The clearing was silent, neither party daring to move or make a sound though the desire to question the entirely confusing situation was strong. But then again, who could they ask other than their enemy, Hao, and the now-introduced stranger, Akemi?

Hao himself was still, but the same could not be said about his mind and heart – the latter thought to be lost together with any positive emotions since the gradual disappearance of those he held dear. On one hand, he felt pained that the one before him was not the one he had expected, his heart falling back into pieces again. On the other hand, he berated himself for letting his excitement over the miraculous reappearance of his friend get the better of his sense of judgment and blinding him to certain obvious facts.

Of course, the major one – one of many others – he had overlooked and should clued him in that something was amiss was the other's gender.

However, it wasn't like he could identify it at first glance. Not only was the brunette's body hidden behind a dull grey cloak, his face was not what you could call masculine anyway: a pale slender face, short, messy black hair falling into amethyst eyes (wider compared to boys but not so for girls) with long lashes and lips set in a natural pout.

…Honestly, could you blame a guy for assuming?

"So," Akemi's voice broke into his thoughts, and Hao can't help but think it to be the same lilting quality he had heard so many years ago by a certain stream. "I guess that's it then. If there's nothing else, then I'll just…you know, go."

Hao frowned. He was sure that the soul he had sensed was Ayame's, and yet the vessel it's housed in was not. The brunette was definitely not a descendant, for if that were so then the soul should only retain slight signatures of its ancestor. Akemi's was a perfect copy of Ayame's. A reincarnation, then? More likely – he was born with part of his soul in his twin brother after all so anything's possible – but something about it doesn't feel right….

Akemi lashed out in reflex as the fire shaman suddenly appeared before him. "What the –"

Hao wasn't fazed and merely grabbed the incoming wrist, his grip firm as his eyes narrowed. "Why do you have seals around your soul?" he asked, his eyes swirling with power as he scanned and checked that, yes that was what he was seeing.

The brunette stopped mid-struggle and gave a very intelligent and very much perplexed "Huh?"

A tingle in their minds warned them more than the surge of furyoku coming their way and Hao immediately dodged the attack, not once letting go of Akemi. He looked over his shoulder and at the sight of the smoking gun in Marco's hand.

"Unhand him, Hao or face your judgment a thousand times over." Marco said. This became the cue for the other X-Laws to bring out their own guns as well, Iron Maiden Jeanne in the lead with her Shamash.

"Tsk, how annoying." Hao said. "It looks like we have to take our discussion elsewhere."

"You think I'll let you go free? Shamash, cast your judgment!" The guardian ghost grew in size and unleashed its body cage towards Hao at the same time that the Archangels were fired. The combined attack hit but when the dust and debris cleared, there was no one there.

"He got away!"

"And he took the boy with him!"

"Spread out, we must search for Hao before he taints the boy with his corrupted ideals."

"Yes, Lady Jeanne!"

Meanwhile, Yoh and co. stood at the sidelines as everything was played out before them with stupefied expressions.

"Um, am I the only one who doesn't know what's going on?" Chocolove asked, scratching his head.

"Man, as if the tournament isn't bad enough already. We only just found out that Hao is your older brother and now this? Give us a break already!" HoroHoro said with a whine.

"Baka, it's more like your brain is going to explode from information overload because it's tinier than the average human's." Ren said.

"WHAT! TAKE THAT BACK, YOU SNOBBY LIL' –"

"Boss," Ryu said, barely noticing the bickering going on at his side. "Do you know who that cute kid is? I've never seen him in any of the teams competing in the fight before."

Manta nodded, wringing his hands in worry. "Hao seems to know him too. Do you think he's another one of his followers?"

Yoh hummed thoughtfully. "I don't know…Anna, what's the matter?"

The blonde itako was listening to the whisperings of a spirit beside her, nodding at intervals with a contemplative look on her face. It was only when it left did she give an answer. "That was the scout I sent to investigate the island. It told me that just an hour ago a boat had come to shore with that same boy, Akemi, in it along with a few men. Although too far away to hear what they were saying, it did manage to catch that the boy is from the Kamori clan."

