A few days have past since the incident at the Cathedral of the Sacred Blood. After defeating the Successor of the Ribcage, Louis and Echo headed back to the church while an enraged Yakumo went his own way in search of Mido. He searched the skeletal remains of the city for an entire week before returning to the church to restock on supplies. While he was gathering blood beads to take with him, Louis walked over. "You shouldn't be doing this, Yakumo."

Yakumo ceased placing blood beads in a small sack and turned to face his friend with a sharp glare. "Don't try to stop me, Louis. I'm gonna find that Mido bastard and kill him myself."

"You're going to get yourself killed," the crimson-eyed boy retorts.

"Good," Yakumo scoffed. "That way, I'll be able to see (Y/n) again."

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Coco sneered after overhearing their conversation. She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. "You really think (Y/n) would be happy if you wound up dead for her sake? If you do, then you clearly don't know her."

"And you do?" Yakumo retorts vehemently. He grabbed the sack of blood beads and tied the string to his belt. He walked past his two friends and headed toward the entrance of the church. The moment he left and the doors closed behind him, Coco and Louis exchanged concerned glances before going their separate ways.

Another week passed before Yakumo returned to the church. He was exhausted and nearly collapsed the moment he walked through the heavy oak doors. He placed his sword in the armory before dragging his body over to the couch. He flung himself down with a heavy, weary sigh.

Echo, who'd been sitting in the chair beside the couch, lowered the comic Louis had given her to read and glanced at the redhead. "Welcome back," she casually said.

"Yeah..." Yakumo mumbled. "Thanks."

She wondered what else to say, but she decided to zip her lips and return to reading the comic. She knew his search for Mido failed by his defeated tone.

Louis sauntered over and sat on the armrest of the couch. He glanced down at his exhausted friend before asking, "Are you planning on continuing your search?"

Yakumo covered his eyes with his arm, hiding the shame that glimmered in them. "No..." He sighed and removed his arms. "I couldn't get what Coco said out of my head. I hate to say it, but...she was right. (Y/n)'d be pissed if I died because I was blinded by anger."

"I'm glad you've come to your senses," Louis said. "I know how much you cared about (Y/n), but we have more important things to do."

Yakumo pushed himself up into a sitting position and stared up at the ceiling. "I know, Louis." He lowered his gaze to the coffee table. "So, what's our next move?"

"You should get some rest. Once you're well-rested, we'll discuss our next move."

"Right..." A yawn escaped the redhead. "Sleep does sound nice." He pushed himself off the couch and headed to one of the rooms in the back of the church. He flopped down on the bed and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep when his head hit the plush pillow. His slumber was peaceful, but it didn't last long.

Yakumo's eyes flew open the moment he heard loud crashes and the sound of blades clashing. He flew off the bed and ran out of the room. The scene he walked into was something from a nightmare and a dream.

In the middle of the church stood (Y/n). Behind her, Mido towered over her frame with a menacing cackle. Louis and Echo had their weapons in hand while Murasame, David, and Coco kept their distance from the intruders.

Dumbfounded by (Y/n), Yakumo couldn't help but stare at her with wide eyes. He couldn't comprehend what was going on and how she was standing here in one piece as if the incident at the Cathedral never happened. Almost as if he was in a trance, he slowly approached the girl.

However, he didn't make it far before he was stopped by Echo and Louis. Taking a closer look at (Y/n), he noticed her dull, lifeless eyes. She resembled a porcelain doll and it seemed Mido was the one controlling her movements. Seeing her doll-like state, Yakumo glared angrily at the man. "The hell's going on here?"

"A simple extermination," Mido replied coldly. He placed a hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder, squeezing it tightly. When seeing Yakumo's anger skyrocket, he chortled. "How could I waste such a golden opportunity to annihilate the pests who threaten to quell my plans?"

"What are you talking about?" Yakumo growled.

"My beautiful doves are mere puppets. Their angelic bodies are composed of crystals made by my own hands." Mido moved his hand from (Y/n)'s shoulder to her (h/c) hair, combing his fingers through it. "Their real bodies are located in my lab, protected by my soldiers. While the angelic body is not their own, their minds are connected to them and able to control them with ease. They feel everything in their angelic bodies. Although, I did not calculate the possibility of their previous life's memories returning. I was appalled when my dear (Y/n) recovered her memories in her angelic body. While I do regret shattering her angelic form, I since have washed away my regret by utilizing her memories from the time she spent with you to locate your stronghold."

