A Revolution in Time

A Shaman King Story

Written by Satine89

The dark mood that was customary for the Shaman Fight had grown even darker in the past week. One of the contestants and his sister-in-law had tried to kill another entrant. Another entrant's fiancée had beaten him half to death.

Yet even the Great Spirit, who overlooks the Shaman Fight, cannot predict the radically strange outcomes that the fight entails.

That's what makes it so interesting.

--

"But I still don't understand one thing," Tao Jun said to herself. Her green hair fell gracefully in front of her eyes. She was definitely irritated. Her floor-length Chinese dress clung to her body perfectly.

A girl staring out a window turned around. Her short brown hair, part of which fell in a large piece in front of her left eye, swished with her movement. The glistening green eyes dissected Tao Jun's gaze.

"What's that?" the girl asked. Tao Jun looked away from the floor.

"Kimaguire… who saved you?" Tao Jun breathed. Kimaguire turned back to the window to hide the fact that she was completely red.

The truth was, Kimaguire didn't even know who saved her. All she knew was that he was wicked hot, and that he seemed familiar.

"I… I don't know who…" Kimaguire responded, partially truthful.

"It wasn't me," scowled a boy sitting in a chair. His black hair shined underneath the Chinese paper lantern while his cat-like yellow eyes narrowed with malcontent. His arms were littered with small scrapes and scars, hidden partially by his school uniform. On another note, his hair was very… er… pointy. But no matter.

"I had the feeling it wasn't you," Tao Jun snapped gently.

"I watched Ren bleed," Kimaguire sighed. "It was… unsettling."

What Kimaguire wanted to say was that watching couldn't have hurt less than having your heart ripped out. But she couldn't find the words.

Ren wrapped his hand with gauze bandages. "Glad to know you care."

"You're my brother," Kimaguire smiled. "I'm supposed to care."

While it was true that Kimaguire Okono and Ren Tao were sort of like siblings, it was also true that Kimaguire wasn't related to Ren. Tao Jun had taken in Kimaguire three months before, and Ren had become her adopted brother.

"To think that three weeks ago you hated each other," Tao Jun laughed.

Kimaguire and Ren said nothing, now both really embarrassed for no real reason.

--

Yoh Asakura was half-asleep, as usual. His black messy hair fell in two long bangs to the side of his face. A pair of headphones, placed behind his ears at all times, held the rest of his hair back. His thin frame was a bit limp today, and around his muscular legs were large, wraparound bandages. His soulful eyes were vacantly staring at the living room and its occupants, all of which were silent.

Anna Kyôyama was reading a book on inn keeping. The purple prayer beads around her neck tinkled with even the slightest movement of her chest. Her black dress hung limply along her skinny frame. Her eyes were emotionless and black as pits. A large red headband held back her golden-brown hair, the tie falling along her back flaccidly. She had been set up in an arranged marriage to Yoh, which Yoh didn't like one bit.

Manta Oyamada was standing up, leaning against the wall peacefully. His hair was the same tone as Anna's, except a bit darker. He had large, expressive eyes and was a bit short for his age. Manta always carried around a huge encyclopedia/dictionary, which contained most all information known to man. Manta was Yoh's best friend and confidante.

Horohoro was very content with looking out the window at pretty sakura. He had light blue spiked hair, held in place by a black headband with a tan design going around the length of it. This headband was from the Ainu tribe in the north, were he used to live before he came to Tokyo. He had the attention span of a rodent and his emotions flip-flopped as much as a fish out of water. Horohoro became Yoh's friend after wandering into Tokyo a few months before.

Ryu Umemiya was sitting on a chair, arms crossed in thought. His black hair was styled into a pompadour, but this pompadour looked a bit messed up. This was because Yoh Asakura had cut it off at one point, and then Tao Ren did the same a little later on. His eyes were perpetually narrowed. Horohoro theorized that this was because he was always on the lookout for pretty women. Ryu considered Yoh's house a 'temporary happy place' (whatever that meant), and was pretty enamored with Anna.

All five of them had a secret, however: they could all see ghosts and otherworldly beings. Yoh had a samurai guardian ghost named Amidamaru, who had killed hundreds of bandits in his time. Anna could summon the ghosts of deceased from anywhere, even Heaven. Horohoro could communicate with his nature spirit, Kororo, a tiny, floating ice spirit. Ryu had the ghost of Tokagero, a bandit lord that – ironically – had been killed by Amidamaru hundreds of years before. And Manta, although he could only see ghosts, was invaluable help to all of them.

