Disclaimer: do not own SK.

Yoh opened his backpack and patiently put half of his oranges in the fridge in the kitchen. The rest of the oranges he would keep to himself as a midnight snack. Asakura Kino was waiting in the main hall, seated in seiza position and staring gravely at the wall. She appeared to be in deep thought.

Yoh put his backpack in his old room and joined his grandmother in the main hall but he quickly got bored when Kino didn't pay attention to him after the first ten minutes.

"Why do you want to bring that demon back to this realm?" asked Kino. "In all his three lifetimes, he has brought nothing but shadow and misery. All who lived under him lived in fear. He is amongst those who should never be resurrected."

She turned to look at Yoh to gauge his reaction but the young boy had gotten bored and had put his orange headphones over his ears listening to some music.

"You idiot grandson!" screamed Kino, beating him with her walking stick. "Why don't you pay attention when I'm talking about something serious!"

Yoh ran around the main hall, running away from his energetic grandmother for several minutes before tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his face. Kino pinched the bridge of her nose with disbelief. To think that this was the heir of the all-noble Asakura clan… "It's a good thing I got Anna for you. She would make a good job out of you after you two are wed."

"Obaa-san," said Yoh, shifting himself into a sitting position, "there's something I forgot to tell you…"

(After a few seconds of explanation…)

"YOU BROKE OFF THE ENGAGEMENT WITH ANNA!"

After some more running away on Yoh's part and some more threatening from Kino, the two Asakuras settled for a peaceful truce so that Yoh could convey more properly the reason he was in Izumo.

"Obaa-san," started Yoh, "I've been seeing Hao in my dreams. And I think there is a reason for it."

"Of course," said Kino, lighting her pipe. "Your soul is originally his. It is no surprise that you sometimes think of him."

"I don't think that's all there is to it," said Yoh. "If there had been any other way, I would not have killed him. But now more than ever, I want to bring him back. And I want you to teach me how."

Kino inhaled from her pipe deeply and exhaled. "This is unlike you. The Yoh I know, the lazy one, would've simply asked me to do the summoning for him instead of learning how to do it himself."

Truth be told, that option had occurred to Yoh. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Actually, obaa-san, I don't think you can do it even if I wanted you to."

Kino's eyes became downcast after hearing this. Yoh was right. She couldn't do it. She hadn't tried it before, but thinking about it theoretically, Hao's soul was powerful enough to push away her summons and even endanger her own soul. "Then, what makes you think you can do it, Yoh?"

Yoh smiled and placed a hand on his chest. "He will accept me. He will come back to me."

Asakura Kino laughed lightly. "Asakura Hao only accepts one person and that is himself."

"How do you know that, obaa-san?" asked Yoh.

Kino tapped the back of her pipe against her temple. "Well actually, there is one more person that Asakura Hao accepts. This person was recorded in his writings in his first lifetime as the dai onmyoji of Asakura. A similar person was also recorded from his letters in his second lifetime which we have acquired from the archives of the Patch people. Do you want to hear it? This person from Hao's past."

Yoh was carefully peeling the skin of an orange with his tongue sticking out in concentration.

"PAY ATTENTION!" shrieked Kino, snatching the orange and hiding it inside her robe. Yoh let out a cry of dismay before pouting and promising to pay attention to Kino's story. "It starts like this…

"In his first lifetime, Asakura Hao was a dai onmyoji, the most powerful in the Asakura household and the most in touch with the spiritual world. He was concerned with nothing other than the gain of more power but he was infatuated with a young maiko called Masumoto Yo.

"He met him when he was summoned to a geisha house to dispel a spirit from their storehouse. Hao bought Yo from the geisha house and brought him into the Asakura household."

Yoh stopped his grandmother. "That's all wrong, obaa-san. Hao didn't buy me. And I wasn't a maiko."

"I'm talking about Masumoto YO, not you, Yoh!" exclaimed Kino, poking him sharply on the ribs with her stick. "Now be quiet and don't interrupt me unless it's something smart. Where was I? Ah yes…

"It was no secret that Hao cared deeply about Yo. After a few years, Yo contracted a terrible illness. Hao summoned all the healers to cure him but to no avail. Hao even tried using his furyoku to cure Yo but he was not strong enough. This, I think, was the start of Hao's terrible ideal. He was disgusted with the human healers who could not heal Yo and angry with himself for not being powerful enough to help his lover.

"He started gathering followers who agreed to his no-human world ideal but he also attracted many enemies within the Asakura household. Asakura shamans rebelled against him and sought to destroy him. To weaken Hao, they kidnapped Yo. After that, what took place was considered the worst massacre in shaman history.