Yakumo's eyes widen in shock. Every touch, every kiss he shared with (Y/n) during their time together felt real. He couldn't believe the one who died at the Cathedral was simply a crystallized vessel for her mind to control. Although shocked, he felt a tinge of happiness to know she was alive and standing right in front of him. Unfortunately, his joy was short-lived when (Y/n) lunged forward and attacked him, Louis, and Echo.

Mido continued his speech as he watched the former Peace Keeper attack her friends and lover. "(Y/n) proved to be quite a handful once she awoken in my lab. I had to make a few...changes in order for her to cooperate and share her memories with me."

Yakumo grabbed his sword and yelled out in anger as he charged at Mido. The man avoided the blade with ease and stared into the boy's piercing lime green eyes. He could see the burning hatred in them and grinned under his mask. "I would focus my attention elsewhere, boy."

Before Yakumo could react, he felt a searing pain in his side. He jumped back, pressing a hand against his bleeding side as he glanced at who struck him. It was (Y/n). His gaze softened when glancing at her, but it immediately hardened when he turned his attention back to Mido. "You bastard...!"

(Y/n) dashed forward and attacked Yakumo, but he was able to block her attacks with his sword. Louis came to his aid, helping him fend off the girl while Echo focused on attacking Mido. Their struggle lasted for what felt like hours and almost everything in the church was destroyed. Eventually, their fight led them out of the church and into the streets, forcing them to grab their masks mid-battle.

Yakumo and Louis faced off against (Y/n) while Echo dealt with Mido. The two boys dodged and blocked her attacks, refusing to fight back. The (h/c)-haired girl swung her halberd around haphazardly in a desperate attempt to break the boys' guards. Her attack was meaningless and her weapon wound up being lodged into the wall of a crumbling building. She struggled to yank it free, crying out in anger.

Louis glances over at Echo, noticing she was struggling against Mido. Before he could say anything, Yakumo said, "Go help her. I can handle (Y/n)." Without hesitating, Louis dashed off to help his other friend.

Yakumo focused his attention on (Y/n), watching her closely as she tried to retrieve her halberd from the wall. He slowly approached her and came to a halt just a few feet away from her. When the faint breeze blowing through the Gaol blew her hair away from the back of her neck, his eyes caught a glimpse of something. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was going to find out.

(Y/n) freed her halberd from the wall and immediately swung it at Yakumo. Like before, he was able to dodge every swing. He continued to remain on the defensive until an idea came to mind. He dropped Oni Bane and rolled directly under (Y/n)'s halberd the moment she swung it. He acted quickly and elbowed her in the gut, siphoning the air out of her lungs. She released a breathless grunt and tried to recover, but Yakumo disarmed her and left her weaponless. Without her halberd, she had to result to her fists. However, her attempt to even punch him was futile when he pinned her wrists behind her back.

Yakumo used his free hand to examine the object he spotted on the back of her neck. Moving her hair aside, he analyzed the strange metallic object embedded in her skin. His eyes narrowed in confusion as his finger traced over the edges of the object. When he felt something strange underneath her skin around the object, his curiosity escalated. After a few seconds, his eyes widen in realization. It was the device Mido was using to control her.

"Sorry 'bout this, (Y/n)," Yakumo whispered to the girl. Using his strength, he grabbed the device and yanked as hard as he could. He apologized again when (Y/n) cried out in pain while he ripped the device from her flesh. Once it was removed, he saw the wires attached to the back and the blood dripping from them. He held his breath due to the tantalizing scent of the crimson liquid not even his mask could block and promptly tossed it as far as he could.

(Y/n)'s eyes returned to normal. She ceased struggling against Yakumo and looked around the ruined city in confusion. "Where am I?"

Hearing her gentle voice, Yakumo smiled and released her wrists. "You back with us, (Y/n)?"

She turned around and faced him with wide eyes. She then looked away, grasping the base of her neck. "The Cathedral..." She looked back up at him. "Was that a nightmare?"

Yakumo frowned melancholically. "It wasn't."

She was baffled more than ever. "What's going on, Yakumo?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now, you need to get outta here. The church isn't far from here. Just follow this road and you'll be back in no time."

She nodded. "All right." Turning on her heels, she headed down the street and back to the church.

