Well, only another week and a half until my semester is over! Yay! On that note, this is my last finished chapter (Almost made it out of school!), and I highly doubt that I'll have another one ready by next Wednesday. My classes are all done on the 17th, and we'll see if I can find writing time this weekend. I have quite a bit of homework to finish up for my online classes, plus my clinicals are still wrapping up, so… This next week or so will probably be pretty busy. I'm sorry, but I'll do my best to get another chapter out soon!

Reviewers this past week include Q-A the Authoress, Rapis-Razuri, AnimeKiwi369, Shinn Tsukishiro, Seeker Heart, FiringShootingStar, theforgottenpeople96, RunoandAkizafan, and RobotFish!

Two anons this week! The ever-faithful LDC and ChibiX! LDC: Well, we'll see on the wedding. To have one of those usually requires Yusei, you know, proposing first. ChibiX: Well, bonds were the basis of 5D's, weren't they? I think it's important to express the friendships everyone has and the connections that ring them together :) As for the other Earthbounds, it just leaves Roman and Devack, so we'll see about them.

This chapter is kinda named after an album of one of my favorite singers. Bonus points if you can guess who it is. Not that the points are worth anything. Just sayin' :P

And onto the new chapter! I think you guys will like this one :D

Sunset Horizon
Chapter 34 – Bittersweet Symphony

Misty sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her fingers along his chin. A sad frown crossed her face as he started to wake, causing her to look away and mumble, "I'm sorry, Kalin. I'm sorry this had to happen to you."

The white haired man laid in the bed, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he asked, "M-Misty? Why… Why are you in my room?"

"I'm not," she cooed, shifting her hand to run through his hair. "This is a makeshift taming room for you."

He slowly shifted to sit up, pressing his hand to his opposite arm, staring at the faint red line of a healed gunshot wound. Tracing his finger over the mark, he quietly asked, "How long have I been out?"

Pulling her hand back, she murmured, "Just about a day."

"But… This bullet wound… How is it healed so quickly already?"

She managed a weak smile, saying, "You owe your thanks to Akiza. She's managed to extend her psychic healing ability to aid others, too."

Nodding slowly, he stared at the faint line before saying, "I'll thank her, then." After a brief moment of silence, he continued by asking, "Misty? You said this is a taming room? What… What's going on?"

The reality of his situation hit her once more as she turned away, her eyes filling with tears as she looked away, murmuring, "I'm so sorry, Kalin!"

His hand moved to set on her arm, gently offering a mild form of comfort. "Misty… Please, tell me. What's going on?"

"Of course you don't remember." She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze, bluntly saying, "Kalin, you're like me now. You've been possessed."

His eyes widened. "You mean…?"

"Yes. You're an Earthbound. I'm sorry I couldn't warn you. I… I didn't know. Please, forgive me, Kalin!" she sobbed, leaning closer and burying her face in his chest. She tried not to get emotional. She tried to keep everything bottled inside. But when someone she cared about was hurt and she wasn't able to help them, she felt a pain like no other.

Someone… she cared about?

She hadn't felt that level of human connection since Z-one, and Toby before him. Both were virtually lost to her now, but… she had Kalin now. She had literally loved him before she met him. When she had first gone to the Dragon's Claw that evening almost a year ago, she had been nervous of finally meeting him face-to-face. She had only been passing through this town on her way to fulfill another vision, but she had stopped in the hopes that she could meet him.

And she had. The moment she met him, she had been even more infatuated than she was before. Seeing him in person and not in a vision was an experience she couldn't forsake. She wouldn't have traded it for anything.

She needed him in her life and she was terrified of losing him. Her visions didn't usually involve her personally, and she had very few left to fulfill that involved her and Kalin. Rather, the only ones left were when they were in a group with their other friends in New Domino. She was afraid that he would be angry with her for not telling him what was going to happen.

But how could she tell him what she didn't know?

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him and drawing her head to settle on his shoulder. She placed her hand on his back to settle against him, still crying into his shirt. "I'm so…"

"Shh…" he murmured. "Whatever's happening, it's not your fault."

A throat cleared in the doorway and she felt Kalin look up next to her as she slowly pulled back, wiping her eyes without looking at their guest. Crow's voice sounded behind her as he said, "Sorry to break up this touching moment, but I wanted to see how you were holding up. You okay, Kalin?"

He nodded. "I… suppose I'm an Earthbound now?"

"Yeah." He pushed himself off the door where he was leaning and walked inside a little bit. "Yusei found you. Gunned you down to keep you from running."

