Seductive Lies

Shadows:hides from mob of angry readers: Oh forgive me! I didn't mean to forget you! I was, busy, and I had modular exams today, and there's bitch fights, and I've broken my friendship with my best mate, and...

Well, it's all over now, and I can pick up where I left off. I'm sorry! Okay Hao, you can have a break...Ren! Do the honours!

Ren: What:evil glares from Shadows: Oh, okay then...Shadows does not own Shaman King. That means me. And Yoh. And Hao. And Horo. And Lyserg. And... :gets shut up by Kitty, who puts paw over mouth:

Kitty: Thank god for that! I can do much better than the lot of you! Actually, that's what I'm hired and sitting here for?... :glares at Shadows:

Shadows: You, Kitty, are my muse. It's your job to bring me various anime characters from the dungeons, do the disclaimers when applicable, sit there and look pretty, and give me inspiration on what to write. Besides, we've been partners for years, why would you ever want to leave?

Kitty: Um...I dunno actually... On with the review replies...

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Black Hikari: :comforts with lots of hugs: Don't worry, Hao is VERY angry at Yoh's naughty little friends...And don't worry, they'll suffer... :evil laughter:

Haolover9312: Bad Hao, he's been a naughty boy...And now Yoh is alone and confused, and Hao is crying his heart out...Don't you just love my plot twists?

Inulover4eva: Hmm, I'm rather good at plot twists, aren't I? Well get prepared for some more, cuz there's more from where that came from! As for lemons, they go good on top of fluffy white cream... :wink:

Azalee: I'm good on trampolines too. We have them in PE at skool...Thanks for the info... Whoa... :reads 2nd half of chapter: My god! Now that is a fucking excellent storyline:faints: And on the Yoh/Hao situ, well, this is a love triangle, and Anna still has her part to play... Remember, Hao didn't reveal what he wanted her to do...

Garnet-Chan: Yay, somebody who didn't cry! I agree, chapter 8 is good...It's sort of the prelude to the grand finale that's coming later on.. :wink: (yes, I wink a lot...)

DragonStorm85: You know, I had that chapter planned out for days...It bugged me until I wrote it...Don't cry... :hugs: Yoh will come along and make it all better... I hope... Or I could just make various people's lives complete and utter misery...

Russian Doll: :comforts amongst all the tears: There, there, Hao will be okay, just a few murders, brutal killings and kidnappings later and he'll be fine...We wish... Here, have glomps to cheer you up. :glomp: I'm adding you to my list of captured souls... Heh!

Soccer-cutie67: It took you 1 ½ hours to read the whole fic? Do I really write chapters that big? Don't worry, you're completely in awe...Now stay still, because your soul is mine:glomp: Ah...really should stop doing that..

Dr4g0nhunt£r: I find it impossible to be completely heartless for Hao, even if he is a bit evil... Don't worry, I'll look after him...And Yoh...And Anna... He, he... :glomp: Mwhahahaha! Now your soul is mine:smiles insanely:

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Kitty: I know why! You friggin' forced me into being your muse! I had no choice! It was either that, or the Doggy was going to be your Microsoft Office Assistant!

Shadows: Uh...:sweatdrop: On with the ficcie... Now, now, calm Kitty...:gets scratched: Ow...

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Chapter 9 - Doubting Myself

"Somewhere."

"Somewhere? How is that gonna help us find Yoh!" Choco complained, before cowering at the dangerous glare Anna shot at him.

"Somewhere around here..." Horo muttered, more to himself than the others. The little tinkle of laughter echoed up from the aura disk, causing everyone to look right. Sure enough, once Horo put the disk away, everyone heard the faint sobs that came from within the trees.

"Over there.." Ryu whispered, pointing, and leading the way. When a branch flicked back in Horo's leg, a faint 'ow..' could be heard, making the sobs suddenly become louder as whoever was crying lifted up their head from the grass. Pushing their way through, everyone gasped when they saw Yoh, his dark eyes filled with tears, staring precariously up at them.

"Yoh..." Horo echoed. The shaman didn't answer, he merely wiped away a few tears that had rolled down his cheek. Then he got up, walking over to where Faust stood, the unconscious Ren cradled in his arms. Yoh stooped downwards, brushing his fingers against the dried blood on his head, his usually soft locks of his hair matted together from the blood. Silently, Yoh was willing for Ren to wake up and tell him everything was okay, but he didn't, and Yoh's tears began to fall again, some of the cold droplets falling gently onto Ren's sleeping face.

