Chapter 7

Dark eyes shimmered in the moonlit sky as he watch the two young shamans charge at one anothercontinuing to hold onto his little brother. He watched with utmost interest; and yet, his eyes held hintings of boredom as well.

He rolled his eyes. Shouldn't he stop the fight? He glanced to the side; noting the group of teenagers that were slowly approaching the area.

Hao sighed deeply once again, clearing his throat loud enough for the two to hear, despite their bickering.

...Really, sometimes Hao was too nice for his own good.

-

Ren winced when HoroHoro hit him once more; growling slightly to himself. "You idiot!" He yelled. "Can't even fight fair, can you?" He slowly smirked.

The other twitched. "What are you talking about!" He released another ice attack. "You're the one with that over-sized Oversoul! That should be against the rules!"

"Rules?" Another laugh; Ren dodged the attack easily. "There are no rules in a Shaman Fight like this, Ainu baka!"

They began to charge at each other again; preparing another attack...

...Only to nearly fall over when they heard someone clear their throat.

They turned, glaring at the long-haired boy and twitching. "What do you want!" They both shouted in unision.

Hao sweatdropped at that. These two were certainly odd; even more so than he himself was. "People are coming." He said simply. "I'd stop your Shaman Fight, if I were you. If you don't want to be reported to the government." And with that, he began to walk away; ignoring their shocked faces.

"Wait a minute!" HoroHoro called out for him. He wasn't just about to let this stranger walk away! Not when he interrupted their fight like that!

Besides, that; it wasn't everyday that someone did that... It was rare to find any shamans at all these days.

"How do you know about Oversouls? Are you a shaman, too?" He asked curiously.

The Chinese shaman rolled his eyes. "Obviously." He muttered. Really; why did HoroHoro have to be so stupid?

Hao glanced at the two. "Aah." He turned around; eyeing Ren. "I am a Shaman." He gestured to Yoh. "So is he." He then snorted. "However, we both know better than to fight in public."

More twitches from the two; they fought the urge to not to yell again.

An eyebrow rose. "Who the hell are you, then?" Ren had to ask. "It's not everyday you just meet another shaman on the street."

It was Hao's turn; his mouth twitched lightly. "All you need to know." He said simply. "Is that I am called Hao." He glanced at his brother. "As for him... it's not important."

The two gave him an odd look as they watched him leave.

Well... that little meeting was certainly strange.

Ren glanced at HoroHoro when the two were out of site. He was not about to let Hao leave without finding out what the two were up too, first. He had sensed something from Hao; alright, it seemed like... an enormous amount of furyoku.

"...We're following them."

HoroHoro gave him an odd look. "Huh?"

"I want to see something." Ren said simply, walking away.

The Ainu blinked at that; watching the boy run away. "H-Hey!" He shouted. "Wait for me!" He ran after Ren; seeing as he had no choice but to follow him now.

-

Amidamaru sat next to his blade; meditating. He needed something to do to pass the time while he waited; a meditating was merely one of them. He did that most of his time, anyways when he was sitting at the cemetery alone.

It was funny... dozens of people had seen him before; they had had mixed reactions, suresome shocked, some frightened, some even overjoyedbut this was the first time someone wanted to help him like the Asakura twins wanted to.

He eyed the blade again, his eyes saddening a bit. If only he could see his friend again... That was all he asked for.

The spirit froze when he heard a sob. No, this wasn't just any kind of sob coming directly from Harusamethis crying sounded familiar, to say the least.

When the ancient spirit appeared, his head in his hands, Amidamaru could not be mistaken. It was him, alright.

His voice was quiet, almost barely above a whisper. "...Mosuke...?"

The spirit froze at that; almost not wanting to look up. His heart pounded heavily. Was he just imagining things...? No... He hadn't before... so why would he do such a thing now...?

"Amidamaru..." His eyes were wide. "What are you doing here...?"

Amidamaru smiled slightly. "Someone led me here." He paused; his eyes saddening a bit; he wanted to get right to the point.

