Yoh woke feeling much better than he had, though looking at the position of the sun he had slept for most of the day, so he would be worried if he didn't feel refreshed. Even though Hao had explained, he still wondered exactly what had been done to him for him to have needed to sleep for so long. It didn't make sense to him that sharing his knowledge should exhaust him so much.

Getting up languidly, Yoh tried to make out the different energies he could feel, normally it was easy but everything still felt fuzzy, so it was somewhat more difficult. Eventually he decided that location of everyone he knew was the foyer, though that was more than just Hao, Hanagumi and the Tao siblings.

I can't quite decide who's here; I'm not with it enough yet to pick things out clearly. I can't even figure out the numbers, I managed the six I knew were here, but aside from that it's just a mass of different energies. I know Jian is set to come but I also know that there is definitely more than one new person here. If my family had found us though, it wouldn't be so quiet.

I don't know whether to go out and see who's here and what's going on, or whether to wait until I'm feeling a little more in control of my abilities. I'm surprised really that Ren hasn't caused any grief with me having been out of it for so long, he can get rather loud and obnoxious when he's worried. That could have happened while I was sleeping though I guess; Hao would have dealt with it okay, just like he did last night.

Maybe none of this is to do with what happened with Hao, my senses and shaman abilities always go funny when I go there, so maybe this is a side effect of that visit. I don't really suppose it matters either way as long as I'm alright and I am really, it's just strange having everything dulled down. This must be almost like a non-shaman experiences things I guess; I can't imagine living in such a closed existence.

Deciding it was about time he put in an appearance, whatever might be going on, Yoh slipped on some clothes and made his way downstairs. Jian was there, but so were a lot of other shamans he had never met before. He wondered if Jian had spoken to them, but couldn't understand why Jian wouldn't have mentioned something to him.

Hao was unsurprisingly the first to notice him but it didn't take long for all attention to shift onto him. Yoh tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that being the centre of attention had created and walked over to Hao. The murmurs were clear enough, which confirmed that they were definitely all here because of that place and suddenly Yoh found himself being viewed in very high regard.

Hao smiled teasingly, knowing all too well that the last thing Yoh wanted was reverence, like it or not however, he had achieved something incredible and people were going to be in awe over it. The anomaly had never been successfully harnessed before, not even to the stage Yoh had unintentionally arrived at to start designing it, so a finished product was astonishing.

Yoh pouted slightly and leaned against his brother, glad when Hao wrapped an arm around him supportively. He'd never really given any thought to how people might treat him because of it, Hao, Ren, Jun and Jian had never really treated him any differently to what he was used to. Granted he had been surprised that Jian treated him as an equal, but that was nothing like this.

Eventually Jian stepped forward and addressed Yoh. "I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, I know you prefer things to be easy-going. Give it some time, but you will have to get used to the idea of people being awestruck by your achievement."

Yoh sighed and nodded. "Yes, I understand this is a big deal."

Hao ran a hand through Yoh's hair and in return Yoh snuggled deeper into Hao's chest. He probably shouldn't be relying on Hao so much for support but he didn't much care, it felt good being so close to his twin and it helped ebb away the feeling of disquiet. They would have to accept that Yoh didn't intend to play some strong, silent leader; he just wanted a happy and peaceful life with Hao.

Aside from wanting to see it with their own eyes, they shouldn't really have any questions about it, Jian knew more than enough about it to explain things to them. He only hoped that Jian knew them all well enough to trust them going there, being rather reclusive, he wondered just how well he could account for their personalities. It was awful to question such things really, but Yoh definitely found himself feeling protective of that place.

"I can always use the reishi for vetting if you're worried? I know you don't want me to use it anymore, but if it would give you piece of mind…" Hao muttered softly in Yoh's ear.

Yoh shook his head slightly, as tempting as he found the offer, he wasn't going to have Hao use it after everything that had happened. "Thank you, but I'd rather it stay sealed. It wouldn't be right anyway."

Hao nodded and kissed Yoh's head lightly, he had expected that response but the offer needed to be made all the same, he didn't need the reishi to read Yoh's concern. Yoh sighed again, he had questioned before how to tell who should or shouldn't be allowed to go through but he was still no closer to an answer.

"Yoh…" Ren started and Yoh knew all too well what he wanted.

Pulling away from Hao slightly to face his friend Yoh nodded, grinning. "I know, I know, you've been kept waiting long enough."

Ren huffed indignantly and Jun smiled, stifling a giggle, some things never changed it seemed. Yoh smiled and accented that they could go now. He could tell that Hao wasn't thrilled by the idea, which he presumed was because he wanted Yoh to rest more before risking any further strain.

I wonder if Hao told them where I put the portal. I can't see Ren not complaining about getting wet, even if he doesn't really mind. I know Hao is concerned about me and I'm pretty sure he's considered that at least part of what's wrong with me is because of our visit last night. I guess neither of us really knows for sure how it might affect me, if it can or should at all.

Still, this is what I wanted and what I've worked so hard for, I'm not going to back out now. It wouldn't be fair to make them wait any longer, they've been patient for this long, it's only fair to let them go. I need to spend some time checking everything through and ensuring the sustainability. Really I want to go and stay, not keep having to go backwards and forwards and if the strain on me is purely down to that then we won't have anything to worry about.

