Summery: Hao is at it again, and it turns out that he is succeeding. He is forcing each shaman against one another, forcing one of them to die. When he tries it on Horo and Ren, it opens something up inside of Horo. But Ren dies, and Horo is determined to get Ren back, but what does love have to do in all of this? My first yaoi, Ren x Horo, rated T.

At Mata Cemetery, not long after the first shaman fight preliminaries were over, Horeku Usui and Tao Ren stood, bickering as usual. They were, yet again, fighting over who was to become the Shaman King. It was nighttime, and the only light came from the illuminated oversouls of the two, one white and one yellow. They were launching attacks at one another, though neither was winning for sure. They were the only ones awake, and no one seemed to know where they were, or what they were doing. They had both stayed behind at the cemetery to 'talk', but they were mostly yelling throughout much of the night.

Just as another backbreaking attack was launched, a light scream sounded in the dark. It was a call for help, and since Horo and Ren were the only two out this late at night, they decided to go and check it out. They disengaged their oversouls and followed the voices lead.

The voice led them to a large building where, in the semi-darkness, a solitaire figure could be seen perched atop a high banister. The screams stopped as the two entered the building, and the large double doors began to close behind them. They ran for the doors, but they closed shut just as the two boys reached them. It was a trap, and they had fallen for it.

They glanced menacingly at the figure above them, as lights shot on all around them. They could now see clearly the person who had led them here. It was Hao Asakura. A highly maniacal laugh filtered around them both as Hao glared down upon them both. Horo and Ren looked around them to see a cage of wire, with spikes protruding from each wire strand, surrounding the room they were in, with Hao outside of it. Ren sneered and ran at the cage door, only to get an electric shock as he was sent flying backwards. Horo ran over to help him, as Hao's laughter increased twofold.

"Grr. Hao, what was that for!" Horo looked down at Ren as he attempted to stand. Horo tried to stop him, but he just pushed Horo back and stood up, laughing to Hao. Hao looked down quizzically at him for a moment.

"Haha. You think you can stop me with something as flimsy as a wire cage? Don't make me laugh. It would take much more to put me down. And what are you going to do outside of here? You can not very well attack us, can you? You're out of options, why don't you just give up and let us out of here?" Ren said, as the smile on his face widened. Hao, too, began laughing as he spoke.

"Oh, this is no ordinary cage. It is much to my amusement of what it can do to you. You see, this is a motion sensitive wired cage, and it is designed to begin to close in on you the moment you begin to move. And by the looks of it, you already have." Hao was right; the cage was closing in on Ren and Horo from the sides. Ren had to move back away so as not to get caught in the wiring. He snarled at Hao as Hao just smirked back at him.

"Tell us how to get out of here, now!" Ren said, the fury that he was feeling sounded in his voice.

"It is a very simple way of getting out of there, which I myself designed to toy with you. The only thing that can stop this machine is the movement of furyoku, which means more simply that you must fight each other for it to stop. And by the looks of things, you have little more than a half of an hour to escape!" Hao's laugh deepened as the cage around the two below him tightened closer to them.

Horo and Ren both engaged their oversouls and lightly attacked each other. This is my chance to beat him once and for all. They both thought at almost the same time, though they both knew that they were not using their full powers against each other. After more than half of the time had run out, and the space of the cage was narrowing as the spikes were getting closer to the boys' bodies, it seemed to them that Hao was just tricking them. This cage was not going to stop any time soon unless they did something else, but they were running out of time and ideas.

"You tricked us! What more do we have to do to get out of here? Tell me!" Ren was losing control; his anger was showing now more than ever. He attacked the cage, just below the part were Hao was on the other side, but was sent flying again. He gave Hao a look that would have sent him to the grave if looks could kill, and Hao began to speak with a flourish once again.

"Oh dear, did I forget to tell you? This machine is indeed a motion sensitive one, meaning that, when one of the two oversouls within it is extinguished, as well as a life force, then it will open. This is the death arena."

"What do you mean 'as well as a life force'?" Ren shouted at Hao, now beginning to lose his arrogant attitude at the hearing of this unwelcoming sentence.

"Just that. The oversoul must be depleted by ending the life of the handler. One must die, and then the cage will open. I would stay and watch, but I have more important things to deal with. By the way, you have little more than ten minutes to open the cage before you both will be killed!" And with that, Hao disappeared, laughing madly before leaving in a puff of smoke, Spirit of Fire beside him.

"Oh, this is bad. What are we going to do now? We don't have much time left, and he said that one of us has to die before the other can be set free. Can you think of anything?" Horo said as he rubbed his temple, thinking, which was pretty strange, especially for him. Ren could not help but laugh at this odd gesture.

"What are you laughing at? Now is not the time to laugh!" Horo said.

"Sorry. Well, I can not think of anything that we can do. Just keep attacking the walls of the cage and perhaps it will open. That is all I can think of, because I refuse to kill you."

"Ren…."

"Don't think it is because you mean anything to me. It is just because I do not want to take another human's life again. I made up my decision a long while ago." Ren had a desperate look on his face. Horo could only guess what was wrong, and his suspicions were confirmed as Ren suddenly turned off his oversoul. Bason came out of the Kwan-Dao.

"Bason, go to Yoh. Tell him all that has happened, and tell him to come to get Horo," and then, seeing the look on his face, "I command you to leave. Now!" Bason left, as Horo gave Ren a questioning look. He knew what was going on, and he could not believe that it was true.

"Kill me now Horo. I can not see you die, so let me die instead." Ren said, facing Horo as all of the emotion vanished from his eyes, leaving a blank, almost dead look about him.

"No! Ren, I can't! You know that I would never kill you! I could never kill you..." Horo looked at Ren, determination in his eyes. Ren knew that he would never do it. But the cage was closing in on them, almost touching them. There was hardly any room left in the cage, and their only resort to leave was for a life to be taken. And Ren was the only one brave and daring enough to be the one to do it.

"I have sins to atone for. I could never forgive myself if I killed you. But one of us must die, and I already told you, it will not be you. Take care of the others. And Horo, I look forward to battling you again, I will await it." And for the first time that Horo had ever seen, Ren smiled, a true smile, one from the heart. It seemed that he was ready, and he had no problem with it. Horo nodded, knowing that Ren would never let him argue with his final decision.

And with that, Ren took his Kwan-Dao, swinging it above his head as the wire cage around them both came closer, this time a mere inch away from them both. Ren took the Kwan-Dao and pieced it directly through his heart. Blood sprayed on contact as Ren hit the ground, dead before Horo could reach him. Tears fell as the doors to the movement in the cage stopped. Movement was the trigger, and it was also the end.

The end of everything. The end of Ren. This truly was a death arena, with only one exit. Only one person was to leave it. This was it. The invulnerable Tao Ren was… defeated.

"Yes, we will battle again. I have something to live for, to become strong, for you. I am so sorry; I could never tell you what I meant to long ago. I promise I will not give up on what your life meant to me. This just opened my mind to what you were capable of, and what I was missing. Caring. Compassion. Love."

And with that, the cage door finally opened. But it had opened so much more than just an exit; it had opened an ever-closed heart.