Prelude

The wind rustled through the woods in an abnormal pattern, stirring the hardened leaves and broken branches in random configurations through the air. This new speed was deeply cumbersome to Pirika, who previously left her jacket behind and was now reconsidering her decision. Ren had been walking beside her for several minutes and she held his hand tightly in hers and shivered. He didn't seem to notice the display and continued his trek in silence, crumpling the leaves underneath his feet.

"It's cold out here," she said finally, staring at him briefly and pulling him closer.

When he didn't respond she frowned and darted her eyes to the ground.

"What's wrong with you, Ren?" She asked with deep concern.

"Nothing," he replied quickly without looking at her.

"You seem...different," she sighed, "Why are you so quiet?"

"There's nothing to talk about," he mumbled.

She wanted to say more but couldn't find the words for some reason. He stared blankly ahead as the silent walking continued, and she watched the trees aimlessly.

Tamao and Horo had been walking behind them for some time but were now far away due to their slower pace. Tamao was suddenly uncomfortable with the silence coupled with the vigorous activity from the wind. She folded her arms over her chest and sighed audibly, and when he stopped abruptly she frowned.

"Not now," she mumbled.

"I want to talk about this," Horo said angrily, ignoring her comment.

"Horo," she sighed, "There's really nothing to talk about. It's...nothing."

"I'm not stupid, Tamao," he spat, "Tell me what happened."

"Noting happened," she groaned.

"You suck at lying," he frowned, "Tell me right now."

"We should be looking for Yoh," Tamao replied in an irritated tone, "We're wasting time."

As she attempted to walk away from him he grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her toward him roughly. She tried to free herself from his grasp but he was too strong for her and she sighed.

"Let go of me, Horo," she said weakly, "Stop this."

"We're not leaving this spot until you tell me what happened," he growled, "I didn't knock his teeth out because you begged me not to. I didn't tell Pirika about seeing him because you begged me not to. I want answers and I want them now. And if you don't give them to me we'll go up there and see what my sister thinks about all of this...and then I get to beat the crap out of him."

"Fine!" She whispered quickly, "Stop it. Just...stop it, okay?"

"Spill it," he groaned.

"We had a fight..." she started.

"You do realize you're insane, right?" He asked her with great disdain and sarcasm.

She turned around very slowly, sightly startled by the sound of his voice, and frowned, "What?"

"You have to be insane. You can't really be this stupid," he continued.

Tamao's eyes narrowed once he was in focus and she folded her arms over her chest, "What are you talking about, Ren?"

"Do you really think Yoh vomiting his blood is normal? I'll let you in on a secret, Tamao: IT'S NOT NORMAL."

"What do you want?" She sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"You're pathetic, Tamao," he snarled, ignoring her question, "Do you really think trying to kill him will get him to love you?"

"...WHAT?"

"Pathetic and desperate. He doesn't love you and he never will, yet you keep hanging on to him in hopes that he'll change his mind. This training is stupid, and you know it. But you think somewhere in your tiny brain that if you work him to death he'll appreciate your time and love you," Ren stared at her angrily and took a few steps closer before continuing, "You accepted becoming his fiancé because you knew that was the closest you'll ever get to being his lover...and he still doesn't notice you. You claim to be his friend, but you're only a parasite feeding on his kindness and vulnerability. I hate desperate women."

"I am not desperate or pathetic," she replied angrily, "How dare you! I have no schemes, Ren. I'm training him because he needs to be trained. I accepted being his fiancé because he chose me and wanted me to. I'm helping him because I'M HIS FRIEND. You don't even know what it means to be a friend. You call yourself his friend, but you let him look like a fool because you'd rather be loyal to Anna? What kind of a friend is that?"

"Once again you don't know what you're talking about," he groaned.

"You covered for her. For MONTHS. Who does that? You knew she was hurting him. You knew she was with Hao. You KNEW EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON...but you just looked the other way. You're no friend. You're a coward."

"I'm the coward?" He growled.

"Yes!" She screamed, "You came in here to ridicule me...to try and make me feel bad about myself, but I don't. I don't regret anything I've done because I know I've done these things to help him not hurt him. You should have told him, Ren. You should have said something."

"Yes, yes I know you would have told him immediately. They would have parted ways much sooner and he would be indebted to you, right?" He snarled, "It was more complicated than that. But you hated Anna so much...you're happy she's gone aren't you? You couldn't wait for her to leave. You have what you want now, but somehow that doesn't satisfy you..."

"You bastard!" She yelled, interrupting him, "Anna was my friend! I loved her. She didn't just betray him: she betrayed all of us. And when she left...she left all of us. She left me! I will never forgive her for what she's done to him. I'll never forgive her for walking away! But not because of Yoh. It's because of Hao! I...I don't have to explain myself to you. I don't owe you anything, Ren."

