*Drum roll* Dun dun DUN! Here it is! The long chapter you guys have been waiting for!! Hope you guys like it...Please review!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything now, but I will take over the world and make it mine! Ya hear me?? MINE!!! MUAHAHAHA!!!! *Gets carted off to the asylum in a straightjacket. * But I do own Sean, and that's a good thing I suppose...? And Yuki... But you guys can rip her off and do whatever the hell you want with her. I don't care as long as it's nasty and mean. Like flames. Because flames will be used to grill the girl who reported me...*mutters unprintable obscenities*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next morning, Haku was just waking up when Sean came into the room, black robes billowing behind him.

"So Haku, had a nice sleep?" He asked mockingly, blue eyes flashing.

'That's weird,' thought Chihiro, 'I thought his eyes were blackish blue...'

Haku didn't reply, but simply glared at him.

Sean ignored the look. "Tell you what, Haku, how about we have a duel? A fair one? You know, for a little practise to warm you up for the big one?"

"Big one?" asked Chihiro, a bit in the dark about what Sean was going on at.

"The ultimate duel, of course!" Sean exclaimed, throwing his arm up to emphasize. "So Haku, do you accept?" raising his eyebrows, as if daring him.

"I accept your challenge." Haku said, willing to give all he's got to defeat Sean.

Sean gave Haku his best vampire smile, his eyes now light blue with an edge of navy. "I will not disappoint you, Haku, nor will you me." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Haku and Sean stood in the field, wind tossing up their clothes and grass whipping about them in waves. Both parties stood ready for the fight. Chihiro, tied by the hands and a spell, could do nothing except watch. Which she hates and feels useless.

Sean chose to start, muttering a language Chihiro did not understand. A ball of concentrated dark energy, blackish with a red hue, dark lightning sparkling with energy, formed in his hand. Haku stood in defense position, hands up, palms out front, as if to form a shield. Sean striked, throwing the dark energy at Haku as one would softball. The dark energy ball streaked at Haku, but was stopped and broken by Haku's shield, which was a transparent shimmer of air.

"Guess you lucked out, Haku. This time." Sean remarked, apparently shocked his attack failed. "You are stronger than the last time I fought you."

"So are you, Sean." Haku said coolly, this time his turn. Haku said no words, but a sphere of turquoise with a slightly bluer hue and green lightning appeared in his hand. It was then that Chihiro was afraid. The look in Haku's eyes, it was merciless, and full of anger and hatred. 'What's happened to Haku? Is there something more to this mutual hatred then meets the eye?' But she has no more time for thought as Haku threw the ball at Sean. But instead of taking the defense position Haku had, he simply held out a hand and caught the ball. Haku took a step back, clearly surprised at this. But his eyes remained emotionless. Sean turned the ball over, observing it as if it was an object he was deciding to buy.

"Hmmm strong energy, no doubt, Haku, but I /am/ stronger, and there's nothing I love better than tainted light..." He shot a look at Chihiro, a hungry, demonic look in his eyes, black with a hue of red. Just like his dark energy ball. Chihiro shivered, not liking the look at all. She has seen enough of that look in her stalkers' eyes

Sean smiled, an ugly smile, one that hides the true face underneath. It was a wicked smile, full of evil and spite.

"Why are you smiling!?" Haku demanded, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Sean's eyes turned into the ultimate black, two dark onyx orbs in his pale face. He spoke, ending in laughter.

"Because I am not left-handed."

"That means you know something we don't!" Chihiro exclaimed, remembering the quote.

"Yes, Chihiro, you are absolutely right. And guess what I know that you don't?" He held up his hand. Haku's turquoise energy ball was changing - no, been /polluted/, Sean's darkness swallowing the light and tainting it to his own power.

"Impossible..." Haku breathed, eyes wide with shock.

"Well, you better believe it Haku, because I will make you experience hell as I have!"

Sean hurtled the ball at Haku, and try as he might to defend himself, the tainted energy broke through his shield like it wasn't there. And the last thing Haku heard before he succumbed to oblivion, was Sean's laughter and Chihiro's cries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Haku was in a black place, smothered in shadows, suffocated by the darkness. 'Where am I?' He thought, feeling about him, trying to find a light. Nightmares followed him, images of terrifying things, that he had done or feared, flashing past him like a silent horror film. Pictures of things he had forgotten, or chose to forget, drowned him in his regrets and sorrow. Screams and cries for help overcame him, but he couldn't find the source of the screams.

"Haku! Haku!" Chihiro called, attempting to rouse the pale and sick looking Haku. 'Nothing's working!' She thought desperately, trying to get out of her bonds.

'Chihiro?' Haku thought, looking about him, trying to follow her voice. "Chihiro!" Haku stumbled, and nearly fell, but he continued to follow the voice. After a while, he found that the images were fading, and the overwhelming screams sounding like a badly tuned radio. Soon he found a light, and began to go towards it. The images, the film, the screams and the cries were totally gone, as he continued to follow Chihiro's voice. Finally he found himself blinking in the glaring light of day, with Chihiro relentlessly calling his name.

"Chihiro, what is it?" He asked, after he got his bearings. He was in Yubaba's room again, but this time he was unbound and free to move. But he was sure the door was locked with a powerful spell. He could sense it.

"Haku, thank God, I thought you had passed out or something, you wouldn't wake up! I was worried you had..." Chihro stopped, refusing to word out what she had feared Haku was. Haku didn't press further either, preferring to keep silent. He had just realised what he had 'dreamt' of. 'The Shadow Realm...' where things that were not true were, where nightmares are born and monsters terrorised. 'So that was what Sean experienced.' He muttered, not realising the look Chihiro gave him, like he was paranoid or insane.

"Haku, what did Sean do to you?" Chihiro asked, after making sure Haku wasn't hurt anywhere except 'a slight bang to the head'.

"Sean used the ultimate attack. I don't know how he did it. It is one of the most complicated spells ever written..." Noticing that Chihiro wasn't following him, he explained:

"A wizard can never be harmed by his own magic. Not ever. The spells in which he creates are his own, with his mark, his brand -as you can say- on it. There is only one way to harm a wizard with his own spell. That is if the spells that a wizard made are used against him, but manipulated by another, so he has no way of defending. What Sean used there was incredible. He was able to pollute my power, manipulate it, to his will. He 'tainted' my power, as it is called, to be used against me. That was why he was able to attack me. But how he learned such a strong spell...Maybe it was helped by his bloodline..." Haku's voice faded away, leaving a still little lost Chihiro. But she reassured him, by hugging him tight and encouraging him.

"Don't worry, Haku, I'm sure you can defeat him! Actually, I know you will, you just have to-"

"Believe in yourself? Don't be silly, Chihiro, that /never/ works with /anybody/!" A definitely feminine voice cut Chihiro short, and as they turned their heads to see the intruder of the perfectly romantic moment, they gasped and Chihiro said "-----

To Be Completed...

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Hehe...you'll all have to update to know who she is! Of course, you guys might have already guessed... And as you have read, can you guess why Sean's eye colours change? Well anyway, review please!

Earth Borne ^-^