CHAPTER TWO

Ren knew that Hao's face had been more than a dream as he struggled to wake up. Opening his eyes, he scrutinized the room. It was perfectly square, small and made of cold, hard stone. Chains lined the walls in different places and five stone steps leading to a plain wooden door were opposite him. Ren was near the center of the room his arms chained together and held above his head by another long chain attached to the ceiling. His feet barely brushed the ground, but they were not bound. A small blessing.

Ren didn't have time to wonder what he was doing there and for that matter where he was because the door swung open and anger replaced his curiosity.

Hao shut the door behind him walking down the steps rather than gliding for once. Ren glared at the evil shaman moving towards him.

"Had a nice sleep." Hao asked stopping right in front of Ren. Ren just continued to glare. "Not a very talkative person I see." Ren didn't keep quiet this time. "Just for bastards like you." Hao smiled, laughter spilling out of his mouth that sent a shiver down Ren's spine. Hao walked a slow circle around Ren his gaze calculating as if he was thinking about buying an item. Ren didn't much like this look and had already kicked Hao before his train of thought had ended. Ren glared at Hao as if he were not bound and helpless. The one thousand year old shaman licked blood from the corner of his mouth getting to his feet slowly, menacingly. Ren wasn't scared; he could handle dieing a prisoner, but not a coward.

Hao raised one of his hands and with slight wave an invisible force struck Ren in the face. Blood dribbled down the side of his mouth as it had Hao's. He didn't have time to think about the injury because another blow took him in the stomach. His breath went out of him and he had to relearn how to breathe while Hao gazed at him with a content smile on his face.

"Satisfied?" Hao asked taking his hand away from his lip to reveal perfect unblemished skin. Ren shook his head. "Hardly." His smile made his mouth hurt, but he didn't care, it was worth it to see Hao's annoyed expression.

"You're an interesting person Ren Tao. I offered you the chance to join me before and now I will try again." Ren was shaking his head before Hao had even finished. The faces of his friends flashed through his head and finally they rested on Yoh. Yoh was strong and had been able to resist Hao so far; Ren would not let Yoh down. He could be as strong as Yoh.

"I offer you power that most shaman's can not even fathom, yet you deny it. We are so much alike you and I, but still you follow Yoh. You turn away from what you have desired your whole life, to travel the path of weakness. Yoh can not defeat me, you must see that." Hao's words hit home, but Ren didn't let them affect him as they once would.

"Who said that Yoh would defeat you. Once I get unchained there will be nothing left of you for Yoh to defeat." Ren's confidence seemed to amuse Hao because he laughed and it made Ren's blood run cold. Something had suddenly changed in Hao. Ren was trying to figure it out, but Hao's words made him freeze.

"Defeat me…without your guardian spirit?" Ren realized then that he could not feel Bason. "Where is he?"

"Do not worry, he is safe, but I can not guarantee you the same." Hao took a step forward, but before he could say anything an inaudible voice stopped him. Ren watched as Hao listened to someone talking to him in his head. He was either crazy or telepathic or both. Ren was betting on the last.

"I'm sorry I must end our discussion so soon, but I have matters of great importance that I must attend to that cannot wait. I will be back as soon as I can. For now rest." As Hao exited the chains released Ren. His joy was short lived though as his back hit the wall behind him and new chains closed around his wrists. The new position allowed him to sit and he had about 30 centimeters worth on slack in chain on each arm, but he would have preferred not being tied down. "Damn it, Hao." Ren cursed under his breath.

When Yoh had finally calmed down he told everyone about Hao's visit and why he had taken Ren. "We gotta help him." Horo said grabbing his snowboard and walking away. When Yoh didn't move from his sitting position Horo came back. "We have to…" Horo began, but Anna cut him off. "Shut up and sit down Horo. There is nothing we can do." She was the only one that seemed unaffected by the kidnapping.

Horo looked like he was about to argue, but stopped when Yoh calmly touched his arm. "She's right." Yoh hated to admit it, but there was nothing they could do. He wanted to go and search for Ren and it took all his efforts not to get up and run off calling for Ren. Yelling for Hao to bring him back. He knew it would only please Hao and not get them any closer to finding Ren. "Hao didn't tell me where he took Ren, so we have no idea where he is." Everyone was silent as the realization that they were helpless dawned on them. Hao could do anything to Ren and there was no way to stop him. Yoh's trademark smile startled them all out of their serious thoughts. "But don't worry guys. Hao just wants to scare us. Everything will be all right!" No one was completely assured, but Yoh's confidence made them feel better. They trusted Yoh to know what to do.

