Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King whatsoever!

Note from author: Thank you, Dark Angel-Nerissa, for being my first reviewer! This chapter is for you!

Part Two: A Light in Darkness

Chapter 9: Understanding Each Other

"Oh my god, what the hell happened?" Rose asked Hao as they soared into the air.

"Nothing much. Only a fire burning some buildings and some people dying and…OUCH! That hurt! What did you do that for?" Hao demanded as Rose slapped him on the head.

"You have absolutely no pity whatsoever about people!" Rose replied, sitting triumphantly.

"Celestial Strike!" Yoh yelled, attacking Water Dragoness. Water Dragoness dodged the attack and returned it with a blast of ice. The ice hit Yoh squarely and he slammed into a tree. He then slid down unconscious.

"Halo Blade!" Ren yelled as he attacked Fire Dragoness. Fire Dragoness reflected back the attack with her tail and sent Ren flying backwards, splashing into a nearby lake.

"Lee!" Jun yelled, and Anna called forward her shikigamis. "Attack Earth Dragoness!" Both girls commanded. The spirits struck, and just as the attack was about to strike the target, Earth Dragoness disappeared into the ground, back up, and trapped the girls in a cage of trees and plants.

"Attack!" Ryu, Horohoro, and Lyserg all attacked Wind Dragoness at once, but all the other Dragonesses came up behind them. In moments, the boys were trapped in the cage with Yoh, Ren, Jun, and Anna.

The Dragonesses then proceeded to dump the rest of the group into the cage, and sealed it with a binding spell before they disappeared.

"Hao? Why are you so sad all the time?" Rose asked him softly.

"No one… understood me… and no one… cared about me…" Hao replied, thinking of why this girl, Rose, would care about him. Not even his own parents cared.

FLASHBACK

"That boy is a monster. Get him away from my son!" A woman screamed, clutching her baby.

"Ma'am, that boy is my son. He is a shaman." Keiko tried to explain.

"I don't care! Just get him away! He is a monster! He is evil!" The woman screamed as her baby boy died, short of breath.

"She's right. Hao has too much power. He will kill us all! He will destroy us!" Mikihisa shouted, sensing all the raw power.

"I'm sorry, Hao." Hao looked up at Keiko, who placed a token of him, and he fell through a dark portal.

END OF FLASHBACK

"I care about you because the same thing happened to me. My father broke his promise to me. He left us when I was three, and promised to come back and visit my family. He never came. I hate him for that." Rose replied, sitting besides him on the grass, thinking about how Hao's parents treated him.

"Can you read my mind or what?" Hao demanded.

"Nope. I can read your face, and it's so... funny!" Rose said, giggling.

"You---You actually laughed! I didn't know you could laugh!" Hao stuttered, shocked.

"Ha ha, very funny! You are so mean! I am a human being. Of course I have to laugh sometime!" Rose replied, standing up.

"Well, at least we're starting to understand each other. I... wonder... can we make a truce?" Hao asked hesitantly.

"How about we stop your evil plan to take over the world first?" Rose asked politely.

"My evil plan... oh shit!" Hao exclaimed.

Sapphire Legend: Sorry this chapter's so short!I promise to try to make the next chapter longer!