one of the first one-shots i wrote!! XD

guess it's about time i put in a disclaimer in here, huh? i could probably get in trouble for that... um, well anyway, here's a fact you all knew already -- I DO NOT OWN SK. yay, okay, that's done.

on with the show!!

Zeke: lord... Kao's goin crazy...

me: am NOT.

Zeke: as you talk to yourself in place of me.

me: fine. whwatever.

Zeke: you're still doing it.

yeah, i was bored. on with the angsty stories!

He wasn't crazy. Every one else thought he was for letting his hated brother tag along with them… but he didn't care. Yoh finally realized the good in his brother Zeke. He wasn't about ready to push him away again, just because his friends didn't like it.

Family comes before friends now.

The shaman tournament was at full throttle, after Zeke had been 'defeated'. Yoh held back that day. The explosion, they say, was his spirit, Spirit of Fire throwing itself in front of the attack. Afterward, as they began walking away, Yoh a bit distraught, thinking he had honestly killed his own brother, however right it had seemed at the time, Zeke called out to him, his hand outstretched. 'Wait!' he had said. WAIT. Wait for him, let him catch up, and Yoh did.

Every day after that, Zeke would secretly crawl into Yoh's room without notice, kiss his brother on the forehead and sleep in his room for the remainder of the night until morning, where he would wake before anyone else and take his leave. No one ever knew he was there, and he liked it that way. It was his own way of showing the fact he loved his brother so dearly… that he didn't want to hurt him anymore.

When at last Yoh had realized it, and how differently Zeke would act around him the next few days they had met, he smiled a smile that could have melted Zeke's very soul. Zeke knew from then on, Yoh would always be there for him.

Little did he now to what extent he would have to be for him.

Horohoro and Ren had been traveling with Yoh for the past few weeks, to their next destination; the shaman was on hold for no reason it seemed. It was just a simple break.

Every day, Horohoro would ask cheerfully, "what direction today, Yoh?"

This day was different. Zeke now tagged along, mainly sticking by Yoh, averting away from his friend's horrible thoughts and glares. If there was one thing Zeke disliked most now, it was this. But it hadn't stopped his forever want to keep his brother safe. At one time, he had found Ren and Horohoro crouching behind a rock, whispering to each other of how crazy they thought Yoh was… needless to say, Zeke took none too kindly to it; and… Yoh didn't take too kindly to what he had done to them. It seemed like a never-ending battle of who was right and who wasn't between the four boys.

"What direction, today, Yoh?" Horohoro mocked. Zeke instantly shot him the deadliest glare in his arsenal. He knew Yoh wasn't in his top form today. He was testy, moody.

Yoh of course, took no notice of it and had no answer, continuing forward.

They were in, probably the most dangerous place they had been yet; barren… desolate… reddish sands… endless cliffs and rocks… like an elevated, hot, extremely dangerous desert. Small, fruitless, flowerless plants grew here and there, but nothing worth shade. Nothing other than the forever cascading cliffs and overhangs.

Places to fall.

A sizable amount of time passed from aimless wandering and idle talk. Yoh thought they were in the clear… until they found themselves in the face of and old rival, Ruby. Ren and Horohoro blamed the presence of Zeke for their bad luck then, and cursed it under their breath. They had to deal with her once before. They hated her. And she hated them just as fiercely.

"What do you want…?" Yoh asked bitterly, a stern look in his eyes.

Beneath her rounded mask, Ruby smirked, and shuffled her wings lightly.

"Nothing," she began, placing her hand on her hip, tilting it slightly.

"And who is this…?"

She trundled toward them, a sinister smirk still eminent on her unseen face. She stopped before Zeke, and rubbed his face with her wing, then with the back of her gloved hand, stroked his cheek. He only glared in return.

"Well… not gonna give me an answer, are we…?" she mumbled thoughtfully, drinking in his good looks. She didn't want to harm the others, no. She came just for Yoh. She had a special grudge in her heart against him for what he had done. He took their vessel away – the Millennium Force's only chance at dominating the Shaman Tournament. Meril was very dear to both sides it seemed, and now she was safely away.

"Oh well. " she turned away from the silent boy to Yoh.

