A soft wind blows past me and through my hair. The evening is pleasantly warm, but I can not let myself get distracted. The stars are half-begging me to watch them glow, but there is work to do.

I step onto the grass of the hotel lawn where my brother and his group of friends are staying. The building is small, but covers a large area of land. In the dark it seems to loom over me, a concrete prison. In the moonlight the curtains in the darkened windows look like bars, drawing me in, but at the same time telling me to run.

I tilt my head at the illusion, a manifestation of my hatred for being inside human buildings. I'm cut off from nature when I'm inside one; it's horribly unsettling.

Another warm wind with a hint of a chill blows past me gently and the leaves rustle. It's going to be a cold night and I absently think, 'a bad omen.' Oh well, I'm not expecting this to go my way.

I approach the entrance and stop a meter from it, wondering if going inside is really necessary.

I look up but my view is obstructed by an awning. I burn it silently. Not even the structure remains. The star's shimmering makes for a much better view than a plaid curtain.

Yes, I can sense him. He's definitely inside.

I look for windows I could possibly enter through and see none on the first floor. The ones on the second are too small to climb through. They are guarded by those awful bars, anyways.

'Well, maybe no one will notice me,' I think. I step inside and am relieved to find no one there. The fluorescent lighting shines off everything. I sigh to myself. Will human frivolity ever end? Nothing in this room will decompose before 10,000 years have passed.

I should burn the building to the ground.

I note that thought, seriously considering it, as I follow the sense of where Tao Ren is. I find a staircase and rather then make use of it, I jump to the second floor. I'm in a hurry.

I wander down the halls, looking for the correct room. I pass several spirits on my way, but they are just drawn to me because of my power. They want nothing to do with me, but they can't help but be intrigued. I understand; it's not everyday they come across a shaman as powerful as I am.

I watch for the ghosts protecting Yoh and his friends. I need the element of surprise. Or, rather, I would like to be the one to wake Ren. I imagine that when he's sleeping he'd look very peaceful. I have never seen him without anger alloying his body.

I find the room in the middle of a side hallway. I can sense the other shamans around this room. Yes. Seven shaman, six ghosts, and one corpse. I'm vaguely amused at that.

I touch the door handle and it melts in my hand. The lock, too. I push and the door swings open, creaking slightly. The mechanism that would slam it shut meets the same fate as the door handle. I close it partway. Without the light from the hallway the room is pitch black.

My eyes adjust quickly as I proceed into the room. It's in the Western fashion, beds off the floor, chairs and high tables. I ignore that fact for the time being and turn my attention towards the beds.

Yoh is curled up under an ugly comforter, sound asleep.

I raise my eyebrows. He's still asleep while I'm in the room?

The boy needs more training. That is pathetic.

I walk curtly to the other bed, telling myself to deal with Yoh later. Ren is lying on top of the bedding, hands behind his head, legs crossed, wearing his usual Chinese attire. I snicker. He hadn't meant to fall asleep.

I watch him breathe for a few seconds, noting how well his clothes fit him.

He's wearing fire-red today, with a gold dragon print. It must go well with his eyes, I muse. I like everything about Ren, but his eyes are bewitching. Every time I see them they always hold a type of passion, most often anger. Behind them is a melancholy haze. They're pleasant to look at.

I sit on the side of the bed and notice he's frowning. Could he possibly sense me? One of them isn't useless, then. Perhaps there is hope for this gang of misfits after all.

Out of curiosity I look at his dream. He's fighting with Yoh. They're alone, in a cemetery, arguing. An odd place to pick for a dream, but perhaps they visit one frequently? Yes, I do remember there being one near the En Inn.

I smile slightly when I decide to test whether he can really feel I'm here or not. I hold my hand an inch from his face, cupped so if I moved that inch his cheek would fit perfectly into my hand. He cringes and moves one arm above his head. The other hand becomes entangled in his hair. He looks so peaceful, or would, if he weren't frowning.

But more importantly, in his dream, Yoh turns into me. Ren is startled and nervous, but he doesn't do anything. He continues to talk with me like I'm Yoh. In fact, if it weren't for my presence here, I doubt he'd be nervous at all. A very good sign.

I touch Ren's face and he pulls away, his head now on his shoulder. I touch him again, and he, unable to pull away this time, wakes.

There is a moment of confusion before he realizes I'm touching him. He turns to look at me, and mistakes me for Yoh. Then he notices my hair.

"Hao!"

I put my hand over his mouth. "Shh!" He grabs my hand and wrist with both hands, right and left, respectively.

"I'm not here to hurt you, but if anyone else wakes that plan can be changed very quickly."

He glares at me, but stops struggling. I let go of his mouth and he lets go of my wrist as he sits up, looking towards Yoh, debating whether to wake him.

"You'd waste your time. He won't wake," I say.

