"Master Yohmei! Mistress Kino!" called Ryu, rushing into the house.

"What's wrong? It's only five in the morning," scolded Yoh's grandfather. "We're not exactly awake yet."

"But I saw someone lying in front of the gates…the cute kid I met some days ago who wanted to meet Master Yoh!"

"Huh?" Kino's forehead creased. "Bring the person in."

Lyserg opened his eyes weakly and found himself the subject of some six or seven pairs of eyes. He jerked awake, then looked around. A tall man with a goofy cucumber hair, a boy with spiky blue hair and boyish smile, an old man, an old woman, a young boy with earphones, and the familiar pink-haired girl he recalled as Tamao.

"W-Where am I?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Great. You fainted in front of a house whose owner you don't know," said a blonde, coming into the room. "Can't you get any more possibly disrespectful than that?"

"Anna, she's sick," pointed out earphones boy, sweatdropping.

"I can see that," she snapped. She raised her eyebrow at him. "You're in the Asakura residence."

"Asakura?" He stood up, alert. "The Asakura shamans?"

Everyone glanced at each other.

"What did you do to me?" he yelled frantically.

The blue spiky-haired guy stepped in front. "We took a sample of your DNA because we're planning to map your genes and know if you can be an instrument in turning all humans to super saiyans."

He was instantly slammed on the head by the old folks.

"We did nothing to you," said the earphoned-boy. "By the way, you better take some food in. Ryu found you all cold and hungry outside awhile ago. Some warm soup will put life back into your chilled bones."

Lyserg smiled. "T-That would be nice." He then noticed that Tamao's eyes were following his every move – a reminder that she still remembered who he was. I better be careful. If I want to get Asakura Yoh, I must watch my actions.

Tamao inched closer to Horo Horo. "Horo," she whispered.

The boy looked at her, then quickly looked away, face flaming. "Yeah?"

She leaned to his ear. "He looks like the boy that set off an explosion some days ago here, right?"

He looked at the stranger, then nodded. "We'll just have to watch his actions more closely."

Pirika woke up and saw Ren watching her, an unreadable emotion on his face. She sat up at once, looking for her bamboo sword.

Ren showed her the weapon. "Are you looking for this?"

"Give me that!" She tried to reach for it, but he held it out of her reach.

"Later," he said firmly. "I want us to talk."

"W-We're talking already!"

Ren's mouth twitched. How he missed those cracks from her. "Yes, we are," he agreed.

She paused when she saw his mouth curve into a small smile. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked after her momentary silence.

"Will hurting me the way I hurt your brother make you happy?" he asked.

She couldn't find the words to reply. She nodded, for that was the only thing she could think of to do.

"Will it erase all the anger in your heart?" he asked again.

She nodded again.

"Then do it." He handed her the bamboo sword. "After you get satisfied, you have to go home. Your brother and your friends must be worried about you already."

She looked at him uncertainly, then took the weapon from him. He knelt beside her and closed his eyes, ready to receive her attacks.

"Here, Lyserg. Eat up!" said Ryu cheerfully, spooning the food into the boy's mouth.

"He seems very thoughtful to Lyserg," remarked Tamao.

"Don't tell me you're jealous," said Horo, laughing.

"No. I think you're the one who's jealous, eh?" she asked, smiling. The boy's face turned crimson, which was a perfect contrast to his blue hair. She turned back to Ryu. "Anyway, I was just about to remark that he doesn't seem to know Lyserg's gender."

Horo Horo blinked, then looked back at the scene.

"So what are your favorite flowers?" asked Ryu, beginning his getting-to-know-you interview.

Lyserg smiled his most welcoming smile. "Cauliflowers."

As Ryu ranted on and on about how fragrant a cauliflower was, Tamao and Horo sighed.

"I thought Ryu was a cook?" said Horo.

"I guess he just doesn't want to embarrass our guest," said Tamao.

"I think Lyserg was being sarcastic."

"I think so too."

"You're leaving, Hao-sama?" asked Zinc when he saw Hao get up.

"Yes. I'm paying my little brother a visit." Hao grinned. "I wonder…after he emerged from the Best Place…how strong is he already."

"No matter how much stronger he has become, it is still not enough to beat you," said Zinc.