Hao walked down the stone corridor moving slowly, undecidedly. It was all going as planned. He had made his brother's nightmare come true and he would let Yoh wallow in his fear and uncertainty. He didn't want to torture his little brother, his other half, not really, but he had no choice. Yoh drew strength from his 'friends' and he had to realize that they were insignificant bugs. That they were weak and the weak die while the strong survive.

Ren Tao was not like the others, but Yoh had corrupted his mind. Hao would have to undo what his Otouto had done to the Tao. Hao stopped. He had planned to kill his captive to teach Yoh a lesson, but it seemed that he had altered his plans without even knowing it. Hao did not want to kill Ren. The Chinese boy had intrigued him. Ren had not been afraid when he had woken up chained, alone, helpless. He would not be an easy person to break. "Break?" Hao wondered his lips twisting into a rather unpleasant smile.

Hao slowly opened the door making no noise that would alert his prisoner that he was there. The door closed silently behind him. Hao looked down at the sleeping shaman. He hadn't noticed before, but the Tao was quite…beautiful. His body was slim and almost womanly, but strong. The boy's silky hair was a natural purple that added to his feminine look. Hao glided forward so that he was inches from the sleeping boy and gently touched Ren's cheek feeling the smooth, unblemished skin.

Ren's eyes fluttered open and seeing Hao so close he tried to pull away his back hitting the wall. Still half-awake Ren was frozen as his mind tried to wakeup. Hao smiled. "You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you." Ren finally found his voice and his anger. "What the hell do you want?" Hao gazed into Ren's gold colored eyes a smile curving his lips as he spoke. "What do I want? Yes, what do I want?" Hao watched Ren's confusion mingle with his anger at the words.

Hao wanted to make a world of only strong shaman and he wanted his brother to join him, one way or another. Yesterday those had been his only objectives. Now he wasn't so sure. Hao wasn't use to being uncertain, but Ren seemed to be affecting him that way. Gazing into the Tao's alluring golden eyes Hao thought of another goal to add to his list. His eyes traveled down Ren's attractive body and he knew what he wanted.

"I have something to quickly take care of, but I will see you soon." Ren was about to argue, but Hao put him to sleep with a wave of his hand. Two of his shikigami entered at his thought. "Hurry up." Hao caught Ren's unconscious body as the chains holding him up unlocked. "I will see you soon Ren and then I will get what I want."

Yoh needed to be by himself and told the others that he was going to train. A bad lie, but he didn't care as long as they left him alone. When he had gone a safe distance from the camp Yoh slumped down with his back resting against a tree. It just wasn't the same without Ren Tao. He missed the younger shaman calling him baka when he accidentally tripped or spilled the cooking water for the fourth time in a row. He couldn't imagine waking up every morning and not seeing Ren. Yoh cared for all his friends, even Anna, but it was different with Ren. Yoh had an honest heart and couldn't hide from himself the fact that he cared for Ren more deeply than he did for any of his other friends. He had ignored it for the most part, but whenever he saw the Chinese shaman, his heart skipped a beat. Yoh didn't know when the simple friendship he felt for the boy had developed into something more and it didn't matter. It didn't change the fact that he was in love with someone that wasn't his fiancée and wasn't even a girl. Yoh couldn't help but laugh. Life could be so confusing and hard some times, but he knew in his heart that it would all work out.

"What is so funny Otouto?" Yoh jumped up looking around for the source of the voice. "Up here." Hao waved down at his startled twin from an outstretched tree branch. (Hao is known for his well-timed entrances.)

"Where's Ren?" Yoh yelled. Hao couldn't help but smile at the name of his prisoner. "Le Château De Feu." Hao waited, watching Yoh decide what to do. "Is he…?" Yoh couldn't seem to finish the sentence so Hao helped him out. "Alive?" The younger Asakura nodded the fear flooding his usually joyful eyes. "If you follow the road until you reach a crossroad and go right you will find the answer to your question at my humble abode. Come alone Yoh or I will not hesitate to kill them all." Hao vanished in a burst of red flame, his words echoing forebodingly in Yoh's head.

Yoh went back to camp, but didn't tell anyone about Hao's visit. He knew that Hao was telling the truth. Hao would not hesitate to kill any of his friends if they came with him. Yoh had no choice but to go alone if he wanted to keep the ones he cared about safe. That left only Ren. The one person he wanted to keep safe more that anyone else and he didn't even know if he was alive. Yoh took a deep breath letting calmness sweep through his body, so that all he was left with was the feeling of lazy, serene happiness. It would all work out, it had to.

I'm not too good at this talking thing so…keep reading and please review.