Seductive Lies

Shadows: Hmm, where to take this now.. I dunno really... Tell me again why is full to the brim of young, naive writers who don't having a fucking clue as to the first thing about writing? It's SO hard to get a decent fanfic nowadays!

Kitty: So you resorted to writing your own fanfics in order to keep your sanity?

Shadows: I'm not THAT good, but at least I use capitals, full stops, commas and line breaks in all the right places... Four simple things, and your writing will be so much better! Oh yeah, and I don't own Shaman King!

0o0o

Jen-Tao07: Idiots DO slip in... Actually, that was my genuine, reasonable explanation as to why Morty is so short...I thought it was quite good!

Black Hikari: What happens next? Um.. Read on? Gaspth indeed!

Gift-of-the-elves: Don't chew your fingernails right off! Yes, Yoh and Hao have been naughty boys... Hmm, Morty and Ski? Ooh, I like that plot idea! Yea, Horo likes the taste of his koi...

Kya-san: The Bride of Chucky ? oO Aww, come on, EVERYONE likes twincest! And you know Hao and Yoh wanna play!

MeeLee: Humour goes well, contrasts the angst... Horo will be okay, Ren will look after him! Sorting out Ren/Horo off first, then I'll go back and mingle Yoh/Hao in. As for the sex scenes-you'll have to guess!

Shading Source: Are you new to the story? I don't remember seeing you before...Wait, you found us chapter 10, - right? Oh well, GO ME! I made everyone wait 3 months, I owe you all nice, lemony chapters!

DragonStorm85: For some reason, I find writing scenes with Ski in hard, I don't know why...I'm working on it though...Yes, Horo was a little shocked, wasn't he:hugs Horo:

Rae-chan: I owed updates... I made you wait 3 months... :hangs head in shame: Yes, Horo and Ren are happy for now, but I think the shit is about to hit the fan...

BBShadowCat I wasn't expecting it, but everyone actually seems to have taken to the pairing of SkixMorty...Gonna run it by the drawing board...Cute doesn't get THAT much of a look in here...

0o0o

Shadows: Anyway, onto chapter 13! Hao is a little pissed off...and about ready to unleash his major plan...

Italics are thoughts, just a quick reminder, and wherever I use ... in speech (mainly for Ren) it means that the person talking is stammering. (at a lost for words...)

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Chapter 13 - And The Cat's Out of The Bag

The door slammed roughly behind Horo Horo as he entered, the spirits sensing the young shaman's anger and fleeing quickly. A few glares was all it took to warn the others to leave him alone, and no one disturbed him as he made his way back to his room.

He was still shaking, shaking after what he'd seen.

Yoh and Hao? I thought, thought that he said it was the hypnosis that made him act like that...

He shuddered again, trying to calm the questions racing back and forth in his head. It wasn't working very well. He was, by now, very upset, shaken, and hyperventilating ever so slightly. It didn't make sense, why was Yoh still involved with Hao? Why would he anyway, after all that Hao had done?

Nothing seemed to make any logical explanation, and he was only getting himself more wound up.

The thoughts still ran round and round in his head, and however much he wanted them to make something understandable, they didn't. He was missing a piece of the puzzle, and until he picked it up and put it into place, the puzzle was uncompleted, and he wasn't going to understand it.

Head bowed, body tense and hands shaking, Horo didn't notice when the door opened and slid gently shut again. He did notice when a warm hand rested upon his shoulder, and a sweet, familiar scent suddenly swept around him.

"Ren?" He asked, amazed at the shakiness in his voice.

"What happened? You looked pretty distressed when you came in."

A minute's silence settled over the two, in which Ren slipped his left arm around Horo's waist, so that the ice shaman was settled against his chest. He seemed to like it, moving to slide his arm parallel to Ren's.

"Yoh. And Hao."

"Ah." Ren faltered momentarily. "What were they doing?"

"Kissing the life out of each other last time I looked. I don't understand, why on earth would Yoh go, go and kiss him? Hao tried to kill us!" Horo was upset again, confusion sparkling in his azure eyes.

"Horo..."

"What, you think there's a easy answer for this? It's what I saw, clear with my own eyes."

"Yes, and..."

