Yay! New chapter! Hope y'all like it!

Dreams

It was dark and soft and oh so wonderfully warm. But the softness was closing in and becoming tight and painful and it hurt! The soft, warm darkness shouldn't hurt.

But even though the world was shrinking everything was going to be fine because he was there. He made everything better. Made it a little warmer and softer and the hurt go away a little. And even though the hurt wouldn't leave completely he was still enough the smiles and giggles and fuzzy feelings come.

But something was happening. He was being taken away! No! He can't be taken! Mustn't let! Please! The pain is more and it hurts! And it's colder…

Why? Why is he being taken? Or is he leaving?

No! He promised together forever! 'Cause he is needed and needs! Needs the quiet and the light. He doesn't like the dark! He says that togetherness makes light. Light he sees and needs and must have! And quiet! Togetherness makes quiet too! Without togetherness the world screams at him and it hurts…

No! He is gone… Can feel it… He is crying! No, he shouldn't have to cry. Not him.

He is farther away… The world is closing in. It hurts. It hurts him too… He hurts!

Tears… So many tears. He makes the tears go away. Where is he??

He is calling. Crying. Alone. Can't find him! Where is he?

Craziness

Hao and Ren arrived at a large, rundown apartment. This was where Yoh lived? It looked like it could fall over at any time!

Ren noticed his expression and smirked. "Don't worry. It's better than it looks. We've done a lot of work on the inside. Plus, it's good camouflage. How many people would think that someone lived in here?"

"Hmm. Good point. So… Do we go in?"

"Not yet. Yoh has to wake up first." Ren walked up to where Hao was still carrying the passed out Yoh and gently brushed his bangs away from his face. "Yoh. Yoh wake up. We need the barrier taken down."

Barrier? Hmmm… Now that I think about it. The building does seem to shimmer a little.

Yoh slowly opened his eyes and groggily looked up at Ren. "Ren?" he questioned, exhaustion still fogging his mind.

"Barrier, Yoh."

"Oh. Yeah." He turned his gaze to the apartment building and raised a hand. His fingers snapped and, to Hao, everything seemed to flash. He shook his head and blinked a couple of times. That was weird.

With that done, Yoh sighed, looking even paler. "Please, don't wake me up for at least a week." That said, he set his head back on Hao's shoulder, let out another long sigh, and allowed his exhaustion to lull him back into unconsciousness.

Ren eyed Hao, giving him a calculating and almost contemplating look.

Hao looked awkward. "So I guess that, by the look you're giving me, he doesn't always fall asleep in the arms of complete strangers?"

"Of course not." Ren snorted. "I've never even seen him this relaxed before. You must be some person."

"Do you always accept his opinion so easily?"

"Yeah. He's never been wrong. And every time I didn't listen to him, it's always come back to kick me in the butt."

What does that mean about me? Hao thought. Is he that good a judge of character? But how can he be. He actually liked me.

Those thoughts spun through Hao's head as he and Ren climbed the stairs to their floor. Who was Yoh? How did he have powers? And most importantly, why did he look so much like him? Confusion overpowered all other emotions until he felt he would go crazy.

Along with the hundreds of other possibilities that crossed his mind, the idea that they were related came up. But if we are related why doesn't Father have him. And even if we are brothers or something that doesn't explain why we look exactly alike. Even people who are brothers don't look like we do. Except twins… But that makes even less sense! Father knew I was going to have powers before I was born so he should have known Yoh would have them too. And even if he didn't know, he wouldn't have let anyone take him to live somewhere else. He would've killed him.

But if we are related… What would that mean? Would he stay with me?

Of course not. No one else does.

But Yoh did. He didn't leave my arms. Maybe I won't be alone.

Hao looked at the flights of stairs they had yet to climb and tried to find something to take his mind off his problematic thoughts. Ugh, this is a lot of stairs. Good thing Yoh is so light.

He glanced at Ren. Hmmmm… He's pretty ok to be around. His thoughts don't yell out at me. In fact he couldn't even hear Ren's thoughts now that he thought about it. Wonder why that is.

He reached out with his mind and met a thin mental shielding that didn't surround Ren but encompassed Hao and Yoh. That's odd. He soon found that he could go through it, and when he did he heard the low buzzing of Ren's thoughts.