"Do you mind?" A rather familiar voice croaked up at him. Yoh smiled through his tears, as the saffron eyes blinked at him, trying to shake off the woozy feeling.

"Are you feeling better?" Faust asked, observing the situation going on below. Carefully, Faust gently put Ren down on the grass, to allow the two to talk easier.

"Very woozy and a killer headache. Apart from that, I'm absolute peachy." The sarcasm was back in Ren's voice to a certain degree, and apart from the fact that Horo did come over, Ren's glare made it quite clear he didn't want any more company.

"Considering that you took a rather painful hit there, I'm surprised you're actually awake." Horo also smiled, coming over to see how the Chinese shaman was.

"Something cold and wet woke me up. " Ren answered, feeling kind of pleased when Horo sat down beside him, invisibly snuggling up to him a little.

"My bad.." Yoh added, raising a finger sheepishly.

"And you were crying because?" Ren asked, although his voice held a soft note to it.

"Because it's because of me that you had a huge wooden log smacked around your head, and that you now have a rather painful and bloody wound on the side of your head. I'm sorry..." Yoh replied, his voice holding complete innocence. Ren couldn't help himself, he smiled, lightly.

"You've already apologised Yoh. And it's not necessarily your fault...I think Hao wasn't too pleased about the fact that we were trying to kill each other." Ren did gently lift a hand to explore the wound, wincing a little when he touched the tender open wound. Although the major bleeding had stopped, the wound was still open, and very sore. "Ow.." Ren muttered lightly, causing Yoh to laugh slightly.

"So what did Hao exactly do to you?" Horo asked, looking curiously at Yoh. Yoh's smile faded, as he recalled everything that had happened over the last few days.

"Well, I remember certain parts of it, and I have no idea what happened in others. Mainly, it's a big blur of colour, sound and Hao..." It was then that Yoh suddenly realised. He was nowhere near Hao, and yet he wasn't ill. He didn't even feel on the verge of sickness, and Yoh found it confusing.

" You okay?" Ren asked, observing Yoh's sudden hesitation.

"Yeah, it's just when this whole thing started, whenever Hao went away as such, I always got ill. I couldn't explain it, and from there, things just escalated. I told myself I was only with Hao to stop myself from being ill, but I think it was more than that. "

"Such as?" Ren's eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"I think, well I dunno. I mean, I'm not anywhere near Hao now, and I feel fine. It's weird.." Yoh shrugged his shoulders, whilst Ren felt Horo silently take his hand.

"I might have the answer to that question." Anna wandered over, looking a little less pale, but still rather ill. She sat down beside Yoh, who simply looked her up and down, and promptly hugged her.

"I'm sorry." Yoh whispered, whilst Anna simply gave a stifled sob, and hugged Yoh back, pleased beyond words to have the real Yoh there again.

"That's okay Yoh. You weren't yourself. And I think, when this started, Hao somehow put you under some kind of hypnosis. You weren't aware of it to begin with, and Hao was doing it to make you believe that you needed him to live. Consequently, now that the hypnosis, or whatever Hao was using to control you, is gone, you aren't ill anymore." Anna smiled, lightly, but Horo and Ren both saw it.

"So who broke the hypnosis then? Or what?" Horo asked, head to the side again, making Ren try to hide his snickers of laughter. He gathered that laughing was only going to make his head pound even more, and Ren abruptly stopped.

"Uh, that was me...Hence, why Hao hit me round the head with that log." Ren smiled again, quietly giving Horo's hand a little squeeze.

"How?" Horo and Anna asked in unison.

"Some very carefully selected words of persuasion that I've forgotten." Ren's eyes connected with Yoh's, who looked solemn for a minute. Both remembered what Ren had said. Yoh nodded slightly, and Ren relaxed, convinced that, for now, his secret was also safe with Yoh. He was more curious, however, to hear what Yoh had to say about it.

"Oh well. Either way, Yoh is good again, and we'd better get back before Hao hunts us down in search of Yoh. No offence, but he seemed absolutely devastated when you ran off Yoh. He collapsed, and completely ignored us. " Horo gave a confused look, before getting to his feet, helping Ren up.

"Ow..." Ren cursed.