"And what? Yoh's innocent in all this?" He was border lining distraught, and Ren simply let his head drop, resting on Horo's back. He stayed there, half-listening whilst the other continued his rant, until silence settled.

"Horo." He tested.

"What?"

"I...I already knew. About Yoh...and Hao." He braced himself for the next onslaught, head nicely snuggled into Horo's back.

The onslaught never came. Instead, the ice shaman swallowed, and voiced his next thought. His anger had rapidly faded, and now he was simply ready to find some comfort.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because...Because..." Ren trailed off, unable to continue for a few seconds. "Because, well...I don't...I don't quite know yet, okay? And, I only found out myself two days ago, so... "

Horo sighed lightly. As much as he was enjoying having Ren snuggled into his back, it was a little uncomfortable. To a light whimper of protest, he gently loosened the Chinese shaman's embrace, and turned around so that he could wrap his arms around Ren's waist as well. He seemed content with that, settling his head against Horo's chest again.

"So...Yoh isn't, well, all evil again, is he?" Horo offered a smile of apology, slightly taken aback when Ren mumbled for a minute, settling himself against the other.

"I don't, think so... He seemed okay anyway. I'm not going to go and spilt to everyone, so, I guess Yoh does trust me..."

"You, Ren, wouldn't tell everyone?" Horo let his jaw drop mockingly.

"He would tell everyone about us in return." The Chinese offered a wry smile, head cocked up slightly so that he could meet the other's gaze.

"Can I tell them then?"

"If you want. Just make sure you stress that I didn't tell you. By the way, how did you find out?"

"Hiding in the bushes. Saw them snogging and ran in terror. Before throwing up on the way."

"Thanks...I wanted to know that..."

"Baka..."

"Kisama..."

"Bastard..."

"I just said that..."

"Did you?"

"Yes. That's what kisama means. Don't tell the others though, I like to have the upper hand with idiots like Chocolove."

"I won't."

Ren laughed at this, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Yep. But you know you love me really."

"Like a hole in the head... You feeling any better now?"

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go stir the shit...Heh, coming to watch?"

"No, I've got a few phone calls to make, Jun asked me to phone her..."

"Okay.." Horo stopped to kiss him, lightly, before smiling one more time and heading for the door. He wasn't quite sure what was going on between Yoh and Hao, but he was about to find out.

"And Horo..."

"Yeah?"

"You can...call me, your boyfriend if you want..." He smiled, blushing lightly, before being surprised by Horo running back and giving him one last kiss. With a big grin across his face, Horo Horo darted back, and out of the door.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Silence had long settled in the small cove. The birds, sensing the dangerous aura in the air, had taken flight only a few hours ago.

And in the middle of the small clearing one Hao Asakura was planning to unleash his most evil plan yet. It was risky, border lining dangerous, and would probably kill him eventually, but hey, that was the perks to being immortal.

It wasn't that complicated, but it was going to require a sacrifice. Someone preferably innocent and naive, mainly as Hao was going to need them to assist in the ritual.

If successful, the Asakura would have the power to control the human world, and have a huge amount of have power over the shaman world. No one human would be safe from Hao's plan to destroy all of humanity.

But first, all great plans require excellent planning beforehand, and Hao was currently sat with Anna nearby, planning out his master scheme to it's finishing touches. It would require a full moon for starters, no distractions, a willing sacrifice, and most importantly, Anna's powers. Anna, as an itako, would be able to open the gateway between the living and spiritual worlds, and call forth the powers that Hao needed.

And she was going to do it, or die trying to defy him.

"Hmm...who to choose as my little willing sacrifice... Can't have any of Yoh's lackeys...perhaps one of those Lily 5 weaklings... " The fire crackled lightly in front of the two, and Hao detected a light sigh behind him.

"What troubles you?" He cocked his head to the side slightly, eyes sparkling with concern.

"It's nothing much master... but, it's just..." Anna trailed off, afraid Hao would hurt her again. She was surprised when she found the shaman knelt in front of her, hand gently cupping her chin up.

"Master, I..."

"Shh.. " He gently placed two fingers to her lips, eyes sparkling with a new found interest.

How their lips met, tongues darting playfully around each other and catching odd moments, was a different matter altogether.