Huh. And Yoh's are still silent. Normally, if he was around someone asleep, he could hear their dreams. The fact that he couldn't hear Yoh's meant that his mind was totally shut down or Hao couldn't read his thought at all. It's probably the second possibility. I wonder how-

"Omph!" Hao's train of thought was abruptly cut off as he slammed into Ren. "Why'd you-"

"We're here." Ren interrupted.

"Oh." They were standing in front of what looked like every other door in the long hall. Except that, Hao noticed, the hinges were a little less rusted and the door nod looked slightly newer.

Ren banged on the door four times and waited. His knocking was answered by an irritated looking girl.

"Where have you been!? It's an hour and a half after you said you'd be here and…" Her scolding tapered off as she noticed Hao. An angered look appeared on her face shortly followed by a fearful one as she saw Yoh's condition. "Come on." She waved them in.

Hao stepped inside only to be bombarded with questions given by two energetic children. Alarmed and not accustomed to loud kids, he stepped back, clutching Yoh to him, and bumped into the door Ren had just closed.

"Hey!" the girl called. "Jared, go get towels and bring them here; Lauren, get some clothes Ren, Yoh, and the other boy can change into." As the two attacking children ran off to fulfill her requests, she stepped closer to Hao and reached out to feel Yoh's forehead. "Ren, you idiot, he's too hot! He's going to get sick."

Ren looked angered at that remark and retorted, " It's not like I could stop anywhere! Yoh worked too hard again; you know how he is. We had to walk slower and got caught in the rain. Then we were attacked and it all went to hell from there. This is Hao. He saved our butts." The girl looked suspicious and raised an eyebrow. "Yoh woke up long enough to lower the Barrier and give him the all clear."

"Hmmm. Alright then. Horo! Go start heating up the bath water. Mickale, set up a bed for Yoh." She turned back to Hao. " I'm Anna. Bring Yoh over here and let's get both of you out of your wet clothes. Hao?" At his nod she continued. "You can go change in that room. You and Yoh are about the same size so you can use some of his clothes." Ren came up and held out his arms for Yoh.

For a second, a moment of panic flashed through Hao. They want to take him! No! But then it passed, and with a slight twinge of reluctance, he passed Yoh to Ren.

The moment he did, the thoughts of everyone in the room, except Yoh, came crashing through his mind. He flinched and looked longingly back at Yoh, who Ren was taking to get changed.

Anna held out some clothes and a towel to him and pointed to the room he was to change in. With a small sigh, he turned and left the main room. While he was sad to leave Yoh, he was glad to get out of the wet clothes. He was starting to get a little cold.

He took this time, while everyone else was fussing over Yoh, to get a better look at the rooms. There were only three: the main one, what looked like the bathroom, and what he suspected to be a closet. By looking at the walls and floor of the main room, Hao guessed that it had been the old apartment's living room, bedroom, and kitchen; someone had just taken down all the walls separating the rooms and made it into one large room. He could see places where wallpaper had covered one of the old rooms and where another had paint.

One side of the main room had an old stove and refrigerator, along with cabinets and countertops. Another had rows of book shelves. The floor was covered in a multitude of rugs.

The thing that had Hao thinking the most was how clean the place was. While it, of course, wasn't as clean as his father's mansion had been, it was as clean as people living without electricity could get it. The rugs didn't kick up dust when they were walked on. Although the paint and wallpaper was missing in many places, it was not peeling and sending bits of paper and paint everywhere. Even the unused stove and the windows were spotless. It gave him an insight to what kind of people Yoh was living with.

With a small smile, Hao turned back to the bathroom and, after closing the door, proceeded to strip out of his soaking clothes. While doing this, he examined the bathroom as well. Minus the cracked tiles and peeling paint, this room looked like a normal bathroom.

Upon twisting one of the sink knobs, he discovered they had running water, though he doubted it was heated. Hmmm… I wonder how they heat it… he thought as he towel dried his hair.

He held up the black t-shirt he had been handed. Looks like Yoh's. He brought it to his face, closed his eyes, and inhaled. Smells like Yoh's. Wait, smells?! What's the matter with me!?

Nothing's the matter with you. Yoh just makes you happy.

Happy.

Yeah, happy. Something you've never been before. Now shut up and get dressed.

Well, great. Not only am I smelling other peoples clothes but now I'm talking to myself and actually getting an answer. I've cracked.

Quickly, he put the clothes on but paused and took another whiff of the shirt. Oranges. He smells like oranges.

Weeeeeellll. There it is! Tell me wacha think! XD

Ja ne!