"INSANITY"

By Tanuki Diethel

Chapter 1: Forgotten

A figure sat in a small, white, confined room alone, leaning against a small, white bed. A small window that let in barely a sliver of light showed the clear, blue sky. There were padded walls and a big, metal, reinforced door that could not be opened without a key kept him there.

He wasn't sure why he was here, or how he got here. He couldn't remember much anyway, but he knew one thing for sure. He did NOT like it here.

It may have been dark, but he got to eat. Bread and water was all. Of course, he knew of nothing else and considered it a luxury. Oh, but the room aggravated him so. He longed for a greater space, for a colorful surrounding, for bigger windows, or better yet, to be outside the room. At least he could see the stars. Only four or five through the tiny window, but it didn't matter. He loved them. They were so pretty, and bright, and full of hope!

He sighed and stared at his pale hand, stroking his own long, dark hair with the other hand.

'What was before this?' he thought. He remembered falling. And hurting. Hurting a lot. But was that just a dream? He tried so hard to remember......but couldn't. The whole thing made his head hurt.

"My head hurts," He said aloud to himself, as if announcing so would make it stop.

'Who.....Who am I?....What is my name? Why am I here?' Again he reflected on this. He thought, and tried, but remembered only one memory, really. He closed his eyes, shut his mouth tight, and hugged his knees to his chest. Then he saw it again. His memory. His clue. The shard of his past that had shattered.

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~ He was falling.

"How did this happen?...This must be a nightmare..." A voice that was shaky, uncontrolled, and crazy left his lips.

His breathing was ragged, and a searing pain came from down his middle. Like he'd been sliced in half.

"He....He couldn't have....beaten me..." He barely recognized this insane tone!

"I couldn't have lost!!! I NEVER lose! I'm all powerful!" He screamed. But no one answered. No one heard. No one cared.

You lost.

The words echoed throughout his mind.

"I...I couldn't have..." His voice was now cool, calm, and emotionless. Yet another tone he did not use. Did he?

"I lost?" He whispered.

Yes, you lost.

Tears fell down his cheeks. Wind swiftly passed him as the ground neared.

His life...his soul was being shredded. Humans and shamans enjoyed trying to make him break. To make him cry. Scream. Hurt. But no. He wouldn't break. Not in front of THEM. Now he was alone. All alone.

It was almost as if....on the outside, he was so emotionless. So uncaring. But on the inside...with every hurtful word and action his soul was ripped, torn, shredded, and disoriented. They were all slowly tearing him apart. On the outside, he was smug, but inside he was screaming! Tears always flowed from his worn out eyes. Not tears of water, tears of blood. His flesh was scarred, his hair messy, and with every cruel thing......he became more and more mutilated, until eventually, he would be no more.

"Give me....another......chance..." His gaze was upon the heavens, "Please...I...am.....begging you...."

He saw blood splatter up from himself, and felt his sides sliding separate ways. What a horrible feeling.

'Oh,' He though, as he watched one leg slowly sliding past the other, 'I don't just feel like I have been cut in half...I have been,'

His vision went crooked as half his surroundings went up, and the other, down. He shut his eyes tight, and all went black. Then everything stood still in time........and he didn't feel, he didn't think. In fact, he didn't even breathe. ~

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The long-haired boy sighed.

"Why.....can I not remember?!"

He wanted to remember so badly! Who he was, what his name was, why he was here, how he got here.....so many questions with no one to answer them.

He wanted....no, he needed someone to talk to.

"I," He spoke in a confused tone, as if he did not know why he was saying this, nor what it meant, or who he spoke of, "I really miss you,"

Asakura Yoh stood outside the door. He'd been standing and listening for some time now. He smiled sadly.

"I miss you too, Hao," He whispered so quietly, no one, not even the person on the other side could've heard it. But the person on the other side would've liked to have heard it.

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Yoh returned home. Anna waited for him in the kitchen.

"Where have you been?!" She demanded.

Yoh remained agonizingly silent.

"Were you visiting Hao again?" Her tone softened slightly.

"Yeah!" Yoh replied cheerfully.

"Did you talk to him?"

"No," Yoh became extremely depressing, "I got scared,"

"Yoh...."

Yoh began to walk away to his room.

"You can't just run away forever,"

"I know," The headphones wearing shaman turned his back to her, "I just can't face him yet,"

"You'll have to soon, or you'll lose him forever," She warned.

"I....I can't, Anna..." He turned to her, giving the itako a warm smile, " I will.....eventually...."

With that he went to his room.

Anna sighed.

"If he won't, I will," She mumbled to herself.

She knew what she had to do. Like it or not.

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Tanuki Diethel: Wheeee! I finally got this posted!

CFAF: *Dances in happiness*

Kitsune Asakura: Please Review!