Prologue:

The morning air was slightly polluted, the city of Tokyo only starting to rise from its earlier slumber. Each citizen was rolling out of their own beds, some with luxuries silk covered sheets while others had no sheet to begin with.

Though there were few, not many, that did not rest in their respectable beds. Merely watched the stars as if waiting for another signal or recognition for they all thought it was a trick of their eyes.

Though the stars were now no where to be seen, while others fell to sleep, others rose to their working day. Though some did not have the choice and were forcefully pushed down the stairs by the house wife.

A discouraging look on a usual pretty face. The blond stood tall and proud, dark almost cat like eyes narrowed at the figure on the floor in front of her. Her golden blond hair framing her face as the red bandana kept all respective pieces from her line of sight.

"Get up! Stop being so lazy!" She was now shouting at the figure at the bottom of the stairs. He was head first into the floor, while the young lady stood with her hands on her hips. She only got a groan in response.

She walked down the stairs calmly stopping at the bottom two, seeing that she could not pass because of the human body in front of her. Her eye twitched slightly seeing that he did not move. She raised her foot and that was when it was all over.

It landed straight into the boy's backside, though he did not have enough time to shout out as the force flew him to the other side of the room. He landed on his back, upside down, his usual orange head phones falling to the ground with him. He groaned in pure agony, his head now lying on the floor as his body toppled over onto himself.

He rolled over into a sitting position, crossing his legs in thought as he rubbed his back and placed his headphones behind his ears.

Why did Anna have to hit me so hard? That's gonna kill in the morning. He tried to stand up but found his back almost snapped at the once simple command. Scratch that thought, I'll have to deal with the worst pain now. He inwardly groaned at his new task at hand, he raked a hand through he brunette hair, trying to ease the pain of the bump that was now growing under his hair.

"Yoh! Get ready for school! We have an exam today!" Anna was shouting from the kitchen, again. Yoh got up with an enough pain to make a samurai cry. He stretched his back making sure he would be able to walk, noticing how it only made a few cracks. Telling him he would not need to go to the hospital, like the last time Anna had forced him out of bed.

Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Exam..? EXAM! I completely forgot! He swept his clothes for dust, trying to make them look as if he hadn't worn them yesterday and ran into the living room. Grabbing his school bag, before running out the front door with it on his back.

He heard an angry Anna shouting after him but kept running, in fear of Anna or not having enough time to find Marty and ask of the exam work, he didn't really know. His sandals thumped the gray cemented pavement beneath him and the sun was blazing maybe a little too brightly for comfort.

He didn't think about as Amidamaru appeared beside him, gliding along as if Yoh wasn't running with all his might.

"You left really quickly, I almost didn't have time to escape Anna." He had an almost angry look on his pale face. His feet none appearing underneath him, Yoh merely chuckled nervously.

Attempting to quicken his pace, knowing that if Amidamaru had caught up with him then Anna's house sprits would have as well. The building of the school came into view; there were a few drops of sweat on his forehead.

He noticed two girls in an older year then himself walk, in white school shirts and all. Yoh stopped in his tracks and hit himself on the forehead, remembering that the school had a dress code. That he was supposed to follow.

He shrugged his shoulders before running through the gates of the school, Amidamaru eerily gliding along side him. He past the two girls at rocket speed, so the had to pull their books closer to their chests and hold their hair to stay in its preferred place. Their skirts lifting somewhat higher so both dropped their books and lay it down again, looking angrily at where the boy should have been but was not.

Yoh entered the class room, his bag on his back being held with a hand so it would not fall off. He looked out of breath and the few people in the room turned to see him walk in with a shocked expression on their faces because of the noise before they saw Yoh and proceeded in what ever they were doing. Expecting it from one of the weirdest kids in their class.

Though no one saw the spirit that was by his side and sweat dropped at Yoh's dramatic behavior. It was only Marty that saw and shook his head in response to Yoh's actions. He knew all along Yoh would forget and came prepared. Yoh rushed over to his shorter friend.

The short genius was sitting on some extra books that were placed on his chair for him. His buttoned up white shirt clasped tightly, his blue bow tie in place-he looked exactly as he should have-the perfect student.

"You forgot about the test?" His tone knew as if not needing a conformation because he was already so sure. And he was right to be Yoh just sat in his chair in front of Marty and turned around to face him. His bag on his desk, Marty was setting his books on his desk straight.

Before he started rummaging in his bag and handing Yoh a small folder. Yoh murmured a word of thanks and took off to trying to gain information as possible. Though as he opened the folder, the papers inside grew at least twice in size. Seemly they had been pressurized to fit into the small folder.

Yoh grumbled under his breath and started reading all 100 pages. The furthest he got was the title: World wide cultures and religions, wars that are based on religions and how to create a political agreement between two party's as to make both satisfied.

