"Ah...!"

The door opened up slowly, as though it possessed deliberation in itself. Yoh pulled his hand back quickly, turning to Anna.

His wife was looking on expectantly at the hallway that stretched before them. She knew that the palace had more mysteries and dire risks than Yoh had ever fathomed in his life. Wait, where was Yoh...?

"Come on, Anna!" He waved his hand to her from the corridor, beckoning like a small child.

Yet there he is, just stepping forward without a care.

Heaving something between a laugh and a sigh, Anna set foot inside.

In another country...

"...yeah, I noticed that right away."

"You will notice even more similarities as time goes on, I'm sure."

"Eh. No matter what, he doesn't have half the ability to pull through with this. He's just a little kid."

"Oh-hoh, you'd be surprised. The little master has unnatural courage and strength."

"That's why he fell off of your truck...?" The sound of pouring water and steam sizzling up into the air permeated the room.

"I don't really mean THAT kind of strength and you know it!"

"OI OI, no need to get so hostile!!"

"..." Ryu glanced down. "I just can't say that I know you much anymore. You should not act so familiar."

While it was silent, Hana tried to open his big, almond brown eyes. However, the red, swollen lids kept them from being exposed fully to his surroundings.

"I'm going to go out and get some fresh air."

"You do that, Ryu," the man's voice said. Audibly smiling, he added, "Out here, you have no idea what good some nice, unpolluted air will do."

The sham of a door squeaked loudly as it shut.

"Aw man, I think it got a little too hot..." The man left behind scratched his head as he put out the fire underneath the burner.

Lifting the kettle, he decanted the boiling water onto a soft washcloth.

"AAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!" The grown man screamed like a girl.

Hana's eyebrows came together in curiosity. What in the world happened? He wanted to see!!

"FOO FOO FOO FOO!!!" Blowing maniacally onto his palm, the man wiped his tears with the back of his other hand. Flopping onto the floor, he called, "Kororo...?"

"Kkuru," came a small voice. Hana had the feeling that Kororo was not a human...perhaps a spirit?

A gasp came to him. This man, living out in the middle of nowhere, must be a shaman!

While Hana could not see but hazy outlines, he listened intently and kept his lips sealed tightly.

"Ah, my Kororo," the man smiled. "My little Koropokkur." It seemed that her very presence calmed him.

"Kurukuu!"

After laughing softly, the husky but gentle voice sweetly asked her favor. "Kororo, I want you to cool my hand."

A light, tinny sound oversprinkled through the air, and the man's hand was brought back to its pale, fleshy Ainu color. The redness further disappated as Kororo continued to puff air onto his hand, and he looked over at a spot on the floor. There lay the washcloth he dropped at the instant that pain shot through his sensitive palm.

"It's all better now, Kororo. Thank you."

The little spirit arose to lightly peck his cheek, cold little lips making him smile. Then, the spirit settled next to him on the hardwood floor.

The owner of the house left her there, rising up with the washcloth in hand. His footsteps were nearing Hana where he rested.

"Hm." The washcloth, wet and warm, was lowered on top of Hana's tumescent eyes. Hana's soft little cheeks twitched along as he simpered. He knew that he would soon be able to open his eyes because of the soothing warm water.

The poor boy's face was bruised here, bumpy there, and yet he retained an inexplicably precious mien. His flaxen, bright yellow hair was glossed with sparse sunlight. Strangely, the light seemed to be drawn to him. There were very few windows, but what little light there was poking here and there in spots throughout the dingy room largely touched him.

Hana fidgeted a little at suddenly being left alone. Blinking hard, he couldn't stand it anymore and touched the small towel with his dirty child's hands. The dampened cloth was ripped off of his eyes and he sat up abruptly.

Looking around, his mouth drooped a little in curiosity. The place was a...complete shack! It was obviously well-constructed, but for the smart build it was still unrefined. The wood that made up its entire frame was completely unpolished, and there were even fungi and leaves that were not separated from the horizontally-stacked tree trunks that made up some parts of the...house(?). A spot about three meters away from the bed Hana lay in (which was attached to the wall and was made to collapse when not in use) was dug out as a pit, which was full of black dirt and woodchips. A kettle rested on a crude iron grid above the charred contents in the pit—the fireplace, which was really more of an indoor campfire than anything. There was an intricately carved countertop that extended from the opposite wall of the house, and a couple plush objects made of animal furs were some seats for guests. The whole environment screamed, "Come on in! Make yourselves comfortable, and don't mind the bugs!

"They're guests too."

Well, that was the humble abode. And it was all no more than a single room.

Hana's pupils tried to welcome in as much light as possible by dilating. His eyes eventually started to water from the strain, so he wiped them once more with the warm towel. Looking through the dimness afterwards for the strange shaman whose voice he heard, his eyes settled on the little spirit he had been conversing with earlier.