"Kamori clan? I've never heard of them." Yoh said.

"It's no wonder, for they have taken to hiding themselves from the eyes of the world a long time ago for unknown reasons. So why are they sending out their own now after all this time…"

Anna remained silent for a while, and then asked, "Yoh, do you remember what Hao called Akemi when he offered to let him stay at his base?"

The brunette blinked. "Um, I think it was…what was it? Oh right, Aya-chan. Eh heh heh, to tell you the truth, even I thought he was a girl. Why? Does it have anything to do with what is going on?

"It might." Anna turned to head back to the inn they were staying in. "I don't know yet but I'm sure that there's a link between Hao, Akemi, the Kamoris and this Aya-chan."

"…The only way to get any info of the clans is through my family's archives. And the one who has access to it…"

"…Is Yohmei-sama. It looks like I'll be making a house call. In the meantime Yoh, cook dinner."

"Eh?"

Akemi fell to the ground and quickly scrambled up to his feet, taking in his surroundings he was brought to. It was another clearing, but this one had a pond and tiny flowers scattered everywhere. He would have like to admire the picturesque scene a little longer if it wasn't for the figure advancing on him.

Hao stopped just a few feet before the purple-eyed shaman. "The seals, why do you have it and what are their purpose?"

The brunette eyed the other warily. "What is your relationship with the Kamoris?"

"It's not polite to answer a question with a question, didn't your mother teach you that?" Hao said, his pleasant tone a stark contrast to his harsh face.

Akemi grimaced. Whatever pleasantries he was given before was gone now, only to be replaced by what Hao was said to be – calm and ruthless, not to mention impatient and would burn him to a crisp if he didn't give an answer soon. He crossed his arms and looked away. "I don't know."

Hao raised an eyebrow and said, "To which one?"

"To all of it." was the curt reply. Akemi hated it when his non-existent family was mentioned. He didn't have one, and it reminded him of what he was before – lying in a comatose state with only the power of his guardian spirits keeping his body alive, his soul suspended in a limbo with no possession of thought or feeling. Until that moment when he opened his eyes, he did not even know his name, exactly who he was nor how or why he was in that condition. No knowledge, no identity, no nothing. He was nothing.

"How can you not know about the seals? They are practically all over you." Hao said, bringing Akemi back to the situation at hand. "Can you not feel them?"

Akemi hesitated for a moment before he closed his eyes. He briefly checked his body, searching for any oddities he might find. When nothing came up, he asked his guardian spirits. [Yukio, Katsuo, do you know anything about these seals Hao is talking about?]

He could feel them exchanging glances before they replied. / Boss, we…might know something about it. /

/ When you were still in coma, we found what seemed to be multiple seals unlike anything we've ever seen plastered all over your soul. Unfortunately, we couldn't get close enough to investigate. /

/ Thing zapped us like live wire every time we tried. Didn't want to tell you unless we know more but we know it ain't harmful towards you. S'more like it's hiding something. /

[You still should have said something…Wait, then how come you guys saw it and I can't?]

/ Because it disappears every time it senses your furyoku, making them undetectable to you. /

Akemi's eyes fluttered open and nearly step back in shock when he saw how close Hao was. "Er, w-what are you doing?"

The fire shaman merely spared him a glance before looking back down at his chest. The brunette had to fight down the urge to cross his arms over them like how a girl would to cover her…ahem, assets.

/ -snicker- Ain't 'cha feminine enough? /

[Shut up.]

"I'm looking at the seals. It's quite a complicated mix of concealment, binding, and warding spells." Hao said matter-of-factly. "Why would the Kamoris go through all this trouble though? What are they hiding?" he muttered to himself.