Yoh sweat dropped at the title, he knew this exam. It came only once a year-thank god- but it meant 87% of the overall grade. It was all Mr. Yoshitake's fault, he was a multiple teacher and he decided to save himself the trouble of examining them for each different subject. He decided to make a huge 50 page test!!

Though the papers were swiped from under his nose, he only now noticed the shadow lingering above him. He looked up, his brown eyes showing a hint of played up fear.

"Yoh…" There was a deathly pause, the atmosphere seemed to drop 10 degrees and Marty sat back in his chair to afraid to look at the angry Anna, next to his best friend.

"Yes, Anna?" Why did Yoh just answer her! It only makes it worst!! You told me that!! You keep your mouth shut and she will eventually stop!!! You're going to get yourself KILLED!! Marty was screaming at Yoh from inside his own head. Yoh voice was small, as he cringed his right eye that was facing her slightly. Ready for whatever blow his bride-to-be would give.

"…You forgot your lunch at home." She held out a small package, telling herself later on to yell at him for1. ignoring her shouts after him 2. For going to school without her changing his clothes.

Yoh laughed nervously, rubbing his neck in a submissive attitude. "Ohh…Thanks Anna." He took the package from her hands slowly, not sure if it would explode when handled, since Anna held it from the cloth. It didn't and he sighed in relief.

"Be careful to check for poison I put some blow fish in there." Anna turned around after that, talking as if it were usual. Though both Manta and Yoh froze, staring at the package that now sat next to Yoh's bag.

They stayed like that for a while till the bell rang and the rest of the students poured in the classroom. Yoh was about to ask Amidamaru to cheat for him but he could not find him. He could only guess where he was though; either talking with Mosuke or Anna managed to put him somewhere. Whatever happened to him, he was not there and Yoh starting sulking.

It was a second later that set all the tests were set down, the time didn't seem to pass. They had up to 3rd period to finish the complicated exam but Yoh had no idea what to write he didn't listen in any of 's classes, they were all extremely boring.

Geography was just annoying you learn better when you travel around the world not from a textbook that had only seen a factory and an inside of a box.

History was just too easy to sleep in and anything that he really needed to know he could learn for Amidamaru.

Politics no one needed to know because…well only people that wanted to become lawyers would need to learn this stuff and it wasn't on Yoh's list to become a lawyer.

For what he needed to do was outside of the class's borders and restrictions. It was in the Great Spirit that was hidden in Doobie village, far from civilization, far from the polluted air of the city. He needed to become Shaman king it was his destiny…he knew it. And now he could fulfill it.

There was nothing in his way, nothing there to harm him or the people precious to him. Hao was not alive and he would not come back for 500 hundred years. 500 hundred glorious years.

Yoh laid his head in his arms closing his eyes to sleep. The shaman tournament was beginning again. No Hao this time to distraught everything, to ruin everything and try to kill everyone. Because I already killed him.

Yoh took a deep breath. He knew that he was supposed to kill Hao, Hao was supposed to die he was a criminal, a monster but then again another part of Yoh saw it that he had killed his twin brother and that everything that he thought Hao was, was just his way of looking at it.

He tried to look at it Hao's way but he could not because he had not been through what Hao had. Yoh had seen the good of the humans around them, maybe sometimes they sought to hurt but then again don't we all? Though Hao hadn't seen the few that tried to help, the few that could become someones friend. Such as Marty.

Hao could not see anything but the hate he placed above the humans head. And that made Yoh remember what he did to Lysergic, what he did too many others, what he wanted to do to the humans and other shaman that would not follow his wishes. That was when Yoh remembered what Hao really was...a monster, a wandering demon in a human's body, not his twin brother.

According to him, Hao was not a person since he learned the five points of the unity star. According to lots of people, his nickname for a while was 'The demon in a humans body', with those shimigami's of his. All too frightening, too powerful, too filled with insane fureokyu.

It was harsh; yes. Though it was the truth, the harsh truth.

The bell rang. "Okay students it's the end of the 3rd lesson, hand in your papers." Yoh looked up removing his arms from his desk. Unable to think back if he actually wrote something down. He only saw his name at the top of the first page. That's enough. He let a lazy grin spread his face before getting up to his teacher and setting it down on his now packed desk.

He was not happy. His now grey hair was slicked back away from his face so they did not fall in front of the square glasses that were bridged on the edge of his nose. His bushy grey mustache seemed to have a few hairs of brown, though old age seemed to have taken the rest. His grey looking skin was crinkled in all places and he seemed to have gathered all excess skin by the sides of his mouth, reminding Yoh of a bulldog.

"Yoh did you study at all?" His teachers head was tilted to the side slightly, he seemed to shake his head a lot when he spoke. Making Yoh see him more as a dog, it made a small smile appear on his face but he had to remain calm.