She was even smaller than Matamune—no more than fifteen centimeters! And oh, was she petite. She resembled a little doll that Hana had once seen in his mother's room (before she shoved him out and yelled at him). Her cheeks were dotted with pink blush, and she had humongous eyes that peeked out from under blunt, brown hair. She was clothed in a small little pink gown that was covered in confusing angular patterns. Her feet were big like a bunny's—proportionally ample, but still cute. And they had matching little pink slippers to complete her ensemble! Perhaps most peculiarly, she clutched a large leaf in her tiny, mittenlike hands.

Well, while doll-like, she definitely was never human. She almost undetectably, unnaturally cooed, and had a pure peace about her.

Where's the guy who was talking to her? Hana wondered.

"Oi, awake, aren't you?" The man, shielded by a shadow, asked him.

"Huh?..." Hana looked even harder. A tighter squint did nothing, but no matter. The figure came out into a patch of sunlight leaking intensely through the roof.

He was tall and lithely built, clothed in all grass-stained clothing except for the brilliant black dress robe reaching to his feet. It had blue, square-patterned trim down its length and around the long sleeves' edges. His feet were scratched and bare, and like his home would suggest, he looked like he needed a bit of cleaning. He had profound black eyes that were bordered at the top by thick, manly eyebrows and shaggy blue bangs. The mass of hair that the bangs hung from was unruly, uneven, and chin-length. It had the color quality of a robin's eggs. The end of his chin, while brushed by his unkempt mane, had a small growth of its own facial hair that came in black. It started as sideburns, speckled the top of his lips, and gathered at the tip of his chin in a modest beard. His mouth was well-shaped and soft, and in sharp contrast with his rough demeanor, he smiled most handsomely.

Upon the sight of this grizzly, five-foot-eleven shaman, Hana was more than a little surprised at the hands he had been left in. But this boy was never easily intimidated.

"Um, where's Ryu, mister?" Hana asked spiritedly.

"Ah, he went outside. He's probably having a smoke, wondering how to deal with this whole situation," the man said commonly, as though he had known Hana for years. His attitude of familiarity estranged himself even further from the boy on his bed, and Hana therefore felt compelled to find out more about the man.

"What's your name?"

"Horokeu Usui."

"Horokeu...?"

"Don't call me that."

Hana scooted off of the bed and crossed his legs on top of each other. "Then what should I call you?"

"Horohoro. But you don't have to talk to me."

"But I want to! My dad talked to me about you, you know. And how when you first met him, you fought with a snowboard!"

I got rid of that thing years ago.

"I know that you know my parents and you fought in the Shaman Tournament seven years ago!"

Horohoro looked down, suddenly deep in thought. "Why is any of that important? It's not like it did any good."

"It's awesome," Hana said with enthusiasm. Horohoro's sudden glumness was contagious, though. Hana's mouth dropped considerably and his eyes grew solemn. He was going to be taken seriously; he wasn't just some annoying kid.

"You know what? I really don't like annoying kids," Horohoro stated. The words fell like a lead brick.

Hana got up and clenched his fists. "I'm not annoying! And why won't you talk to me? Talk to me about something that matters! I know that Ryu must have talked to you about why we're here!"

A smirk crawled across Horohoro's face. "I know why you're here. And it's not going to work."

Hana, appalled, tilted his head. "Huh...? How do you know?"

"Because," Horohoro sighed. "You are only human. Even together, people have a hard time figuring out how to go about doing anything. Heh, and on top of that, you're just a kid!"

"I can so accomplish whatever I want! This is important!" Hana grit his teeth and took a couple quick steps forward. "It doesn't matter how small I am! And I think humans can accomplish a whole lot! Besides," —he rested his hand on his Futsu no Mitama— "I'll have other Warriors beside me. Or, um, at least beside my dad AND me."

Horohoro shook his head. "You just really have no idea how difficult your task is, do you?"

"I've already released one of the Legendary Warriors."

The man's eyes narrowed a little, but only slightly. It seemed that he could not quite perfectly mask his emotions. Or perhaps Hana was just unbelievably perceptive. "Sou ka."

"Yeah, it's true." Hana loosened up a little; he walked closer to Horohoro and sat down. Perhaps he was actually connecting with one of the Legendary Warriors! "And you know what? It won't be so hard with you helping me."

Trying to bring at least one smile into the dusky room backfired. Horohoro turned away completely from the boy.

He's one of the more innocent of people.

Full of promise and hope.

But that doesn't change anything.

There was nothing said. The eerie quiet made Hana feel very uncomfortable. He was becoming unsure in the silence, and as many children do when they are ignored, he contemplated some random bit to say as his hands felt around in his pockets. His right felt the crisp, rough edges of the Futsu no Mitama.

Dad, I'm doing it. I'm helping you in a way you probably never even thought that I could.

Just watch me.

"I'm not joining in, kid," As if on cue, the breeze in the drafty house fell dead at Horohoro's voice.

"..." Hana's eyes, swelling immensely down, were now well enough to grow incredibly wide. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Hana impulsively got up and faced him, stepping on the black robe Horohoro was adorned with.

There was an unexpected crack from under Hana's foot.

Hana immediately looked down, puzzled, when Horohoro got up, whipped around and yanked the garb from under the small boy's bare feet. Hana hit the wooden floor hard.