Yakumo watched her until she was gone before grabbing Oni Bane and joining his friends in fighting Mido.

At the church, (Y/n) received first-aid from Coco. Once she was patched up, she headed to one of the bedrooms and crawled onto the bed. While eagerly awaiting Yakumo's return, she found herself staring across the room and into the mirror located on the dresser. She pushed herself off the bed and walked toward the mirror. Standing in front of it, she trailed her hand across her face and collarbone. She turned around and examined her back, noticing her black and white wings were gone. Turning back around, her hand then gravitated toward the bandage wrapped around her neck.

(Y/n) stared at her reflection, a faint sigh falling from her lips. "I'm human..."

The sound of the bedroom door opening caused her attention to be withdrawn from her reflection. Turning around, she saw Yakumo enter the room and close the door behind him. Her (e/c) eyes widened when she saw shallow wounds scattered across his arms and face. She hadn't gotten a good look at him earlier and wondered if she was the cause of his injuries. She walked up to him and reached out to touch his face, but her hand froze midair. Retracting her hand, she stared into his lime green eyes for a few seconds before turning away. "I'm sorry, Yakumo. I know I've caused trouble for you and the others. Tomorrow, I'm going to search for the closest shelter and-"

Before (Y/n) could finish her sentence, Yakumo grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. He placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her face closer to his. He leant down and pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss.

(Y/n) was taken aback, but she was able to push her shock aside and reciprocate the kiss. She lifted her hands, placing them over Yakumo's as the kiss deepened.

It wasn't long before the two pulled away from one another. Yakumo kept his hands on (Y/n)'s face, his thumbs caressing her cheekbones. He stared deeply into her (e/c) eyes, noticing the passion burning in them. "There's no way I'm letting you out of my sight. You're not going anywhere."

"But what about-?"

"There's nothing to worry about, (Y/n)." A grin made its way onto Yakumo's face as he removed his hands from her face and placed them on her shoulders. He gently nudged her backwards and when they reached the bed, he pushed her down onto it.

Startled, (Y/n) gasped as she fell onto the bed. She stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds until her view was obscured by Yakumo. She blinked profusely, wondering what he had planned. "What're you doing, Yakumo?"

"What does it look like?" He retorts. "For two whole weeks, I thought you were dead. If you think I'm gonna let you go now, you've got another thing coming."

He leaned down to kiss her again, but (Y/n) stopped him by placing her hands on his chest. "As much as I would love to have a make-out session with you, you're injured."

"This is nothing," Yakumo said. "I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"I know, but you should still be careful. I'd rather not irritate your wounds." She lowered her hands and fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "By the way, what happened to Mido?"

"He managed to escape," Yakumo murmured with a hint of anger.

(Y/n) turned her head and stared at the wall. "And because of me, he knows where to find you and the others."

Yakumo grabbed her chin and turned her head, reconnecting his gaze with hers. "You didn't do anything, (Y/n). Mido is the one to blame. He was using you to get to us. I swear, that bastard will pay for what he's done to you."

Regardless of Yakumo's words, (Y/n) still couldn't dismiss every ounce of guilt. It would take time for her to come to terms with the consequences of her careless actions. "I never should've became a Peace Keeper. If I had only waited a little longer, none of this would be happening."

"Hey," Yakumo lowered his voice slightly. "Even if it was an idiotic decision, I'm glad you chose to become a Peace Keeper." He released her chin and moved to lay down beside her. Staring up at the ceiling, he blindly searched for her hand and found it. He entwined his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand tightly. "If you hadn't, I doubt we would've found each other."

"You might be right," (Y/n) said. "The Gaol is vast and teeming with Lost."

"And you're still human," Yakumo added. "Revenants would be crawling all over you if you were out there on your own. Being a Peace Keeper taught you some badass combat skills. I doubt any revenant would want to mess with you if they saw you with your halberd. Guess I don't have to worry about protecting you."

(Y/n) detected a hint of disappointment in his voice. She turned her head, glancing at him with a smirk. "Shouldn't you be proud of me? I can stand on my own two feet and fight against the Lost. I'm not some princess who needs a knight to protect her whenever she leaves the castle."

"You may be able to handle yourself against the Lost, but that won't stop me from having your back. I promise, nothing will separate us ever again. From this day forward, I'm not leaving your side."

(Y/n) smiled, giving Yakumo's hand a firm squeeze. "I wouldn't have it any other way."