Annoying
elevator music sung in his ears as Horohoro stood staring at the
glowing buttons in front of him. He bounced anxiously on the balls of
his feet, eyes glancing for a moment at the still sealed doors.
Why is it that on the day I needed it the most, technology is being so
damn slow? First that five-hour plane trip, and now this!
He sighed heavily. Technology was really the last
thing on his mind. He couldn't deny it anymore. All he thought about
was that arrogant Chinese shaman.
From the
moment he'd met Ren, the purple-haired boy invaded his dreams and
heart. On the day he left to go back to the North, he had come close to
admitting these things to the other, but never found the nerves or the
words. But then again, he was sure that he'd caught Ren looking at him
such longing before he left.
Ever since, in
the day he'd think of that moment at the end of the Shaman Fight when
he finally got to feel Ren in his arms. At night, golden eyes pierced
through the darkness of his dreamland--he swore he could feel it in his
heart that Ren was thinking about him, too.
But that was impossible! Ren would never give him the time of day if he
got up the nerve to tell him. From day one he'd insulted and fought
with Horohoro, though Horohoro himself always enjoyed thinking of them
as 'lovers quarrels.'
The last five years
had passed like centuries- painfully slow. He could never find an
excuse to go back to Tokyo that his clan would accept. they told him
his place was with his people. If they wouldn't even allow him to go
see Ren as a friend, there was no doubt in his mind that his clan would
forbid them being together. Love had a nasty sense of humor...
He shook his head to clear his mind as the bell
dinged and the shiny metal doors slid open. This was no time for
reminiscing!
He had gotten a phone call at
one a.m. that morning from Yoh, saying that Bason had brought Ren to
the Shrine, who said that the shaman had tried to kill himself. That
had made Horohoro drop the phone on the spot. But Yoh went on--after
the phone had been picked up--to say that they'd taken Ren to the
hospital in Tokyo and that Horohoro could come if he wanted. Like he
didn't want to come! But then again, no one knew about his secret love
for the little shaman. Well, except Kororo, but he told her everything.
He hadn't even packed a bag when he left for the one
small airport near where he lived. Kororo was the only comfort he had
during the seemingly endless plane ride, the unbearable drive in the
taxi, and the idiotic questioning he received at the front desk of the
hospital. But now was finally going to see Ren again. It wasn't exactly
the way he had imagined it, but he was going to see him!
He walked through the plain white halls, following
the directions the nurses up front had given him. As he came to the
waiting room, it wasn't hard to find the room he was looking for--not
many people had ghost visitors waiting outside their doors. He
recognized Amidamaru and Tokagero immediately, talking to one another,
serious expressions on their faces. That wasn't good.
"H-Hey guys," he said nervously as he approached.
"Long time no see." They looked over at him, surprised, and then smiles
spread across their faces.
"Good to see you,
Lord Horohoro," Amidamaru greeted happily, bowing slightly. "It
certainly has been a long time." But just as easily as the smile came,
it left. "I assume you'll want to see him right away?"
"Uh, yeah," he said sadly. He wished he could
think of some kind of joke to cheer up the samurai, but obviously all
that would do was make it worse. He turned the knob slowly and pulled
the white door open.
The four people inside
jumped nearly a foot in the air at the sudden noise. Horohoro looked
around at the familiar faces. Though they had all grown up, it was easy
to see that the other visitors were Yoh, Manta, Anna and Ryu. Yoh gave
him that crooked smile, though it was dimmed with sadness.
"Hey!" his voice squeaked a little at the bad
attempt at cheerfulness. "I'm glad you're here." He looked over at the
bed that sat on the other side of the room. Anna walked over and
wrapped an arm around the boy's waist, comforting him. For a moment
Horohoro felt envious--at least their love was acceptable. Their
families had even encouraged them. He sighed sadly and walked over to
the bed.
A boy lay in the bed, covered with
white sheets and a grayish blanket. His face was pale, he had dark
circles under his eyes and his purple hair fell in his face. Horohoro
gulped- even after all this time, Ren was still beautiful.
At the risk of the others noticing, he reached out and touched Ren's cheek, lightly stroking the soft skin.
"The doctors say he'll be fine," Anna's voice brought him out of his
thoughts. He pulled his hand away. "They ran some tests and said that
if he'd been deprived oxygen any longer, he'd most likely have done
some serious brain damage. They'll do more tests when he wakes up."
Horohoro looked at her hopefully.
"So
he'll definitely wake up, right?" he asked nervously. Anna looked to
the side and leaned against the wall. This time Ryu decided to answer.
"They say he'll wake up--at some point. Whether it's
a day, a week, a month—they're not sure." The blue haired snowboarder
looked devastated. He sunk into an open chair by the bed, rubbing his
head. A month? He may take that long to wake up?
What am I saying? It could be even longer than that. Doesn't matter.
Ill wait forever for him to wake up. Suddenly Bason appeared in the
room, but no one jumped--they hardly even reacted. Gloom lingered in
the air like a stifling smoke.
"Hey, Bason,"
he said quietly. They ghost looked over at him, surprised, and gave a
small smile. "How did this happen?" Like a candle in a strong wind, the
smile flickered out, and a grief-stricken face replaced it.
"I do not know," he said sorrowfully. "I had
sensed for years that something was troubling Master Ren, but you know
him, he let on like everything was normal. Last night he said he just
needed to relax, take a bath, and ordered me to leave. But then, almost
an hour later..." The Chinese warlord's voice broke. "Gods! Why did I
leave him alone? Why didn't I see this coming?" The ghost cried into
his hands, still mentally censuring himself. It was a strange
sight--such a large and foreboding man, sobbing so miserably.
"Don't worry, Bason," Horohoro said softly,
touching his shoulder. "Ren'll wake up. He's way too stubborn to admit
defeat yet--you know him." The large ghost gave a small, grateful
smile. Yoh let out a big yawn and all attention turned to him. The Ainu
laughed quietly and glanced at the clock. It was nearly noon. He
sighed; all of them must've been at that hospital for eleven hours now!
"You alright, Yoh?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine," he said, attempting another happy smile. Anna chuckled sadly, hugging him again.
"You all have had a long day," Horohoro said.
Looking over at Ryu, he noticed the darker man was showing signs of
exhaustion. "Why don't you all go home and get a few hours of sleep?
Ill keep an eye on Ren," they began to protest, but he cut them off.
"You all have been here since before one a.m. I just got here--let me
take over. I'll be fine. Kororo can keep me and Bason company." He gave
a sad smile.
"If you're sure," Ryu
said, standing up and stretching from his chair. Horohoro nodded slowly
in reply. The other four walked out, and he knew that their ghost
allies probably left with them, too. He sighed and leaned on his hands,
staring at the unconscious boy in the bed in front of him.
"Well, Ren," he said sadly. "Now that they left, can you tell me why
you did this? You're making all of us worry so much, you jerk." His
voice cracked and before he knew it, he broke down into quiet sobs.
Tears streamed down his cheeks and onto his snowboarding jacket.
A/N: Hiness all! In case u can't tell bai now, this is Saroya speaking! Lolz. I just wanna say thank you to all who reviewed last chappie! It was written bai da one and only and extra special Rei! This one was me, tho! Lolz. Lalala! Me too hyper! I'm out!
Story Title: Demon's Eye by Deep Purple
Chapter Title: What Happened To You? by Offspring