Possession – Chapter 13
I spent the rest of the day in my room staring at the jars contemplating what was going to happen the next day. I don't know if Faust had called and given anyone a heads up about what happened next to Hao's sickbed, but they all seemed to know at a glance that tomorrow would be the end of Hao and that we would all be leaving after.
Peering closely at the spell jar that barred Hao's return to his body I went over the procedure again in my mind. I'm not sure why I bothered. It was pretty basic. Literally all I needed to do was break the jar.
To put it simply the jar acted like a gateway for a spirit to return to its body. Like any gate it could be either opened or closed. Currently it was closed, but when I broke it, the gate would be open and the spirit would naturally spring back to its body.
However in our case, when the jar broke the paper charms all over it would be activated to trap and banish the spirit on its return trip to its body. Simple really, a monkey could do the job. So why was Yoh making me do it?
Maybe he couldn't bring himself to kill Hao again. That was easy to believe. Maybe he thought I would be the most willing to do it given the peaceful nature of the others. That was also easy to believe.
Then why did I feel like something was off? Like there was a catch no one was telling me? When I asked everyone assured me that all that would be required of me would be to break the jar and then everyone could return to their normal lives. Well, except for me who would have to leave the country for being a murder weapon.
A soft knock drew my attention away from my questions. Without me even bothering to answer, Yoh poked his head around the door. "Lyserg? Can I talk to you for a moment?"
I can't say I was pleased to see him standing in my doorway. I still hadn't completely forgiven him for not telling me he knew his brother could come back or for dumping the responsibility of his death on me. Still, I nodded to him allowing him to speak.
Grinning openly he strode forth and plopped down next to me. Strangely I noticed my insides didn't jitter madly when he was close anymore. I guess this whole ordeal had cured me of my little crush on him.
"Thanks, I thought I'd hide out here for a while. Anna's acting strangely so I thought it would be better if I just kept out of her way. Did you know she smiled at me this morning? Scary. Then she went and did while some of the guys were around and made Ryu faint!" he announced in an awed voice. "So, have you decided where you're going to go yet?" he asked cheerfully.
Not feeling up to talking back, I just shook my head no. If Yoh was upset by my lack of interest in the conversation he didn't show it.
"Well I'm sure my family would love to have you come by the temple and of course you're welcome by the inn anytime!" he continued.
Che, right. Just because Anna and I had called a truce didn't mean she wouldn't slam the door in my face if I showed up.
Deciding I better say something before he made any other wild suggestions, "There are a few places I thought I'd like to see, but I have no permanent plans." I said not caring about the flat impersonal tone in my voice.
The tone made him slump his shoulders a bit, but he still kept his smile in place. "Hey that sounds cool! I've been thinking of doing something like that as well! You know, like how we were during the tournament, just us and the open road? When I listen to Ryu or Horo and Ren talk about all of the places they've been I can't help but think 'Man that would be so cool!' but I know Anna would probably kill me."
"Anna would only let you go if she was with you and there were first class accommodations involved." I agreed. Actually, after I said that I realized that wasn't entirely true. I mean she did travel with Yoh to see me and she only complained once maybe twice a day.
Yoh's cheerful façade lasted another few moments before it crumbled. As soon as it did I felt an enormous surge of emotions come through my new mental capabilities. The onslaught of emotion made my breath lodge in my throat.
Yoh was like a tightly bottled up vessel of sadness, guilt, pain, regret and loneliness brought on by the weight of his responsibilities. At this moment he was a far cry from the kid who wanted to be Shaman King so he could live a carefree life doing whatever he wished. He tilted his head so that most of his face was obscured by hair "I'm sorry Lyserg." He muttered quietly. "I'm sorry for not telling you about Hao and his body, I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me and I'm sorry that I'm making you responsible for his future."
