Ah…Updates! How I love them so. Okay, so I realized that the computer wasn't going to type by itself and that I was gonna get hunted down if I don't update soon. I thought about putting this on hold but I just couldn't… I love you guys too much XD!

So now I'm going to work this thing…

Disclaimer: No I don't own it.

I decided I couldn't do it anymore so… NOT set in Horo's POV

"Red"

Final chapter

"You guys… are annoying." He spat at them. Most of them cringed at the tone of the once cheerful boy's voice. The ice shaman continued glaring at them… looking at each one with hate in his eyes.

Pirika's eyes started to swell up with tears. She was afraid. Afraid of what may happen. She had lost a large part of hope that her brother would turn back to be the happy-go-lucky person he pretended to be. She slowly backed away, and for the first time of her life, she wanted to run far away from her dear onii-san.

"Well, well. Is this the bakemono(1)?" Hao smiled in amusement. He never expected that he would be the fear of this prideful ainu tribe.

Horo smirked. "Bakemono? That's me…"

"Hm. Didn't really think it would be you. You're certainly interesting…" Just then a glint of delight reflected in the flame master's eyes. "Let's fight."

"Already ahead of you…" The blue haired demon already had his wolf spirit, Khashi, satisfied with his spirit feast, by his side. He also had his ice sword, blade shining.

"What fun!" the long haired Asakura smiled. He called on his Spirit of Fire by his side and turned him into the same kind of weapon his opponent was wielding.

Fire vs. Ice…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Both kept on charging at each other with their swords. Each time they met, the flame and the ice danced together, circling their masters. Each audience knew both were not to be reckoned with.

Yoh had never seen Horo like this. His attitude, his fighting style, his weapon, his strength… they were all completely different compared to the ones before. The brunette felt betrayed. All those things. All those times. Were they really just lies? Lies just to earn your trust and crush it at the end. It didn't made sense. Why was Horo Horo, one of his best friends, doing all this? For what cause?

Tao Ren had different thoughts. He felt angry. Angry at Horo, and angry at himself. How did he not see it before? His dark orbs could have said it all but then his golden ones must've missed it. He was Horo's teammate yet he failed to see the other's true feelings. Ren hated it. He wanted to punch the young ainu. 'Why, Horo?'

"Let's finish this now…" Horokeu's demon eyes narrowed, glaring at auburn ones.

"Let's…" And Hao's Spirit of Fire sword flamed more than ever. The thrill of blood evident in it's user's grip.

Horo's, on the other hand, turned from crystal blue to ebony black. The aura of killing intent and the spirit force increased as his blood colored eyes showed the end of it all.

Two elements clashed and the shamans who witnessed it all stood on their places in bewilderment. Smoke prevented anyone to see the result wit normal human eyes. So who won?

Then the blurriness cleared and on the ground stood two figures standing still, each holding their weapon.

"Hn. I won." The ice shaman had stabbed his enemy in the middle, south of the heart and above the stomach. Hao was bleeding like no tomorrow.

He said villain scowled. He had only cut through the other's right shoulder blade. "I'll see you in hell then… bakemono."

Both pulled their swords from the opposite's body, leading the very deep wounds to gush out blood. Hao immediately fell to flat on his face, he was most likely dead. Wobbling and using his ice sword for support, Horo turned to his former friends, a smirk crawling towards his bloody face and forming through his bleeding mouth. "The demon, at your service."

"Horo… Horo." Ryo gasped a his supposedly friend. The name felt unusually foreign, as if never spoken by him all his life. "Why are you like this?"

The called shaman gave them a long hard gaze before replying. "Because it's who I am." He said.

A certain Chinese companion growled. "Baka! What do you mean by that's who you are!" As suspected, he charged at his former teammate during the Shaman Tournament. Just as his basontou was inches away from the 'demon', it was stopped easily by the Usui's hand.

"Are you sure you want to do that to your tomodachi(2), Ren?" Horokeu's face remained expressionless. He stared at the shorter boy waiting for an answer. Fuming, the dark haired one gripped the handle tighter before forcedly pulling away his spear. Ren bowed his head, eyes disappearing behind his purple hair, and looked at him again with golden eyes.