Guess I hafta fight you Yoh… I want to; Need to…"

"What…?" Yoh seemed shocked. Ren and Horohoro backed up at her command. She had no intention of bringing anyone else into this particular tussle, and the boys gratefully accepted her generosity, mainly to mock Yoh, showing their 'gratitude' toward him for doing something so stupid without their consent. He had let Zeke tag along; what a jerk, they thought. And now they stood back and watched as their best friend would get his butt handed to him.

"You don't mean…? Is it because we stopped your plan before, right Ruby…?"

"I'm afraid it is. Step aside, boys. Stay in your corner." She jeered, nearly tasting their annoyance and aggravation towards her. She didn't care what they thought – she cleanly enjoyed the devilish looks they threw her. Especially Zeke's. His glare was stronger than the other two's. It clearly said, 'hurt him, and I'll kill you.'

Yoh readied his swords. The antiquity hung in his left hand loosely, while Harusame was gripped firmly in his right. Ruby loved the sight.

"I'll fight. I know why you want to; just make it fair."

Again, Ruby smirked. Above ALL she certainly did not come here to hold back or play fair with this boy. Not the destroyer. Not the crusher of all their dreams…

"Then I assume you won't mind if—" She cut herself off, and was gone with a dash, arriving straight behind him.

"I start first!"

With her sword and a small wrist blade, she jabbed Yoh in the back, tearing down clumsily. He yelled weakly, falling to the bloody ground.

"I thought—" He coughed up a small amount of blood.

"…this was gonna be a fair fight…!"

Ruby laughed menacingly behind her mask.

"Of course it is! For me, that is. Deal with it. You Will DIE, Asakura Yoh."

She kicked him away and brushed dirt in his face mockingly, causing him to cough harder; more violently than before.

Only minutes passed. Yoh was putting up less a fight than usual. It seemed like hours to him. She had cracked one of his ribs slightly, and he was dizzy from the loss of blood. Horohoro and Ren stayed a small distance away, never the thought of how seriously injured their friend was, while Zeke, fuming in his very being, was situated opposite to them. He gritted his teeth, and gripped his hand against his arm restlessly. He was growing tired of seeing is brother so ruthlessly beaten.

Finally having enough of the now sickening sight, Zeke bolted forward and positioned himself, arms outstretched before his brother, who lay beaten and near unconscious. Yoh had stayed down for more time than before; Zeke knew he was giving up. Yoh coughed and choked for air behind him and pulled himself forward weakly to rustle the bottom of his elder brother's jeans. He saw the pure anger, the hate and loathing. The burning desire to kill Ruby in his brother's sharp eyes.

Zeke, fighting back a scream of a threat to the demonic woman before him of harming his brother like this; tore forward at her, never thinking twice. Or once at all.

"I'll kill you!!" he roared, slashing at her with talons of fire at his hands, ripping Yoh's hands away form his jeans.

The cut ripped open her chest armor, and a resonating clang followed it to the ground. She stood in shock, bewildered at the boy's strength. She backed up slightly, but regained her composure and gritted her teeth angrily, barreling to him, slamming him backward with the force of her broad leg.

Zeke was now purely intent on killing her. It was his new first on his priority list.

"The Promise, Zeke! Remember our promise…!" Yoh yelled surprisingly strong, propping himself upright against the base of his arm. Blood trailed from this brow, the top of his head and ran adroitly down his face barely missing his dazed eyes.

Distracted, Zeke glanced back at him for a split second only to find Ruby's wing in his face. The second after, jeering, she took off straight up and was gone. Or so he thought.

Zeke lost his balance; stumbling backward, clutching the side of his head, eyes screwed shut in pain. Every step he took brouhgt him closer and closer to the edge of a cliff.

Ruby, who had been waiting for this moment the whole fight, crashed back down, landing before him and spun, coming back around and kicked him clear in the stomach just below the ribs.

The impact was enough to send him backward and fall. He skidded painfully against the ground and stopped, saved by a rock that hung over the edge of the cliff. He was inches away from the drop off; the trap; just as Ruby had wanted. If she couldn't kill Yoh, she'd make him suffer by killing the person closest to him.

