Possession Chapter 12: Epilogue, a shaman king fanfic

AshenPhoenix- -serious voice- On the contrary, according to your profile I'm actually older than you. But yeah... mentally I'm probably worse than a 12 year old. –Switches back to normal voice- I'll change the rating if you think it's that bad but if you think this story is sick, you don't want to know what I'm thinking right now.

A.C.: Is it just me or is this really, REALLY OOC? And what's it with me and crybabies? -Feels guilty, offers everyone bandages, painkillers and ice
cream- That didn't quite turn out like I expected... -winces- uhh... the moment you were waiting for, the final chapter in Possession -bows-

Warnings: Character deaths, oocness, slashy-themes, various english mistakes, kinda sorta not really spoilers, random implications that don't mean a thing and oh, Hao. -runs-

Possession: Epilogue

Hao wasn't dead exactly, he was just not living. It was kind of like the feeling he always felt before rebirth, perhaps the feel of safety in his mother's womb, a feeling of pre-existence that foretold a great promise at another life. And perhaps he was just being Hao, always plotting his next move.

He saw the light...

Hao decided Lyserg Diethel made a nice teacher, nice leaving out all the fancier and disdainful adjectives, but boring. Hao resisted the urge to yawn as he was pelted with a piece of folded up paper.

It was Horokeu, or rather Trey as he was named in this life time frantically motioning with his hands without getting caught by their green haired English teacher. The said teacher made a quiet 'ahem' before going back to explaining the relationship past participles and verbs.

'Want 2 come over?'

Hao quickly scribbled back,

'Love to but I think your mom hates me.'

Ahh the price of having half of you separated from yourself over time. It made him warm and fuzzy inside just to be asked. To remedy this he flicked the balled up paper perfectly at the center of Trey's forehead. And while Trey tried to explain why he had yelped in the middle of an explanation about future tense words, Hao... renamed Zeke in this lifetime looked out the window.

The week before summer break is the longest after all.

Time hadn't passed by that quick, compared to other times he had decided to pilgrimate his soul onto another person. It was just one generation after he had died, he frowned, to his knowledge all who died that day had been born... all...

Iron Maiden Jeanne, it irked him to know she knew something. The frail looking self-proclaimed Holy Grail knew something that he Hao, didn't. He calmly resisted the urge to punch the wall. He wouldn't be hurt he knew, but he hadn't lived over a thousand years without learning how to curb his anger and direct it somewhere else. Like trying to live through Trey's unnecessary chatter for instance.

Cutting the blue haired former ice shaman from his ranting about the new cat he had gotten, (who in the right mind would name their cat Chocolove?) Hao stopped looking back and flicking his hair over his shoulders.

"It seems that we have a third party."

"Mou Zeke-sama you're so mean!" pouting a slightly blushing brunette came out from behind the power pole, fiddling her hands behind her back while looking down at the pavement.

"Well, well if it isn't Rio..." Asakura Rio, the daughter between Yoh and Anna and in a strange juxtaposition his daughter... he winced scrutinizing her carefully. She looked like a carbon copy of Anna, except in terms of personalities and height they were nothing alike.

"Rio hey!" Trey waved brightening up, "Wanna come over?" looking up she quickly caught up to them.

"Sure!"

It was rather disconcerting... to see that the brunette was towered over them all, not that he was afraid or anything nope but still... the way she slung her backpack over her back while trailing them like a lost puppy, a big one mind you, he couldn't quite recall a time when any of his offspring were taller than him.

A rather pretty looking woman greeted them, Trey's mother, giving him a slightly colder look as he came in flashing a grin in reply. He couldn't quite blame her, he still did have the Spirit of Fire at his command, he could have gone far as to say that if it weren't for him Usui Horokeu might have survived that day.

Bah women, Usui Pirika wasn't any different.

