Once he knew she was gone, Kumo sank to his knees. "Thank Buddha," he breathed out with a relieved sigh. "I thought she was going to kill me."

"You're already dead, stupid," a voice reminded him as someone leaned on his back. "Besides, there are much more worse things than death."

As he said that, Yuu's eyes narrowed at the abandoned house. He bit his lip, fists trembling at the grotesque memories.

"Ah," Kumo uttered when he noticed his hourglass tilted on the ground. "I thought I told you to pick it up?"

Yuu unclenched his fists and kept his gaze on the house. "You can pick it up yourself, right? It's your 'friend's' corpse."

"It's yours too," Kumo mumbled, puffing out his cheeks while picking up the object.

The ghost flinched, then hovered in front of Kumo. Golden eyes glistening, he tugged on the baku's white collar and shook his head. "No, no, it isn't! I only have memories of the life we had, not the life you wanted. You were lucky―you had your memories erased! I have to live with them until you forget all about me... until we―"

Before he could finish, Kumo pulled him into an embrace. "I'm sorry I forgot you, Yuu. Seeing you suffer doesn't feel right. Share those painful things with me." He traced circles into Yuu's back while nuzzling his neck. "You aren't alone anymore."

The ghost couldn't help trembling as small sobs left him. Whether they were from relief or sadness, Kumo couldn't tell. After he sniffed, he looked up to find his other half's smiling face. "Y-You mean... I can finally go back? We'll become one again?"

Kumo ruffled the back of his counterpart's head. "Mhm. But, not yet. I still have things to do, and I need your help to do them."

It was Yuu's turn to pout. He let go and backed away, arms crossed. "Like what?" the ghost questioned with a huff.

Suna's body shifted downwards thanks to gravity, but Kumo tilted the hourglass on its side to halt the process. He frowned at it before glancing at Yuu. "That's a secret."

After a stern glare, the ghost gave in. He smirked, poking the center of Kumo's chest before licking his lips. "Fine. But hurry up, because I can't wait to get inside you."

Kumo's face turned a deep scarlet. He scratched his scalp and muttered, "A-Anyways, can you show me the others? You said we were bullied, right?"

"Those creatures went beyond that, so I'm punishing them." While saying this, Yuu nibbled on his thumb nail. Then, an idea suddenly made his eyes glimmer with excitement. "Ooh, do you want to see Taka? He was always annoying, chasing that bitch like a lost puppy. You've already met Nanase and Souta, so all that's left are Taka and Sachiko."

The baku couldn't bring himself to fully listen to the conversation, instead focused on staring through Yuu's deathly body. To think four kids could drive me to suicide. He peeked up to see Yuu still blabbering about his past life, oblivious to his stare. I never realized I was that... weak. If what he says is true, then those dreams... are memories that still haunt them.

"Yuu," he called, lifting his chin from his hand. "You didn't give them those dreams, did you?"

Yuu tilted his head and gave a smile that bared his fangs. Eyes narrowed, his pupils seemed to shrink with every passing second. "Of course I did. They deserve it, after all."

"If that's the case, then they'll have the nightmares even without you there, right?"

The ghost shrugged his shoulders while kicking dirt. He didn't like where this was going, but continued anyways. "Yeah, probably. I just like watching them suffer."

Kumo nodded, yet his voice sounded distant―cold. "Ah, okay." He backed away, then put his hands together in a gashou* form. "Sorry 'bout this, but would you mind leaving the dreams to me from now on? I want to... think about some things."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Come with me. I'll show you my first gate of Hell." Yuu walked ahead, desperate to get them from the forest. He sighed at the memory of Kumo's feigned sympathy. Yuu was familiar with that look; he did it all the time. Why'd I bring him here? At the moment he's just a stranger. Some baku who's taking pity on a foolish ghost haunting his territory.

At that, the ghost kicked some dirt, staring at Kumo's back while he walked up. "You don't get it," Yuu muttered.

Kumo, somehow picking this up, turned to his other half with raised eyebrows. "Hm?"

Yuu simply shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Silence embraced them until they arrived at their first victim's house. Covered in the shadows of thr night, the quaint place was silent as dreams seeped from the cracks of the owner's fortress. The darkness clinging to whateverit could reach reminded Kumo of Dark-dark, the gaseous being who now rested in his stomach.

Yuu gestured to the home when he was in front of Kumo. A smile possessed his features much like he did to those four unfortunate adults. "This is Taka's place. I made sure to give him the best treatment," he stated before hovering inside.

Navy blue walls, mahogany windows and white fences paired with a white door, this home was the epitome of new beginnings. Once he finished taking in the area, Kumo called, "C'mon, Suna! I can't get in without you."

Gaining no response, the baku looked to his hourglass, wide-eyed. "...Oh, right."

Dammit. He couldn't avoid thinking back to Lady Tsuki's appearance. She held no sentiment for his predicament, even if she created them both. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! Bring her back," he yelled to the moon, but not even the goddess amused him with an answer.

He clicked his tongue, digging his nails into his palms. Kumo then hopped onto the roof and slipped in the room where his meal awaited. Yuu beat him to it, sitting in a wooden chair with his legs crossed. "So, what do you plan to do with him?" he asked amongst the charcoal-tinted fog.

The baku tilted his head back, smirking as he strided to the blond man sleeping beneath his covers. "Don't worry about it."