Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King

CHAPTER FOUR - Loyalty

Ren sat in his living room, painting. He was painting an unusual piece. It was set in a snowy landscape, a glimpse of the land Horo had grown up in. The bottom half had the ground beautifully strewn with snow, purposely a bit awkwardly angled, with evergreen trees sprinkling it, snow resting on the branches.

The sky, however, was a strange mixture of things. Part of the sky was darkening, as though to signal a storm, and part was an endless sea of pure blue. Some clouds were white as the snow on the ground, and part were gloomy. To complete the picture, a beautiful sunset gave it more color, brilliant brightness shining into the dark.

He set it in a corner and went to his bedroom with a book. He opened his book to read, when a shadow fell over the window, blocking the light. Slowly, he drew his eyes to the glass, already knowing what he would see, yet it still scared him.

A freakish smile was plastered on the older boy's face, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Ren had no choice but to sit and watch in horror as he broke the window in and climbed through.

In his hotel room, Horo's eyes widened as he felt his sixth sense kicking in. Something was wrong. "Ren..." he breathed and ran out the door.

"Leave me alone, you bastard." Ren gasped as a fist came down into his stomach and he felt the contents of his breakfast rising in his throat. The fist came down again to his stomach, and he struggled to breathe as he spat out the undigested food.

"Why? It's ever so much fun to see you helpless and weak; the pain on your face is priceless. But why stop at physical pain? Your little friend is on his way, and I just cannot pass up the opportunity to destroy everything you hold dear, to see you in complete hopelessness." the boy laughed.

"No, do what you want with me, just leave him alone, he didn't do anything." he begged. (Not exactly BEGGED, it was just the only word that came to mind... I need a thesaurus.)

"Hmm, alright. I won't lay a finger on him, but you will come with me. In fact, I'm so kind, I'll even stay long enough for you to say goodbye to the little freak." he smirked. He delivered a few more punches, and threw the Chinese to the floor, sitting in a seat nearby.

A few minutes later, the ice shaman crashed through the door and ran in, stopping in horror at the sight of his friend's condition. Ren lay on the floor, bruised and bloody, beaten to such a pulp he couldn't lift himself even with his good arm. He was breathing hard and coughed up some blood and looked up at Horo Horo lopsidedly, due to one of his eyes sporting a nasty black mark.

The boy stood and walked over, picking him up by his spike of hair, reveling in the look of pain that spread over his features. "Say goodbye, Renny." he commanded.

"Horo... forget about me... forget I ever existed... don't come after me..." he said, his commanding voice still there, despite his struggle to speak from a split lip and his jaw hanging awkwardly to the side.

"But... Ren..." he whispered, eyes following the trail of a single tear as it made its way down his cheek and fell to the floor.

"How quaint. I'm afraid Ren and I must be going; we have a lot to catch up on. If you decide to join us, my name is Cole Tao." the black-haired boy said and dragged Ren out the window by his hair, not caring about the cuts he got from the broken glass.

"Ren, why? Why don't you want help?" Horo Horo whispered.

He spent the rest of the day in deep thought, sitting on the floor. 'Remember... He said to remember the accident... He said something about his family... Wait, that guy said he was a Tao... Of course...! Ren's father must have sent him to finish him off... Why would he want his own son dead...?'

He glanced over into a corner and saw the silhouette of a painting. Standing, he walked over and picked it up, holding it in the light. His eyes met the familiar landscape of his homeland and the abnormal coloring of the sky. In the corner, he noticed the familiar initials of Ren. He sank to the ground and stared at the swirling hues of the sky. His vision blurred a bit as tears welled up in his eyes...he remembered. He fell into the realm of unconsciousness, the bus crash playing like a horror movie in his mind.

Horo and Ren sat in the corner in silence. Ren stared out the window, he seemed almost tense, as though he was waiting for something to jump out at him. Two bright headlights flew strangely fast towards them, yet in slow motion. As they drew closer, he realized they weren't going to stop.

He felt trapped, caught in a hazy swirling of his life. Moments flashed before his eyes, all his memories, regrets, hopes and dreams, unable to see straight. Ren had gotten into the bottom of the seat and yelled for him to follow. He was too scared for rational thought; his whole world consisted of two bright yellow lights coming closer and closer.

Realizing this, Ren came back up, grabbed his arm, and shoved him down into relative safety, using his own body as a shield. He cried out in pain as sharp, heavy metal crushed his legs beneath it. A sharp bit of rubble was headed for Horo Horo's shoulder, but the Chinese shaman threw his own right arm in the way, taking the blows for him.

"Goodbye, Horo, I... love you." he whispered loud enough for him to hear, the message for only his ears.

Unable to register what was happening, Horo had yelled, "No, Ren, don't leave me! I'll die without you!" and then it all went blank.

Horo Horo snapped awake, everything made sense now, but Ren loved him? How could he have forgotten? Then he remembered, Ren was taken by Cole.

