He was so foolish. How long did it take for him to finally wake up? Was he even asleep? No, he knew already knew.

Subconsciously, he already knew.

Everything.

He just refused to wake up.

Guiren's eyes drifted to Daiyu's face. This was the price of not waking up in time. She had to pay his price. Gently stroking his martial sister's cold cheeks, he made a promise.

"I'll be back."

************

"Senior brother!" Yanmei smiled radiantly while coming closer to the door where the youth was. Did he finally get the key? She smirked. Did Daiyu sacrifice herself for this fool?

"You...killed...ie," His low mutters drove a chill up Yanmei's back.

"What? What are you saying? Did you get the key?"

"Seni-," However soon, Yanmei found herself unable to speak another word. Guiren tightly grasped her throat. She looked at him in shock and started to cry. Guiren stared at her blankly. His eyes were unreadable. His expression was oddly diabolical, his eyes clouded and his aura was deathly uncontrolled.

She was the one who did this. She was the one who deceived him. Deep inside his heart, he had a slight feeling, but he didn't want to believe it because she was one of his own. They were both orphans who suffered in their childhood. No! His eyes sharpened. He considered her one of his own!

This was his mistake!

Gritting his teeth, he slammed her brutally against the wall. His eyes were saturated with unformidable fury. He abruptly aimed his foot towards her chest. Yanmei widened her eyes and flipped to her side, hardly evading the attack. Her fingers quivered.

He was serious.

She might not last long in a fight like this. Yanmei gritted her teeth and tried to whistle for back up, but Guiren slammed his hand into her windpipe, forcing her quiet.

"Hahaha...I...I..actually...believed you?! Y-you?!!" Bitter laughter racked his body. His eyes appeared crazed. Yanmei winced, her heart hammered vigorously. Who was this? Was this the true him? He wasn't even this deranged when he thought Daiyu killed her. Yanmei swallowed and tried to hide, her hands holding her body in pain.

Guiren's sharp eyes trained to her in a flash, "You..want..to..escape? Did I allow you to?!!"

A sword came flying near her head, and Yanmei trembled from fear. Perhaps she was too used to the soft and gentle Guiren, or maybe she believed she had a higher position in his heart, she was in absolute despair.

"W-what happened?" Yanmei mustered praying he would think she was innocent, "Did Daiyu say something?"

The name seemed to wake Guiren up a tiny bit.

"Daiyu. Daiyu," Guiren repeated her name painfully, his head nodding as he spoke, "Daiyu. Daiyu."

He sobbed bitterly and stumbled about the room restlessly. Yanmei started to feel slightly relieved when Guiren suddenly grasped her hair, forcefully pulling her across the room. Yanmei shrieked out in pain, but Guiren didn't seem to notice, nothing like the considerate Guiren who fretted over every injury she received during training.

"Brother Guiren, what did Daiy-," Yanmei cried out, but Guiren turned to her. His eyes so intense, Yanmei wasn't able to utter another word.

"You low-life sc.u.m," Guiren's eyes seemed to concentrate past her, "You aren't fit even to say her name."

Dragging her out of the chamber across the stone-paved courtyard, he suddenly paused. Yanmei instantly latched on to his sleeves, hoping to implore for mercy.

"Guiren. Guiren. Please spare me! I'm innocent," Yanmei pleaded. Guiren's head seemed to take forever to face her. He stared blankly at her hands that were latched on to his garments.

"I don't like your hands."

Yanmei froze. What? But she was soon answered by two intense pains to her wrist. She stared in hysteria as her hands plummeted to the ground and Guiren's blade covered in blood burned into her eyes.

"Don't touch me, you filth," His words cut straight into her heart, igniting fear into her very core.

Yanmei giggled, her eyes red from the pain.

"Oh, did you figure everything out? Did she die already?" She ridiculed. She wasn't going to live long anyway, but if Guiren found out the truth, Daiyu must already be dead. Her eyes narrowed, then Guiren must already have the key in his hands. She had to buy more time for her master and her junior brother.

Guiren's eyes sharpened at the mention of Daiyu's death, a wicked smile lit up his sinister face.

"Are you waiting for them?"

Yanmei's felt her breath stopped. Her voice shook as she tried to speak, "W-who?"

"I've already killed them," He enjoyed the look of the pain of her face. This was nowhere near Daiyu's pain. He leaned down and gently stroked her face.

"Hey. I don't like you in general. Why don't you die for me."

**************

Back at the room of where Daiyu laid peacefully, a bloodied figure dragged himself into the room. A roar of fire can be seen in where Yanmei's residence used to be. The night was soon filled with screams for putting out the fire, but Guiren was strangely calm.

He gingerly wrapped his arms around Daiyu and pulled her closer to him, ignoring her ice-cold temperature and slowly hummed. As he hummed, he pulled out a piece of silk cloth. With his other hand, he thrust his sword into his heart. As the blood pooled out, he soaked the thread into the blood. His eyes were dull, but the melody he sounded was oddly happy.

After the entire cloth was coated in red, he picked up Daiyu's hand and tied their hands together.

If I ever get another chance.

I'll love you to the ends of the world.

With that final thought in his mind, their intertwined hands fell limp in the pool of blood.

One died to never love while the other died to love.

The pink blossoms on a tree outside swayed and the night was quickly filled pink petals, disappearing into the night.