Ren thinks Yoh's been enchanted. I say nothing to contradict the assumption. I do not lie, but if someone mistakes what I say in a way that just happens to benefit me, that can hardly be considered my fault. I was referring to Yoh's heavy sleeping, as he did not recognize my presense, but this way Ren will not attempt to wake Yoh.

"I've said this before, Ren. I like you," I whisper. He looks at me and glares in a show of defiance. Really he's embarrassed. He's uncertain, nervous. A good mixture for what I'm about for propose, I decide.

"You have a lot of potential, Ren. You are wasting it."

"I will not join your side if that is what you're here for."

I smile patiently. "You're being rash. You know I could give you everything you need. Weren't our causes the same once? You understood about humanity and what it's doing. You hated them, fought for their destruction."

"I've changed my mind. Killing is wrong, for any reason," he hisses at me. He's trying to whisper but he's losing his temper. He'll have to quell that anger if he ever wants to be 'strong.' Strength requires mental clarity, otherwise you can not use it.

"What if you must kill to live? If one does not kill the buds on a flower the rose ceases to grow."

"Humans are more important then plants; we can not be compared."

"Really? The last time I checked humans needed the plants more than the plants need the humans."

Silence, but Ren looks away. He knows he's been beat. He knows I'm right, and the only thing he can say to back up his side is 'but it's wrong.'

"A month and you'll be almost as strong as I."

More anger? Oh, I see why.

"But that's…not good enough, is it?"

"I will be stronger than you."

"When? How do you plan on achieving that?" Perhaps if I point out the flaws in his plans. "If you want to be stronger than I, wouldn't it be best to learn from me?"

I do not receive an answer, only a strong feeling of guilt.

"Yoh is holding you back. He isn't teaching you anything."

"I come from a family where loyalty is all we're taught," Ren says. "I will not leave Yoh."

"You're exaggerating." I know his family history. He has turned his back on his family like they have on China. Loyalty indeed.

"I think I understand, Ren. You were at a fork in the road a year ago. Two unknown paths, you chose the one that happened to be Yoh's. Now the paths have come together but they are separated by a ravine of your fears and qualms about the situation. Your loyalty only puts Yoh's path downhill from mine; you can't jump and make it alone." I smile. "Something like that?"

His mouth parts in a moment of shock as I relayed his thoughts back to him, but he scowls and looks away.

"I'll help you jump, Ren." I grab his hands and to my surprise he does not pull away.

"No."

I shift on the bed so I am closer to Ren. "Are you sure?" I ask in a monotone. "You'd be the moon to my sun."

I am completely serious. Ren blushes, which while not what I intended at all, is still adorable.

"We'll rule over the Earth. Isn't that why you wanted to be strong in the first place?"

"The moon reflects the sun's light without giving off any of its own. You're asking me to live on your name. On your strength. I cannot do that."

"You're living on Yoh's name right now."

"Yoh does not think of me as inferior."

I am losing my temper. I try and contain it and my chest constricts with the effort.

"Very well. I will ask you again when Yoh is dead; hopefully that will level our proverbial crossroads. My path is going to be the only one, Ren. Refuse me then and I will kill you."

"You will not beat me."

"You?" I'll have to do something about that arrogance as well. "You can not even beat Yoh."

Ooh, I've hit a sore spot. His face remains impartial but his anger has turned murderous.

"He can and isn't teaching you anything. There's still time, Ren. Come with me now. I swear, they will never know what happened to you. They won't ever find out that you changed sides."

He turns to face Yoh, thinking. I pierce his mind; what he thought now was critical. He was not thinking about changing sides, but rather what Yoh would say. The emotion that went with it startled me; I don't feel it very often. It's warm, I may go as far to call it pleasant, but that was before I realized what it was.

Ren was not loyal to Yoh. He was in love with him.

I let go of his hands in mild shock. I hadn't been expecting that. Jealous? Was I actually jealous? I sighed. I'd been hoping….

No, this is ridiculous. I'm wasting my time.

"I see," I said. "Well, I have nothing left to say. If that still is your choice…." I pause, just in case. "Then I will leave."

He looks up at me from where he's sitting. "You should."

I can not stop a small ache from developing in my stomach. I walk out of the room without saying anything more. I walk outside, towards where I'd left Opacho.

The night is cold, and a thought strikes me; I should warm it up.

I turn and look at the building, noting where Ren and Yoh are, and where an explosion would do the most damage. I don't want to kill Ren, just injure him very badly.

I hold my hand out and the back half of the building is up in flames. The entire area turns red and gold and the fire makes a crackling sound. I stand and watch it burn for a minute, and a wall of warmth washes over me. I smile.

There is something very satisfying about burning down a building. I'd don't feel nearly as human when I'm destroying them. The ache fades.

I turn and walk away. I see the shadows cast by the red and gold light, but the very last sound I hear is a fire alarm. I think to myself sardonically, "Like that will save them."