"So you're trying to convince yourself you liked her?" He asked coldly.

She slapped him hard in the face suddenly, sending crippling pain momentarily through his entire body. Ren stared at her in partial shock as she pointed one of her fingers at him.

"You think you're so perfect," she growled, "You sit on this throne looking down on everyone...thinking you're better than everyone. You think you know everything, and most of the time you know nothing. You don't know me, Ren. You know nothing about me. You're such a jerk...I don't even know if you can see it. No one likes you except for Pirika, but that's because she's blinded by your shiny hair..."

He tilted his head slightly but she ignored it.

"I don't know why he thinks you're his friend. I don't know why he likes you. The only reason you're here is because of Yoh. I hate you, and I wish you would just go away..."

He interrupted her train of thought and her words when he pressed his lips against hers. She slapped him instinctively and took a step back.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

He stared at her with entranced eyes and didn't answer. After brief seconds of uncomfortable silence she reacted without thought, approaching him quickly and returning his kiss aggressively. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly but released her quickly and pushed her back roughly. She fell onto the bed and sat upright briefly before falling onto her back, kicking him in the leg as he approached. He kissed her vigorously again and ripped her shirt open, causing the buttons to ricochet against the wall and bounce across the floor. She removed his shirt with greater care, but then he pushed her shoulders back against the bed, partially restraining her movements. When he bit her randomly she slapped him and then allowed him to kiss her neck. She unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans very slowly and hesitantly, but once they were open he pulled them violently from her body, revealing beautiful black lace panties that matched her seductive bra. Much to her surprise he didn't pause as he slid his fingers underneath the fabric and brushed her bare skin, and she gasped when he ripped the seam open..."

"Stop," Horo said abruptly waving his hand, "Don't tell me any more."

"I didn't want to tell you because..." she replied.

"Shut up for a minute," he interrupted with his eyes closed.

Tamao stared at the ground worriedly as they stood in silence. Horo didn't move and his eyes remained closed, but she noticed his hands were balled into tight fists at his sides. She waited a few more seconds, but the silence was suddenly unbearable and she interrupted.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you," she whispered.

Horo didn't speak so she continued.

"This is a terrible situation; I know that," she sighed nervously, "You don't have to tell me it was stupid. It's the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life. But..." She hesitated as her eyes began to fill with tears, "You can't tell her. I know you want to, but you can't. You'll break her heart for no reason. This isn't a good time. Okay...but just wait until everything with Yoh settles down. There's too much going on right now. "

He opened his eyes slowly and glared at her but didn't respond.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed, "I'm so sorry. I don't have any excuses. Please...please don't hate me."

"TAMAO!!" Pirika screamed suddenly, breaking her concentration, "It's Yoh!"

"They found him," she said softly as she stared into his eyes with slight desperation, "We should probably..."

He walked away from her before she could finish her statement and she followed after brief hesitation.

When Horo and Tamao reached Pirika and Ren they were standing in a clearing in silence. Pirika held one of her hands over her mouth and stared wide eyed at the ground. Ren stared blankly ahead and buried his hands in his pockets. Yoh was in front of them, but no one was moving or talking.

"What's wrong?" Tamao asked before standing beside Pirika.

She noticed then that Yoh was lying on the ground in front of a tree curled into a tight ball. His hair hid his facial features and one of his arms was sprawled out in front of him. It was certain that he was breathing; they could see the inflating and collapsing of his chest and stomach, but he didn't move.

"Yoh?" Horo called softly, "Can you hear me?"

Yoh mumbled something inaudible but remained in his position.

"Can I talk to him alone?" Pirika asked suddenly.

"What?" Ren replied with a frown.

"No, that's not a good idea," Horo said quickly.

"Please? If something happens, I'll call you. Just stand over there," she pointed.

Tamao walked away slowly as if acknowledging her request, and Ren reluctantly followed. Horo suddenly resented the fact that they were walking away together and decided to follow. Pirika watched until they were far enough away to not be heard and then she knelt in front of Yoh on the ground.

"Yoh?" She said sadly placing her hand over his, "If you can hear me squeeze my hand."

He squeezed her hand gently and then placed his other hand over hers. She held her breath for a few seconds as he slowly sat upright, folding his legs underneath him and stared into his lap.

"What's wrong, Yoh?" She asked without releasing his hand.

"I don't know," he said weakly.

"How did you get here?"

"I don't know."

She frowned at his responses and released his hand briefly to move a few strands of his hair away from his face. He didn't resist her and allowed her to place the palm of her hand against his cheek.