Their other friends, Kimaguire and Ren, shared the same secret. Ren's guardian ghost was Bason, a Chinese warlord whose vital stats were completely unknown. Kimaguire's ghost was Arukamisu, a female assassin whose favorite weapon was an ancient sword. Kimaguire also had a special silver box, which radiated a supreme power that no one could quite understand.

The silence was unbearable for all of them, especially Yoh, who had become very concerned about his friends' safety since Tan Myu and Faust VIII had attacked them.

A week ago, Myu and Faust had brutally attacked all of Yoh's friends and stole their guardian spirits in an effort to kill Kimaguire. Anna had gotten flung into a wall and, after awakening, got a nasty concussion; Manta had been thrown onto the low table in the living room and was unconscious immediately, even though he hadn't suffered any lingering damage. Ren and Yoh had undoubtedly endured the worst injuries; Ren had been impaled with shattered glass after being thrown into a china cabinet and Yoh had gotten long slashes down both of his legs, although he wouldn't explain how this happened to anyone. Ryu had, ironically, been in the hospital at the time after being lobbed through a window by Myu earlier that day; Horohoro had been suffocated inside of a Tupperware cabinet and his lungs were still recovering. Kimaguire, thankfully, was saved before she got killed, but she refused to say who saved her exactly.

Horohoro finally spoke. "What if they go after Kimaguire again?"

"Why would they do that? They already lost," Ryu countered.

"They only lost because a mysterious someone intervened," Anna clarified. "And Faust is nuts. He'll do anything to get Kimaguire."

"Myu did say that Eliza was a shaman… and that's how she became sick…" Yoh mumbled. "…That can't be true…"

"It's not," Manta sighed. "She had a very painful disease from birth… had nothing to do with shamanic power… I don't know what it is, I can't read German very well…"

"You three," Anna said as she stood up, pointing at Yoh, Ryu and Horohoro, "should worry about your upcoming matches in the Shaman Fight. If something happens to Kimaguire, we'll help her out. Don't worry."

Yoh, Horohoro and Ryu looked at their respective Oracle Pager. There were no new messages pertaining to the Shaman Fight.

"Nothing," Yoh moaned.

"Nada," Horohoro shrugged.

"Not a thing," Ryu cornered.

"I wonder what will happen next…" Manta whispered to himself.

--

"Eliza will be here with us again. Don't worry," Faust reassured Myu. His blonde hair was shoulder length and even messier than Yoh's. Dark bags under his eyes were highlighted by the super-watery silver-blue color of his eyes. Faust was very thin, thinner than Anna, but tall.

Myu's boyishly short brown hair was partially covered by a simple baseball cap. Her tan trench coat fell down the sides of her muscular legs.

"We can try to kill Kimaguire, although she's well-protected," Myu reasoned. "There has to be another way."

"Well, I have an idea," Faust grinned slightly, showing the extent of his neurosis. "We still need Kimaguire. But she has to be alive. For a time."

"What's the plan?"

Faust still had the weird grin on his face. "You'll find out soon enough."

--

Yoh and Kimaguire were sitting together in the living room. It was a cool, crisp evening, and most everyone was outside, except for Ren, who had abruptly left for some reason or another.

"I'm really scared," Yoh breathed.

"Scared? Of what?" Kimaguire asked.

"Well… I'm just… nervous…" Yoh looked into Kimaguire's eyes. "…I don't want anything to happen to you again."

"I don't want anything to happen to you, either, Yoh," Kimaguire replied. "But if Faust comes back… something will happen to me."

Yoh was blushing furiously, and Kimaguire's palms were very sweaty. They said nothing for a few seconds.

"I won't be able to live without you…" Kimaguire admitted, her eyes downcast.

"Why couldn't I have gotten engaged… to you?" Yoh asked aloud.

Kimaguire was bright pink. "Your parent's choice… not mine…"

Yoh had edged a bit closer to Kimaguire as her eyes were set on the floor. Kimaguire looked up and saw Yoh, looking at her tenderly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kimaguire breathed.

"Because… Kimi-chan… I really… really, I just… well…" Yoh was now red as well. "It's just that… I just realized that… you… you and I…"

Kimaguire was a pastel red, thinking about what could have Yoh so tongue-tied. He was obviously trying to tell her something… but what?