He had to.

"Yoh, you must answer me! At least stop laughing!" Yoh was holding his stomach, trying to look to the side so his very angry teacher wouldn't see him laughing. Though it didn't help, when was angry he shook his head more. And salvia escaped his mouth looking even more like a dog; Yoh couldn't help but put dog ears on his and try to imagine his teacher going to fetch a stick.

"Ok-Ok…ha-ha…I'm stopping…" Yoh snorted a couple more times before cracking himself up. His teachers brows were furrowed, his hands on his desk. Yoh could almost see his teacher's tail, salvia was dripping down his mouth and he didn't seem to notice.

He burst out laughing further. It was good no one else was in the room; everyone else had escaped outside to enjoy the break they didn't have. He would have looked like a complete idiot. Well more than usual.

"Go to the headmaster's office!" Yoh stopped laughing to face his teacher in sheer surprise. He was about to retort but stopped himself from opening his .Yoshitake was as red as a tomato!

"Yes…sir…" He almost wasn't able to hold back his snort. Well in fact he didn't, it came out in his sentence. He hurried to his desk to collect his belongings and pulled the bag onto his back.

Running out the class room door, as he did he shut the door behind him. He waited a second before the image of a tomato red Yoshitake with salvia running down his chin, huge dog ears and shaking his head back and forth came into his head. He could almost picture his teacher lifting up his leg up to a fire canon and peeing straight through those cotton trousers.

He burst out on the floor laughing.

"Asakura Yoh…what to do? What to do?" Said persons headmistress was staring down at Yoh. As if he would be willing to give her a respectable punishment. Yoh had learnt not to touch such subjects. He thought maybe he would give it a shot.

"Maybe…let me off with a warning?" A small nervous smile placed on his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck that was becoming anonymously sweaty.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Your average overall grade is the lowest in our whole school, your dress code is completely askew and I heard from a very irritated that you did not answer a single question on your exam today as well as disrespecting him." She seemed like she had recited the words for all to hear as if she was prepared for just this moment.

Yoh mentally scolded himself for talking to her, he forget that at the moment you spoke they remembered why you where in trouble in the first place. He would pay greatly for this.

The headmistress was normally strict, yet some-what kind when she wanted to be. He hoped he would be able to see the kind headmistress, she looked fairly kind. Her eyes were light brown and round with a certain dark lashes though they were not many. She was a round lady so it suited her eyes; she also had a round face. She was a round woman; Yoh summed that up after a while.

"I'm okay with science…"

"Though that is not enough Yoh, just knowing a lot about nature will not help you in life." She said a-matter-of-factly, it annoyed Yoh some-what for them to brush of the fact that humans are mere creations of nature.

He had realized that he had been snapping quicker, that was a strange in all. Yoh never snapped, only…

Yoh of course had thought about this but had brushed it off. It was only temporary for him to think like his older sibling. He hoped. He didn't want to think about the possibilities of his brother's soul rejoining onto his. So each thought that was not regularly in Yoh's mind was cast aside. Fearing at the possibility of Hao returning, of the pain he would want to inflict.

He inwardly shook his head. Ever since the final battle, Yoh had began thinking darker. Thinking bitterer, fearing things he need not fear and each fleeting thought got burned deeper into his skin. He wanted his old mind back, the care free one that knew wrong from right, though he found it hard.

"Okay Yoh, I want your parents or at least one legal guardian to come over to my office. Tomorrow after school, until they come by my office, you are suspended from this school. Understood?" Yoh was gob smacked! Anna was going to KILL him!!!

"Yes, madam."

"Good, now go home." She pointed to the door; Yoh grudgingly got up and slopped over to the door. He opened the door slightly, turning to look at the round women in front of him.

He realised something important.

He should have kept his mouth shut.

The sun could not peek out from behind the heavy clouds above the two figures heads. The sun refused to be shown in this particular part in the world. The streets were empty, only a few cars drove past; there speed much to fast for the limit. Each time they passed a puddle it sent out a wave to unfortunate by passer.

The two figures were the only ones on the street, the rain was pounding on each and every car but the figures stayed dry. The sharp drops threatened to fall ones clothed skin and the other's fur, though it did not.

There was no one to watch them because no one bothered themselves with them. They were too silent, too quite, so no one even noticed the figures on the pavement in the pattering rain.

The figures turned left into a street, though there were no roads here. Only shops that littered each turn and bend. All closed, the stone pavement was colored from dark maroon colors to light grey. They did not seem to be lined provably but the steps of the figures were cool, calm and concentrated.

Each one exactly the same.

The clouds were not clearing as she looked above her. She saw the grand building of Big Ben to her left, standing so tall, so lean. Holding up all its dignity, the tower fitting into the murky surroundings of London, England.