"Aaaghh!"

"Kururuku!!" Horohoro's spirit came over to Hana, her eyes full of worry.

"Do you..." Horohoro fumbled through the long dress. "...have any idea what you have done...? You...little..."

Hana looked up from his position on the floor. It just wasn't his day.

Horohoro pulled something out from under his cloak. It was a small, white stick; simply (but beautifully) carved.

And it seemed that it was just recently snapped into two pieces.

"KONO YAROU GA—!!!!" Horohoro's teeth gnashed together and he hurled the stick toward Hana, and it spilt into even more pieces when it ricocheted off of the floor.

"Kuruuu—!" Kororo cried and tugged at Hana's overall strap, desperately trying to help him up, but she decided to flee out the door.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS—IT IS—SO IM..." Horohoro's eyebrows came together in disbelief and he fell to the floor in a slumped position, his black cloak billowing, engulfing him. "So im...so import..."

He began to close his eyes repeatedly as they watered. Hana, in shock but not really hurt anymore than when he crashed into the truck, looked over and desperately tried to understand.

"BAAAN!" Horohoro hit his head on the ground, his ungroomed head of hair covering his features entirely.

They can't do anything right...

We can't do anything right...

"Kono hito..." Hana whispered to himself. This man...is nuts!!

"Hana-san!!!" Matamune called, whisking through the doorway with a scared expression on his face. "I heard it getting very loud!"

"Matamune! I didn't mean to do anything!"

"Quick, Hana-san, we're getting in the truck!"

"What?! But HEY—!"

Before he knew it, he was out the door with his mochirei. Ryu had just slammed the driver's side door and started up the truck.

"Bocchan!! Come on in!!"

"Ah, but, wait, what???" Hana was completely flustered as the truck sped off, Matamune perched on the roof of the vehicle and Hana safely in the passenger seat. Questions swam in his head.

"I am so, so sorry, Little Master!" Ryu apologized, wind whipping through the open window as they accelerated. Hana was looking over through the back window at Horohoro's shelter as it got smaller and smaller.

They sped up as they slowly cleared the seemingly endless fields of peculiar, wide leaves across the ground. Hana had not realized just how beautiful and expansive these leaves were when he was hanging on to the back of the truck for dear life a couple hours prior.

Trying to bring Hana to conversation, Ryu explained, "Hana...I thought that you could definitely get to talking to Horohoro and convince him to free himself up. So, I just had a smoke or two and got to fixing the ding that your head put in my truck!" Ryu chuckled. "My god, I had no idea that your head was so thick!"

"Ryu!! What the heck was with Horohoro?" Hana asked him abruptly. There was so much that went on; so much that needed explaining.

"It will take a lot to explain," Ryu told him. "More than I can tell you. All I know is that after the a visit to his native Hokkaido, Horohoro became harder and harder to contact...It's definitely a puzzle how to get him thinking clearly again. But Hana?"

"Yeah?" Hana asked.

"He's a real good dude." Ryu looked to the road as he made a right turn.

"He..." Hana looked down, his lips pouted out in sadness. "He disappointed me a little bit. My dad described him way differently. He even told me about how much he liked to come over and play with me when I was a baby."

"Hana..." Ryu looked at him. "Don't worry. I figured that this would be a problem. You didn't do anything wrong."

"..." Hana couldn't bring himself to mention the broken stick.

"Where are we going now, Ossan?" He noticed that they were going further in the same direction rather than back home.

"We, my little friend, are going to a lady's house." Ryu smiled.

"WHAT—?!" Hana made a face. "NO WAY! What is your problem? Gotta visit every girl you think about?!"

"It's not what it seems, Hana-san," Matamune, book in hand, informed him as he popped into view. He was upside down, peering in from the roof.

"This woman will give us a lot that we need to know," Ryu added with a nod. "Horohoro will be a lot easier for you to understand after this, okay? And then, I'm sure that our task will be a lot easier to handle."

Hana sleepily yawned. "...Nn..." His head fell to rest on his seatbelt. Rides in Ryu's truck could be life-threatening, but when Hana was in the passenger seat, he was absolutely lulled. "I...guess...that sounds good."

He settled into slumber for the rest of the drive.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTOP

AUTHOR NOTE TIME!!

Well, I am very glad that you are reading this. It just struck me how epic this is going to turn out...XD There is way too much to think about...

Well, one chapter at a time!

And by the way, I absolutely LOVE my reviewers. Thank you so much! Please, everyone, it doesn't matter what you have to say (though I would appreciate nice things...remember, good karma, people!!). Tell me what you think. It's so awesome to get inspiration from people who read my stuff (you crazyfolk...I didn't know anybody would actually like this...)!

Being that this part of the story is finally here and it is so long, I'm really motivated. I just hope that no one is ticked off at me for how Horo is here...

I am sorry :(

BUT NO WORRIES!! In two chapters, all will be told. Promise.

Besides, I love Horohoro as a character. He's just been through a lot in the last four years...

Four is the Japanese unlucky number, you know.

Until next time, which will not be long,

Goodbye.

Rambling terribly,

SS