"I love you," Yoh finally said. "I really do. Love you, that is. I mean… er…"

Kimaguire clasped Yoh's right hand in her palms. "You don't have to say anything else. Because… I love you too."

Yoh was now close to Kimaguire. Very quickly, Yoh risked a small kiss. Kimaguire flushed, even though the kiss lasted about one fifth of a second. It was so soft, just like the kiss she had gotten the night Faust and Myu attacked. But this felt so much better, like a childhood dream come to life.

"…Sorry…" Yoh whispered.

"No… don't be…" Kimaguire gasped. "This was… meant to be… I think…"

Yoh smiled. Kimaguire found this to be his best feature. "I think so, too."

--

Ren was reading the newspaper inside the burned-out Chinese restaurant the next morning. He liked to know about what was going on in the world around him.

"Los Angeles Dodgers win first game in World Series, 3-0… Car bomb in Israel kills fifteen, wounds thirty-three…" Ren continued to mumble headlines as he flipped through the paper.

"Ren, have you seen Kimaguire?" Tao Jun asked from Kimaguire's room.

Ren looked up from the paper. "I think she was spending the night at the Asakura house." Ren shivered. He didn't like thinking about how chaotic that place was.

"Are you sure? Because it's not like her to be gone for so long," Tao Jun noted. "The last time she was over there, she came home at exactly eight-thirty. It's ten a.m."

Ren scowled at a particularly dirty thought, but continued to read the paper.

--

Yoh was frightened. Kimaguire was gone. She had just been plucked from the house in the dead of night, as it were. He seemed to be the only one up at seven a.m., however. Anna was awake about an hour after Yoh.

"What's wrong with you?" Anna greeted Yoh stoically. Yoh was pallid with worry and felt exhausted from searching throughout the enormous house.

"Kimaguire's not here," Yoh gasped.

"She's not here?" Anna mumbled. Her eyes became slightly glassy.

"No," Yoh shook violently. Anna placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Yoh just brushed it off.

"We have to look for her," Anna stated. She felt some tears form in the corner of her eye, but she fought them off.

"Faust did come back," Yoh murmured. He was still shaking.

"Yoh?"

"He did come back!" Yoh yelled. There was an uneasy silence.

Anna dropped the tray she was going to tell Yoh to clean.

"Wake up everyone, Yoh," Anna ordered. "Do it!"

Yoh and Anna spent twenty minutes trying to rouse everyone. Horohoro nearly impaled Yoh with a pot, but other than that, the two escaped unscathed.

Manta, who had spent the night as well, was already awake when Yoh had gotten to him. Anna dropped an iron tub on Ryu's head and went on her way. Yoh just grabbed Horohoro's blankets and ran like mad, being chased by Horohoro angrily.

Anyway, the group was sitting at the kotatsu, waiting for the answer to why they were roused so early.

Anna looked into the kotatsu's glass top. Her eyes were becoming glassy. "You're probably wondering why we woke you up."

Ryu rubbed his head. "Yeah. I'm also wondering why you dropped a pot on my head."

"Well, Kimaguire's gone," Anna continued.

"I know who did it!" Horohoro yelled.

"So do we," Manta responded tartly.

"How did we not notice Faust coming into our house?" Ryu asked himself.

Yoh's eyes lit up. "Yeah, how did we not notice that?"

"Well, let's get going," Anna ordered.

"But we haven't eaten yet!" Horohoro cried.

Anna got right into Horohoro's face. "Look, it's life or death here."

Anna walked outside. Yoh shrugged, and followed her. Ryu and Manta went after him. Finally Horohoro stopped moaning and walked with the group.

--

Kimaguire felt something fall on her head. She opened her eyes uneasily, and looked up. It was just a leaky pipe. But the constant falling of water irritated her. A chain kept her from wiping the droplets off.

A sudden thought struck Kimaguire. "Where am I?"

"Thank God you said something," Myu tutted. "If Faust thought you were dead, that'd be the end of me, too."

"Faust?" Kimaguire repeated weakly.

"You thought he would give up?" Myu snickered. "Oh, no, my brother-in-law wouldn't do something so foolish. Just because Hao got him…"

"Hao? Who's Hao?" Kimaguire asked. Myu looked at her curiously.

"Hao saved you, dork," Myu stated plainly.

"Oh, yeah, I knew that," Kimaguire lied.

Hao… that name is oddly familiar.