Turning Trey's well-loved stereo on past the humane ability to actually listen to it without permanently damaging their ears they hung out occasionally flinging bags of potato chips at each other and jumping on Trey's bed. Something Hao never had done as a child, it was nice... it a weird twisted way.

Near five Rio was called away to make dinner. Hao snorted as Rio waved her goodbyes, from what he had seen in Yoh's mind Anna hadn't changed at all. But still it was curious as how Anna stayed so thin while doing absolutely nothing but lay in front of TV all day long.

Hao was to stay for dinner; he really didn't have anywhere else to go anyways. Trey's father, an unnamed entity in Hao's world, greeted him jovially before hiding his face behind an outdated newspaper. The dinner was good, and Trey walked him home on the account that the precious supply of coffee had run out.

"Hey look at this!" Hao twitched,

"H... Trey if this is another picture of your blasted cat..." he stopped short as a picture was shoved in front of him. He grew pale and he realized that he must have stepped back for the picture was considerably far away than it had first been.

"It's my cousin! He's going to come over for summer break from China, he's a little rude at first but he's a great guy once you get past that... and his numerous spears. He made a promise not to bring them in the house though, mom was firm on that after he nearly destroyed the bath..." Trey frowned realizing that Hao was not listening to him, "Zeke? What's wrong?" slowly the odd look in the brunette's eyes faded as he turned to look at the blunette. Something had fractured inside; he swallowed slowly before trying to reply.

"I..."

"You have the same look you had on when we first met, and when I showed you my cat, and the time when you met Rio..." Trey had begun to count, folding a finger for each name he rattled out, "and that time when you saw our English teacher, maybe that was because of the green hair... what about the time he saw Chocolove's veterinarian Faust? Well he's sorta scary so I understand that..." Hao put on a shaky smile, remnants of one called Yoh hoping it would suffice.

"It's nothing," Trey didn't buy it but didn't press on either. To the former shaman's credit he didn't say anything along the lines of 'I'll be there if you need me' crap either. For once, ok maybe twice or three times he was glad to have Trey at his side. Even if he didn't remember their past history.

"Come on let's get you home you stupid pyro..." Trey began to head on whistling a lonely tune while swinging the white shopping bag. Oddly enough it included milk though no one in the family, not even the cat, actually drank it or put it in coffee.

"Hao," Hao closed his eyes and for the first time in his various existences he began to pray. Pray that everything would go right this time... pray for... life?

"Hnn?"

Hao began walking towards the small, rented apartment where he lived with a guardian named Oyamada Manta.

The short blonde had taken him in when he first appeared on his doorsteps some 16 years ago and had said nothing about him being a once evil shaman hell bent on taking over the world. Simply renamed him Oyamada Zeke and adopted him. When Hao had been old enough to ask why the blonde had simply answered 'a dept unpaid'. Manta was now a professor at a nearby university giving Hao a generous allowance as long as he didn't try to take over the world with it. Hao hadn't known if he was joking or not.

At the doorsteps they had parted, Hao gracing him with a sad look as Trey handed him a bottle of milk saying 'I've seen you look at Rio, maybe if you drink lots of it you'll grow up, maybe...' Trey hadn't known how much the comment had hurt him.

Manta opened the door,

"Zeke you're back? And what's with the milk?"

The week flew by quick, even in classes. During that time he had basically stalked Anna into paranoia, set fire to the park benches, goofed off with Trey and Rio as usual, harassed Lyserg as much as he could, had been psycho-analyzed by Faust of all people, fed Chocolove remnants of fried pig intestines Pirika knew he hated, and had visited the restored cemetery where they had all... died... or in Hao's case visited the state of status where he patiently waited for the right time to be reborn.

"Remembering?" a soft voice said from behind him, Hao didn't bother turning around.

"Jeanne, you have some nerve showing up here." A chiming laughter,

"Then I take it you like what I've done?" she inquired stepping up to his side and looking up at him.