He averted his gaze, looking down at his lap as his friend continued, "He's still beating himself up for having to hurt you."

Misty turned sharply at that, unable to hold back as she shouted, "Don't say things like that! This isn't his fault! You can't make accusations unless you experience this for yourself!" Turning away again, she mumbled, "Being possessed by an Earthbound… it's something you could never understand."

He flinched and turned away, muttering, "Sorry. I know you got a lot going on."

Kalin hummed a sound of agreement and replied, "It's all right. I'd be the same if I were you."

Nodding once, he turned to leave and said, "Luna's getting ready to do the ritual tonight. We got this room set up for it."

Misty bit her lip and set her hand on Kalin's shoulder, saying, "I'll be here for you. I'll stay by your side during it."

He reached up, setting his hand on top of hers. "Thank you, Misty. That means more than you'll ever know."

She gave him a light smile. "No, Kalin. I know exactly how much it means."

…

Misty knelt down, pulling the chains under the bed to bind Kalin's other wrist. He laid back on the mattress, waiting for night to fall so the ritual could begin. She hadn't actually seen a ritual take place, but she had a general idea. It was a terrifying experience that required letting the Earthbound come out at night, then cursing it to dissipate into nothingness.

It was not pleasant, and she knew it would be difficult to watch Kalin go through it. She had wished that no one would ever have to endure that curse again. But now Kalin, the man she'd come to love, was trapped into the same fate as she.

As she stood up, she gently reached out and brushed her fingers through his hair, smiling reassuringly. He managed a weak smile back as she said, "Don't worry, Kalin. When you wake up, it won't seem like as much of a nightmare."

He nodded around the brace circling his neck, saying, "Thank you for being here."

She nodded. "Of course. Luna asked that the other Enforcers be kept away. Akiza is keeping Yusei busy, Carly's with Jack, and Martha and the children are keeping track of Crow."

"But what about you? I assume this would be difficult to watch if she wants to keep my brothers away. Will you be all right?"

She shifted to seat herself on the edge of the bed, unable to bring herself to care if she was being too forward, and leaned closer to kiss him on the lips. Pulling back slightly, she stayed close as she murmured, "I've been through this. I can understand much more easily than anyone else, save Carly."

He sat with wide eyes as she drew back, unable to believe what had just happened. "M…Misty… I…"

She sat still, just watching him for a long moment, until he finally spoke again. "Thank you."

She moved back to sit up straight and smiled softly, setting her hand on his. "It'll be okay, Kalin."

A knock sounded on the doorway, causing the two of them to look in that direction. Luna stood there with a tray of candles and books, Leo behind her with another tray of items. The time was coming. Misty moved to stand and walked over to help lighten the priestess's load by taking some of the books from the stack and carrying them over to the table placed at the end of the bed for the ritual.

Luna walked over and shifted to sit next to Kalin, saying, "Hey, Kalin. It's been awhile since we've really talked. Do you remember me?"

He nodded slowly. "You're Crow's friend, aren't you? I know we didn't talk much, but I do remember you."

She smiled softly and nodded. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you, but you'll be free by morning."

"But I'll still have the powers, right? Like Misty and Carly do?"

"Mm. I'm afraid so."

He thought through her words carefully, then cracked a smile and said, "Then I guess it's a good thing I'll have Misty to show me how to control myself."

Her eyebrow rose, mildly wondering if there was a slight amount of innuendo to his words, but then decided Kalin was too sweet for that kind of talk – at least, for only one kiss into their relationship. Even so, she decided to respond with an equally as double-ended retort by saying, "I'll be happy to teach you everything I know."

Leo glanced at his sister with a frown. "Why do I feel like I'm listening to Akiza and Yusei talk?"

Luna just ran her hand through her brother's hair teasingly and brushed off his comment. "Never mind that. Let's get set up, okay?"

He nodded and carried his tray full of metal relics over to the table and set it down. Picking two up, he carried the medallions in the shape of the Crimson Dragon's insignia over to Kalin and started to hook them onto the chains holding his arms and legs. Luna walked over to the table and lifted some of the books, pulling them open to marked pages while humming something that sounded hymn-worthy.

Misty watched for a moment, then asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Luna looked up from her books and replied, "Leo knows how to set up, so if he needs help…" She trailed off, glancing at Leo for a signal. When he shook his head, she continued, "Then the best thing you can do would be to keep Kalin calm. This has to be pretty terrifying for you."

He nodded slowly. "It is, but I know we have to do this."

