"Follow me."

Alice dragged Shun away into the woods, but couldn't help but noticed how calloused her hand was and stopped her. "Alice, your hands."

"Stop." She let go of Shun's wrist. "You got my message."

"Of course I did. When I saw that tombstone with your jade koi on it, I thought you committed suicide or Shadow killed you. After going over the poems, I found out you're still alive." Shun then wiped the stains off her face. "What happened to you? Where have you been?"

"I would've avoided everything and settled down, but Shadow always appears out of nowhere." Alice saw the jade koi pair in Shun's hand. "I guess you found out I was casting a safe return ritual."

"I saw the campfire you set up. Why did you just hitchhike in my car and leave without a word? You had me worried sick."

Tears rolled down Alice's cheek, and Shun wiped them off as well. "There's so much that I have to tell you about, but every time I try to find a way back to Bayview—"

"Shadow always ruined it." He took out all eight drawings and poems. "Your poems helped me a lot, but this last poem has no name. All eight of Shadow's drawings have come true, but this last one with Dan and I crashing hasn't. Now that I'm here, can you go back to Bayview with me?"

"She's not going anywhere!" They turned saw Shadow with the shovel in his hands again. "All those pictures have come true. What makes you think the last one won't?"

Shun could only glare, for he had nothing to attack the perpetrator with. Suddenly, he felt some metallic items in his hand. "Alice, what are you—"

"Let's just say I might have taken a few shuriken a long time ago without your permission, and now I'm returning some." she confessed. "But I'm giving you more than just that." Alice stood on the tips of her feet and whispered, "Complete those few rituals for me."

"I get it. Be careful."

"I will. I still have to go back to Bayview with you, remember?"

Shun squeezed Alice's hand. "I'll be waiting then. In the meantime..." He threw of the shuriken at Shadow off guard, and now Shadow's other shoulder was injured. "You lure him away. I'll finish that ritual business."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Great. Shun's gone."

"Dan, what are you talking about? I'm back."

Shun's sudden appearance made Dan jump up. "Man, you really are a ninja. What's with the stuff in your jacket pocket?"

"A couple more shurikens, the book, and a plastic bag of personal items of those people who died."

Runo limped over and held up her belongings. "Great! Dan and I found some juniper twigs, tree sap, and eagle feathers. Let's get started."

Dan struck a match and lit the kindling. Runo slowly placed her items as Shun placed his. The fire burned violently turned whiter and brighter. The smoke rose to the air with a sweet scent. "The book says that this means those souls will reach peace," Shun read. "Let's find the ingredients for the evil dispelling ritual

"Already found them, Shun." they replied.

The evil dispelling ritual also required the three ingredients Runo found and three more: an item belonging to the person being haunted, an item belonging to someone close to the person being haunted, and the items that are haunting the first person. Dan and Runo started a second fire and waited. "Shun, what's taking so long?"

"I don't have anything that belongs to Alice, as the jade koi were both originally mine."

Runo had a thought. "Shun, since you gave her a jade koi before she left, did she give you anything?"

"Well, I—actually, she did." From a pocket inside his jacket, Shun took out the charm bracelet that Alice gave him. "She gave this to me before she left. This is still technically hers, right? I hope this works."

He placed Alice's charm bracelet in the fire then his jade koi pair. The fire burned softly in a yellow-green hue. "Shun, wait!" Dan stood up and pointed to some fine text. "It says that all three people must be present for the smoke to have effect. It's incomplete!"

How could I have missed it? Shun pounded his fist and deeply breathed. "I ran into Alice and had a fairly long talk with her, but then Shadow came, so I left in a hurry. If I go back and find Alice now, who knows if—"

"That's why I sent you back." He turned around and saw Alice behind him. "I remember that page by heart. Once Shadow gets here, throw in all the drawings and poems except the last poem." She faced Dan and Runo and said, "You two should leave. This won't be pretty."

"And I'm here right now!" Shadow came back with crayons and his sketchbook. "I'm going to make those two losers die in the worst way possible."

"No, you're not." While Alice made sure Dan and Runo left safely, Shun put a twig through one his shurikens, lit the twig on fire, and threw it at Shadow. He dodged it, but his sketchbook caught on fire. "There goes your cursed paper."

"Why does this always happen to me?!" Shadow raged. "Everyone in Sunshine Point hated my mother and me. They always criticized her for being a single and unmarried mother. All I did was protect her, but when she died, everyone blamed me. Guess what my mother gave me before she passed away? This sketchbook! She said I can protect myself from other people bullying me with this, and it worked. You should've seen those deaths, Shun. Ask Alice."

