Twice More
Author's Note: Sorry the first chapter was so short. I'm doing my best to describe more so this should be longer. Though it might not really look like it's me writing this, it is. Read & Review!
Disclaimer: Shaman King © Hiroyuki Takei
Chapter 2: The one who will not die
Asakura Hao sighed heavily, cursing the rain that continued to fall endlessly. It fell in torrents around him, drenching what was unsheltered, including himself. He looked around at all the wildlife, soaked to the bone just like he was. This was what the outskirts of Tokyo looked like on a late, wet night.
He walked with a steady stride, ignoring the wet poncho sticking to his skin. His hair remained plastered to his face as he moved along silently. He was alone again. Opacho hadn't returned from looking for the Hana-Gumi all those months ago, affirming Hao's thought that he could trust no one. His trust needed to be gained by those who would be under his complete control. He was convinced now that he had given the small child far too much freedom.
He wasn't travelling very fast because the weather had almost destroyed what was left of his furyoku and his spirit. It was true that he just wasn't waterproof.
His dark eyes searched the area as he walked. For a long time he saw nothing but dark wetness.
It wasn't until the rain had begun to relent that he noticed his close proximity to what seemed to be a building. Squinting through the darkness he managed to read a few words on the gate: Me-Jo Monastery.
He shook his head, almost laughing at the irony. Of all places to find, it had to be a monastery.
He frowned as the name brought back old memories. The monastery was supposedly void of life with not a soul to speak of within. But even as he watched it, he sensed the flicker of a single human presence dwelling within.
Though why anyone would want to live there was a mystery even to Hao. The building soared upwards to end three stories high and looked to be about ten meters long. Vines climbed the walls, covering the windows while the gate rusted on its hinges. It seemed to be falling apart right before his eyes like the haunted houses seen in movies.
Though all seemed decayed one thing remained up kept and neat; the gardens. It seemed to stretch around the entire building like a long snake. Bushes, flowers and other flora followed a path that ended on the other side with a small sitting area. The garden was the only part that showed the place was inhabited.
He walked forward slowly, stopping only when he reached the high gate with a praying monk on either side. (A/N: Gargoyles didn't seem right.)
On the closed but unlocked gate was a plaque with an inscription. Hao bent closer, squinting to read the small writing in the small amount of light. Made of rusted bronze, the faded silver writing read:
May ye who enter this holy domain be blessed by our father, the holy Lord and all his holy saints.
Hao rolled his eyes and stood straight up again before lightly kicking the gate opened. /And may Lucifer accompany me through this. Amen./ He thought to himself.
The gate swung opened on rusted hinges with a loud noise that was deafened by thunder.
The elder Asakura followed the short cobble stone path up to the large steel door that was the main entrance. It towered high above him and seemed to be bolted shut. However when another clap of thunder boomed and lightning lit the sky he saw where the door opened and the small slot that opened to see through to outsiders.
It still made him laugh how uptight and locked up monks were. They made it seem like the world was one big sin and their monasteries were the only shelters from all evil. Hao hoped that whoever was in there didn't know of his evil. After all, he was only there for shelter. Well, at the moment anyway.
He raised a gloved hand and knocked. He listened to the echo that travelled through the halls within, showing how empty it was within.
He waited for a few moments and was about to knock again when the slot in the door slid opened. He looked up and saw a pair of fearful blues eyes looking back at him.
Midnight black met sky blue and a fearful voice spoke from behind the thick steel door. "Wh-who goes?"
"I seek shelter from the horrid weather and someone to talk to." He added, sensing the stranger's loneliness.
The eyes blinked and the slot closed. Hao could hear the numerous locks being opened. Finally the large door swung opened in invitation.
He stepped into the dark room and the door swung loudly shut behind him. He was left in darkness for a moment when suddenly a lantern was lit behind him with a hiss.
He turned on his heels and came face to face with a boy no older than himself.