He was here for one reason and one reason alone. It wasn't merely for the fact that he wanted to talk to his old friend, no, it was because he wanted to ask him why he had never came to the cemetery when Amidamaru had waited for him all that time..

...As much as he was angry, he was more relieved and happy.

"...Why didn't you ever come to the cemetery like you had sworn...?"

It was a simple question, yet, it held so much emotion for the two.

"I..." Mosuke looked down; the silver-haired samurai looking at him expectantly. "I was ashamed..." He glanced at Harusame. "And look at your katana!" His eyes filled with tears again; he bit his lower lip to prevent this from happening, however. He wouldn't let his friend see him crying again.

"You cannot use this as it is..."

Amidamaru merely smiled in response. This was just like Mosuke; for some reason, he had been expecting that answer.

"It's alright, Mosuke." He said calmly; repeating Yoh's earlier statement. The one that had stuck him dumfounded. "Everything will eventually work itself out. Perhaps we've lost a lot of years for our friendship but..."

Mosuke slowly smiled, shaking his headas if to silence the old spirit.

After all, that was all he needed to hear from Amidamaru.

Everything was fine now.

-

Hao brought the still sleeping Yoh homelaying him onto the futon as he began to eye the window. He knew who exactly was watching them, but, he paid them no heed. He could sense that they didn't mean any danger at all.

He shook his head, looking down and smiling faintly at his brother.

As of right now; he had no doubt that the samurai would join Yoh. He would talk to Mosuke, and keep his promise.

...Or Hao would summon him back and send the spirit straight to Hell if he did otherwise.

He slowly walked out of the room; glancing at Yoh one last time.

"...Good night, Yoh."

Ren bit back a sigh of relief when he saw that the lights of the inn were now all off. Who knows what could have happened if Hao had caught them...?

Ah, well; now that they knew where they livedthey would take the chance to talk to them about important manners tomorrow. It was obvious, just by judging how the long-haired boy had talked to themwhich they were trying to hide something as well.

It would be possible that the two brothers' were on the run, just as they were.

He didn't turn. "...We should head back, HoroHoro."

No reply.

Ren twitched, finally turning. "Did you hear"

HoroHoro...?

No one was there.

Ren frowned deeply at that. That was strange, to say the least. Last time he checked; HoroHoro had been following him closely; trying not to get separated from the pointed-haired boy.

...However, last time he checked, HoroHoro was right behind him. It was... strange, to say the least.

He sighed. The idiot probably just wandered off. It's nothing to be worried about.

But then... why did he feel like this?

-

Lyserg Diethyl bit his bottom lip as he walked along the hallways of his and his other comrade's home. Ever since that talk with Marco and the rest of the X-Laws; he had began to wander.

What was the real purpose of the group? Why would they try to eliminate shamans, if they were shamans themselves?

It might be Lyserg's own fault that he had never questioned these things before; perhaps because the only thing on his mind when he had taken Marco's hand on that day was revenge. He wanted to avenge his parent's death; even if it cost him his very life.

But... now...

He didn't want to be part of a group that killed without reason.

"What's wrong?"

Emerald-eyes turned to stare into another's. "M-Marco..." A sigh. "It's... nothing."

His boyfriend frowned; an eyebrow rose. How many times would he have to remind Lyserg on what a horrible liar he was...?

"You're thinking about earlier." It was not a question, but a statement.

Lyserg nods. "...Marco." He begins, looking at him seriously. "Why are we killing others? The Asakura twins had nothing to do with us, and, they're shamans like us, aren't they...? And Hao's so strong! We could've invited him to join us if we hadn't of"

He was cut off with a slap; sending him flying to the cold, hard, tile floor.

"You can quit if you're going to question Jeanne-sama's ideals." He sent him a glare; but, his tone never rose in the least bit. "We don't need members like you."

Lyserg said nothing as he watched the man turn and walk away; tears steadily filling his eyes; a hand clasped to his swollen cheek. Marco had never hurt him like that before; not since they had gotten together, anyways.

He looked down and sighed.

He didn't want to betray the group, no, especially when Marco was a member. He wouldn't want to hurt him like that.