That brought up a question I had wanted to ask. "Why would you do that? How could you give me those spell jars?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated "I know Hao is my responsibility, but I just don't have the strength to kill him again and I think he knows it."I nodded remembering how hard it had been on him the first time. "I wanted to give him one last chance, to try and get him to finally stop trying to kill off all humans in exchange for his freedom but I doubt he'd take any threats from me very seriously."
"And that's where you need me. Because he knows I will kill him." I finished and he nodded. There was more, I could tell Yoh was hiding something else from me but his mind was too difficult for someone of my inexperience to read clearly.
"Somehow I just know he will listen to you and you'll make the right decision." He said smiling weakly.
"Decision? What is there to decide Yoh? Your brother will never agree to live an ordinary life. Just this morning he offered…" I cut off too embarrassed to mention the offer to make me his consort. "He is going to die." I finished.
Waiving his hand as if my declaration was not important, "Well either way I came here to apologize and to let you know you don't have to do this alone. The others and I all plan to be with you to help."
At that point Anna barged in and asked/told Yoh they were going shopping for dinner. She tried to do it with a smile that looked more like a bearing of fangs than anything else. I'll have to give her some tips on smiling.
After the confrontation by Hao's hospital bed and after my little talk with Yoh I wasn't the least bit surprised to see Hao in my dreams. I wasn't afraid this time though because I knew he couldn't possess my body without the others knowing. As for what else he could do in my dreams… well I'd deal with that when the time came.
I could tell instantly that his mind wasn't as serene as his expression was. He'd aged his dream appearance to look more like Yoh or more accurately what he figured he would look like if he still had his body. His troubled thoughts however made it difficult for him to keep it consistent. From time to time his hair would flicker to the short mess that his body currently had to the long hair he was used to, or sometimes it would be Yoh's length which was in between the two.
"Let me go." He demanded simply
Raising my eyebrow at him "You're kidding right? You don't really think that I would let you go free do you?"
"Even if I agree to Yoh's terms?"
I laughed at that even though I didn't find it very funny. "You can't possibly believe that I would ever believe you would just give up your master plan after a millennium of plotting."
Hao's shoulders slumped in a direct reflection of Yoh's earlier. "I'm tired Lyserg." He said and I have to admit, at that moment I was almost convinced he was with the unusual defeated pose.
"Tired of what exactly? Tired of terrorizing people? Of murder? Of getting your butt kicked in the end?" I asked bitterly then regretted it. It was childish baiting Hao at a time when he actually seemed to be willing to have a person to person talk. Normally for him it was a divine being to lowly inferior sub-species.
"Look around you Lyserg, it's too late. I wasn't able to save the earth from the humans." He said and the dreamscape changed to show familiar scenes of pollution that occurred every day but were blind to. "Every time I tried to save the world, fate has designed a way to thwart me." A tiny crease appeared between his brows and I could feel his confusion at his constant failures. At that moment I could truly tell that in his mind he really did feel like he was doing the right thing by plotting to remove ordinary humans from the earth.
"Humans are the Earth's children Hao. Even if they are unruly and disobedient no parent is ever going to stand by and let you kill off her children. I've told you before you were not put here to get rid of them. You were here to teach them. To guide them like a much older, more experience sibling would."
The eyes that looked back at me reflected a millennium of struggle and failure. "But it's too late now. The Earth is dying. Can't you feel it?"
"Maybe, maybe not. It is possible that humans will kill themselves off before that, but you will not be around to see it." I responded earning a rather peculiar look from my foe. "No Hao." I said before he tried to ask me to spare his life again.
I'll admit after my visit to the hospital and how pathetic he looked now I was feeling a twinge of pity towards him but not enough to trust or forgive him. I'd have to be the most gullible idiot on the planet to just forgive and forget and not believe he would try anything sneaky.
I wasn't even surprised to find him proving my suspicions right a second later.
Without batting an eyelash he changed tactics. Gone was the woe-is-me-I'm-so-misunderstood Hao and in its place was seduction Hao.