Alice glanced at Shun, who slowly nodded his head. "I get it. She left this to you so you can take revenge on those who treated you badly. Well, you're not the only one with magic here. That is no ordinary fire, and no matter how you try to put it out, it will keep burning."

"Place the papers in the fire now, Shun." Alice insisted.

Shun threw all eight drawings and seven poems in the fire, and the sky became less dark for every paper burned. He placed the last poem above the fire, and on the back of it, the words 'Shadow Prove' appeared. "I wonder what your name appearing on the first and last poems mean."

"Not my hard work!" Shadow dropped his notebook and watched every one of his drawings turn into dust. "All I did was want to be with her. Not only did they all disapprove, but they also said they'd rather help her be with you again, Shun. Do you have any idea how much I hate you?!"

"And I hate you so much for ruining Alice's life." Shun didn't hesitate and placed that last poem in the fire as well, but the ground began to shake. "What's going on?"

"I almost forgot." Shadow ripped a sheet of paper from the bottom of the pile and drew the entire island falling into the water. "All three of us will die here. Nobody's getting out alive."

For a moment, everything seemed hopeless. All the previous drawings came true, and Shun feared this wouldn't end well either. Suddenly, the fire burned violently and spread through the grass field. Shun snatched the jade koi pair and charm bracelet out just in time. "Got it!"

"Shun, what are we going to do now?" cried Alice.

He flipped through the ritual book and found more fine print about the evil dispelling ritual. "Looks like the fire will automatically consume this island if we don't leave. To your rowboat."

"You're not leaving!" Shadow ran over and grabbed Alice's arm, but she shook it off and pushed him, making him fall. "How could you do this to me? I did all this for you!"

"And how could you do this to me? You ruined my life ever since we met! Shun, let's go."

Shadow chased Shun and Alice down the dirt paths, but they boarded the rowboat before Shadow reached them. "I'll get you back for this! Just you wait!"

Alice asked, "The book actually said the fire will spread?"

"Since this is an evil dispelling ritual, I can only assume that the fire will burn away all impurities. I'll row."

The redhead couldn't help cry. "Thanks, Shun. I've been gone for too long. Do you think we'll ever be able to catch up?"

But Shun simply watch the yellow-green fire consume the island and Shadow. "If Shadow's gone, then there's always time for everything. Right now," He stopped rowing and placed his hand on her face. "we need to go home."

More tears rolled down Alice's cheeks as she thought of the day of her departure from Bayview.

And Shun couldn't help but cry, either.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Alice explained everything that happened from the moment she left Bayview up to today, but through the long stay, Shun already found out most of what exactly happened here already. Runo and Julie were glad to have Alice back, but there was something else that had to be considered.

She wasn't going to stay in Sunshine Point anymore.

"Why?!" Julie cried. "Just when I thought the three of us could reunite, you decide to leave. Alice, have you forgotten—"

"But Julie, there's no point in me staying here. This place only brings me bad memories."

Runo held Alice's hand tightly. "I understand, Alice. Julie just wants us to be friends again without all those scary events. Do you think it's safe for people to move back now?"

But Julie wouldn't stop crying. "Why?! I guess this is farewell to the three of us then. But how did you solve all of this? Tell me!"

Dan laughed uneasily and whispered to Shun, "If you want to leave early, feel free to walk and pick up your car. I'm staying for a while."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

While exiting the front gates with Alice, who had absolutely nothing left other than a knapsack to bring with her, Shun took out the sapphire necklace and aster flowers from a long time ago. "Guess who left these in my car on purpose?"

"Okay, I get it. I left them there so for you." Alice wanted to take them, but Shun took his hand away. "What's the point of that?"

"There's still something that you haven't told me yet." he replied. "But first, just turn around and close your eyes."

As she closed her eyes, Alice felt the cold touch of metal on her neck and chest. "What's this?"

"Just giving you your necklace back." Shun turned her around and placed the asters in her hair. "That looks better. You know, you should keep your piece of the jade koi." He placed Alice's piece in her palm and closed her hand. "What do you want to do now?"

"I really want to sleep. I haven't slept well ever since those pictures showed up, and I keep getting nightmares of those deaths. I only want peace and quiet for myself."

"You still haven't told me why you never said a word in my car."

Alice placed her head on Shun's shoulder. "I was tired and scared to talk to you, and I couldn't stay outside for long without having Shadow doing something stupid. It's been a long time."

"Which is why we're talking now." He hugged her tightly for a long time again. "I'm glad to have you back, Alice. Somehow, I feel not so lost anymore."

"Me, too. I guess I truly found my way home then."

Shun brushed aside Alice's bangs and kissed her forehead, regardless of the few dirt stains. "Come on."

Everything else became outdated memories after that.

...

~FIN~