But... he didn't want to go on killing innocent people without any reasons at all.

Father... what should I do?

-

Hao looked up at the ceiling of his room; sighing softly to himself. He was contemplating on earlier events. Perhaps he should have... opened up to the shaman he had met earlier. After all; it didn't look like they worked for the government; in fact, they looked like shamans much like themselves.

Perhaps... this is what I needwhat we need. It's obvious that I cannot defeat the X-Laws alone. And, in fact, he wouldnot for himself, or for his brother; but, other shamans as well. It was clear that this couldn't go on anymore; this meaningless hunt for others with powers.

Hao paused when he heard a sniffling; blinking a bit as he turned.

"...Yoh?"

His younger brother was standing in the doorway; his stuffed bear being hugged closely to him as he bit back a sob. "O-Onii-chan..." He sniffed again.

"What is it?" The other shaman sat; gazing at Yoh in a concerned manner.

A sigh; he shook slightly at the memory. "I-I-I h-had a b-bad dream!" The other finally cried out. Now; it wasn't as if Yoh had awakened from other nightmares before, but, this one was certainly different. Not only had Hao died, but, so did other people as well.

No, it wasn't a pleasant dream at all.

These were the times when Yoh had wished to see his parents once more. They were always there for him when he needed company for such things as this. His mother would always be the one to comfort him; letting the young boy sleep with them for the night.

Hao, on the other hand, never had any situations such as these. Nightmares never bothered him, because he always figured thatwell... it was just a dream. Nothing more. Nothing less. Dreams weren't real.

Hao's eyes widened slightly at that before softening. Yoh had never come to him for such things as this. It was a bit strange for him. In fact... Hao was unsure of what to do."Do you want to talk about it?"

His younger brother whipped his eyes and shook his head quickly; not wanting to discuss this horrifying dream.

Hao nodded once more; looking down.

"...Can I sleep with you for tonight? 'Kaa-san and 'Tou-san always let me..." He looked down; hugging his bear even closer. If Hao didn't know any better; Yoh would have crushed the bear if his grip were to tighten anymore.

The other froze at that; not even sure what to say.

A small smile tugged on the corners of his lips as he patted the space beside him on the futon. "Come here."

The smaller one smiled slightly as well; quickly walking to his brother and laying down beside him; snuggling close to him, as if trying to get warm.

"..'Night, Hao..." The tone was a sleepy, quiet one.

"Good night..."

-

The streets were quiet as Tao Ren walked along them, cursing quietly under his breath.

Dammit! He never wanted to be out this late! This was thanks to that stupid Ainu! Why did he have to wander off!

It was his fault Ren felt so worried for him, too, yep. If it wasn't for him, Ren could be sleeping, or, better yet, training. This was a waste of time!

"HoroHoro!" He called out for him; receiving nothing but silence in response.

He cussed under his breath. For some reason; he was scared. Scared that he wouldn't be able to find HoroHoro. They had been living together for so long; doing just about everything with one another that... Ren wouldn't know what to do if he lost his friend.

Yes, friend. The word might be foreign to the Chinese boy, but, it warmed him in a particular way as well.

Is this what it felt like to have someone close to you...?

He sighed and continued to walk.

HoroHoro; when I find you, I'm going to kill you!

-

Hao watched his brother sleep; smiling softly to himself. He, however, was ignoring the presence of another.

"...You've decided to keep your promise, eh?"

Amidamaru appeared once more; mildly shocked that Hao could sense him like he did. He had to quickly remind himself, that Hao was a shaman. That, unlike most others; he could easily see him.

"...It would be dishonorable for a samurai to break his vow." His tone was serious. Hao merely smirked in reply to that.

"Good. I would have hunted you down and sent you to Hell myself if you hadn't of come."

The spirit sweatdropped. What kind of people were these brothers'...?

Hao frowned, closing his eyes once more. "...Yoh's beginning more advanced training with you tomorrow, be prepared."

Amidamaru paused at that before nodding. Right now, he was prepared to do anything that Hao had to throw at him.