"Are you so certain?" he asked. In the space between the words 'so' and 'certain' he was instantly behind me. His mouth so close to my left ear I could feel his breathing.
"I meant the other things I said you know." he continued, and began nuzzling the sensitive part of my neck. "We could be together. You can't deny it would be great." He whispered, and my own body reacted like a compass pointing north no matter how much I tried to stop it.
I could tell he was aware if my physical reaction by his husky laugh and the way he invited his hands along to fondle and touch as they pleased. I was so ashamed of myself right then I wanted to die. How? How could he do this to me? Why was I letting him? Was I really so lonely and so desperate that I would have sex with the most evil bastard I knew just because it would be great sex?
I want to say that I'm above such things that I would never sacrifice my pride or dignity for anything. I want to say that I shoved Hao off me like I did in the hospital room and then proceeded to beat him to a pulp. Instead I did none of that.
Why? Because I am lonely, and it is greatsex hell, it's spectacular, earth moving, mind blowing sex! And Hao was going to die soon anyway, and… well… in the end I am a guy. And the truth is, guys really only do think about sex. And I wanted it damn it!
Spinning in his arms I latched my mouth onto his and kissed him fiercely. I could tell he was momentarily surprised but he delved into the kiss as well. Eventually we pulled apart by a fraction and both of us were breathing heavily at each other.
"Change of heart lover? I never would ha-"
"Shut up Hao." I interrupted. "Spare me your empty promises or your lies. Don't bother wasting my time asking for your life back or trying to reason with me. If you want sex, then let's do it, but don't talk to me."
"Or what?" he asked teasingly "You'll stop? We both know you want this as much as I do. Maybe even more."
"Shut up." I demanded and grabbed fistfuls of his currently short hair and crushed his mouth to mine again.
Hao didn't waste any more effort talking. Instead he just used his influence to change the scene so we were both lying naked next to the same waterfall fed spring that we first made love by.
What happened next I'm not going to tell you, but it was like we were both trying to store up a lifetime's worth or memories in that one night. Enough for me and my murky future. Enough for Hao for his eternity of banishment.
I woke up earlier than the others the next morning. Waking up in… err… messy blankets and sore… parts… will do that. Despite my discomfort, I woke up with my mind was clearer than it had been in weeks, months even.
Lying in bed with my new found clarity I knew what I had to do. I had to be the one to finish Hao I needed to do it alone and I needed to do it right away. Even with everyone asleep, their spirit allies didn't need sleep so I snuck out of my window and almost broke my leg in the process. I also managed to limp my way past the hospital staff. Most of them were too tired from just getting off the graveyard shift to notice me.
After all of that I don't suppose I should have been surprised to see Hao's spirit in his room waiting for me. What did surprise me was the calmness of his expression like a death row inmate accepting the inevitable. He didn't bother with any words or attempts to subvert me anymore.
We stared at each other for a moment and then I broke off pulling the stuff out of the bag I'd brought with me. The first thing I did was pull out four talismans and attach them to the walls. This created a rather effective barrier sealing us in the room. Neither one of us would be leaving until this was done.
Next I pulled out the imprisoned spirit of fire and set it aside. Last I carefully picked up the spell jar. Strange isn't it that I would show such care to something I intended to smash?
Anyway I was as ready as I was ever going to be and I looked up at Hao who seemed to steel himself for what was about to happen when a noise at the door made both of us jump.
Hao looked over at the barrier guarded door that someone was clearly trying to get through. "It's the nurse making her rounds." He murmured looking irritated at the interruption of his death. Then he looked at me "She's going to call others, you don't have much time."
"Are you ready?" I asked grimly and he nodded in response.
"Of all the people to kill me it should be you. I know you still don't believe me, but I am sorry. And… I do… care about you." he finished lamely.
Knowing it was probably some last trick of his I wanted to say 'You're right Hao I don't believe you.' but instead I just nodded noncommittally.
Taking a deep breath "Good by Hao." I said and let go of the jar.