Chapter 1

A boy with shoulder length brown hair change his cloth from hospital robe to a white shirt, a pair of green jeans and a pair of wooden sandal. With a lazy smile he placed his headphone on his head, "Okay, finished." He said to himself as he lifted an Ihai from the nightstand beside the hospital bed, "Let's go, Amidamaru".

"Yes, Yoh-dono." A ghost of a samura with long white hair answered with a smile on his face.

Yoh opened the room's door to find his small friend with light brown hair already waiting outside the room he previously stayed, the short teen grinned at Yoh, "Glad that you finally out of the hospital, Yoh-kun." He said happily.

"Yeah." Yoh agreed with a grin also make it's way to Yoh's face, "Thank you for your help, Manta".

Manta nodded, they then walked side by side out of the hospital while chatting happily along the way. They parted ways outside of the hospital, they go to their own house.

"Really." Yoh sighed as he walked leisurely to his house, "I thought I will die that night".

Amidamaru, who floating beside the young Shaman, nodded his head in agreement, "I'm glad we can defeat Ren, but I doubt he will give up, Yoh-dono." He voiced his opinion.

Yoh stopped in his track and looked up to the night sky, "Yeah, seeing how stubborn he is, I'm sure Ren will come again to take you away from me." Yoh agreed, then he smiled to his Guardian Spirit, "But it's alright, Nantoka naru (Everything will work out in the end)." He grinned as he said that.

Amidamaru smiled at his master and they continued their way to Yoh's house, an old inn which sold in low price because there are many ghost haunted the inn. But before they got more than a few feet from their previous position, Yoh's stomach grumbled loudly. Yoh touched his stomach and grinning sheepishly toward his spirit companion, "Why don't we go eat somewhere first? I also need to go buy groceries for tomorrow." He asked cheerfully.

After a nod from the samurai ghost, they walked, well Yoh is walking while Amidamaru floating, to a soba shop for late dinner. When they arrived at the shop, Yoh is surprised that there are still many people awake so late at night, even though it's true that the stop itself is open for 24 hours.

Yoh shrugged it off and went to an empty seat after ordered his food, while waiting, Yoh then heard a few whispers about a Chinese boy walking around the town as if he was searching for something. Yoh shuddered hearing the whispers, remembering the Chinese boy he just had a fight with a few days back.

"It seems like they are talking about Ren." Amidamaru commented after hearing the whispers.

"Yeah." Yoh whispered so that people won't looked at him strangely for talking to himself, "Ren cut a car in half before, it's not surprising to find people talking about him, a teen boy walking around carrying a Kwan-dao certainly not something people see everyday, even if it's already a few days passed".

Then, Yoh's food come so he eat silently. Exiting the soba shop, Yoh make his way to the 24 hours market to buy what he need, after that he heading home carrying two plastic bags of his groceries.

Footsteps from his behind caught his attention through the fog of sleepiness that attacking him, he stopped from his track to see who was walking in the street late at night. If it's in crowded place then it's not strange, but he is already near his house and his house is a bit far from the bussiness of the city, so it's strange in his opinion.

When Yoh caught who was it that walking behind him, he blinked. A boy with Chinese clothes? And he looked as if he is searching for something, does that mean the boy people whispering about before is not Ren but this boy? He thought to himself as he take a good look on the Chinese boy. From what Yoh can see from the distance between them, the boy has a black hair and carrying a big suitcase.

Yoh shrugged and continued his walk, thinking that it's some student from Chinese searching for a hotel to stay. Yoh turned on his mp3 player and continued his walk to his house, but in a bit faster pace than before since he really want to sleep.

Focusing on the music, Yoh didn't notice that the Chinese boy caight a glimpse of him before he turned a corner. A spark of recognision flashed on the boy's eyes and he start to walk following Yoh with a fast pace, faster than walk but not run, a smile appeared on his face.

Yoh flopped down on a chair in his kitchen after he finished get all of his groceries into the refrigrator, it's already late and all he want to do is sleeping, so he make his way to his room. But when he passed the livingroom, the bell of the inn rang loudly in the silence of the night.

"Just who is it coming here so late at night?" Amidamaru asked in suspicion.

"I don't know, but I better get it and see who is it." Yoh mumbling his answer.

Opening the door, Yoh get a surprised when he see the boy he saw on the street before.

He is around Yoh's age and their height is similar, Yoh is only taller by a mere inch than the boy, and from this near, Yoh can see that the boy's eyes is grey, not ash grey color but a deep grey which hold a mysteriousness in them. The boy's hair looking smooth and black like silk, falling straight to his shoulder but a bit wavy around the end.

The boy smiled, "Asakura Yoh, right?" he asked in friendly way.

Yoh blinked as he bluched a bit being caught staring, "Yes, can I ask who you are?" he answered calmly with a sheepish smile on his face, the boy is a bit of beauty, if he isn't wearing boy's clothes, Yoh might think of him as a girl.

The boy grinned happily and went to hugged Yoh, "Nice to meet you, Yoh-kun, my name is Li Xiao Long*, I'm your cousin." He said cheerfully.

Yoh blinked rapidly and his mouth opened in shock, not only that he is being hugged by a stranger, but the stranger turned out to be his cousin, "What?" was the only thing he can say at the moment due to his mind frozen un shock.