"You're not the Horo I was friends with."

"What?" Horo Horo scowled. He glanced at the others and they all stared at him. The ainu felt his head starting to hurt and his vision blurry. Convincing himself it was because of the blood loss, he twitched when old memories came flashing before him.

What was he doing? These people he was currently facing had accepted him! They were is freaking friends! Why was he in this position? All for revenge? Just because the village tortured him all his life? The people called him a demon and now it was all true. He was a demon. He is and forever will be one. Nothing can repent him for what he has done. The people he killed, the village he destroyed, the friends he betrayed. It was all too much. His life sucked and he was better off dead. Now, all he needs isn't friends, not the Shaman King title, won't be money or riches, no revenge. He only wants and needs one thing.

He wants death to be put on himself.

"Onii…chan…" Pirika moved forward, staring at her brother with concern. He was on his knees, crying. He rarely cried, and now he was, in front of everyone he knew. She couldn't help but reach out for him, and so she did. The younger sibling hugged her brother and let him cry on her. "It's okay… Don't cry, onii-chan…"

Horo, feeling arms caressing him in a motherly way, stopped. His eyes widened and immediately pushed his sister away from him. He quickly stood up and faced his back on her.

"Onii-chan!" She made a motion to get up and come towards him but he interrupted.

"Stay away from me, Pirika!" She stared at him, lost for words. "Don't come anywhere near me. Any of you."

He was red all over. Stained with blood forever. He didn't want to kill anymore, but he couldn't stop. He was a demon. A demon with no reason of living or purpose in life. He was just wandering around, lost in any place he went. From living to dead, he'll have no destination to be.

"Why, onii-chan! Why are you doing this!"

He kept his back facing her. "I wanted to prove who I was…I told you before… I wanted to prove I was…"

"What! A demon!"

Tears stared to flow down his stained face. He turned to Pirika, crying all his guilt out. "… That I'm not a monster, I'm a human… A human with feelings…"

Her anger lifted and she bit her lower lip. She stared at him… seeing the emotions were all true. He had said this previously… and those words wouldn't leave her mind before. And yet she forgotten it? All he wanted to tell everyone was that he was human. That he had feelings, he could laugh, cry, fell sad and lonely, or be happy and clumsy, be sympathetic, be funny and serious… He wanted to prove he could be all of this. To prove he wasn't just a demon.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Pirika's wrist and placed a familiar Spirit of Fire sword by her neck. It was no other than Hao. "I'm not dead yet…"

"Bastard…"

"Bakemono…"

Both glared at each other… "Let go of her…" Horo demanded. The fire shaman complied and smirked.

"I know what you're planning…"

"Great minds think alike." The blunette gave a fake smile. He ran towards him and stopped while inches away from each other. Summoning his sword once again, Horo sneered. He swung the blade and predictably he dodged. Seeing an opening, he went behind the taller shaman and hugged him from the back(3). "And I think that I'm bringing you to hell with me." He pointed the sword to Hao's chest while the fire user's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't…"

"Yes, I will."

"Baka…" And with once push of force, he inserted(4) the long blade in their bodies, killing them both.

"Onii-chan!"

"Horo!"

They all stared at disbelief in what Horo had done. Not only did he kill Hao from lifetime, he also took away his own life.

With his last bit of force, he slowly pulled out the sword and dropped it on the ground. The started to fall with his life slowly escaping from his grasp. A curve forming on his lips, and tears trickling from eyes that were losing it's shine of life. He had formed a true smile and Pirika knew it was directed to her. Horo was sure he had done something foolish. But then…

It was something a foolish human would do.

x-x-x—x-x-x—x-x-x

A/N

And my story ends there. Don't worry, there's an epilogue, too, coming after this. I hope it quite satisfied you all. I realized my average chapters was about 3-4 pages long without the author's notes or anything.

bakemono monster

tomodachi friend

No, it ain't no HaoHoro moment caught in tape…

Bad you if you think about that part in a green way! I will hunt you down! T.T

Read and Review! Don't forget! Be generous… :D