"Don't push yourself too hard Yoh." Hao stated softly, knowing only Yoh would hear.

Yoh nodded slightly, tightening his grip on Hao's hand. "I know, I'll be careful. It won't be long now, will it?"

"No, it doesn't feel like it will be too much longer, so you're going to need your strength."

"Maybe they'll surprise us."

"Don't hold your breath."

Yoh stopped himself from laughing though a grin still spread across his face, he'd expected a similar response but the way Hao had said it wasn't what he'd expected. He was glad that Hao was making light of the situation however, it made him feel better. Hao believing that everything would be okay gave him added assurance.

"Or I'll pass out or something, right? I don't expect them to understand, they're not willing to accept anything outside of the sphere they've created. I'd still rather have some hope that they'll be able to get past their anger, hatred and pride and see that things have changed."

"I know; you don't want things to end badly. As long as you're prepared for things to go sour, that's good enough for me. You know I'll support you as best I can, though staying out of it may be the best thing I can do."

"It's difficult, isn't it? Still, all we can do is try our best and see what happens. Nantoka naru."

Hao smiled and nodded, squeezing Yoh's hand reassuringly. As much as he may have knocked Yoh's signature phrase initially, it seemed to work well for him, things tended to work out for him in the end. Maybe that was all there was to the illusion called life, perception was the key to everything, especially happiness.

Yoh stifled a grin at the disconcerted reaction that generally seemed to permeate through the group once they arrived at the pool. Hao smirked wickedly and Yoh knew he had every intention of walking straight over it just to wind them up. From Jun's attire, he could only presume Hao had forewarned them, he would be worried about Jun trying to swim in her usual style of dress.

Hao offered his hand to Yoh, but the latter shook his head. As it had on the way there yesterday, swimming sounded like a good idea. He hoped it would make him feel a little more awake and a little less fuzzy, though whether that could work since it wasn't down to normal circumstances and side effects he wasn't really sure. He watched Hao walk over, neither of them missing the mild indignant reaction Hao had intended to cause before gladly jumping in the water himself.

Macchi wasn't far behind him, not that it really surprised either of them that she was happy enough playing around, Kanna and Mari followed suit and swam across as well. By the time Yoh had reached the other side Ren and Jun had taken the plunge as well but Jian and those who had come with him were still stood at the edge.

Hao helped Yoh out before they both helped Hanagumi out as well. Given Jian's enthusiasm for seeing the world with his own eyes, Yoh was surprised to see him hesitating because of a little water. Yoh supposed it was possible that he was just waiting for the others, or was trying to coerce them.

Yoh sent Hao ahead with Hanagumi, Ren and Jun since the ledge wasn't really big enough to hold everyone, even though he had wanted to be there to see their reaction. After what looked like a squabble, a bridge of snow was formed over the pool and the group made their way across.

Yoh frowned slightly; something seemed off with the whole thing, he knew the elders could be cantankerous but this was more than that and really, for elders they weren't all that elderly, some were barely older than him. There was something more going on, he was sure of that. Jian seemed troubled as well, though Yoh wasn't sure whether it was for the same reasons.

Sighing softly and trying to hide his malcontent, Yoh moved aside slightly to give them a little more room, even though he wasn't really sure he wanted to allow them entry. They had been so adoring in the house but now, their attitude seemed to have changed completely. Yoh didn't really feel comfortable being alone with them but there wasn't a lot he could do about that now.

One of the younger members of the group stepped forward and attempted to step through the portal, only to be repelled by it. Everyone stood dumbstruck momentarily before all attention turned to Yoh. Shrugging to convey his own confusion, Yoh turned back to the portal and approached it himself, receiving no adverse reaction to it.

Maybe I don't have to worry about who should be let in or not, it seems to be quite capable of deciding for itself. Unless it happened because I'm not sure about them, it's always responded to my will thus far. They don't seem the least bit happy about it though, thankfully I don't have far to move if I need to go through in a hurry at least.

"Sorry, I don't know what's going on." Yoh stated softly, looking more at Jian than anyone else.

Jian nodded. "It can't be helped, something is evidently wrong."

Yoh nodded, not really sure what to do. He didn't want to stay there with them, he was sure of that, but he couldn't exactly leave them there either. There was no reasonable excuse for him to go through by himself, except to call the others back, but that would still leave the problem of what to do about them, not that he trusted them enough to leave them alone either.

Feeling the portal shift behind him, Yoh looked back, relieved to see Hao. Stepping forward slightly Hao moved close enough to wrap his arms around Yoh from behind. Yoh leaned back into the embrace, glad for the support, he was quite sure that Hao knew what was going on, even without the reishi.

That was when he felt it and understood what was going on. Hao tensed behind him and pulled him backwards into the portal as quickly as he could, though not before he saw the house Hao had been living in combust in an explosion of flames. He was sure anyone who had been inside was killed instantly.

Yoh didn't notice their arrival to safety, nor his friends surrounding him, all he could do was think about what he had just seen. His family had set the whole thing up, killing those people without a care. They apparently couldn't see that they weren't acting any differently than Hao had, or they just didn't care.

They had sent the others to see what the situation was between him and Hao and that was when things had changed, when they deemed he had fallen. From that point on it became about killing them and anyone who followed them. Yoh didn't feel the tears running down his face, nor the protective embrace Hao held him in, he only felt the pain of betrayal and disappointment.