Inside Light

A/N---Very, Very long time reader, Now just joining seriously. As this is my first published fic (Believe me, I have written many that dont belong. ), I hope that you all like it.

Strange enough pairing---Faust/Ryo. Dont get upset with me, I want to be the one who is referred to as ' The girl who published the crazy pairing as her first fic.' Or, something like that. It is only a bit of Shounen Ai, and a bit of Faust background…a good way to start here, I hope.

I dont own Shaman King, or any of its characters, plots, etc. I think we all know that.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this. crosses fingers

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' This really is my special place', Ryo thought on a happy note. With the Shaman Fights over, Hao long gone, and Yoh and Anna happ---Well, together, everything was great. Instead of going there separate ways, however, all of the gang decided to stay at Yoh's lovely house. The bonds formed during the tournament were…Not to be expressed in words. The friendships would last forever, that much is for sure. Leaving now, to go back to the gang, didn't seem right, in a sense. This was happiness. He didn't want everything to end so suddenly.

Manta and Yoh were still close, of course. Even though there friendship had started in such a strange way, the two were always together now, making everyone laugh around the clock, even to the point of making milk come out of Ren's nose during breakfast. Ms. Anna, while still a bit stiff, had also begun to lighten up, smiling and laughing just as much as the others. Ren and Horo-Horo still fought, almost relentlessly—But it was now easy to see how the two were just playing, and having fun; sparing, to heighten their skills, as if fearing that another evil being, like Hao, would threaten the good times that had settled upon them. And of course, Jun was always around to tell her brother to ' play nice.'

Ryo, alone for the first time in quite a while, glanced at the setting sun.

'Lyserg…'

After the separation of the X-Laws, Lyserg had not been seen. If Ryu said he wasn't worried, it would be a blatant lie, everyone knew that—However, love was not a word that came into Ryu's mind. Friendship, compassion, perhaps—But not love. Even though Ryu could be a bit rowdy, and unfeeling (at least in the old days) , he knew that love was not a word to use lightly. Lyserg was lost, confused. Maybe…Ryu just liked to take care of people. He was a kind person, once you got past the strange choice of dress and the hair that could almost put someone's eye out.

'Speaking of which..' Ryu reached up and fingered his now straight, not to mention shorter, hair, and trimmed face, free of any hair at all. ' It gets too hot here in the summer for all of that hair. And besides, Ive been wanting to try something new.' The people in the house had been happy about it, not to mention the spirits, as well. Amidamaru's exact words were, ' At least now you look halfway like you live in this time.' He understood the hair was a bit overboard, but he hated to fit in. That was just the way it was.

Either way, he was dressing normal as well. ' Well, I would say this summer sure has changed me. Aw, hell, who cares? It changed everyone. Just glad we are all getting along, so far. At least Ren hasn't decided to kill anyone, yet. The little bastard can be a real pain in the ass.'

Stretching silently, he took one last look at the beautiful setting sun, and turned, to go back into the house.

" Ren, I swear to god, If you don't put down my Dim Sung…" Ryu recognized Horo Horo's voice.

" You seem to be getting a little chubby, Horo. I'm just doing you a favor." Ren smirked as he opened his mouth and gladly began to chew the Dim Sung, eyes closed, making moans of happiness.

Horo Horo growled. Yoh and Anna were laughing, Jun was reprimanding her brother, and Chocolove was trying to make a joke about Ren's moans.

Ryu smiled a bit at the scene before him. Dressed in Black Jeans and a plain white shirt, he fit in just as well as anyone else. Yes, that felt a bit good, for once.

And then, Ryu noticed something. The stitches on Ren's upper arm were showing, as were the bandages around Horo-Horo's ankle. He started as he realized his own wrist was sewn up after the Hao insident. Injuries were apparent, of course, Hao wasn't a normal opponent. Getting thrown around like a ragdoll took its toll. And who was the one who fixed them? Who was the one who put his own life on the line? Who was the one who disregarded his own life to save the life of his own friends?

Faust. It was the mysterious German doctor, who, in a strange sense, had his way with Manta a few months back.

And yet, even though Manta was a friend, Ryu couldn't be one hundred percent angry at Faust. The pain for Manta must have been excruciating, he knew—However, what kind of life had Faust known? Eliza, her life and death…For some reason, that only seemed like the tip of the iceberg. No, something else was wrong…and Ryu had known it ever since he met the blonde haired beauty.

'Blonde haired beauty? I've been drinking too much…'

As he leaned against the wall, surveying the others, trying to join in on some conversations even, he realized that, all of a sudden, like a ton of bricks—He couldn't stop thinking about Faust, not for one second. He realized how very little he knew about him…and while no one truly knew anything about Faust and his past…well, maybe he was the one who was meant to. He would try his best…when he worked up the nerve.

At that moment of realization, he hear Jun's voice ring out from the nearby kitchen, through all of the other voices. " Ryu, can you do me a favor? Faust hasn't come out of his room yet—Tell him his dinner is getting cold!"

Ryu felt the blush creep into his cheeks against his will. The power he had seconds ago had disappeared quicker than a plate of onigiri in from of Horo Horo.

He wasn't afraid of Faust…He was afraid of getting closer to him, and maybe, somewhere inside…Afraid of hurting him. He didn't want to become another scar on the doctor's mind.

"Ryu!" He heard Jun's voice snap him out of his reverie.

"All right, All right, I'm going, I'm going!" Ryu said the word's harshly, trying to put on his bad-boy gang exterior as normal, so as not to let the others in on his…small, yet growing, infatuation. He walked, at a slow pace, through the hallways of the house, until he reached the room that held the surgeon. Lizard wasn't with him, luckily, as the spirit was just bound to cause problems, especially around things like this.

'Things like this? Hell, I don't even know what I mean anymore.'

Ryu remembered dinner. 'That's the reason I'm back here. Nothing else.' He readied himself. He imagined Faust could see him through the paper door—If he walked foreword without ducking, he would hit his head on the door frame for sure. ' Faust is tall too…But I'm masculine. He is…more effeminate.'

Ryu shook his head back and forth. 'Where are these thoughts coming from? If Faust knew I just called him a girly man, he would cut me up and use me for experiments!"

And, happy that wasn't the case, Ryu decided to face his newfound fear head on. He whipped the door open.

" Faust! Jun says your dinner—" he trailed off, eyes wide, not having the strength to move, or to speak.

Faust sat, on his knees, in his pants, and his high boots. The thin purple shirt adorned him as well, but it was easily see-through. His doctors coat was thrown carelessly on the bed. Eliza's unanimated body (Skeleton only), lay on the floor in front of him.

Nothing was out of the ordinary.

Except for the tears running down Faust's face.

And, the many jagged scars and wound's covering his arms and back. Wounds that didn't come from any Shaman battles he knew of.

'Oh God…' Faust hadn't noticed his presence, it seemed like. Ryu didn't know what to do.

Ryu didn't know how to help.

But he would find out. If it cost him everything, he would find out.

End Chapter One

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Please Read and Review…I would like to know what you all think so far. I would like to continue, and I will if you all think you would read it!

Thanks for reading!