"Asakura Hao released all his potential in his anger, killing every shaman and mortal that stood in his way. In his blind fury, Hao had accidentally murdered his beloved as well. He found Yo's face among those killed. It was said that darkness overcame him and stole his will to fight anymore. The remaining shamans subdued and killed him in the night."

Kino paused to drink some tea to wet her throat. Her old eyes did not notice the shiver that ran up Yoh's spine. The story was frighteningly familiar. As if he had heard it before. Yoh quickly returned his attention to his grandmother when she put down her teacup to continue the story.

"That should've been the end but Hao had become too powerful to stay dead. Fuelled by his hatred for humans, he reentered the life cycle for another chance to achieve his human-free world. This time, he was born into a Patch family. As a Patch infant, he was taught to worship the Great Spirit. It was at that time that Hao decided that he needed the Great Spirit to achieve his ambition.

"The Spirit of Fire had also caught his eye. He made plans to make the Spirit of Fire his main spirit. But in his letters, he mentioned something about meeting a quiet boy named Asuka when he was twelve. Asuka was his next door neighbour in the village and had a very weak body.

"Because of this, the Patch chief assigned Hao, who was the strongest boy in the village, to take care of Asuka. Hao soon fell in love with Asuka. He wrote in his letters, 'He has the same presence as Yo. I believe that he is the reincarnation of my beloved.' For several months, Hao hid his relationship with Asuka from public eyes. But after the fourth month, Hao was openly wooing Asuka's sister.

"When he grew older, he married Asuka's sister, Mimoko, and bore a son with her. Not long after, he was appointed as one of the Ten Priests of the village. It was then did he attain the Spirit of Fire as his main spirit and devoured the spirits of the shamans who gathered for the Shaman Fight."

Yoh frowned. "That's mean of him," he said without thinking, "to leave Asuka for his sister."

Kino shook her old head. "Hao did not leave Asuka," she said, ignoring Yoh's confused look. "Asuka left him. When we retrieved Hao's letters from the Patch tribe, there was an obituary compiled together with the letters. The obituary told of Asuka's death. Asuka drowned in a lake and there was no one around to help him.

"I think the only reason Hao married Mimoko was to get into a family which would allow him the position as one of the Ten Priests. But I don't think he ever forgot Asuka. When he was finally defeated in his second lifetime, he vanished only to reappear dead beside Asuka's tomb."

Yoh's head started to throb slightly. He wanted to massage his temples but his hands were trembling slightly.

"Are you okay, Yoh?" asked Kino.

"I'm fine," answered Yoh automatically. "So, what you're saying is Hao is very loyal to love?"

"Hao is beyond loyal," said Kino. "He would've given his life for Yo or Asuka, I think. That's why Yohmei and I have toyed around with the idea of finding the reincarnation of Yo or Asuka in this lifetime to defeat Hao. But we didn't need that in the end, because we have you, Yoh."

"I-I see," said Yoh. Why wouldn't his hands stop trembling? All of a sudden, something pierced his mind like a sharp thin blade impaling his head. He grasped the sides of his head with his hands and fell to the ground in pain.

"Yoh!" exclaimed Kino, dropping her walking stick to check on Yoh. "Are you okay? Yoh, answer me?"

The boy wanted to but couldn't answer his grandmother. Such was the pain that overcame him.

"Yoh, can you hear me? Yoh?" The voice was soft and did not belong to anyone he knew.

'Who are you?' he asked silently.

"It's me, Yoh. My name is Asuka."

'A-Asuka? Aren't you the…'

"Yes, I am the Patch boy who drowned in the lake; the one your grandmother described a moment ago."

'What are you doing in my head, Asuka?'

"He has been awakened," said a new voice. This voice was slightly lower than Asuka's but sounded more feminine. "Hello, Yoh. I am Masumoto Yo."

Yoh frowned confusedly. 'You are…the maiko…'

"Yes," confirmed the new voice. "Funny how our names sound the same, eh?" A small chuckle.

'Nice meeting the two of you but, why are you here?' asked Yoh. 'Shouldn't you two be reincarnated?'

"Indeed," replied Masumoto Yo. "I have been reincarnated to Asuka…"

"And I," said Asuka, "have been reincarnated into you, Yoh."

'ME!' exclaimed Yoh. 'That can't be right.'

"But it is," said Asuka. "Right now we have awakened within you because he is so near."

'Who? Who is so near?'