"You don't remember?" She asked softly.

"...No."

"Do you remember the fight you had with Tamao?" She asked worriedly.

"No...yeah...yes," he rambled.

"You do?"

"No."

"Did you go to the market today?"

"I...don't know."

"Yoh," she sighed, "Something is wrong. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm very worried about you. I think you've lost some of your memories."

He looked into her eyes but didn't speak so she continued.

"I want to help you. If you can tell me how...I'll help you in any way I can. I'm your friend. I love you. I want you to be okay. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

His left eye twitched slightly as she spoke but she ignored it.

"I miss you. I miss the kind, loving, caring Yoh. I miss you being lazy and funny and carefree. You used to be so calm. You used to be so happy..." She hesitated as her eyes began to fill with tears.

Yoh continued staring at her in silence, and his eye twitching was more noticeable now.

"Come back to me. Come back to us. We miss you, Yoh. We love you. We..."

He rushed her suddenly, wrapping his hands tightly around her neck and forcing her to the ground. She hit his arms frantically with her fists but she couldn't fight back very well. His strength was unimaginable and she panicked.

"I can't breathe!" She whispered fearfully, "Please...I can't breathe!"

He tightened his grip on her neck as the color in her face grew red. She looked away and held his wrists with her hands, kicking her feet frantically beneath him. Yoh saw the others running toward him but didn't move from his position and squeezed tighter.

"Yoh, stop!" Tamao pleaded. Ren and Horo approached as well with looks of shock and fear.

"Let go of her, Yoh! What are you doing?" Horo yelled.

"Please," she struggled, "I can't...breathe..I can't..."

Horo and Ren were finally close enough to attack him but were abruptly stopped by a severe gust of wind that slammed them mercilessly against nearby trees.

"No," Tamao whispered.

"What the hell?" Horo groaned as he stood on his feet.

Ren didn't speak and they ran toward him again, this time at different angles. Horo ran for him head on and Ren from the side. Tamao closed her eyes and clutched her chest with her hand as if waiting for the inevitable. The wind pushed them back again except this time with more force, and small pebbles hit them randomly.

"WHAT?!" Horo screamed.

"It's Yoh," Tamao said sadly, "He's doing that."

Ren stared at her but seemed to be at a loss for words. Horo slapped his forehead with his hand and growled.

"He's gonna kill her!" Horo screamed, "I have to stop him!"

"Wait," Ren said slowly, "What do you mean, Tamao?"

"He's controlling the wind. You won't get to her," she said sadly.

They watched Yoh in silence with looks of bewilderment, horror and hopelessness. Pirika was no longer kicking her legs and seemed to be losing consciousness since she was no longer struggling to speak. He held her neck tighter as if her current condition was unsatisfactory, and appeared to be talking to her.

"Yoh, please let her go," Tamao pleaded softly, "This isn't her fault. It's my fault. You're mad at me; not her."

He didn't respond so she tried again.

"Please, Yoh. If you're angry you should take it out on me. I deserve it."

"Don't tell him that!" Ren whispered.

"Please. Let her go. I know you can hear me, Yoh," Tamao continued, ignoring him.

Yoh released his hands from her neck and waited for her to begin gasping for air before punching her repeatedly in the face.

"Stop it!" Horo screamed, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Stop," Tamao said sternly, grabbing his arm, "Don't yell at him. It'll make things worse."

"Do you not see what he's doing?" Horo replied angrily, "He's trying to kill her!"

"Yoh," she continued, "Please stop. I'm sorry I made you so angry. I'm sorry for everything. But we can fix this."

"Just let her go," Ren added.

The punching stopped and he stared into her emerald eyes with great wrath. She wasn't looking at him, but her eyes were filled with tears, and she seemed to be struggling to stay awake.

"Stop crying," he said coldly as he grabbed a thick lock of her hair and slammed the back of her head against the ground.

Horo held his face in his hands without speaking and fell to his knees.

"Yoh, look at me," Tamao pleaded, "Please, look at me."

He barely raised his head enough to glare at her and noticed she was stepping closer. The wind did not restrict her movements and she knelt beside him slowly.

"Get off of her, Yoh," she said slowly, "You're going to kill her."

He stared at her in confusion as if he didn't understand her statement.

"Stop, Yoh. Stop this," she whispered.

Yoh crawled away from Pirika abruptly and continued staring at Tamao in confusion. Horo and Ren approached them quickly without speaking, and Horo lifted his sister delicately into his arms and held her close to his chest.

"You did the right thing, Yoh," Tamao said softly with a warm smile.

"What are you talking about?" Yoh replied weakly.