A/N: Yo, everybody! I'm back in the Shaman King fandom for awhile (Grokster rocks!) and since I got cut off on the spree of RenHoroRen related sadfic, I guessed, why not continue? ;) I'm still mainly working on my Beyblade (VERY long) one-shot, which is why I ain't been back here recently. That and schoolwork. And Naruto. And-- oh, damn. Forget it. You want story, yes? =3
----
Yuurei (Ghost)
From the fateful day he had first arrived in Fubarigaoka for the Shaman Fight, Horohoro had always known the Monument Hill graveyard was not a place to be feared. Yoh and Manta had proved that point without fail time after time, with their almost nightly trips to watch the stars. Even Kororo had often regaled him with bubbly memories from the (mostly) friendly resident ghosts.
No, this quiet city's place of the dead was very special. How many beginnings had happened here to offset the ends? Manta had first met Yoh here, he recalled. So had Ryu. Yoh and Amidamaru had the roots of their unlikely partnership deep in the dark earth that held countless memories. Ren had declared once that it was "the only place around here where you can clearly see the guiding light of the stars."
Granted, Ren had been in one of his rare philosophic moods at the time, one of the ones that had always made the Ainu smile helplessly, because he sounded so serious and so…so cheesy, at the same time.
He smiled now, maybe a bit halfheartedly, and laid his light burden on a marked spot near the shallow hill's base.
"Oiya, Ren. Anna was after my ass again today for freezing one of the Onsen's flowerbeds. Stupid, right?"
The single healthy fukki plant he directed his words to made no reply. He sniffed slightly, resisting the urge to swipe at his eyes. Kororo drifted out from behind her master, a tiny hand tapping the stem. "Kyuuuu."
"You miss him too, eh?"
"Kuu kuru kuru kuu."
"I know." He gestured at the bottles he'd placed on the ground before it. "But Ren doesn't like flowers all that much."
Technically, the Tao youth was not buried here, and never had been. They had all been there at the funeral, almost weeping, each and every one. It was the only thing that had persuaded Yoh to return to China, this death of a friend. Even Tamao and Pirica had shed a tear or two, and they'd barely known him. Ren did that to you – he wormed his prickly way deep, but if he was ripped away like that, the ragged wound he left was even deeper, and the feeling of having him gone was terrifying agony.
What had stung them all the most was not knowing. They'd all had their special connection to the arrogant Chinese boy, maybe lost touch with him for…how long had it been? Two months? Three? Not a great amount of time. Then he'd come back into their lives as a handful of ashes in a pretty jar, with Jun weeping quietly beside it.
Ren was one of the constants, and he had been stripped away just like that. Poof. Zip. No trick; and not just near-death, where the rest of them could pool their furyoku to bring him back. He was…he was…
Dead. It had been almost a year ago, and Horo still had trouble thinking that thought. Time had never dulled the ache as everyone said it would. It was still the same as the first time, sharp as a knife-wound through his chest.
Not even Anna could have helped him with that. I can call his spirit, she had told him, watching as he watered the tiny fukki sprout with his back turned to her. You can ask him why. Talk to him. Something. I know you wanted to tell him-
He had cut her off as politely as he could. I think…it would be better if I waited for a while. You know? But thank you…Anna-san.
"Kyuu!" Horohoro's brain snapped back into focus, into the peaceful starlit night. Kororo tugged his sleeve. "Kyuu kuru!"
Something fuzzy brushed the backs of his legs, making the Ainu boy spin in surprise. Yellow eyes glowed up at him out of a round furry face, and a darker cavern edged with tiny teeth yawned open. "Myaaaaa."
Horohoro had never had anything against animals – that had been evident to all from the time of his birth. He grinned and squatted in front of the tiny animal, offering a hand. "Hey. I don't see many of your kind around here…"
The kitten nuzzled him, then blinked intelligently upward, locking gazes with him once more. Something niggled at the back of his memory, a gentle flutter. This seemed…so familiar…
The kitten's throat worked, and a sound came out.
"Hrroooeew."
Horohoro blinked slowly, hand pausing in its gentle descent towards ebony fur. The black creature, seen only by Kororo, appeared to roll its eyes in consternation before tensing itself and springing up onto the bluenette's shoulder.
"Hey!" He laughed a bit, trying not to lose his balance as the feline wound itself about his shoulders. "That tickles, you know…"
Horo…horo?
He did fall then, with a quiet gasp, something electric running though his nerves. Hope blossomed under his breastbone, fragile. He'd been so desperate to hear that voice again…to talk, to touch. "Ren--?"
A mewl, and a paw tapped the side of his head, claws not sheathed but gentle enough to only prickle against his skin.
And if it came wrapped up in a black cat-shaped package, if it came out of the blue and almost fell literally on his lap, then…
He craned his head, finally letting the tears come.
A warm sandpaper tongue licked him gently on his cheek, licked them away, the kitten's eyes sending the echo of a thought through Horo's reeling mind.
Death is not the end…Ainu-baka.
----
A/N: …well, I tried. I know the ending didn't seem to fit…too fast…confusing…but…
Bear with me, people. I took an hour off writing another report to complete this, and I had no idea how to interweave the whole plot properly! I've done my best, and this is the last fic I'll be able to put up till the end of May (unless I can miraculously finish Good Old Days) Gomen, gomen. I know this particular one-shot could be extended to a pretty good multiparter, but I don't have the attention span. If anyone wishes to do a continuation of this, feel free. I would love to see one.
Oh, and it was my birthday on the 15th. I am…another year towards being legal age for writing/reading NC-17 fics, not that it seems to matter much. Wish me a happy birthday and write lots of RenHoroRen? =3 You know you want to!
Mahojin - glompeth Yes, they are perfect for each other, they ARE! ru-shin – EHEE! I'm so glad you like my work! I'll get an entry for that second contest on as soon as possible! Enerirenie – I'm sho haffee! snugglesnuggle That has to be one of the nicest compliments I've ever received on my writing. A HoroRen Fan – Sankyuu! DeathAngel2005 – XD Of course he missed him! Bets you Horo made it up to him next chance he go-- -shuts her dirty, hentai mouth-
See all of you guys until the next story!