Barely an inch shorter than Hao, the boy had short shaggy brown hair that had a slight amount of red in it. His fair complexion framed by his hair made his fearful blue eyes shine. A white robe, made of silk, draped over his shoulders. Green trimmed the sleeves and collar, as well as the hem that stopped just inches the floor. Under the robe was pair was a pair of black pants framing black shoes. The robe was kept closed by a thin black rope and around his neck was a purple rosary.
The boy looked him up and down, shaking a little in fear. Hao could sense his doubt, as if the boy wasn't so sure that he should have let him in.
Hao couldn't really blame him though. His appearance at the moment wasn't a very pleasant one and Hao himself wasn't all that pleasant either.
The boy swallowed his fear and took a deep breath before speaking in a shaky breath. "We-welcome. If you seek shelter from the horrible weather outside than this place is your sanctuary. However I must insist that you're intentions be those of a good nature."
When he stopped talking Hao gave him an odd but avoided commenting about how he spoke. "You remind me of someone I know." He said quietly. "However I would rather get out of these wet clothes before speaking of my past."
The boy nodded his head and raised the lantern slightly. "Please, follow me then." He said, leading the way down a long hall.
Hao looked around as the walked, noticing that the walls seemed to be bare of everything including portraits. A few statues were placed at intervals along the hallway, showing that there was some artistic feature to the otherwise gloomy interior.
The boy stopped at a door and opened it before stepping in and lighting the lantern near the door. Once lit, it brightened the room enough to show small living quarters large enough for one person. It was nothing fancy but it was however a place to stay.
"Please feel free to use this room as long as you wish." The boy said quietly. "After you've changed I can show you to the kitchens and restrooms, as well as the chapel and other religious areas."
"I never got your name." Hao said quietly as he looked around the room.
"Ah yes, that's true. My name is Mishu. I am a priest-in-training, more commonly called a monk, who was chosen to remain here and aid those who knock at my door requiring my services."
Hao nodded slightly in response before turning to him. "My name is Asakura Hao. I am a travelling shaman with a single goal. One which, at the moment, is of no importance to you."
Mishu nodded and quickly left before returning with a plain white robe under his arm. "This is for you to wear." He said as he passed to garment to the other boy. "I recommend that you always walk around with a lantern in hand. This place has no electricity and find that it is useless to one who lives alone."
"Thank you." He said.
Mishu nodded again. "I will be waiting outside the door for when you finish." He said, stepping out and closing the door behind him.
Hao sighed and changed out of his sticky and wet clothing his mind wandering. Mishu seemed loyal to the bone and if possible, more religious than the Iron Maiden. Though he seemed to be fearful of Hao's presence in the beginning, the Asakura noticed that the boy had relaxed in the end. Hao grinned a little at this, deciding it would be best to use the gullible child to his advantage.
Mishu waited outside the door as he had said and few minutes later Hao emerged wearing the given robe, his clothes under his arm.
"Is there a place where I can hang this stuff to dry? I'd rather not be in this… holy robe for very long."
Mishu lead Hao to another room farther down the hallway. He opened the wooden door and took the clothing from the older boy before going in. He hung the pants and the poncho out on racks while letting the gloves hang from hooks, all of them hanging over small enclosed fires.
He returned to Hao afterwards, leading him farther down the hallway while pointing out certain rooms he should remember.
After what seemed like a few more minutes of walking down the lengthy hall they reached the main area of the monastery.
It was a circular room with lanterns around to light it. All was made of stone and entrances branched off in three other directions. There was nothing particular about the room, though it was likely to be the largest.
The monk tapped his arm and led him down the hallway on the far left. This hallway was made of marble of pure white marble and much shorter, ending about five meters down.
Decorating the end of the hall was a white double with a sign overhead that read Chapel. Hao sighed and remembered that he forgot to mention that he wasn't religious.