Iron Maiden Jeanne hadn't changed at all, except for some growth and maturity of the skin she seemed to be perpetually young compared to the rest of them. She was dressed in a crisp business suit and of all things a tie, it made her look like a child dressed up in her mother's clothing. A woman-girl.

Tucking back a loose strand of silvery hair as she looked away he red eyes trained elsewhere, perhaps the day she kindly erased everyone's lives.

"Why?"

"Because we are all connected to each other, a bond if you will, cast long before our time." She looked longingly up at the pale blue sky of the dawning morn. Eyes that looked slightly sleepy, almost as if they were...

"Perhaps we are alike in more ways than one," Hao breathed looking at the ashy earth that had never gotten back it's greening cover.

Jeanne's lips tightened slightly and Hao smirked,

"Perhaps," she replied tossing her elegant head, "I suppose you won't mind if I don't elaborate on the subject."

Hao smirked,

"Of course not... Ai"

Jeanne looked stunned, her mouth parted a few times (made her look like a fish, Hao thought) but to her credit no words tumbled out. She remained silent, both pensively observing each other.

"We won't meet again Asakura Hao, Yoh... Oyamada Zeke."

"I should hope not, it makes me ill to think of all those years we've known each other."

"Ahaa..." Jeanne merely smiled that annoyingly familiar smile of hers that almost looked like a smirk. And that was that.

What made a person special, so unique that one would travel through time and space defying the natural laws until one found them again? Really what made Ren so special?

Well besides the obvious perfect figure, gold eyes, silky hair, beautiful face, power...

Hao tried hard not to break the cup in his hands as he stared at Ren. Really that's what he had done all through out dinner. Stare at Horohoro, Trey's Chinese cousin as they ate, talking about monotonous lifestyles and whatnot at the lack of subject to talk about.

And as they finished dinner Hao couldn't help but wonder, who would name their perfectly beautiful child Lenny?

"Help him with unpacking won't you Trey?" asked Pirika as she tossed a flirtatious look at her husband. Trey gagged over his shoulder, winking at Hao before saying,

"Yeah mom, of course, why wouldn't I help my cousin dearest unpack in my nice, clear orderly room?" Pirika gave her son a glare,

"You did clean your room didn't you?" Trey blushed, Pirika turned towards the other two boys, giving Hao a specific glare before smiling,

"Why don't you go watch TV in the living room while Trey cleans his room?" The blue haired teen was about to protest but was silenced at the quiet look of pain and torture blooming within his mother's eyes.

"Err... I'll go do that right now..."

Manta travels towards a well worn path of stone and dirt. A broom lay abandoned and he looks up, words failing him once again at the sight of a fleet shadow quick to disappear from his mind.

"It'll be awhile before Trey finishes, anything you want to watch?" Hao moved towards the shelves containing numerous videos of the latest release.

"Wait." Ren, Len had grabbed his wrists, staring up at Hao with his hypnotic gold eyes. "Why do you stare at me like that?" Hao's mind went blank, satisfied that Hao was not going anywhere Lenny let go leaving much to be desired at the lost contact.

"What do you mean?" asked Hao, though he had a possible hypothesis in his mind he was willing to bet the Spirit of Fire on.

"You stare at me like them, like the adults. You stare at me like you know me but at the same time you don't. You stare at me like you expect me to do something but at the same time you know it won't be coming from me. Why do you stare at me like that? Why? Why do they stare at me like that, why do you stare at me like that Zeke? Why do you stare at me like mom, dad and auntie Pirika?"

"It's Hao" corrected Hao absentmindedly. This wasn't what he had expected, he cupped the younger's face in his hands relishing the control the Chinese had inadvertently relinquished.

"You have no idea do you?" whispered Hao, a mad glee in his voice.

Ren flinched, watching the Japanese shaman with weariness.

"About what?" Hao's lips curled, releasing the gold eyed boy from his grip.

"But you've been there."