"Well, anyway, he's knows a way to get Eliza back," Myu rubbed her hands in anticipation.

Kimaguire nearly threw up. She didn't want to know what this sick freak had in mind. "What way would that be?"

"Something that will lead to death," Myu grinned malevolently.

Kimaguire didn't think that the steady water falling on her head was so irritating anymore.

--

Ren walked to the Asakura household and knocked on the door.

"Oh, come on Kimaguire, this is ridiculous," Ren muttered to himself as he knocked on the door again.

A girl he didn't know opened the door. "Oh hi Ren!"

This girl had pink hair, and she looked younger than Yoh. Ren narrowed his eyes.

"Eh… do I know you?" Ren asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm Tamao," Tamao smiled.

"Oh. ...Where's Kimaguire?" Ren asked. He looked at Tamao's watch. It was twelve-fifteen.

"Haven't seen her," Tamao answered.

"Oh, okay…" Ren walked away.

Well, where would she have gone?

--

Kimaguire was still in Myu's presence.

"Oh, Miss Myu," Kimaguire asked. "Can you do something for me?"

Myu narrowed her eyes in consternation. "What is it?"

"Well," Kimaguire started, "in my family, when one is about to die, we draw the number three on a window."

"Uh, yeah," Myu cocked her head. "I guess I can do that."

Myu pulled some paint out from underneath a table, hidden in the shadows. She groped for a paintbrush underneath the same table, and found one. Myu walked up the steps, exiting the basement, leaving Kimaguire all alone in her chains.

--

Ren was wandering around the city.

"Where the heck would she have gone?" Ren asked aloud.

I'm actually worried about her. I'm worried about someone, Ren thought. Even though she gets on my nerves, and she loves Yoh too much for a fourteen-year-old, and she's always getting attacked… I guess I do love her, the same way I love my sister…

Ren saw something as he passed by. A large red three was painted on the window of a building.

"Three," Ren grinned smugly, and walked inside the building.

--

"Now where are we, Horohoro?" Ryu asked irritably.

"I think we're in Namek…" Horohoro responded, looking at a map.

"That's in a whole other anime, idiot!" Ryu yelled. He grabbed the map, turned it right side up, and handed it back to Horohoro.

"Oh!" Horohoro grinned. "We're in West Funbari Hill."

Anna looked around. "Well, there are a lot of thugs here."

"Wouldn't Faust take her to a cemetery?" Yoh inquired.

"Too open," Manta replied. "Anyone could see him kill Kimaguire."

Yoh noticed something. On the window of a dingy building, there was a large three painted on the window. But inside the building was Ren.

"Come on," Yoh beckoned. He walked into the dingy building. Anna, Horohoro, Manta, and Ryu followed him.

A little bell tinkled as the group walked inside. Thousands of anime goods were scattered everywhere. Horohoro would've started shopping if Anna hadn't hit him.

Ren noticed the group.

"Where's Kimaguire?" he asked almost immediately.

"Eh…" Yoh closed his eyes. "Well, it's actually a long story…"

"She was kidnapped," Anna stated flatly. "We don't know where she is."

Ren sort of chuckled. "Clearly not what I thought happened…"

Horohoro was the only one who remotely heard this. "Nasty."

"So why are you in here?" Yoh asked.

"Three," Ren pointed at the window.

"Right," Anna responded.

I don't get it, Anna thought.

Ryu noticed a staircase to the basement.

"Um, look," he said, "a creepy staircase."

"Let's go down," Yoh said point-blank.

"Yes," Ren agreed.

Horohoro had to be practically dragged down the staircase.

"Wait! My manga! Anime! Video games! Waah!"

--

Faust VIII was staring at Kimaguire. Kimaguire was doing her best to avoid his gaze.

"What do you plan on doing to me?" Kimaguire asked nervously.

"Well," Faust began, placing his hand on her cheek, "they said I could make Eliza live again if I found the right girl…"

Kimaguire watched in horror as Faust fingered her special box. "The girl with the power to send spirits to the underworld or nirvana, the woman descended from the Broken Angel…"

"What are you talking about?" Kimaguire asked incredulously.

Faust smiled oddly. "The only thing you know about your parents is that they gave you this box and that picture of Asakura, saying that they wanted you to wed Yoh."

"How'd you know that?" Kimaguire cried, fearing for her life at this point.

"What you don't know," Faust continued, unperturbed, "is that you are the child of an angel and a human, the illegitimate offspring of a woman now known as the Broken Angel.