He jumped up and ran all the way back to his hotel room. He snatched his board up and grabbed the phone book. He scanned down until he found the name he was searching for. Tao. There were two names listed, one was Ren's flat. He ripped out the page and ran back out the door. He tore through the streets, anger providing adrenalin to his tired body. He came to a large, traditional Chinese house and banged in the door with a swift kick. "Ren! Where are you!" he shouted, prepared for a confrontation.

Elsewhere in the large house, Ren heard the resounding crash and someone yell for him. He prayed whoever it was would not find him in the state he was in, prayed to any god who would listen that it wasn't Horo Horo. Horo rushed in and knelt carefully beside him.

"Usui, you shouldn't have come, you'll end up like this, too." he croaked out in a un-Ren-like voice.

"Ren, I remember. I remember the crash. Are you okay?" he rushed out all in one breathe. Ren looked up at him with dull eyes, the fire of his spirit diminished to a tiny spark. Panic coursed through the Ainu's body as he sensed the emotional pain the Chinese had taken, his soul was battered and he had no will left to fight.

"Just go. I don't matter. I'm a demon. A selfish, bastard demon, with no appreciation." his voice was barely a whisper.

"You heard Pirika, didn't you? Look, just forget her, forget your parents, and forget Cole. We're all that matters, now. I'll always be there for you, I promise." Horo smiled.

"I can't. I just can't believe anymore. This isn't a fairy tale; everything won't be alright in the end. Leave me, it's over." he said unemotionally, though his eyes gained some feeling, silently begging him to understand and do as he said.

"No. I won't do that. Not again. I left you in the bus, I left you in your house, and I can't do it again. I love you too much to let you go." he said determinedly. Ren cringed as the Ainu's hand lightly brushed his cheek, one of many wounds flaring to life with the touch.

"Sorry." he apologized quickly, jerking his hand back.

"No. You didn't do anything. You're too perfect. Too perfect for someone like me." the younger teen said, averting his eyes to the ground.

"Stop it. Stop degrading yourself. Neither of us is perfect alone, but together, maybe we can be." he whispered, tears rimming his eyes. Loud footsteps could be heard approaching fast through the halls. The purple haired shaman's eyes flew to the door and went wide.

"He's coming. Get out of here, now! Don't you see? He'll do worse than kill you! Go!" he hissed quickly, using his good hand to push him away forcefully.

In that moment, Horo Horo saw something he'd never thought he'd see in the strong Chinese boy. Fear. It shone in his eyes, it swept his features, and the vibes filled every corner of the room. Tao Ren does not get scared easily, whatever it was that brought this reaction from him must be terrible indeed.

He nodded slowly and rose, looking back one last time before exiting. The relief shone clearly through the fear and he almost thought he saw the smallest of smiles play across his face, but it vanished quickly when a loud thump was heard. Horo hid behind a potted plant in the hall as Cole stalked into the room and cracked the door slightly behind him. He snuck over to the crack and peered in.

Ren had disguised his fear in the form of a blank, emotionless face. Cole smiled triumphantly. "You see? I told you your lover wouldn't come. I am your master, now. Say it with me, master." he grabbed hold of the smaller boy's chin, but he didn't flinch. He stared up coldly at his relative, and clenched his jaw shut.

"Fine, have it your way. We'll just go through the entire procedure of this morning again." he spat, dropping his hand as he stood and opened a cabinet. He rummaged through it until he found a whip. It had five tails to it and attached to each was either something sharp or burning red hot.

He raised it above his head and brought it crashing down on the younger teen's chest. He dropped the handle and knelt to push the sharp points deeper into his skin. Then he grabbed up the other end and yanked it out forcefully, bits of ripped flesh clinging to it. He repeated this a few times before he grew tired of it and returned to the cupboard, only to bring out a hammer, with which he beat the bloody body into unnatural colors.

"Now say it." Cole growled, eyes narrowing.

Behind the door, Horo Horo winced with every blow, and found he was unable to tear his eyes away from the gory scene or force his body into helping his fallen friend. 'Just say it Ren. Don't let him keep hurting you." he silently begged. The younger Tao stared unseeing at the ground, his soul wavering, yet he said nothing, and it almost seemed as though his mind could not comprehend the order.

"You really want me to hurt you, don't you?" the taller Chinese said wickedly, and knelt to eye level. He snatched Ren's chin up into his hand and squeezed it painfully before pulling him into a fierce kiss. Then he dropped him like one would drop disgusting trash and stood, heading for the door, but stopped halfway there.

"Why? Why do you deny me the one thing I ever asked of you? What does that bastard have that I don't?" he asked angrily, throwing a vase to smash on the floor. Ren's eyes flickered briefly then shut, and his voice forced its way out.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"What? What the hell does that mean? I've always known you, Tao Ren." he spat, whirling to face him.