Misty walked over and took his hand as Leo moved to hang the tokens on his other side. "I promise you, Kalin. This will be other before you know it. You'll just feel as if you've gone to sleep. When you wake up, the Earthbound will be gone."

He nodded again. "Speaking of, I am feeling a little sleepy."

Luna glanced at the small clock on her table. "It is getting late, probably close to sundown. You should be feeling sleepy. I don't know if you remember with Carly's case, but she was completely incapacitated when the sun set and the Earthbound would take over. That's probably what's happening and why you feel so tired so early."

He gave a yawn and leaned back into the pillows. "I understand. Don't mind if I fade out on you."

"Actually, that's all we're waiting on." Offering one more reassuring smile, she added, "Don't worry, Kalin. When morning comes, you'll be good as new."

Misty reached out to touch his shoulder, watching as he yawned once more and settled down into the pillow. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, black as night as he looked around frantically, fighting with his chains as he shouted, "What have you done to me?"

Luna looked down at her books and said, "Begone, spirit! You died many years ago and it's time you finally depart this world."

He clenched his hand, causing the fire to ignite around his fist as he snarled. Misty bit on the inside of her cheek and glared pointedly towards him, making the fire dissipate in a small hiss as he started gasping for breath. As quickly as his breath left him, he suddenly sucked in a sharp inhale and looked at her in surprise, managing to form enough words to say, "Y-you… How did you…?"

She leaned closer, murmuring, "Suffice to say you and I are more alike than you think."

His dark eyes stayed wide as he murmured, "I knew you were an Earthbound… I have Kalin's memories, but what was-?"

She leaned one hand on the bed as she leaned even closer, saying, "Foresight isn't the only ability I gained. I suggest you cooperate." Turning to glance at Luna, she said, "Please, begin."

The Earthbound stayed silent as Luna lifted yet another metal icon of the Crimson Dragon's symbol and hung the attached chain around her neck. Placing her hands to touch either wing, she started to read from one of the books in front of her, "O Exalted Dragon, hear this plea of your devoted child and grant a blessing to one in need…"

Misty tuned her out, turning to watch as Leo started to light the candles placed through the room. This would be a long night. Kalin started to shudder, his body being affected by the chants Luna spoke. She had never been religious and if, seven years ago, someone had told her that mumbling a few words could dispel a demon, she would have laughed. Now, she believed exactly what she saw. After harboring one such being in her body and watching as it ripped her life apart, she knew it wasn't just folklore.

Suddenly, all of the candles burst into vibrant blue flames, burning intensely in the small room. Leo looked to his sister and called out, "Luna!"

She nodded, shifting to pull a book out of the stack and flipped it to a marker, and started to chant the words written there. The Earthbound started to vocally cry out, being forced through excruciating pain while it tried to cling to the fibers of Kalin's life. Misty did her best to stand back and watch, knowing she had been put through something like that only five years ago.

She couldn't help but shudder as she watched him writhe in agony, screaming out the whole time. As quickly as it had started, the entire thing was other and he slumped down into the mattress. Luna nodded, confirming that was normal, as the raven-haired woman frowned. She reached out and used her finger to wipe away the trickle of blood dripping from his nose, silently wishing that he never had to go through that.

Leo walked over and started to pull the emblems from the chains and place them back on the tray, then unlocked the chains holding him down. Silently, the brother and sister placed the things used back onto their trays and put it neatly in order. Luna walked over to Misty and said, "That was normal. He should be fine in the morning. He just needs rest. Will you stay with him?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you," the priestess murmured. "We'll be going, then."

She watched them go, then silently shifted to climb onto the bed next to Kalin and settled into the pillow next to him. She felt she needed his comfort, too. Staring at his face, she watched his peaceful expression as he shifted slightly with each breath. Sighing slightly, she moved a little bit closer and settled her head on his shoulder and tried to make herself go to sleep.

He would be fine. He had to be.

…

Yusei sat on the ground, leaning against the wall and forcing himself to stay put. Just around the corner, his best friend from childhood was having some kind of undead soul ripped from his mind. He kept his back to the wall and his head on his knees, fighting the urge to run in and help in any way he could. Luna had advised that the other Enforcers stay away during the process, but, even though Carly's screams from her taming still pierced his mind, he couldn't stay away. Once Akiza had fallen asleep, he slipped out of their bed and made his way to his current place.

"You're getting better at slipping out without waking me."

He looked up with a start to find Akiza standing there, a robe wrapped over her nightgown and a forced smile on her lips. He couldn't bring himself to smile back as he turned back to face the wall, swallowing down his inner feelings. He knew she wouldn't read his emotions, but, at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to talk about them, either.