Only two minutes, and only two kisses.

Before Hao pulled away and decisively backhanded her roughly.

"Get back to work."

0o0o

The room was a busy place, and with Anna missing, Ski seemed to have adopted a new role in the kitchens with Morty. Everyone else was busily preparing for dinner; and amongst crude jokes, spilled sodas and a kinda pissed Tao Ren wielding a Kwan Dao, things went sort of smoothly.

Until Yoh walked in. At once, Horo's eyes narrowed in on the brunette, who didn't notice until Ryu nudged him. Even then, he didn't seem too worried.

"Something up Horo? Have I got something on my face or what?"

"No, no...But I would say that you've got something in your head. "

"What?" Yoh's dark eyes sparkled with curiosity and confusion.

"Everyone run..." Ren muttered lightly as he wandered back into the room, having overheard the start of their conversation from the kitchen. A bottle of milk was settled in his hand, condensation running lightly down the side.

"Tell me Yoh, just out of interest, how is Hao? Okay? You seemed to be making sure of it."

"I'm not sure what you're..."

"Sure you do Yoh...But then again, you weren't going to say that Hao currently has Anna held hostage, is threatening to kill her sister, and is also benefiting from shoving his tongue down your throat..."

Yoh paled. For a minute, a deathly silence settled over the room, the only sounds being the odd bangs from the kitchen and odd gasps going round. Until Chocolove broke the silence.

"What...what ARE you saying Horo? That, that something is going on between Yoh and Hao still? I thought that was the mind control.."

"It was. Nothing is going on." Yoh's tone was firm, deep, but the terrified look and denying edge to his voice told everyone otherwise.

"For once, I back the idiot. There is something going on between you two, and don't you damn well deny it!" It was Ren's little addition that finally pushed Yoh from denial into anger.

" Okay, so maybe something is going on! But it's not like I'm on Hao's side! "

"So how do you intend to flit between both sides? You cannot be on our side and be courting with Hao at the same time Yoh." Ryu kept his head high, Lyserg cowering slightly by his side, one arm linked through his.

"Well... " Yoh was at a loss for words, completely and utterly. "Well it was probably Ren who told Horo!"

"I said nothing." Ren immediately interjected forcefully.

"I saw you two down by the lake shoving your tongues down each other's throats...I was lurking in the bushes at the same time... How do you explain that then?" Horo kept his cool, although it was considerably hard. He wanted nothing more than to simply smack Yoh one for what he'd done to them.

"Well you certainly can't talk Horo. " Yoh retorted, licking his upper lip slightly. " You're saying I'm off kissing Hao; but meanwhile you're off doing goodness knows what with Ren!"

A lump caught in Ren's throat. He had been fearing this all along. Horo spilling the beans about Yoh and Hao, and Yoh would return the favour by spilling all on them.

"WHAT?" Chocolove exploded, vein throbbing angrily on his forehead. "YOU MEAN, HORO AND REN!"

"Oh." Was all Ski could say from the kitchen doorway, having overheard the main part of the conversation.

"Go and help Morty Ski, we'll handle this." Yoh smoothly addressed her, and with a squeal, she turned and fled back into the kitchen.

"Interesting..." Faust spoke up for the first time since the start of the conversation.

"I'm just going to do the standard denial part..." Ren's eyes said otherwise. A glimmer of fear shone in them, and Horo wasn't much better.

"Okay...let me get this straight...Yoh and Hao are still together, and now you are telling me that Horo and Ren are also together? What happened to all the girls?" Ryu scratched his head in confusion. He really was a simple minded guy.

"That's right...Me...and Hao.."

"And me...and Ren..."

Ryu choked on his drink, coughing a little. Beside him, Lyserg looked worried

Faust looked mildly surprised, but didn't say anything.

Yoh cocked an eyebrow, a look matched by the Aniu and the Chinese on the opposite side of the table.

And Chocolove couldn't handle it. Within seconds he had fainted, leaving the household in a chaotic disarray.

Outside, securely settled on a branch, Hao watched with renounced interest.

"Hmm, looks like things are about to get interesting..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Shadows: Well that was fun... Gotta go, enjoy!