Two days later and Kaoru was standing in front of that damn mirror again, just looking, staring, breathing… He didn't know why, but he had to every time he went into that damn bathroom. He frowned at himself to accentuate his frustration.

He raised a slow hand and touched the cool glass, peering into his own amber eyes. Kaoru sighed. It was three days without ghosts, the most he'd had in a while. But Hikaru had been bugging him, telling him to say immediately when the pills wore off so that they could get started. Secretly, Kaoru didn't want to stop taking the medication. Ever. He just had this creeping feeling…

Kaoru pulled open the swinging doors of the medicine cabinet and found his medication. He stared, breathing slowly, at the label with his name. He wanted to… but he promised Hikaru.

"Kaoru."

He jumped, almost sending the bottle flying from his hand. Quickly, Kaoru replaced the bottle onto the shelf and turned. His father was standing there with almost a victorious grin on his face.

"Hey Dad," Kaoru said quietly.

"Thought you could get rid of me, could you?" he taunted still with that disturbing grin. He laughed but then faded away, disappearing from Kaoru's sight.

Kaoru turned back to the mirror and closed the cabinet, knowing it was already too late, and then proceeded to sit down onto the toilet. It was only a matter of time.

Just as he expected, a knock came at the bathroom door. Kaoru sighed and wrenched it open, revealing his brother. Hikaru smiled brightly. "Dad said you can see him now. Are you ready?"

Kaoru stood. "I still don't know exactly what we are doing…"

"It's simple," Hikaru said happily. "I just need to use my super powers and we just need a bit of your blood."

Remaining quiet, Kaoru thought it over. It still didn't sit right with him.

"Come on, before Mom gets home," Hikaru beckoned. And suddenly Kaoru found himself being led to Hikaru's room. Kaoru sat down on his brother's bed to watch him get ready.

First, Hikaru placed a metal bowl onto the floor of the room. Then, inside the bowl his brother placed a photograph of their father and a few things that looked like herbs. "Where did you get all that?" Kaoru asked, frowning.

"Shush," Hikaru hissed, rearranging it all. "Is this right Dad?"

Dad appeared beside Hikaru with a smile. "Perfect, son."

Hikaru was practically beaming with happiness. He turned to Kaoru and explained, "Dad told me how to do the main part of it. You just have to cut your hand just above this bowl when I cue you. I would do it myself, but Dad said that it couldn't be an anti-reaper's blood."

Kaoru nodded curtly. When had Hikaru and their Dad gotten so buddy, buddy?

But he had no time to think about that as Hikaru leaned forward and lit a match. Dad stepped forward and placed himself with one foot on either side of the bowl just as Hikaru dropped the flame into the herbs and the photograph.

There was no noise besides the crackling of the fire. Kaoru watched in awe as Hikaru flung his hands out in front of him and closed his eyes. There was no movement, no way of telling that it was even working, except the way Hikaru's eyes flew back and forth behind the closed lids. Kaoru waited.

Suddenly, after a moment, Hikaru's eyes snapped open and he was reaching for something on the left side of him. When he picked it up, the dancing light glinted off of it. It was a knife.

Hikaru held it out for Kaoru with patient eyes. Fear engulfed Kaoru as he looked at the knife. Everything was telling him to not even touch the blade but he looked past it to Hikaru, and he saw the undying faith on Hikaru's faith. He couldn't ruin that.

Kaoru reached for it and took it gently. The knife was a light weight in his hand but his body felt heavy, but he gulped and scooted closer to the warm flame.

He could do this, he told himself as he raised his bare left wrist above the bowl. He breathed slow and raised the knife, glittering in light. His hand shook as he brought it closer. But finally… he dipped the blade into his pale skin and cut the thinnest of lines across the veins, drawing a sharp, pained gasp from his lips.

The blood bubbled a dark crimson; the sight of the liquid sent his head spinning and he worried distantly of passing out. But he took the last step and tipped his arm, casting a drizzle of red down the curve of wrist to the bowl.

I dripped.

One.

Two.

Three.

The fire burst into a high flame, making Kaoru cry out as the heat hit him, and he pulled away in terror. Beside him, Hikaru did just the same, staring up into the fire in complete horror. Kaoru glanced back up. He couldn't see Dad anymore!

"What's happening?" Kaoru cried, dropping his bloody knife by the side of the bed. He scooted over to his brother, clutching his swelling wrist. "Did we do it right?"

Hikaru looked back with terrified eyes. "I did just as Dad told me!"

Suddenly the fire burst, sending a wave through the room like an impossible wind that sent Hikaru and Kaoru both backwards onto their backs. The breath was knocked out of Kaoru as stared up at the ceiling. Then the room went pitch black.

An intense built in Kaoru and he clenched his jaw shut to contain a scream. And suddenly felt like his body was filling up with liquid, like he was being crowded underneath his own skin. But just as quickly it was gone.

The overhead light switched on. "Kaoru are you alright?" Hikaru appeared in his vision.

Kaoru's body sat up upon its own accord. "Fine, Hikaru," his mouth said. "Do you think it worked?"

Hikaru looked around, searching the room with a worried expression. "I don't know." He got up from where he was kneeling and called out, "Dad!" No answer.

Kaoru's body stood. Kaoru began to freak. Why was his body moving for him? "I'm going to wash this off," he heard himself say as he gestured to his wounded wrist.

Hikaru nodded absently, still looking about the room.

His body took him right to the bathroom, to his mirror. Kaoru glanced into it. His hand reached out and pressed to the mirror liked he usually did and he stared into his eyes. "Looks like we are stuck together," his voice said. "And here you thought you would be rid of me."

Dad? Kaoru spoke, only in his head.

"You really thought I was your Dad. Please, think again." His own mouth upturned into a twisted grin. "I'm stronger than you and your body is a container for the taking. Looks like you will be fading real soon."

Kaoru couldn't even scream.