"Sure you'll be alright to walk back?" Horo asked.

"With help. The help being to make sure that I don't fall down any ravines or pits. "Ren sarcastically smiled, and Horo slipped an arm around his shoulder.

They began the long trek back to Yoh's house, everyone sluggishly dragging their tired and beaten bodies along the dirt track. Before he left, Yoh threw a look behind him. Somewhere, back from where he'd ran, he could feel the pain of a heart breaking. He could feel the grief and the desperation, and for a minute, a shiver ran up Yoh's spine.

Was it possible?

Were he and Hao still connected?

Yoh shivered, and not from the cold. He turned, and set off down the track, trying to ignore the pain of another...

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Back in the almost deserted clearing, Hao was still sobbing into the grass. Inside, something was breaking, and it felt like he'd lost something. A part of himself, that had runaway into the night with Yoh.

He broke down again, the pale waver of the moonlight shining down on him. He didn't understand himself, why was he crying? He hadn't cried in a long time, it wasn't something that was common to him. The pain and grief was overwhelming, touching a little aspect of himself that was so faint, it almost wasn't there.

For a long, long time, there was no sound, apart from Hao's steady and gentle sobs, as he cried for something that wasn't there.

And eventually, like all things that come from human emotion, it stopped. The tears could come no more, and Hao found that there was nothing left.

And it was then, also like human emotion, that one feeling gave way to another. For Hao, the deep, burning sadness faded, and it was then that anger, hatred and the rage kicked in. He forgot the sorrow that he had felt, he could only focus on one thing, and one thing alone.

Revenge.

They, they had taken his Yoh away from him. And now they were going to pay.

Getting to his feet, Hao wiped away the wetness on his face. His eyes narrowed, and burned with a fiery desire for vengeance. He had long forgotten the grief, the pain of his heart breaking. He also forgot the last look he had at Yoh, when he had seen the pure shock and demoralisation in his eyes.

Desolation. Defeat. He had lost the battle, but the war was far from over.

Revenge is sweet. And oh how he was going to enjoy this.

Menacing and threatening laugher, edged with a wicked tang of evil echoed up to the full moon and the night sky. The birds settled in the trees flocked upwards, forming a sudden cloud against the moon. When the birds were gone, Hao smirked with glee.

It was time for them to pay...

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Ski sighed, leaning against the fencing post near the waters edge. Down by the lake, her torn and shabby bag lay in a heap beside her. She had heard the sounds of people coming that morning, and, afraid, she had ran for cover behind a nearby tree. Watching, she had seen them come out, setting off somewhere. Sadly, Ski had noticed how well dressed, and well kept they were, wishing she had the same.

Now, feeling alone and dejected, she decided that the time had come to go back and see if they could help her find her sister. Ski had checked earlier, but nobody was home, and she had gone to find something to eat.

Ski had to admit, the shaman energy in the air had been rather strong that evening. It was unusual, as if a potentially powerful shaman was in town. Shrugging, she picked up her bag, and set off, becoming aware of the noises and voices as she got closer.

Peeping inside the gate, she gasped as she saw the shaman fight going on. Her gasp was picked up however, and a dark haired shaman threw his gaze in her direction, spotting her two seconds before she backed off. Breathing deeply, she leant against the closed door, hoping he didn't come out. Maybe this had been a bad idea...

Ren meanwhile, curiously gazed at where he was sure he'd seen a face two seconds ago.

"You okay Ren?" Horo asked, slipping an arm around his shoulder.

"I could of sworn there was someone there a minute ago..." Ren looked rather puzzled, and Horo shrugged. Ren looked kinda cute when he was confused.

"Lets go have a look." Horo grinned, and dragged his friend over to the gate.

"Hello?" Horo called sticking his head out. Ski gasped, leaping away from her position and clutching her arms to her chest.

"Whoa, it's alright, we won't hurt you.." Horo held his hands up in mock surrender, taking in the painfully thin girl before them.

"I'm sorry, I was just..." Ski's voice caught in her throat, slightly hoarse due to dehydration. Ren's eyes narrowed slightly, taking in the small sky blue spirit ball poking out slightly from behind her back.

"You're a shaman, aren't you?" Ren was sure to keep a non-threatening tone, giving her a small smile.

"Um...yeah...Look, I'm sorry, I'm a little shy around strangers. My name's Ski Kyouyama." She was startled when the two looked at each other in slight shock.