"Your father was a doctor and shaman of immense influence. He knew everything about everyone, so when he found out about your mother, he let you be born, even though it would risk the fate of heaven and the underworld, and then sent you to a prominent shamanic family."

"That's… how…" Kimaguire was at a loss for words. No wonder she was so perfect. She was the daughter of an angel.

"But your mentor fell in love with you, when you were twelve," Faust added, "and his lust for you nearly killed him and you. The family took you away from him and erased all memories of your past, so that your mentor couldn't possibly hurt you any more than you already had been. They sent you to Funbari Hill, to find the only relative that could possibly turn your life around…"

"Stop!" Kimaguire yelled. She was still chained to her chair, and her chair was still bolted to the floor. But her eyes welled up with tears as memories she couldn't connect to any part of her life returned to her mind.

I knew I had heard the name Hao before! Kimaguire thought.

"So why do you need me?" Kimaguire asked. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Faust's eyes were narrowed, but he still stared at Kimaguire. "The angel's daughter holds the key to awakening the sleeping woman; her blood is strong enough to rouse the dead and summon the saints."

My blood can raise the dead. Oh, now I get it, Kimaguire thought.

"Give me back the box!" Kimaguire yelled.

"Well, that was random," Faust said rather plainly. "But, at first I thought it was your blood that made this box work. But now I know better."

Faust sneered. "Your Furiyoku is in this box. And if you don't have the box, you have no way to summon your ghost."

Kimaguire plunged her hand down the side of her boot. Her memorial tablet wasn't there.

"So you plan on killing me again, is that it?" Kimaguire shuttered.

"Not immediately," Faust smirked. "I have to do something first."

If my blood is the key to awakening Eliza, then why does he say he needs to do something first?

Wait.

...What if he rapes me?

--

Ren looked on from his perch at the foot of the stairs. Faust was saying things, things about Kimaguire's past, things that chilled Ren's blood.

Yoh was there, too. Yoh became even more scared than Ren. He was glad that Anna, Ryu, and Horohoro had decided to hang back.

I'm the only relative that could put Kimaguire's life back on track, Yoh thought. So who's her mentor?

Ren looked at Yoh.

"She's a half-angel," Ren reiterated, "and her blood can revive the dead."

"So why didn't Faust just kill her?" Yoh asked.

Ren's eye twitched. "I don't know, he hasn't gotten there yet."

"So you plan on killing me again, is that it?" Kimaguire shuttered.

"Not immediately," Faust smirked. "I have to do something first."

"Holy crap," Ren breathed. "We have to get her out of there. Now."

Yoh nodded, and took the sword Harusame out of its sheath, which had been put in a sling over Yoh's shoulder. Yoh put Amidamaru inside his sword, awakening the over soul.

"Shock Wave…" Yoh murmured. Harusame glowed lightly. "BUDDHA GIRI!"

The slash knocked Faust across the room. It also hit Kimaguire across the face. Her cheek began to bleed a bit.

"Kimaguire!" Yoh yelled.

Kimaguire looked up. She was scared out of her mind. "Help me…"

Ren saw Faust attempt to get up. He pulled out his kwan dao and stuck it at Faust's neck.

"Don't touch her," Ren said. "Don't even go near her!"

"Why, if it isn't Ren," Faust nodded. "I thought you had learned your lesson."

The scars on Ren's flesh were fresh as ever, but Ren didn't care.

"You freak!" Ren yelled. "I'll kill you!"

Ren didn't notice that Myu was still in the room, lurking in the shadows behind Ren. Yoh, who was trying to cut through Kimaguire's chains, and Kimaguire didn't even notice her.

But Myu put a knife to Ren's neck.

"Forgot about me, did you?" Myu snarled. Ren dropped the kwan dao. He had a smile on his face.

"Kill me if you must," Ren moaned, "but swear you'll never touch her!"

"What makes you think I'd listen to you?" Faust VIII snarled. "If I can't have her, you can't, no one can."

"Nasty," yelled Horohoro.

"Where did you come from?" Faust asked.

"Silly!" Kimaguire yelled. "GO AWAY!"

"No way am I leaving, not after this!" Horohoro cried. "I can't let him do that to you!"

"That?" Yoh repeated. "I don't get it."

Ren scowled. "I would think you'd know."

"Stop insinuating things," Kimaguire frowned.