"Where?" if anything Hao's smirk grows sad as he places a kiss on Len's left eye. Len wrinkles his nose in disgust but does not move away, nor does he run the other through any sharp object like his mind is screaming for him to do...

"Promise..." hands wrap around Len's slim waist, the familiar path of the spine as the hands travel upwards teasing the tender flesh towards the tattoo of the Tao family that's sure to be there. "...that you'll meet me there..." Hao steps back, marveling the threads of raw emotions he had awoken within Len.

"Where?" panic rises within Len though he isn't quite sure why. Eons worth of instincts are burning, electrifying in its intensity. He reaches out for Hao, the one who holds the answers. Hao flickers away in a puff of smoke and sparks, Len runs towards where he was only seconds before...

Ren's persona rises through the chaos,

"I will"

"Ano... Anna..." Manta gulps as the full force of Anna's glare is directed at him. He merely sweats in response before putting on a shaky smile and hide behind his cup of tea. If anything Anna's glare intensifies before relocating itself on an announcer on TV. Manta sighs in relief before wiping his brow.

"Ehh... I... Ihopemysonhasntbeencausingyoutoomuchtrouble!" he quickly prays to whatever deity that his death will be relatively quick and painless. On second thought Anna hasn't reacted so...

"Your son... happens to be haunting me for some reason..." he could literally see the hazel eyes narrow as she spat out the words one by one. "under normal circumstances I would be thrilled." Manta lets out a series of squeaking chokes before he swallows what remained of his tea. He does not feel the scalding traces as it rushes down his esophagus, he bites his tongue tenderly.

"Ahh..."

"And so... we're back together once more. Like one big family... happily ever after." the TV clicks off and Anna turns to face her visitor.

The years have been kind to Anna, she has grown up a bit, filling in her womanly frame as opposed to a young girly one she had when she bore Rio. Her hair's the same shoulder length tied in a neat ponytail, she looks tight, sexy if Manta had been the one to go for ice princesses. But her eyes are still hard, hard as in 'I'll eat your soul' hard. Manta winces at the last bit.

"Uhh..."

"So they died, now they live again. Together once more but the same theme remains. There are no happy endings for me." Anna rubbed her stomach looking meaningfully at the wall behind the short blond, "I bore children for him, before Rio, before he met her... so why was she so special? What could she do that I couldn't? I was his faithful servant, his apprentice before she got her slimy little fingers on him. I loved him..."

Manta realized with growing despair that this time would be no different than the last, Anna was too caught up in the past. Unwilling to free herself of its thorny snares, unwilling to let it go. It had been that way for what now? 1000 years and counting, her soul was troubled like the rest. None of them would be able to go forward into after life.

"And I still do..."

If only Hao hadn't fallen in love with the only daughter of the all-powerful Tao clan a millennia ago. Only if the Tao heiress hadn't recognized the emotions and had returned the feelings. Only if Anna hadn't fallen in love with the Japanese shaman, only if she had let go of her hatred, her love.

Her obsession,

The emotions that denied her peace.

"What will you do now Manta?" she asked softly, beginnings of tears perched on her lower lashes like morning dew on a green leaf. "what empty words will you give me for comfort knowing that even now they are reaching out for each other?"

It was almost like sleeping, the dull buzz in your ears before unconsciousness overtook you with full vengeance. The not really memorable part while you let your body carry on as it wished. Feet broke over the calm of dead grass, he was here.

There...

Here...

he blinked, the world righted itself back once more.

Seeing no one else in the cemetery he walked up to a dead tree overlooking the graveyard, marveling how it hadn't rotted away like the rest yet. He put his hand on the graying bark feeling the distinctive coolness spread across his palms. Sighing he knelt down feeling distinctively peaceful than he had ever in conscious lifetime.

"Hao..."