"Then you know that when I fall for someone, I fall for good. I fell rock bottom for him, and he's the only one who will ever hold my heart. I could never love you. Horokeu Usui is my opposite in every way, and extremely annoying and stupid, but every attribute of his compliments mine, and vice versa... and he, is ALWAYS there for me, just when I fall as far as I can go." he said, eyes opening to stare straight into the other shaman's eyes. Horo Horo felt himself choking up; he never knew how much he affected the Chinese shaman.

"If I can't have you, no one will. I'll kill that son of a bitch!" he yelled, slamming a fist into the wall, denting it.

"You may take this body, but my soul lives for him, and therefore, dies with him." the younger said, eyes closing and his muscles relaxing as he felt his mind becoming fuzzy.

The enraged shaman grabbed the shorter by his hair and pulled him to another door in the room, dragging him down some stairs. Horo hid again as Cole stalked out and slammed his way out of the house. He waited a minute before scurrying down to the basement, where Ren was chained to the wall, a pool of blood forming slowly beneath him. He was smiling strangely into the dark.

"Horo... I'm sorry I never said goodbye... or I love you... I hope you realize I was just trying to protect you from my fate... I'll never forget you, wherever you are..." his voice trailed off and tears streamed slowly down his face. The ice shaman sat carefully next to his friend, gently brushing his cheek with his finger, causing the younger to shiver.

"I told you to go... you idiot." he smiled lightly.

"You know I never listen to you... you Spike-Head." he grinned back; he stood and looked around, spotting a medicine cabinet. He snatched out the first aid kit and extra bandages. He wrapped the many wounds in a temporarily suitable fashion and after using his furyoku to break the locks, swept the wounded shaman into his arms, holding him closer than necessary.

He managed to get back to his hotel room without further trouble and lay Ren on the single bed. He pulled out his bandages and set to work tending the ripped skin properly, stitching up some bits. An hour later, a knock came at the door. Horo Horo opened it to reveal a certain German doctor they knew, accompanied by his lovely assistant and wife.

"Faust? Eliza? What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"We were passing through on our way to deliver a transfer heart to a man in Africa, and heard you could use a doctor. I believe we may be of some assistance." the man asked with a good-natured smile. Horo stepped aside and the two set to work. After examining him, Faust spoke up.

"I must perform some surgeries immediately. I will require you to leave for a while. It's perfectly safe, I've done it many times before, and his life is in no danger. In fact, I'll even be doing something special..." he said reassuringly. The ice shaman nodded slowly and sat outside the door.

Hours later, Eliza appeared, shaking him gently to wake him. "He's asleep, now, but fine, and it was a success." she smiled secretively. Horo frowned and walked in. Ren was sleeping peacefully in the bed, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. The two doctors had somehow slipped out silently, so the snowboarder made himself comfortable and fell asleep in an arm chair.

"Horo Horo." Ren said with a smile as he watched the exhausted shaman snoring lightly, curled up in a chair, it being late at night. A few minutes later, Horo blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling the tiger-like eyes on him, a smile gracing his lips as he focused on the purple-haired boy looking at him.

"Why didn't you sleep in the bed?" Ren asked with a smirk. Horo's eyebrows lifted.

"Well, I thought you needed it more..." he said, scratching the back of his head.

Ren's expression turned sly and he said, "Come over here and get in the damn bed." He scooted over and his eyes turned wide.

"Horo... I can move my legs... I can move my arm..." he said, staring at them and watching himself move, the joints sliding neatly as they should.

"What?" they both stared in shock until it dawned on the snowboarder.

"It must have been what Faust and Eliza did. They came by earlier and did surgery on you." Horo said, amazed.

Ren nodded in acceptance then returned the sly look to his face and patted the spot on the bed beside him. Horo's face turned bright red but he slipped under the covers with the Chinese teen. Ren turned to him, supporting his weight on his elbow and gazed at the bluenette adoringly.

"What?" Horo Horo stammered, feeling self-conscious under the piercing yellow eyes.

"You're so beautiful." Ren breathed. He reached a hand and lifted Horo's chin, moving closer to the overheating body.

He gently pressed his lips against Horo's. Stunned for a moment, the ice shaman regained his senses and wrapped his arms around Ren's waist, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. Cautiously, Ren parted his lips when Horo's tongue poked out, hesitantly allowing him to taste his mouth.

Suddenly Ren pulled away and fell on his butt on the ground, crawling backwards until he hit the wall, his eyes wide with fear. Horo stared at his lover. Had he done something wrong?

"I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me..." Ren said shakily, his face buried in his arms and his knees pulled close. His huddled form shook a bit and it was a while before Horo realized Ren was crying he padded over and sat beside him.

"Are you alright? Was it something I did?" he asked, placing an arm around the crying shaman.

"No, it's me. I just can't...can't..." he broke off into racking sobs and turned his body away.

"Ren... Please don't hide from me... You're not alone anymore, I'm here for you. You can cry on my shoulder." Horo said, an aching pain in his heart, he hated to see Ren like this. Ren swung around and buried his face in Horo's chest, desperately clinging to his shirt. Horo Horo hugged him tightly, whispering soothing words in his ear and patting his back lightly.