"Uh,...did you just say your name was Kyouyama?" Ren asked, curiously.

"Yes...Wait a minute, do you know anything about my sister?" Her eyes glimmered with hope, a smile creeping it's way onto her face.

"I think you'd better come inside. " Ren took in Horo's nod, who simply led the way in.

"Morty? Go fetch Anna." Horo called across the clearing to the short boy, whilst Ski looked around rather nervously.

"Relax, no one's really going to bite your head off. Apart from Anna. And possibly me." Ren smiled, as the girl relaxed a little, returning the gesture.

"Anna? Let me guess, tall, blonde? Dark eyes? Wears a red head scarf, or used to." Ski took in Ren's wide eyed look, gathering she'd guessed right. She couldn't help herself. A wide-eyed grin crept across her face, making Ren stop to smile at the pure innocence of it all.

The tranquillity was shattered in moments by screams from the back yard. (A/N: Three wild guesses on why everyone's screaming!)

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The screams had, in fact, come from a rather terrified Morty, and a startled Lyserg. Yells of shock also echoed from Anna and Ryu, who were both trapped against the fencing post with no way back to the house.

In the middle of the enclosure stood Hao, eyes narrowed in a livid fury, his spirit of fire standing at the ready beside him. The shaman's glazed over gaze showed no emotion other than anger, no compassion or empathy offered. Morty and Lyserg were both beside the open doorway, both looking terrified. The rush of feet, as everyone else came running to see what was the matter, made Hao laugh. It was a slightly lustful, vengeful laugh, that sent shivers up and down everyone's spines.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A group of pathetic shaman, whom I am going to destroy. But first, I do believe that you have something that belongs to me." Hao's eyes narrowed in question, Morty's little whimpers of fright making Lyserg bend down and comfort him.

"Sorry Hao, but I don't belong to anyone." Yoh's usually curious and placid stare held a daze of hurt and mild confusion. At the sight of Yoh, Hao's gaze dropped a little, but the anger was still there.

So that's it. Ren thought to himself, one of the last to come out of the open doorway along with Ski. Hao's weakness is Yoh...Somehow, that knowledge is going to help us... Ren threw a glance to the terrified Ski beside him, and remembered that she was one of Hao's targets. Shit...If Hao sees her...

"Quickly, back inside." Ren ordered.

"What?.." Ski looked up dolefully at him.

"Go, now! I'll explain later!" Ren gently pushed her, and the girl ran back inside, whimpers escaping her lips. A low growl of anger emitted from Hao, who angrily ordered his spirit of fire to get ready for the attack.

"If you don't belong to anyone, why did you run away? Were you running from the truth? I knew you'd wound up here, under the strict eye of that whore over there. " The shaman nodded his head slightly in Anna's direction, earning him an equal growl of anger from Yoh. Gasps and murmurs ran through the crowd of shaman, it was almost as if Hao had spoken again.

"What's the matter Yoh? Don't you like me criticising your little fiancée? It's not as if you have a choice." Hao smirked in glee. When Yoh next spoke however, Ren could of almost sworn it was Hao who voiced words again, instead of his little brother.

"You know something?" Yoh muttered angrily.

"What?" Hao replied in his playful voice.

"I remember that battle before I ran away from you. Right before I realised the truth, somebody told me something that shocks me now. They told me I sounded like you. And I don't want to be like you." Yoh's eyes held a look that was genuinely his own, but with a flicker of Hao.

"You have no choice. It's either that, or you're going to die along with the rest of your friends. " A smirk flashed evilly across Hao's face, but Yoh never moved. He didn't even flinch, whilst everyone else merely shrunk away in fright.

"You don't mean that." Yoh eventually muttered. The tone was more like Yoh's voice, but still edgy.

"Why do you say that? I can, and will kill you and everyone else right now." Hao was a little over confident, Yoh could see. But still, this was the only chance he had, and he definitely had to take this one.

"You won't kill me. You can't kill them. That's what you need Anna for, isn't it? Until you get whatever you want from her, you can't touch a huge group like this. "

"But I can kill you off one by one." Hao dangerously answered, beginning to get annoyed. Secretly, he was worried. Did Yoh know too much?

"You could, but you still won't touch me. " A sudden lightness echoed on the end of his words, causing a breath of relief to settled around the yard.