She shifted to sit down next to him, then set her hand on his and squeezed comfortingly. "Yusei…"

He shook his head once, biting back the urge to scream. "A-Akiza… I…"

She moved to take his hand in both of hers. "Yusei, everything will be fine. You saw what happened with Carly. She's fine as can be."

Sighing deeply, he leaned back to stare at the ceiling and muttered, "But Kalin's my best friend. We met when we were six." Pulling his hand free from hers, he raised them in front of him to stare at them. "I… shot him. Four times. How could I ask for his forgiveness?"

She shifted to sit on her knees in front of him, wrapping her hands around his again as she said, "Yusei, you know as well as I do that if the roles had been reversed and you had been the one to be caught like that, you would never blame any of your brothers if they did what they had to in order to get you help."

He chose not to reply, knowing she was right. Sighing, he dropped his head to his hands and knew he would have to tell her about his glowing marker soon. What did it mean? Was that action against Kalin going to take away from his life? It hadn't even been his choice. His arm moved without his consent.

Akiza shifted to stand and reached out for his hand, saying, "Yusei, you know I'm right, so can we just go back to bed? You'll see for yourself that Kalin will be back to normal then."

He shifted to his feet and took her hand, walking with her back towards their room. With one last glance over his shoulder towards the room where Kalin slept, he prayed she was right.

…

Kalin bit down on his lip, his mind whirling from the new memories he held of his Earthbound side to the raven-haired woman curled by his side. His fingers slipped through her silken hair, his thoughts unable to stray from the kiss she had given him the previous night. He'd had a feeling that she was attracted to him in the same way he was to her, but she was always so distant and kept everyone at an arm's length. He never felt right in telling her how he felt.

Now, things were different.

He sorted through the new memories unlocked by Luna's ritual, silently thankful that all he had done as an Earthbound was roam the caves in search of an exit. The spirit had never found its way outside and hadn't hurt anyone, unless his encounter with Yusei meant anything. He had only thrown a single fireball at him, and it hadn't even hit.

However, one thing that still struck him as odd was the way Yusei reacted when they were fighting. He had seemed to freeze up at one point, his free hand moving to grip the one with Stardust. His tattoo had started to glow and he moved as if he wasn't controlling himself.

Not to mention, the bullet had connected much more quickly than physically possible. What was going on with his friend?

A soft moan came from the woman by his side as she started to wake. She slowly moved to a sitting position, eyes widening as she realized where she was and jumped off the bed, turning away from him while running her hands through her hair.

He watched her for a moment, curiously wondering why she seemed so frantic. As her hands brushed over her face, the realization clicked that she was, in fact, primping. A light chuckle fell from his lips as he shifted to sit up slightly, rearranging himself against the pillows before murmuring, "Misty? Are… Are you all right?"

Slowly, she turned to face him and gracefully tucked her hair behind her ear. "I… Um, yes. I'm fine. How are you, Kalin?"

Offering a small, quick smile, he replied, "I'm as well as can be expected. The ritual worked, if that's what you're asking." Raising his hand, he let the heat seep through his arm, building up into his fingertips before it exploded into a fire surrounding his hand.

Misty walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, gently reaching her hand closer, just enough to feel the heat of the fire on her skin. "So warm…" she murmured, her eyes trained on the oddity.

He was marveled by the sight, too, but there was something else that weighed more heavily on his mind. "Um…" he started, flicking his wrist to extinguish the fire. The motions were so natural, it seemed odd in his mind that he had only gained the power that morning. "Misty, I wanted to ask…"

She had a look in her eyes as if she already knew what he was going to ask—knowing her, she very well could have known—and hummed, "Yes?"

"A-about… that… that kiss…" He licked his lips, eyes widening in surprise when he saw shock cross her features. Was she not expecting him to mention that? She was a mysterious woman who thought in strange ways, but surely she still knew what a kiss meant, right? Swallowing down his fear, he managed, "It's not… I mean…"

He froze, the words getting caught in his throat as she slowly met his gaze. All coherent thought flew from his mind as he moved closer, lightly touching his lips to hers. After all, Yusei had Akiza, Crow had Luna, and Jack had Carly. Why should he be the only one left unrequited? He wasn't sure if it was a part of his new life as an Earthbound or not, but he decided he was ready for her to know how he felt. He was getting tired of her looking at him like a distant stranger.

He wanted her to see him the way he saw her.

Reaching out, he set his hand on her cheek and tugged her closer to fit her lips against his more comfortably. He couldn't deny the wave of relief that washed over him when she pulled closer and kissed him back.

