A.C.: Heh... I hate school... thank you reviewers...
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"Father, Ren has been missing for almost a month, you'd think he would have tried to contact us by now." It was foolish, but at that point Tao Jun had reached a dead end with no clues to lead her to her brother. "I request the use of black flames to find him."
Pailong came up behind her staring up at the giant oversoul of her father. Bason appeared like wise but changed, cast in shadows completely mute. Tao En seemed to reconsider...
"Denied." He boomed slapping the giant armchair with the likewise hand.
"But why...!" Tao En narrowed his eyes, immediately Pailong restrained her in his cold arms. "Pailong...? What are you doing?" Jun looked to her father and found that the giant oversoul had dispersed into mist and few odd spirits floating over his head.
"Ren will not receive any help from us."
Jun began to struggle but she was no match for the muscular form of a former Chinese martial artist.
"He's your son you bastard! The least you could do is let me help him!" Bason looked up, En looked very much amused. "If you won't do it for him at least do it for the fact that he's an heir! If you have ever cared that we are your offspring, save him!"
"Jun..." said Pailong warningly with a touch of soothing in it.
"No one can save him," declared Tao En as he cast the black flames around him reflecting the situation at hand. "Especially not you Jun." In shock Jun slipped down to her knees just as her mother and grandfather appeared before them.
"Master Ren is doomed to die..." a strange voice, it was Bason. She now saw that his face was wet with tears. "It has been this way since he was first born 1000 years ago..."
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Something had inexplicable changed in between them.
He could learn to love...
A hand came up to his face, warm liquid not of blood but hot water.
He could...
He pressed his palm to his face.
He could love...
An eruption of bubbles and a red face haloed by a sea of bay floated up to the surface, a dizzy faced how coughed up foam.
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A weekHorohoro blinked wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him... again. He blinked again clearing his eyes of nonexistent film of dust, or maybe bugs that must have gathered on his eyes for keeping them open for sometime without blinking once. He blinked the third time and decided that his eyes could not have been playing obscene tricks on him.
Forgetting the rice, eggs, fish, milk,(god knows why, Ren wasn't there to drink them out of house and home) and sugar he ran after the slim figure clothed in a simple yet oriental red shirt and baggy jeans carrying six bottles of milk in a weather stained yellow shopping basket.
"Ren!" the other flinched at the name but otherwise did not turn around, walking even faster at the name. 'Ren's... running away...?' the blue haired shaman grabbed the other's shoulders wrenching them around to come face to face with...!
"Horohoro... let go of me..."
"Ren..."
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"You've changed." Said Horohoro softly stirring the ice in his orange juice. Ren grunted in response opening a bottle of milk. "So... where'd you go?" the blue haired shaman would have loved to start with the hysterics, perhaps shake the gold eyed shaman until he was at a knifepoint. But they were treading upon a delicate point, it was clear to him now that even when in a local range Ren had not bothered to drop a note that he was alright. Horohoro shook, "do you know how worried we've been?"
"I can't go back right now."
Horohoro let out a sigh,
"Yeah I know, you can't. None of the others can either." There was something... there was always something. "It's stupid but we're all drifting apart... without Yoh to keep us together... we don't know what to do..." a thud, crackle as shattered beads rolled across the plastic table.
"Then figure it out baka-ainu, if that imaginary brain of yours exists, prove it." An empty bottle of milk was placed in front of him. Ren stood up carrying the last five bottles to... wherever he was going.
Arms... enclosed around him in a cushioned hug. Ren's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before realizing that it was only Horohoro.
Only Horohoro?
Horohoro buried his face in Ren's neck for a second,
"Don't come back please... whatever you do don't come back..."
Ren closed his eyes.
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Amidamaru tapped the spiritual barriers surrounding the house. The gray haired warrior sighed then he turned around,
"Anna..." the blond girl had a seal in between her fingers, he watched it fly in slow motion as it stuck on his forehead and bent him to her will.
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Yellow red flames corresponded with the violet black clawing higher, and still higher into the air. One emitted heat, warmth, the other reflected a chill, but both were used to seek the users past, present and future.
Hao sighed malignantly but with a touch of regret having forgotten some of the things that happened before.
Jun would have sunk to her knees but she was already on them. Ran watched her daughter sadly as the visions in the flames continued.
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As Ren's feet carried him further away from town he suddenly spoke out loud,
"It's almost over..."