as far as translating)
"Quick. Bind around his body and drag him off of the porch."
"Three of you release him - slice through his body repeatedly until I say to stop."
"Stop. All of you release him."