Akemi shifted, uncomfortable at the close proximity only to get glared at. "About that…I really don't know anything about it, because they disappear if I tried to search for them. At least, that's what my spirits told me. They also said they couldn't get close either, probably because of the warding spells you mentioned."

Hao stood back up with a frown. "Are you always this ignorant of everything or do you truly have no inkling whatsoever of your clan's intentions for you?"

"Are you always this aggravating or am I just special?" The boy said back in retort, bristling with indignation. "Besides, I've washed my hands off that clan. Whatever their intentions are, I'm no longer a part of it nor do I want to have anything to do with them, ever."

"Really?" said Hao, smirking and the next thing Akemi knew, he was pinned to the ground with his arms above his head in one hand while the other rested disturbingly close to where his heart was. "Then you won't mind if I dispel the seals?"

Whatever protest Akemi was about to say was obliterated as something akin to burning fire coursed through his veins.

Can you hear us?

He thought he might have screamed but was too out of it to know for sure.

Can you remember? The path you've taken…your fate.

His body convulsed, shock after shock of electricity adding to the pain.

Listen for us, speak to us, we are here, help us –

Oh god, oh god, it hurts, it hurts! Please stop, please, please, please, it really hurts, hurts so much, hurt –

"I said it hurts, god damn it!" Hao was unprepared for the kick to his gut and flew across the clearing. Akemi slowly got up, sweaty and numb all over and just feeling like he was too tight in his own skin.

/ Waka (Young Master), are you alright? / / Shit, ya alright? Let me at that bastard – /

The brunette didn't get a chance to reassure them. A giant shadow fell over him and he quickly rolled away before a humongous claw came crashing down, sending clomps of dirt and grass everywhere. He stared at the spot where he had been minutes before and snapped his head around to where Hao was dusting himself off.

"Are you crazy?"

The long-haired shaman shrugged. "Maybe, but you," he growled, irritated at being caught off guard for the second time that day, though inwardly was impressed by the boy's strength. "You shouldn't have punched me."

Akemi gave a scowl. "I told you that it hurts, but did you listen? No, Mr. Ego here decides he's too good to even use his ears and listen because he's always right which, surprise surprise, he is not!"

The air around them began to grow thick and heavy, crackling with power. If it were any shaman, they would have fallen to the ground at the sheer pressure. The brunette, however, stood his ground as he watched Hao's long hair began to rise and whip from side to side from an unforeseen wind. He knew he was asking for it when he made a crack at Hao but for some unexplainable reason, he didn't feel frighten, not even when the Spirit of Fire gave a mighty roar in preparation of an attack.

That doesn't change the fact that he's probably going to die for it, of course.

Without thinking about what he's doing, he ran towards the fire shaman – seeing deep, silvery-brown eyes go wide in shock – and tackled him to the ground. They scuffled, wrestling over the other to be at the advantageous top position, giving punches and kicks, furyoku being thrown left and right only to be nullified. Rolling around in the grass as they are, they didn't realize where they're heading until it was too late –

"Ack!"

And both fell into the pond with a splash. Startled, Akemi pushed away from Hao and resurfaced with a gasp for breath. Hao followed minutes after, swimming towards the shore just as the other boy got to it and flopped down on his back, panting. Neither said anything: one being busy squeezing water from his hair and poncho while the other watched the sky, his breaths now even.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

The soft words didn't register in Akemi's mind at first. When it did, he turned his head and stare at Hao who gaze back just as evenly. He eventually turned away with a huff. "…I'm not. I don't know why, before you ask, I just don't. I can't explain it."

Hao sniffed. "There's sure quite a lot of things you don't know about."

The brunette shrugged, covering his eyes with his arm. "I've only known what other people want me to know. So I decided it's high time I searched the answers I needed myself."

"Wouldn't my dispelling the seals for you help you give you one at least?" Hao smirked. "In any case, you did say you don't want to have anything to do with the Kamoris and the seals are a part of their doing."