Yoh cut through Kimaguire's chains, and Kimaguire looked around.

Where's the box? Kimaguire thought desperately. She scanned the room. There, on a low table behind Myu, the shining box.

Kimaguire took a light step on the ground. It didn't make a sound.

"Yoh," Kimaguire whispered. "Please… cover for me."

"All right," Yoh answered. Yoh held Harusame tightly in his fist and walked over to Faust. He put the blade to his neck.

"Okay," Yoh said with deceptive calm. "Why won't you just give up?"

Kimaguire walked slowly, in the shadows, around the group. Horohoro noticed Kimaguire sneak past the crowd and waved.

Ren noticed Horohoro from the corner of his eye. "What are you waving at?"

Kimaguire's eyes bugged out, but then she began to breathe heavily. "Horohoro, you numbskull!"

Kimaguire quickly pocketed the box, before anyone could do anything about it.

Faust stared at Kimaguire, and a skeleton rose from the ground. Another followed. They weren't fleshed out, but they successfully held onto Ren's neck.

"Ren!" Kimaguire yelled. She didn't like it. She pulled the box out of her pocket.

Ren made a small gagging noise. He couldn't move his arms, which were being held back by the other skeleton.

"All right, Lady Kimaguire," Faust said, dragging himself up and flipping his hair out of his face. He backed her into a corner, in the darkness. "I'll give you a choice. I'll spare your brother if you do as I instruct, or you can unleash the power of the box on me and kill him."

Kimaguire said nothing. Both choices were unfavorable.

Yoh tried to slash the skeletons, but they forced him into a corner and grabbed his neck too.

Kimaguire pushed the box forward.

"Oh, so you'll save your own skin? That's really heartless of you, but it's what we've come to expect from you –"

Kimaguire wasn't aiming for Faust, though, because when she opened the box, she struck the skeletons. They collapsed and turned to dust. The light had barely grazed Faust's arm, causing a small cut.

Ren fell to the floor, coughing up blood and bile. Yoh stood strong still, but he rubbed Ren's back to get him better.

"So, you chose to spare your brother and your lover," Faust grinned. "Option A. You die… but only after I'm through with you…"

"Finally, we can resurrect Eliza," Myu snorted. Everyone stared at her. They had completely forgotten that she was standing there.

While everyone was staring at Myu, a blinding red light flashed through the place.

When the light stopped pulsating (about a minute), Faust was gone. Myu stood, shaking, staring at a table in the far corner of the room.

Sitting there was Hao, holding Faust in his muscular arms; his long bangs hanging in his face. His white poncho was stained with blood.

Ren wasn't coughing anymore. He stood up erratically, and moaned.

"Hao," Ren murmured.

Horohoro stopped being an idiot and grabbed his scimitar out of his giant cell phone pocket on his pants.

Yoh walked up to Hao, Harusame and Amidamaru at the ready.

"What did you do to him?" Yoh yelled. Kimaguire fell to her knees. Now that she knew about her past, painful memories connected in her mind, causing her to fall.

"Kimaguire!" Ren yelled, running to her side. He put a comforting arm around her. "What is it?"

"He saved me last time," Kimaguire whispered. "He still loves me."

"What?" Yoh screamed. "He doesn't know you!"

Hao nodded. "Yes, Yoh-sama. I indeed know Kimaguire… My time here has been interesting. I won't attack you."

"Thanks, we're only coughing up blood. We'll remember your generosity," Ren sneered. Kimaguire still shook violently.

Hao raised an eyebrow. "Until we meet again."

Hao disappeared, leaving Faust on the table before the group, Kimaguire still shivering.

--

Kimaguire laid her memorial tablet on the kotatsu. She hadn't spoken ever since they returned from the nightmare that was Faust.

Ren quietly sipped some milk. "This is disturbing."

Yoh nodded.

Horohoro sighed. "Hao loved you… is that why you're attracted to Yoh?"

"What?" Anna asked.

Horohoro placed his hands behind his head. "Think about it. They're twins, they look exactly the same… and Hao nearly killed Kimaguire through his unrequited love."

"I've never heard you say a four-syllable word," Ryu noted to Horohoro.

Kimaguire finally said something, ignoring the banter. "I don't know what to do."

Yoh took Kimaguire into his arms. "None of us do."

Kimaguire shook her head. The road to the Shaman Fight was growing bumpier indeed.

The End

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. And there may be a fourth part, if I feel up to it.