Blood Tears,

Chapter Five:

Rage

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King, but I do own Nekros. Nyah.

Note: Yes I know everyone's out of character in this chapter, but I didn't want to have to add more characters just so this chapter would flow right… Sorry if that seems lazy, but generally, people don't like too many new characters…I think…

Apparently what Faust was best at was hiding in his room, muttering to himself in the darkness. After it became clear that he wasn't coming out anytime soon, Ryu started pacing. While he paced, he thought about Faust's behavior. He didn't know why, but he had the feeling that something was drastically wrong. And there was nothing he could do… Ryu stopped pacing and slammed his fist into the wall harshly, not noticing the blood run from his lacerated knuckles and stain the splintered wood. If only Faust would open up! If only he would let someone know what was wrong! If only… Ryu sank to his knees.

Hours later, long after Ryu had washed the blood from his hands, Horohoro and Ren walked by the room. Horohoro blinked, trying in vain to figure out what had happened to the wall. Ren whacked his shoulder.

"Someone punched it you idiot."

"Oh… Hey, you didn't have to hit me!" Horo held his shoulder and stuck his tongue out playfully. "But who did it then? Anna's gonna have a fit…"

"True." Ren stared at the wall intently. The hole was too big to be from anyone else than Ryu. Ren closed his eyes. Ryu was a good fighter, and a good person too, which was quite rare, in Ren's opinion. But it seemed like Faust's vile influence had ensnared him, turning him from the path of what was right to the path of the darkness Faust exuded. Ren's lip curled, it was sickening! Of all the things! He was corrupting the few good people in the world, and that was something Ren couldn't allow… Ryu, Yoh, Anna, even Manta! He of all people shouldn't let his guard down!

"Hey Ren? You okay?" Horohoro asked, turning around when he realized Ren wasn't following him. The expression on Ren's face was worrying as well.

"I'm fine," Ren opened his eyes and his expression cleared. "I'm fine, but…" Ren gritted his teeth. "This is all Faust's fault!" Horohoro stayed where he was, a safe distance from his friend. "We might as well let him know that… Come on Horohoro." Ren walked purposely towards Faust's room, but Horohoro shook his head and returned to his own. Sometimes, Ren could really be an idiot, he decided.

Ren knocked on the door sharply, frowning when he heard no movement. Ren smirked, maybe Faust had died? But no, the door swung open slowly. Ren had a start when he was confronted with Faust's bloodstained and sullen face. There was a hint of pain in his eyes… and something else.

"Yes?"

"You know why I'm here, Faust."

Faust honestly had no clue what Ren could be talking about, so he just nodded and tuned him out. There were more important things to worry about. He felt like he hadn't eaten in years, which was almost true, but it just hurt so much… Ren was becoming rather loud and annoying too, Faust noted as he watched him rant with a dull expression.

Faust stared at Ren's neck, not hearing his words, just staring at the steady pulse that beat just below its surface. Suddenly, he tackled Ren to the floor, grabbing tight to his legs as he kicked and struggled to get away. With more strength and speed than he normally possessed, Faust had the boy flipped over and pinned. His left arm held Ren's by the wrist, and his right forced down Ren's other arm, and tilted his neck to one side. Ren was lucky Faust hadn't broken it in his haste to… do what?

Ren's question was answered as Faust bit down, grinding his teeth through skin and flesh, almost straight down to the bone. Blood flowed freely from the wound, and Faust lapped at it gleefully. Ren let out a shrill cry of pain and terror, and Horohoro, upon hearing this, bolted from his room to see what the trouble was. He stopped short upon seeing them, eyes immediately drawn to the shredded skin at the side of Ren's once unscarred neck.

He immediately sprung to action, grabbing Faust's shoulders and forcefully yanking them him back, but Faust swung his arm out, flinging Horo into the wall. He was dazed for a moment, and Faust growled at him for good measure, before turning back to continue what he was doing. But Ren, taking advantage of having his right arm freed, pushed Faust away and Horohoro, finally off the floor, pinned Faust's arms to his sides and hauled him off of his friend. Their combined effort was just barely enough to remove him. But Faust did not take kindly to being interrupted and fought vigorously to get away. He shrieked and writhed, legs flailing, finally connecting with HoroHoro's knee. He fell to the floor with a barely audible grunt, but still wouldn't release his captive. Faust's shrieks were becoming louder and more frequent, each sounding more angry and inhuman than the last. Horo dreaded to think of what Faust would do to him if he let go, but thankfully, the noise had carried far, getting Yoh and Ryu's attention.

They arrived on the scene just as Horo's strength gave out. Faust, now free, hissed at them, bearing canines that were only slightly longer, but very noticeably a great deal sharper. Blood dripped from his fangs to the floor like red rain, creating a small puddle that pooled around his feet. With a start, Yoh and Ryu realized it was the now unconscious Ren's. But Faust paid them no mind, focusing his withering gaze on the Ainu only. His eyes were red with loathing and fiery with anger.

"Why are you doing this?" Ryu cried, distracting Faust and drawing his wild eyes, empty of all rational thought, to him. He regretted it instantly as he paled under the full weight of the glare. Yoh, meanwhile, had snuck behind Faust, and now proceeded to give him a sharp blow to the head. Faust whipped around to face him, but soon gave in and lost consciousness before he could do any more harm.

"What happened?" Yoh asked, running over to Ren and sighing in relief as he noticed that the wound had missed the main artery of his neck, but only just. Ren would not die, but he would still lose a lot of blood if they didn't do something.

"I don't know," Horohoro panted tiredly. "I just heard Ren cry out and I ran out to see pretty much the same thing you did." He paused, suddenly deep in thought.

Despite the question racing through everyone's mind at the moment, namely about what made Faust do this, Ren still needed medical attention.

"Damn it! How come the one person who would know what to do now, is the one who caused all this?" Yoh cried in frustration.

"You know just about as much as I do Yoh…" Ryu shook his head. "The first thing we should do is stop the blood flow from that," Ryu hazarded a glance at Ren and shuddered. "I'm sure Faust must keep his medical stuff in his room, I'll go get something…"

He turned around pushing open the door cautiously. The coppery scent of blood filled the air, but Ryu ignored it and switched on the light. He was greeted with the still unmoved mirror shards on the floor, a book with two smears of blood staining its cover lying on top of them. In the corner, near the wall, there was a haphazard spotting of blood, looking rather like fallen tears. Ryu shook his head. That was ridiculous!

He quickly spotted a bit of bandaging hanging out of Faust's dresser, and yanked open the drawer. Ryu grabbed some gauze and bandages, rushing back out and handing them over to Yoh, who, with a surprising amount of efficiency, cleaned and dressed Ren's wound. They carried him back to his bed, all noticing as they set him down that large bruises were starting to appear. Ren would probably be in considerable pain when he woke up.

After mentally going through his options, Horohoro finally voiced his idea.

"We should tie Faust up or something guys, I don't really want to go through that all over again. And we better be quick about it, or else he'll wake up before we have the chance to do anything!"

The others nodded their silent agreement and went off in search of something to use as suitable bonds. They converged a few moments later when they found some old, yet still strong, rope. They tied Faust's wrists and ankles, which made him pretty much helpless. Now all that was left to do was wait.