If it meant protecting the one that had reunited him with his friend, then he'd be ready to defend him against anything that would cross their path.

-

HoroHoro walked along the roads of Funbari, eating his fast food purchases happily. Sure, he had wandered off, and sure, he had left Ren behind, but, the food was so tempting! It called to him!

"HoroHoro!" He blinked when he heard a voice not to far away, cringing. That voice sounded very, very familiar, to say the least. However, this familiar voice sounded angry. Too angry for his liking.

...Meep. Ren was probably mad at him for wandering off again...

He stayed where he was, contemplating if he should call the pointed-haired haired boy where he was. Thing is; HoroHoro didn't want to die yet! He still had a full life ahead of him...

"Dammit!" He heard Ren yell. "If I wasn't so worried about him, I would've gone home by now!"

...Wait a minute. Ren was worried about him...?

This was certainly a first.

"Ren?" It was a soft, quiet whisper. Right now, HoroHoro had forgotten about being afraid of being killed.

The other almost immediately twitched, turning to yell at him. "There you are!" He sighed, trying to calm himself down; but, failed. His hair began to grow. "I've been looking all over for you! Come on! We're going home!"

The Ainu merely blinked at that; smiling slightly as he slowly followed after Ren.

For some reason; he couldn't get irritated at the boy. No, normally he would have yelled at him for snapping at him like that, but, not today.

He grinned.

I missed you too, Ren...

To be continued

Author's notes: Just to avoid confusion; Hao and Yoh are 7 and 12 starting next chapter.

Er... yes... a different take on Amidamaru and Mosuke's reunion. :P

And, um, Marco fans... don't kill me. A few reviewers wanted Lyserg to get slapped by Marco, so, that's why I did it. XD;;

The HaoYoh fluff part was pointless, but, hey; people want fluff, so, there you go.

This chapter is a (really late x.x) birthday present to Seito. Happy birthday:D

Hao and Yoh finally met Horo and Ren! Yay! And Yoh and Hao are finally older. o.O If you consider seven and twelve older...

Erm... o.o :hides from angry reviewers: D: Don't blame me for not updating! Blame the yaoi anime! It's Sukisho's fault! It sucked me into its fandom and now I can't get out! (Everyone needs to go check it out. e.e seriously)

Anyways; since it's Spring Break... I may be able to update more often.

Replies to reviews:

... XD It was a mistake. :X

Kiharu-sama: Glad you like this! Here's an update!

strife-loverYay! Glad you like this! ;) I was afraid some characters might be OOC.

Bonnie-Mizuhara Phantom: Ehh... but it's cute when they're little. ;.;

SPUW Commander: Aww... I'm sorry to hear that you guys were grounded... I hope things get sorted out soon.

Luna Chii: Lack of Hao? o.o He's all over this site, though. XD

Black Hikari: Oops... hehehe... I'll go back and fix that...

Yep! HaoYoh fluff is really fun to write!

AsakiheGlad you like this!

Chibi Atariel Tsukai: Her fics are cute, too:P

Yep:D I know how people hate waiting for updates...

Hellfire Pheonix: Thank you!

HoroHoro and Ren are both 10...

YokoYoukaiYay! Fluff is good!

Really? Ah... well; welcome to the insanity! XD Mankin fics aren't usually the most sane thing on this site. :is shot by other authors: x.X

haolover9312: Sorry! But I like cliffhangers! ;.;

KimBobEveryone wants HoroRen fluff... lol... I'll try to do more of that next chap!

Keeper of Yoh: Yay! Everyone loves fluff. X3

AzaleeXD Yes! Hao's so funny when he does that. o.o

Aww... ;.; As much as I love Lys torture (almost as much as Yoh torture) torturing Lyserg here would seem a bit wrong. XD

Ah well... maybe we'll catch each other online... someday. o.O

lilcOMG you did! o.o :heartattack: XD Kidding.

:bites: But I do suck at writing. :P

Your Onii-chan!

Seito: Glad you liked all these chapters so far!

And... yeah... I'll go back and fix that.

:hugs:D