DarkTaoAngel: The previous chapter was going to take place around episode 61 of the anime, but it would have made no sense if it had been. I will still have 20 chapters though, so I only have two left!
The fight continued, even after Horo left, and Yoh now had the upper hand. Hao had been distracted when Horo was talking to Yoh, and so he was struck in just a way to make him vulnerable to attacks. Yoh had the confidence and trust of his friends, and there was too much at stake for him to lose, so he fought with all he had, risking everything.
Hao was infuriated by his losing streak, but there was nothing he could do about it, he just fought with rage, pumping a large amount of his furyoku into his attacks, losing much of it at once. Horo remained unmoving throughout the entire battle, presumably unconscious, though it could have been much worse, and could get worse still. Yoh tried his best to reach Horo, but Hao blocked him each time he attempted to try, and so Yoh had to fight and win as fast as possible, as his friend's life was in his care. He was also worried about Ren, especially because he had not been transferred with them to fight, and it was quite possible that he had not made it for a reason, one which he did not want to find out. Throughout all of the worries and challenges, however, Yoh kept surprisingly calm, knowing that if he let his emotions cloud his fighting, he might end up losing to Hao, even after all of his hard work.
He thought that he might never get to see his friends again if he kept this up, his fighting was far too weak, and so he made up his mind at last. He would hit Hao with all of his remaining furyoku, as Hao hit him as well, and hope that he would not lose.
He charged his furyoku, all of what was left, and Hao did the same. As their attacks collided, a massive explosion was issued to all surroundings. As the smoke cleared, the victor of the match was shown, standing alone in the midst of the lonely and barren wasteland.
He looked around him, smiled, and left on his way back to the Inn. It did not seem that important to Yoh now that he had won, but as he walked away from the place that had caused so many nightmares, he could not help but smile, but that smirk quickly faded. He remembered Horo, and knew that he had to help in any way that he could. He knew exactly where he was, and he hoped that it was not too late for him to be saved.
When Yoh finally made it to the spot, he found Horo laying on the ground, eyes blank looking, and body solitary. Yoh knew almost right away what had happened to him, but telling Pirika was a much different story...
Back at the Inn, Pirika was fairing just as bad as Yoh was. She could not wake Ren, and his breathing was growing shallower by the hour. She wondered why he was still alive, as all signs showed that the attack that had put him in this case should have finished him off instead. It could have been perseverance, or maybe more, but Pirika was just focused on helping him survive, she would ask questions later.
Ren would occasionally cough up blood, but other than that, he did not make any movements, even his breathing was getting harder to distinguish. Pirika knew what could quite possibly happen to him, but she refused to give up, and she could at least make his last day a bit more comfortable. She cried a lot, though that was not how she was feeling at the moment. No, she was feeling much worse than tears could ever express, crying was just a natural reaction connected to the deepest despair.
She looked out of the window, so as not to have to look at her surroundings in this horrible room. It was then that she noticed something else, a lone figure emerging out of the distance, and her heart thudded as she realized who it was. It was Yoh, and normally this site would make her incredibly happy, but she was just the opposite. Her brother was not with him, though he had been battling as well, and Pirika could only assume the worst of the situation. And what could only make the day worse was that he was not wearing the same cheerful smile, more of a weary expression, one of great despair and sadness.
Pirika left the room and ran towards him, half expecting, and hoping for him to smile at her and tell her that it would all be alright, but he did not. He had to tell her what had happened, and so he did, receiving a shocked and aggrieved expression from the young girl. Horo had died in battle, fighting for her, and she felt as though it was her fault all of this had happened. Yoh said that he had buried Horo near where he had died, but not at the exact spot, because no one, dead or alive, deserved that.
Now it was Pirika's turn to tell him her bad news, because no matter how she tried to fight it, it was true. She could hardly talk, but she wanted to confess it, tell someone, so that someone else could share her burden, so that she could have someone to cry with.
"He's dead. Yoh, Ren is gone." She cried even as she was speaking, though she could not help it. Yoh looked at her, and began smiling, though she hated him for doing it, she soon found out why he was.
"Gone, huh? What makes you so sure?" it was then that Pirika felt a hand touch on her shoulder, and she knew right away whose it was...
DarkTaoAngel: I think that all of you know what just happened, and I could end it all right here, but I will not. I owe you all some explanations, so I will be adding yet another, though last, chapter! Please review this one!