Horokeu Usui, or HoroHoro to most, never imagined gaining friends during the Shaman Fight.
He was told numerous times by his old man that the tournament was going to be cruel, brutal, and lonely. He was not to trust someone because that would leave him open for betrayal, and he was not meant to create bonds. After all, this fight served to crown its victor the power of creation and destruction, to herald the world's newest god once its conclusion passed. It was only anticipated that the Shaman Fight brought the worst in its participants, that it turned even the kindest souls to depravity only with its promise of uncontained power to the winner.
The Shaman Fight was a breeding spot for corruption.
At the beginning, HoroHoro fought with that mindset. He knew what it felt to have someone's undying trust only for it to be betrayed. He knew the consequences of turning his back to someone who needed him most. He knew, and he didn't want to have those same regrets all over again.
Thus, he steeled his heart and conditioned himself to fight, come what may. He had trained himself to the bones for this one opportunity. He was willing to conquer. He was ready to win.
He was Asakura Yoh's first opponent.
At an initial glance, there was nothing special about Yoh. He was the same age as HoroHoro, and he looked like a fool wearing his stupid uniform in the middle of the night. HoroHoro made the mistake, however, of mentioning this which earned him a painful smack to the jaw by Yoh's lovely fiancée. That alone served like another slap to his face. A kid his age, and already engaged? Preposterous! Also kind of a shocker especially since Yoh didn't look anything spectacular. Even his furyoku wasn't that strong. Was it something else then? Were they childhood friends? Was it love at first sight? Was he a rich kid, using his influence to attract pretty girls like Anna to his harem?!
The jerk! He needs a good kick to the ass and HoroHoro was the perfect candidate. He was fired up!
Their fight was fierce, with each participant going all in just to bag their first victory. HoroHoro was even pushed to the corner, resulting in him pulling his best move on Yoh. He thought the avalanche of snow would have knocked his opponent out. Instead, Yoh countered with his own brand of defense that left HoroHoro's jaw hanging. He didn't even realize that he had let go of his spirit unity, until Yoh pointed it out. The blue-haired Ainu was quick to accept his defeat though. There would be plenty more chances to get his pride back, he thought. He would have to improve more.
Then he would beat Asakura Yoh in a rematch.
Then, wonders of wonders, Yoh extended a hand to help him up. Then Yoh extended an invitation to have dinner at his own home, even a room for HoroHoro to stay for the night. After that, Yoh extended his friendship, one that HoroHoro willingly accepted and even returned tenfold. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Now it was easy as peach being Yoh's friend.
The guy was easygoing. Perhaps, a little too much. But his heart was in the right place, and HoroHoro appreciated that while Yoh may look laidback at first glance, there was a secret beyond his smiles and his laughs. In a way, HoroHoro was the same. There were so many layers to him too - too many to uncover, too many that he has yet to even realize. So HoroHoro respected the boundaries Yoh set, even as they remained thick as thieves as the tournament progressed. Perhaps one day Yoh would share his story. And perhaps, he would too. But for now, their friendship was as unique as it went, born from trust between warriors in a world full of strife. They had their ups; they had their downs. Yet, HoroHoro knew that, when push came to a shove, Yoh would have his back always.
With that conclusion, it was safe to say that the scene before him felt like a stab to the ego.
Team the Ren versus Team Funbari no Onsen. It was a match made by the Great Spirits themselves. Team the Ren had the upper hand, shooting down the opposing team's healer and one of its attackers with one single blow. Yet, it was still difficult to beat Yoh even as Ren, HoroHoro, and Chocolove ganged up on him. As always, Yoh was an idiot, even giving them words of encouragement as their swords crossed, but he was a tenacious idiot. He stood his ground and fought until his body was torn. He was still on his feet even as his breaths were shallow and his arm was cut off. He even thanked HoroHoro for encasing his arm in ice, to stop the bleeding and his flesh from rotting.
He was smiling as he raised his sword. He was smiling as the declaration that both teams qualified in the finals, following the surrender of Team Ghandara and Team Hanagumi. Hell, he was smiling even now as they ate their dinner - it had become tradition for all of them to eat together after a showdown - while his dearest fiancée Anna fed him his meal.
And this is where HoroHoro's ire began to steam.
Because his arm was cleaned off during the tournament, Faust had to reattach it using his medical skills fused with his furyoku. It looked easy enough when the doctor did it. It didn't even take hours to reattach. However, the doctor did advise that Yoh shouldn't move his arm too much, to let the muscles rest while the stitches did their stuff. He would have to put it in a sling first.
Meaning that he wouldn't be able to use it for the time being.
As always with Yoh, he took the news with a smile. HoroHoro expected that. What came next, though, was a straight punch to the gut. Yoh then turned to Anna, still grinning, to say, "Guess I'm gonna need your help, huh?" He laughed as Anna nodded.
Then, the scene that made HoroHoro see black.
Yoh was an idiot, sure, but he was also a conniving idiot. He milked the situation to its fullest, scooting so near to Anna until their knees bumped and their shoulders almost touching. Then, he awaited as Anna began to feed him with her own chopsticks, grinning stupidly when Anna suggested he eat his vegetables too.
He said something that HoroHoro didn't hear from where he sat, but it made Anna raise a brow. She tilted her head slightly, her reply making Yoh nod his head like a bobble toy. She paused for a bit. She must have been in a good mood though because she, to HoroHoro's shock, picked the meat on her bowl to take a bite. She didn't even use another pair of chopsticks! She closed her eyes, said something to Yoh who gave her a thumbs up. They were in their little world as they shared smiles before Anna once again fed a grinning Yoh.
HoroHoro didn't even noticed that he had slumped in his seat, his head to Ren's shoulder, until the Chinese shaman kicked his gut and sent him flying to the wall. He sobbed. It wasn't because the kick was painful, however.
"He's unbeatable..." He sniffed. "I want a girlfriend too…"
From where he stood, Ren took his sword and pointed it at the fallen HoroHoro.
"Do I look like a woman to you, you bastard?!"
There was a snicker as Chocolove slid in, a blue dress and a blonde wig in his hands. He was inching close to Ren with a smug grin.
"Maybe if you wear this cute dress..." Chocolove was thrown next to HoroHoro before the comedian could even whip out his joke. He was out like a light.
"You damn idiots!" Despite Ren roaring and aching to kick more butts, HoroHoro remained motionless from where he lay, his eyes still leaking bitter tears.
He might as well have wished for more enemies to fight him. In fact, who needed enemies when he had friends like these?