"What part of 'myself' don't you get? And that doesn't mean I gave you the go to electrocute me, you – you jerk-ass!" Akemi shouted, sitting up and running his fingers through his still-wet hair. After a moment he said, "Hao, you didn't answer my question. Do you personally know the Kamoris?"

The fire shaman didn't answer. He snapped his fingers and a huge fire appeared, hovering between them. Akemi could already feel his clothes and hair drying from the heat. Thinking Hao wouldn't answer, he was therefore surprised when he said, "Not really, I've only heard of them through someone else from the same clan a long time ago."

Hao doesn't know why he bothered to give an answer. He usually doesn't have to. But then again, he usually just kill any person who slighted him and here was the other, alive and still insulting him. He tells himself that the only reason this was so was because he wanted answers but a part of him knew that that wasn't it. The boy reminded him too much of his friend and killing him would seem like killing her like he did with Ohachiyo which didn't sit well with him. Besides, this person who possessed no fear towards him and to which his reishi has no effect on was really a refreshing break after so many years.

Shaking his head, he continued. "Have you come across a Kamori Ayame?"

"…The Aya-chan you were talking about earlier and referring to just now right? Hmm, let me see…if I remember correctly you were first in the Heian period so..." Akemi tilted his head. "Nope, and I should know. The Kamoris made me remember every part of their boring history repeatedly and I have never come across any Ayame –"

"Oops, forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ayame. Kamori Ayame."

Akemi clutched his head and groaned. Whose voice was that? And the voices before too, when Hao was trying to unravel the seals…He could feel Yukio's and Katsuo's restlessness, worried for their master and confused by what's happening.

"Is something the matter?" Hao asked his eyebrow raise at the other's slumped form.

Akemi shook his head absently. "I'm fine. It's nothing, Douji."

The fire shaman froze, narrowing his eyes until they're practically boring into him, not sure whether he heard right. "What…did you just call me?"

The brunette looked up, perplexed by the other's strange tone. "Huh? I said Hao right?"

"No, you just called me Douji."

"Oh," Akemi stood up not thinking too much on the shaman's reaction, ruffling his hair into a semi-neat state. "Sorry, must be a slip of the tongue."

"I see…"

"Well, it was nice chatting with you and all but I'll be going now." He waved and was about to make his way to where he could see a trail began when a gloved hand stopped him. He sighed. "What now, Hao? I don't know anymore about the Kamoris than you might already know."

"On the contrary," Hao said, turning him around and holding him still by the shoulders, smirking. "I still believe you are the key to my questions, and you are coming with me."

Akemi frowned, his eyes flashing. "And what makes you think I'll do as you say?"

The smirk changed into an indulgent smile, like one an adult would give to a child who said something nonsensical. "Isn't it every shaman's dream to obtain the powers and knowledge of the Great Spirit? If you join me, I can guarantee that any questions you have will be answered, for I will be the Shaman King."

Amethyst eyes looked into fathomless brown for a moment, face blank. Then he gave Hao a beatific smile, one which stunned Hao for a minute for really, nobody smiled at him like that for thousands of years; at least one that's untainted by fear, lust, jealousy or greed. "I must say, that sure does sound tempting, but…"

Hao's saw the movement and leaped back to avoid the kick, letting go of the other in the process. "Don't presume you know anything of what I want! I don't need yours or anyone's help with what I'm after." Akemi said sinking into his own shadow like it was quicksand just as Hao lunged at him. "Bye, hope that we won't cross paths again~"

The fire shaman reached out but only closed on thin air, the brunette having disappeared into the black portal with a plop. He remained crouched where he landed, hair falling unheeded over his face and onto the ground. Then he chuckled, which soon morphed into full-blown laughter, the sound scaring the birds from their perch and into the air.

"That's where you're wrong, Akemi, that's where you're wrong…"

Thank you for your patience! I hope you enjoy it ^^ If there's some inconsistency just let me know, I tend to go on autopilot and write what comes to mind, eh heh heh...