The figures maroon brown hair looked a shade blacker due to lack of sun. Her hair having shades lighter and darker then each other were long and looked almost like silk as it hung over her back, stopping just at the bottom of her shoulder blade. It had a slight wave and a messy look to it but it seemed neatly laid. Her eyes were a shade of crimson red matching the redness in her hair. Though her eyes were wild, free, lethal…Her fringe covering her dark, yet, bright bloodied eyes from view. The hair next to her fringe longer then the rest, hung loosely by her arms reaching the end of her ribcage.

The animal by her side was a dog, though it was too big to be a dog. It was still tame, standing next to it's owner with pride. The dark chocolate fur was covering most of the wolf-dogs body. Though half the side of his face was moon light white fur, his musculed stomach the same color. The fur surrounding his eyes were charcoal black, though they carried onto the side of his face. Making him look a bit darker. His fangs were seeable, the edge of the tips outside of his mouth. He looked dangerous, capble of mauling a grown man, in his prime time.

"We will leave once the rain passes." It was a small voice but she knew that the figure was at the next bend of the street, she heard his small whisper even through the rains urges to be heard. He knew she was there, as she suspected.

The young lady and her wolf-dog took another left and carried on straight till they found what looked like a hidden door. It was open, a boy wearing white dress shirt, and smart black trousers in the doorway. His green hair visible even in the darkness of the hall way. What looked like a small fairy sat on is shoulder, her legs neatly crossed. Her shaman partner resting against the door frame.

"Someone will see you." He was talking about the way they was standing in the middle of a rainstorm but was completely dry. The woman was only wearing a plain black cloak the top not covering her the bottom of her dark crimson trousers were shown. The water bouncing back from her as if she frightened them. She merely shook her head.

"Humans do not pay attention to anyone but themselves, unless need be." She walked to the figure in the doorway; gliding straight passed him, before disappearing into the dark room behind the young male. Her hound stopping at the males side to sniff him before following behind his master. The boy known as Lysergic merely shook his head knowingly and closed the door to the rain.

"There you are! I got really worried! Amidamaru was completely panicking, when he saw you weren't there!!" Yoh's short friend was hyperventilating. Manta was shaking his head, moving his hands to show the enthusiasm. Amidamaru by his side, in his usual spirit ball form.

Yoh looked as calm as ever, gazing up at the small clouds above him. His eyes focused on the slowly moving puffy white clouds, the blue sky contrasting with them peacefully.

The tips of the tree above him were waving slightly in the wind. "Yoh, Anna is looking for you." Amidamaru spoke regretfully.

Yoh paused, brought his hands down from behind his head and sat up slowly, fearfully. He looked over the grave yard, noticing that the longer he stayed there the more pain Anna was going to inflict on him. He shrugged it off.

"Lets just relax for a while, we never just relax." He laid back down staring contently at the clouds now in front of him.

"You always relax, Yoh." Manta was now with his hands on his hips. Yoh laughed sheepishly.

"True but still. I'll deal with Anna later." Manta merely laughed and lay down beside Yoh. Resting his hands on his stomach and pointing his legs up to the clouds he was now staring at.

"So you see the destiny star? I saw it but decided I would ask you for conformation because, well…I could have seen it wrong or maybe it was just another star. I don't know you're the expert here not me." He waited for Yoh's answer.

As an answer Yoh lifted up his oracle bell that was firmly placed on his wrist and lower arm.

"I hadn't seen it there." Manta laughed childishly. After everything, Manta was used to seeing it on Yoh's arm and paid no special attention to it. Though it still held the significance of the whole tournament.

"What do you think going to happen this time? You think the x-laws will be there? I hope not!" Yoh laughed at his friend who joined on with him. That's what Yoh loved about Manta, he had such life and he treated Yoh as if he wasn't a freak, he wasn't different. It felt normal to be in Manta's presence, Yoh felt human.

"Me neither but I don't think so since Hao is dead now." Yoh had a frown on his face; he was so confused about Hao. He didn't know if he should regret or not regret what happened. Two different parts of him trying to defeat the other. Marty decided to change the subject, knowing that it bothered his friend some-what.

"Hey, do you think everybody else will travel with us again? Maybe we won't have to be dropped in the middle of America this time?" He laughed while recalling the memory and Yoh joined. Amidamaru spirit ball chuckling along side them.

The wind blew across their faces and they laughed at each memory that fell upon them. Smiling at Ren's pointed hair, Chocolove's awful jokes that Yoh thought were funny, each memory was treated equally all with smiles and laughter. Reminiscing in the past memories even the mildly sad ones, it still brought smiles to there faces because they were together.

They were mysterious to other people that were not in their small group. They were almost sacred, they were priceless.