"I know," said Hao. "But warm-up exercises won't hurt a bit. Besides, I want to see my little Anna again."

"You're getting too interested in her," warned the priest.

To his surprise, Hao paused. Finally, he spoke up, grinning. "Yes, yes, I'm interested in her. In fact, when I take over the world, she will be the first person I'll save."

"You do know very well that she hates you, don't you?"

"I'll teach her otherwise, once I get my chance," he vowed. "I'm a very good teacher."

Yoh was practicing his harusame oversoul as Anna timed him.

"Amidamaru…INTO THE HARUSAME!!!" he yelled.

Anna pressed on the stopwatch. "Two point three seconds."

"Amidamaru…INTO THE HARUSAME!!!"

"Two point three seconds."

"Amidamaru…INTO THE HARUSAME!!!"

"Two point one seconds." Anna eyed him through her narrowed gaze. "You have to work harder. Within those two point one seconds, so many things can happen. What if your opponent anticipates your move? He can break up your oversoul."

He collapsed on the ground, panting.

She looked at her stopwatch. "In fairness, this is an improvement compared to your previous records. Four point eight seconds was your record the last time you did this, the day before you went to the Best Place."

Yoh glanced at her. Was she complimenting him? He lied down the ground, propping his elbows under his head. "Don't worry. I promise to become better tomorrow, so I can be the shaman you guys want me to be."

She nodded. "That's right. You are bound by a duty to me."

"To give you a good life." Yoh grinned at her. "I know."

She looked at him for a few more moments quietly before looking up at the sky. "It's drizzling."

"They said that there was a storm coming." Yoh got up. "Let's go in."

She nodded.

"What a perfect setting for a match."

Anna and Yoh's eyes became alert. They both turned to the pole beside the Asakura gates and found a figure standing on top of it, his cape billowing in the wind.

"Hao…"whispered Anna.

Yoh looked at her. "Who?"

Amidamaru appeared. "Master, that's the boy I'm talking about yesterday!"

"Huh?" He looked up at the stranger again.

Lyserg perked up. "I can sense a malevolent presence…" He glanced at the sleeping Ryu in the corner, then ran out of the room.

To his dismay, the room was connected to another room. That another room was connected to a pathway that leads to three more rooms, which in turn, leads to more rooms.

"I wonder who's the insane architect that designed this place," wondered Lyserg as he looked around the seemingly endless hallways.

Pirika took the bamboo sword, mustered all her energy, and hit his shoulder blade.

Ren's eyes widened, but he made no sound of pain. He just stood still, not fighting back.

She hit him again on the chest, but just like her initial attack, it solicited no response from him. She hit his arm, his torso, his head, but Ren never lifted a finger to fight back.

Her eyes welled up with years. "Fight back!" she screamed. "Fight back, fight back!" Her hits became more painful, but he never reacted.

"Why don't you fight back?" she wailed as she hit the corner of his mouth, causing it to bleed.

He didn't wipe the blood. He merely looked at her with sadness. "Because a knight can never ever hurt his princess."

Her eyes widened, and the bamboo sword cluttered on the floor. She buried her face on her hands, shoulders shaking. Ren got up and hugged the girl to his chest.

"Please forgive me, Pirika," he begged. "D-Did something happen to your brother?"

She shook her head. "H-He is fine…but what I'm really mad about is…is…you used me."

"I thought so too," he said.

"Huh?"

"I thought I used you, but in the end, defeating Asakura Yoh became secondary only to my priority." He smiled at her, nearly taking her breath away.

"Protecting my princess…that's my top priority right now." Ren hugged her again, enjoying the silky strands of her hair under his palm.

"D-Do I know you?" asked Yoh, looking at the stranger who jumped down from the pole with consummate ease.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said the stranger, rubbing his cheek. "I forgot to introduce myself to you. How impolite of me!" He turned to the pale-faced Anna and smiled. "You know me already, right?"

Yoh looked at her too, confused.

"Asakura Hao," said Anna slowly. "The reincarnation of the legendary destroyer in your family from 500 years ago. Your brother."

"My brother?" Yoh looked at Hao. "So you're older than me by five hundred years? It's not too obvious. Did you go for plastic surgery or something?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "He's a reincarnation."

"Oh." Yoh offered his hand to the stranger. "Nice to meet you, aniki."