They broke apart suddenly at the sound of a whistle in the doorway, looking up to see Crow standing there, clapping. He grinned and leaned against the doorway, muttering, "It's about damn time, you two."

He looked away, feeling his face flush in embarrassment. He met Misty's gaze, feeling slightly relieved when he saw her face similarly red. He had faith this would work out. After the events of last night, he had a whole different kind of respect for her and he wanted to do everything he could to see her happy. It was the least she deserved after all the trials she'd suffered alone.

…

Yusei took a deep breath as he walked through the passages in the tunnels. He ran his hand through his hair nervously for the umpteenth time, wondering if what he was about to do was stupid or not. On one hand, it was the right thing to do. On the other, it was well beyond his current reach.

Sighing one more time, he inhaled deeply and straightened himself out as best he could. Reaching out, he knocked on the wooden doorframe and slowly leaned inside, looking to see if the two occupants were present.

Setsuko looked up and smiled at the sight of him, saying, "Oh, Yusei. Akiza's not here at the moment."

He gave a slight bow and bit his lip for a moment before saying, "I know. She's up in Claw right now. I… came to talk to you."

Hideo's lips stayed in a thin line as his wife stood and waved the younger man inside. "Please, come in, Yusei." She watched as he walked inside and continued, "What brings you here?"

He waited until she sat down on a trunk in the room and until Hideo stood beside his wife before slowly sitting opposite the woman. "I…" Shaking his head, he built up his nerves and started again, saying, "I love Akiza. I love her so much that it hurts sometimes. I know the way it's usually done is meeting, falling in love, getting married, and then having children. I messed that up the moment I laid eyes on her. I fell in love with her before I met her and now I've screwed it up again."

Akiza's parents watched him curiously, wondering where he was going with this. After a moment of silence, Hideo prompted, "And?"

He inhaled deeply and said, "I came here to try to make it right. It's too late to do everything perfectly, but I want to at least get back on track." Bowing his head respectfully, he let the words tumble from his lips as he continued, "I came here today to ask you for your permission to marry your daughter."

Hideo and Setsuko exchanged a quick glance, then looked back at the boy in front of them. His eyes stayed on his knees as he kept his head bowed. Suddenly, a light laugh bubbled from Setsuko's throat and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Still laughing slightly, she murmured, "Yusei… We already gave you our blessing."

Hideo nodded once. "Take care of our daughter, Yusei."

Slowly, he lifted his head and met their gazes with a slight amount of shock on his features. "You… You mean it?"

They nodded in unison before her mother said, "If I can be honest, I never liked Divine. I was rooting for you the whole time."

He sighed in relief and bowed again quickly, saying, "Thank you. I know I said it before, but I want to do everything I can to help Akiza now and for the rest of our lives. I… I want to marry her," he murmured, eyes widening as the realization hit him. He really did want to marry her. Suddenly, as if a bucket of ice water splashed over his head, he knew he was ready. He wasn't sure what was different, but he was ready now.

He wasn't sure how he would handle fatherhood, but he was confident he was ready for marriage. He could handle it.

…

Luna walked through the tunnels, humming lightly to herself as she moved along. She had just finished helping the children settle in for their naptime and was now headed in the direction of Crow's room to see what he was doing. Maybe he'd be up to spending some time together.

She heard voices up ahead and paused, unable to completely shed herself of her old habit of snooping. Creeping closer, she leaned back against the wall and frowned when she registered the sounds of Aunt Setsuko and Uncle Hideo speaking. Uncle Hideo sounded stern, while Aunt Setsuko seemed to be in a serious but good mood.

Leaning closer, she heard a third voice and froze when she realized it was Yusei's. What was going on? Was this something to do with Akiza's pregnancy? The atmosphere was far too serious to be a simple meeting. She tried to make out what they were saying, then finally caught Yusei's voice saying, "I came here today to ask you for your permission to marry your daughter."

The gravity of the words hit her and she froze, fighting to keep down a squeal of delight. Yusei just asked Akiza's parents for her hand! A bright grin crossed her features as she dashed back the way she came, deciding to take the long way around so they wouldn't see her there. Good things were happening, that was for sure.

While you may be without a new chapter for a week, the good news is that at least I left you guys on a happy chapter, right? I mean, if I had to break for a bit after last chapter, that would've been a lot worse, right? So, yeah. Enjoy the happy. It may or may not be lasting for a while ;) See you guys in (most likely) two weeks! For those of you not getting updates, I should (hopefully) have a new chapter up on the 19th. I hope.

Please review!

-Valk