"Hao," said Yo. "We can sense his presence. It is so close."

"We both loved him, so it is natural for you to love him as well," said Asuka. "That's why you have those dreams, Yoh."

"Both of us have wished happiness with him," said Yo. "But we are destined to die early and cannot be with him. That is why we keep coming back in search for him. You are the one that can bring him back. You are the one who will remain by his side."

"Bring him back, Yoh," pleaded Asuka, "and tell him for us…that we love him."

The two voices were fading. 'Wait,' implored Yoh. 'Wait!' But the maiko and Asuka had disappeared, gone into slumber deep within him. The pain in his head was gone. Yoh could finally sit up. Kino breathed out a sigh of relief, unaware of the silent conversation that had taken place between Yoh and his past reincarnations.

"You're going to give me a heart attack, idiot grandson," said Kino. "Yoh? Yoh? Why…why are you crying?"

Yoh touched his cheeks and realized that his grandmother was right. He was crying. Yo and Asuka's years of pent up longing for Hao was conveyed through him. He could feel their sadness and yearning for Hao and he couldn't help but cry.

I miss you.

"Obaa-san, help me bring back Hao," said Yoh. "Nothing you say or do will change my mind. Please consent me on this."

I want you.

Kino lowered her eyes sadly. "You love him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Fine," said Kino after a long sigh. "Do whatever you want. As long as it'll bring back your smile."

Hear my voice and come back to me.

Only Asakura Yohmei had the key to Hao's shrine. And it took quite some time persuading him to open the shrine for Yoh. He couldn't understand why Yoh wanted to bring back the demon Asakura Hao. "You do understand that you are bringing on the destruction of the world by doing this," he said harshly.

"Hao won't…" started Yoh.

"You don't know that," said Yohmei loudly. "Why do you want to bring him back? Even after he killed so many people and even tried to kill you! Talk some sense into him, Kino!"

Kino bowed her head. "I have given him my blessing." Yoh smiled at her. "And you better give him your blessing too!" she shrieked knocking him on the head with her stick. While Yohmei exclaimed at the pain, Kino snatched the keys to the shrine from him and handed it to Yoh.

"I won't let you!" declared Yohmei as he summoned up his leaf sprites and charged it at Yoh.

Yoh didn't have Amidamaru with him. He even left his swords, his spirit mediums, back at home. He had nothing. But the leaf sprites that came near him gave a small little scream and disappeared. Yohmei stared at his grandson both in awe and fear. "Yoh…when did you get so much furyoku?"

"It's not his," said Kino, eyes widening with realization. "That furyoku isn't his."

Yoh walked up to the shrine, ignoring the star banners that flanked left and right, and put the key in the keyhole.

"But it's around him. That furyoku is protecting him," said Yohmei with disbelief.

"Yoh, stop! Don't open it!" yelled Kino, but it was too late. Yoh had already turned the key in its hole. He quickly jumped back when wind from an unknown source blew the doors of the shrine open. The shrine was fully compressed with furyoku. Untrained shamans who went in there would surely suffocate.

Yohmei fell to his knees. "Where did all this furyoku come from? It's not possible for one to have so much."

Kino agreed. "We have to close the shrine. Yoh, lock the shrine."

But Yoh wasn't listening. He was already taking his first step into the shrine.

"Yoh, you'll get killed if you go in there!" screamed Yohmei. "There's too much furyoku! Your body can't take it!"

Yoh took another step inside. The furyoku in the shrine was so strong it knocked his headphones of his shoulders. But Yoh didn't seem to notice. Kino and Yohmei gasped loudly when they saw that the heavy furyoku avoided Yoh. The furyoku actually parted and made way for Yoh to venture further inside the shrine.

Seated in front of the altar in that shrine was silhouette. He had long dark hair, sharp seductive eyes and a slender but muscular body and he called to Yoh. He did not speak but Yoh could hear him calling him.

Yoh, come to me.

Yoh steadily made his way to the silhouette. But as he drew nearer, he steps faltered and became unsure. "This is not a dream?" he asked.

The silhouette smiled softly, a smile reserved only for him. This is half of a dream. He stood up and opened his arms to receive Yoh. Yoh quickened his steps, running towards the silhouette but a hair's breadth away from him, the silhouette disappeared, leaving Yoh to clutch the empty air. After all, a silhouette was still a shadow. Yoh slumped to the ground and looked at the altar. "I was so close."

Yoh, I'm sorry.

"I'll bring you back," whispered Yoh. "I swear it."

Tsuzuku (2 b cont.)