"The pleasure is not mine." Hao's smile widened. "I didn't come here for a family reunion. I came here to test how far has your strength improved."

Yoh's forehead creased. "A match…is that what you want?"

He nodded. "I'm excited to know how it feels fighting with someone whom the Great Spirits didn't reject." Anger flickered in his eyes, but it disappeared as quickly. "Let's do it."

Yoh nodded.

Anna was frozen by indecision. She could sense the great power emitting from Asakura Hao, and she was torn between continuing the match to assess Yoh's improvement, or to protect Yoh by asking her fiancé to forfeit the match – he would do anything she wanted him to do anyway.

She clenched her fists. Protect Yoh? Why should I? It's not my duty anymore. It's his life. My duty is to train him into becoming a great shaman king that can give me a good life, that's all.

But deep within her, overwhelming worry was beginning to brew.

"Amidamaru…INTO THE HARUSAME!!!"

Hao snapped his fingers. "Spirit of fire."

Anna watched from the sidelines, arms crossed in front of her chest, face blank.

Yoh attacked first, slashing Hao. The latter sidestepped,  pivoted around to face him, then slammed Yoh's body into the ground.

Anna looked on, her eyes giving nothing away.

Yoh got up determinedly, and attacked his brother once more. Hao blocked his sword easily.

"Pathetic." Hao punched his stomach, nearly knocking Yoh's wits out. But the latter, smirked, then used the sheath of his sword to pound on Hao's back. Yoh jumped away as Hao rubbed his back, smirking.

"So you're stooping as low as getting hurt badly just to bruise me. You are desperate, indeed," remarked Hao.

Yoh was panting heavily as he endured the excruciating pain in his stomach and the dizziness caused by his head injury.

"Can you still move, Master Yoh?" asked Amidamaru.

"Y-Yes, of course. T-This is just…a minor injury." Yoh grimaced and gripped his katana tightly. "We're not going to attack this time. We'll take a defensive stance."

Anna looked on, noting how Yoh was beginning to mature on his decisions in battles. He just doesn't attack…he plans too.

Hao shrugged. "You want me to initiate the attack? No sweat."

Yoh's eyes widened when Hao suddenly disappeared in front of his sight.

Where is he?

"Behind you!" yelled Amidamaru.

Yoh turned around just in time to face Hao's genie. He tried to block it, but to his utter dismay, the sheath of the harusame broke.

And Yoh tumbled down the ground, unconscious.

Lightning struck, revealing the twistedly sinister face of Hao looking down at his brother. "Just as I thought. You are not worthy to be the shaman king after all. It is only I who can give justice to the title." He pointed his hand towards Yoh. "Your time is up."

He did a double take when he felt something restraining him. He turned to his side and found that Anna had chained the Spirit of Fire with her itako beads.

"If you have the patience, you can wait for Yoh to improve more," she said, voice blank.

"He was already blessed by the Best Place, and yet, he was defeated so easily." Hao laughed softly. "What do you want me to do then?"

"Wait until he finishes his training," she said.

"No matter how hard he trains, he would never match up against me…unless…" His eyes twinkled. "Oh, I know."

Anna looked at him expectantly.

"I have a proposal." Hao began to tell her his plan. When he finished, Anna was still passive.

"I will think about it," she said.

"OK. Good enough for me." Hao bowed. "I will be leaving, but I'm afraid that no matter how much I adore you, I can't simply leave my genie as a souvenir." He turned to the Spirit of Fire.

Anna let go, and the spirit was set free.

"You were able to sneak up on my spirit," said Hao, impressed. "You really are worthy to be a shaman king's wife."

Anna turned her back on him. "Yoh will be the shaman king."

"We shall see." Hao walked away, a smile on his face.

Anna clenched her fists, then walked towards Yoh. Her eyes shook. "I'm sorry…my trainings…they didn't do you any good. I'm so sorry…you were so confident because you trusted me…I let you down." A tear escaped from her eye, and she shamefully rubbed it away.

Amidamaru appeared. "Ms. Anna…I heard everything…"

She cradled the unconscious body of Yoh in her arms and hugged him. "I knew you would only get hurt…I should have stopped the match earlier."

"Ms. Anna…" The samurai didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry…" she said over and over again as the rain poured down relentlessly.

tsuzuku