Zeke lay, dazed and still, daring not to move a muscle until he was sure Ruby was gone for the second time. He was only human. Pain was still pain, and it still hurt. Fear was still fear, and he was afraid.

Afraid to fall.

Yoh jumped up, a rush of adrenaline compelling him up despite the pounding in his bleeding head as his brother stood, staggering noticeably.

Both boys froze. The earth, mainly dust and red sand, shift and cracked beneath the fire shaman. Zeke was still. His face was set and stern. He would accept death gracefully if it meant it was to protect Yoh.

Even if it had been because of him.

Yoh bounded forward as the earth sounded a sickening crack and gave beneath Zeke. The world seemed to give up on him; it shattered under his feet… mocking his failure at his very being.

A small glitter followed him down as he let out a startled cry. And he fell, his back down, hand outstretched; reaching for help, fear clear on his face.

Yoh, as if a miracle had guided his feet, lurched down and grabbed down for his brother's hand, catching it in time before he fell away too far. He gripped the collapsing edge of the cliff with his other free hand, straining as hard as he could, the pain nearly dripping off his face.

Yoh wasn't the only fast-footed shaman there. Horohoro and Ren dashed forward as well and grabbed for Yoh's waist and legs to keep him from falling.

"Don't, Yoh!" Horohoro warned loudly.

"He'll drag you down with him!"

Zeke's face showed he had no intention of this. He wasn't suicidal, for one thing. And even if he wanted to kill his brother, this was NOT the way he'd want to do it.

"He's my brother!!" Yoh retorted back, not once taking his eyes off of Zeke's, whose were narrowed with shock.

A tear fell on his cheek and Yoh from which it had come from, strained every inch of his body to keep his hand strong from allowing his brother to slip.

Tears weaken…

He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in effort to pull up with all his remaining strength from both arms, one pulling on his brother's hand, one pushing against the cliff causing it to give another agonizing crack beneath him. Yoh fretted it would break under his weight and they would both fall… but he was ready. If it should happen, he would take Zeke in his arms and flip over so that when they fell and hit the ground, it was Yoh who took the damage. He wanted him to live… but wondered what would happen if Zeke was alone in the world again.

The cliff broke off a large enough piece to throw Yoh off balance and fall forward. Horohoro and Ren, however, were not about to allow their friend fall.

Funny how a life and death situation can make one realize the person they hate did nothing wrong in the first place.

"Please…! I won't let you fall...!" Yoh continued to plead, tears falling rapidly from his face.

Zeke gave him a small, saddened smile letting his own tears mingle with his brother's. Horohoro and Ren of course, were unaware if this.

He attempted to let go, but Yoh doubled over and clasped his brother's hand with both of his own.

"Don't be stupid!" Yoh yelled weakly, moving his second hand to cup over Zeke's trying to comfort them both, it seemed.

"C'mon…! We can pull you up…!" he continued softly.

"I may not be Shaman King… or as strong as you… or even be able to do the things you can… but that's why you should live, Zeke! So you can teach me those things… I still care about you, Zeke… so please… Don't give up…"

Horohoro was listening intently, and he could feel the trembling of Yoh's mid against a sob and the several others he held down.

"And I won't let you die…!"

Ren, tired of Yoh's struggling almost seemed angry, and tried to pull back on him, having enough. He clenched his teeth and tore back at Yoh's legs, while it looked as if to dawn on Horohoro how much Zeke honestly meant to the brunette and demanded Ren to help him. Horohoro would take Zeke up as Ren got Yoh.

"Just don't let go…Don't even think about dying, Zeke…" Yoh pleaded further, mostly unaware of everything else other than his brother; even ignorant of his own life now.

Nothing in this cold world could make this warm childe hate…

Even in the face of death to himself, Yoh was still more concerned about others. He knew that even if he lost himself in the end, he would have no regrets if the other was saved.

Even if that person was beyond salvation itself.

you're guessing i'm gonna continue?? no... cuzi dunno what else to do -- all that really happens is Zeke is saved and everyone lives happily ever after. if you really want me to keep goin, i need ideas... TT.TT

oh yeah, "Ruby" is in the Shaman King game Power of Spirit for PS2.