"What's going to stop me? I told you Yoh, I can, and will kill you. And I can play games just as easily." Although anger in Hao was as common as enthusiasm for training in Yoh, when it was there, Hao could be very dangerous.

"Because you love me. " Four simple words, and the shield Hao had built around himself dropped with a clatter. "You won't touch me, because part of you loves me. It was meant to be for your own gain, influencing me, but you fell in love with me. "

A silence dropped over the yard, and even Morty stopped his terrified whimpers, snuggled up protectively in Lyserg's arms. (A/N: They're just friends, okay?) Everyone was taking in what Yoh had just announced to them, until Anna plucked up the courage to voice what was on everyone's minds.

"Are you saying...that there's been a homosexual relationship going on here?" The glare from Hao was enough to make even Anna shrink two feet, but Yoh merely nodded.

"Wow...such a big deal.." Ren slipped in, but he was ever conscious of the look Hao kept focused on everyone.

"Are you condemning them being gay?" Lyserg piped up.

A spluttered came from both, before Yoh grinned, and laughed at his friend's comment.

"Actually, I'm perfectly straight Lyserg. I blame that hypnosis thingy for whatever happened between us." Yoh kept his grin, but Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I be critical of them being gay?" This caused even more raised eyebrows and murmurs, before a growl silenced everyone. If anything, Hao was calling the shots here, and he seemed rather interested in what Ren had to say. The Chinese shaman however, was focused on the look Horo was giving him. He smiled, and lightly held a finger to his lips, nodding sideways slightly. An answering nod cleared this issue up, Horo nodded in agreement, and Ren turned his attention back to the issue in front of him.

"Enough! It's time I took what is mine.. And if I can't have you, no one can." Hao gave the order, and the attack was launched, flames of anger rushing forward towards to the group. In seconds, Horo had summoned Koro and threw up a defence against the attack.

It wasn't enough, and Horo was pushed backwards, the flickers of flame licking around the snowboard, melting through the ice like a knife on butter.

"Get Yoh and Anna inside! Now!" Horo shouted, as Ren and Ryu rushed to help. They weren't quick enough, and with a few orders, the spirit of fire had sprung up a wall of flame blocking the doorway. Without the threat of being burnt at the stake if they moved, Anna and Ryu could get away from the entrapment they had been blocked into.

Hao knew he wouldn't be able to defeat them all. He wasn't here for Yoh - yet. He was here for entirely different reasons altogether. The spirit of fire wouldn't kill them, just maim and distract them. The shaman chuckled, as a shot of fire struck Ryu's arm, and another lightly caught Lyserg's cheek.

They were fighting with all they had, yes. But Hao had more than one weakness, and they didn't know them. Until then, it would be a case of trying their hardest. And until Hao saw the right moment...

"He's too strong!" Lyserg yelled, Morty having run for cover long ago.

"No he is not! Even Hao has a weakness somewhere!" Ryu winced slightly at the pain from the burn on his arm. In their attempt to hold back the steady stream of fire and flame, nobody had noticed that Anna, Yoh and Morty had been left open and without cover. And nobody noticed that Hao was heading straight for them until it was too late.

"Too late Yoh, you're mine!" Hao cried, before he jumped down before the three. Although Yoh had spirit control, he knew he wasn't a match for Hao. The shaman easily dodged, sneaking behind and grabbing Yoh's shoulders. Hao threw him leftwards, watching as the younger crashed painfully into a wall.

"I forgot to mention. It's not Yoh I want. I want you Anna." With a grin of delightful evil, Hao cleverly distracted, then roughly backhanded Anna across the head. She slumped into his arms, only to be heaved onto his shoulder.

"Next time Yoh, maybe you'll learn that what I say, and what I want are two different things." Hao laughed once more, summoning his spirit, and sending a final burst of flame at the group. Then, he was gone, and the exhausted shaman collapsed in pain.

Yoh merely dragged himself to his feet, staring up to where Hao had been.

"Anna..." He softly whispered, tears beginning to collect in the corners of his eyes.

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Shadows: Dun, dun, DUN! (Yeah, I say that a lot...) Now you know how I'm going to incorporate AnnaxHao into this fic... Review, - or Morty gets it... :laughs as she reveals Morty bound and gagged, hanging upside down from the ceiling: MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA:cough: Man, that needs work...