"I was wondering if you'd ever show up... Ren" something hugged Ren from the back, hands slithering up his torso around his chest. Ren's heart clenched painfully as he realized that the movements were familiar. "I was half hoping..." they came face to face, gold eyes staring into watery brown ones. "that you wouldn't..."

Horokeu came up on an empty room,

"Uhh guys?"

He touched the door nob, to go look for his friend and cousin. But as he touched the brassy handle, something instinctive, something purely primal in him told him to stop. Telling him that he had done his part and he must now wait.

The wolf had gave its judgment. Pouting slightly as the uncomfortable itch of thinking about something beyond his comprehension took over him, he scratched his head, making a beeline for the TV.

The sounds of his parents making out next room over could be heard.

"Eww..."

"And so this repeats he dies, I die, she dies, we all die and are reborn in this endless cycle of reincarnation. But one of us will give out some time, one day one of us won't..."

"...Come back..."

Ren's fingers flexed as he reached out towards the long locks of streaming chocolate.

"I..."

"...wanted him... I thought... he wanted me... when he first bought me from that... person... that... whore..."

Manta sat transfigured by the swaying blond. The story was now warping, the wheels of time rewinding further backwards than it had ever before.

"And now he has once again..."

Ren was on his back blankly staring at the stars above, Hao was on him sobbing very uncharacteristically. Ren, Len tried not to push him away. Awash with broken memories, he let time cradle them within her unholy embrace, Hao's hair smelling faintly of plum fanning around them like wings.

"You shouldn't have come back..." said Hao in despair, "you should have never come back to me."

"That's why you let her kill me." said Ren absently, clumsily patting the brunette's back.

"If I can't have you no one can," Hao hissed burying his face in Ren's neck. "she wouldn't have let us stay."

"You could kill her..." Gold eyes flickered as threads of a single picture came back to him one by one, completing the jigsaw puzzle on what happened all those years ago.

"I can't because..."

"You'll all continue to die and be reborn, until your souls wear out into nothingness. We all possess shamanic abilities, if we wanted to, life could stretch out similar to infinity." the tea had long gone cold by her side, long consumed in Manta's hands. Manta looked down, unwilling to meet her iron gaze.

"But stretching it out like that, it's no wonder Hao does not hold all his memories intact."

Anna gave out a harsh laughter, empty and aggravated from her lungs.

"Yes, but I do, I have all his memories and mine. I hold the hatred, the will, I am one soul that will never die. Haven't you realized Manta, have you not realized what Hao did to bring me to life?"

"Do you remember?" Said Ren, patting Hao's back awkwardly as the fire shaman continued to take deep breaths of Ren's neck. "Do you remember the last words I said to you?" Hao sealed the next words with a hurried kiss, when they stopped Ren's eyes had grown paler, his hands shaky around Hao's wrist.

Tears had stopped within Hao's eyes as he looked down, replaying the words over and over in his head.

"Yeah I do, but don't say them. Because every time you do... I seem to be losing you." the confession came quickly, even surprising Hao himself as he spoke the words. "I don't want to lose you."

"I realized then..."

"This time..."

"...that I had to have him..."

"I'll say it..."

"...By then... I realized revenge was nothing to me..."

Hao flashed a cocky smile, ruined by the fact that tears still clung on to his cheeks. Ren closed his eyes, they had waited 1000 years worth of pain and time to get this far, now nothing would stop them this time.

"I love him..."

"I love you..."

"My only wish is that he had loved me as more as I wanted him to love me..."

Anna closed her eyes

Within the shadows two figures stood, one a willowy grace reflecting the forest, the other an undead whose soul refused to die..

Blue eyes filled with tears as she turned towards her own lover as lost souls began to rise from below,

"Be happy otouto..."

A.C.: so... I managed to make them all cry, very inconclusive isn't it? But I can safely say that this was more of an ending than the manga . ;; (it ended with them going to bed of all things!) Happy New Years everyone, happy year 2006

(Edit): A.C. is polishing things off...