Mishu opened the doors to reveal the large room within. At the far end of the room stood an altar raised by a few steps. Lining the way there were about fifty pews on each side of the central alley. Everything was white and it seemed that this was the only room that had any decoration, save for the few statues that were spaced around the halls.
Mishu smiled and closed the door, knowing that the room required no description. He returned to the main hall and left down another hallway, this time the one on the far right. It was another short hallway about the same length as the one leading to the chapel, though it wasn't made of marble. It was made of the same stone as the rest with no particular decorations to distinguish it.
Like the other hallway this one ended with a double door also, this one made out of wood. Above the door was a sign that read Kitchen in the same lettering as the other.
Mishu silently pushed the doors opened revealing a long room with long tables that looked like it could have served for cafeteria in the past. Long buffet tables with sparse amounts of food lined the opposite wall. Like the other rooms, this one was also barely decorated.
The doors swung shut again and Mishu led his guest back to the main hall. Before Hao let Mishu lead him down the final hallway however, he voiced a thought. "This place has three floors. Where are the stairs?"
Mishu gulped a little and began nervously fiddling with the rope around his waist. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet for a time, trying to come up with an explanation. When none came to him, he settled with telling the truth. "Well you see, this place didn't have the greatest reputation in the past. It was… something like a haunted hotel with the upper floors being torture chambers. When it was converted into a monastery the monks found that they could not clean the blood or cleanse the sin so they sealed it off."
Hao nodded, nasty little scenarios forming in his head. "You said I could stay as long as needed correct?" He glanced at Mishu who nodded briefly before continuing. "Then I think I will stay. I have no place to go."
Mishu managed to hold back the grin that was threatening to stretch his features. /Thank you Lord! Another human presence is a blessing to me./ He led Hao down the center hallway, pointing out restrooms, closets and other such things along the way.
This hallway was that of medium length and did not end with a door like the other three. It ended instead with a stone arch that showed the plush sitting area in the next room. A large fireplace sat at the opposite end, lighting the room in a faint glow. Reclining chairs and couches were spaced around with a few tables, and against the walls were bookshelves filled with books of all sizes, sorted by author.
Hao slowly walked into the room, looking around as he did. "It's nice." He said.
"This is where you can come to sit and think or even just read. It was a sort of common room when more monks dwelled here."
"And I'm guessing that you want me to talk to you about my one goal and everything about me?" He asked, reading the younger boys thoughts.
Mishu blinked in surprise but nodded in affirmation. "Actually yes! You said that you'd be staying for a while so I'd like to get to know you!" He grinned. "After all, roommates in a dorm cannot cooperate without knowing one another."
Hao sighed a little and sat down in a reclining chair his hands folded in front of his face, his elbows propped up onto his knees, keeping his gaze on the fire. For a few moments the only sounds that could be heard were that of the crackling fire that seemed to cast an eerie shadow on the boy sitting in front of it.
"I have a long history and for me to tell it to you would take us years so I won't bother. As for my one goal, it is something that a monk like you would call blasphemy. I want my twin brother. And no not in the simple brotherly love way. I want him more in a sort of obsessed way. Now you're probably wondering why? Why? Because I've been alone my entire life. The only person close enough to me who could understand how I feel is my brother. But… because of past incidents, his friends refuse to let him anywhere near me. All I want is him."
Mishu bit his lip and watched the serious look on Hao's face before finally speaking. "Though I do not understand your full story, I am willing to help you so long as it does not go against my religion." He said. "I am a monk, put on this planet to help those in need. God saw it fit to send you to me so I believe that I am supposed to help you."
Hao smirked from behind his hands and glanced at the religious boy. /Things may turn to my favour in the end./ He thought to himself, a light chuckle escaping his lips.
"Alright. I accept your help. But I want you to unseal the stairs leading to the upper floors." He said quietly.
A/N: Woo! Done! Long enough for ya? I'll cry if you ask for longer, really I will. The final word count for this thing was 2,684 words. Read & Review!