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A/N: windy got her first review! And it was very, very helpful. So thank you Kari Usui, and this revision is for you.

windy italisized the flashbacks to help end the confusion. She would also like to say that this is merely the prologue, so don't think all the actual chapters will be this short. They will be longer. Don't worry.

And I also should add that, yes, the title of this fic does pertain to the Linkin Park song of the same name. Probably should've given them credit, huh? Well, windy's doing it now, so it's okay, right? –sweatdrop- windy was on an eight hour car ride, listening to her music and musing through various titles for different plots. When "Breaking the Habit" came on, it just seemed to click with this fic. And so … windy's come full circle.

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windy: This is my first time writing anything to do with Shaman King. I hope I can do it justice.

Ren: She's writing it about me, so it can't be too bad. Then again…

Windy: -maniacal laughter-

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Disclaimer: I do not own Ren, Yoh, Bason, Amidamaru, or Jun. I don't own any of the canon characters from Shaman King, but seeing as these are probably the only ones that will be showing up, I figured I wouldn't have to list them all.

Caution: This story will be featuring Ren when he was still an adorable, little homicidal maniac. Therefore, there will most likely be many death threats and bloody slaughter. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. (Well, not really.)

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Prologue

The Beginning of the End

This was it. The final strike of the final prelim battle of the Shaman Tournament. Ren looked down at Yoh with utter hatred and contempt as he shouted for all to hear and spiraled down blade first to meet him. He would not lose. Never would he lose. Especially not to Yoh Asakura. He had to make it past the preliminaries. If he couldn't even do that, then how…? If he couldn't even defeat Yoh, then how…?

His battle cry became a passionate scream as the milliseconds ticked by and his attack came ever closer to his unmovable opponent. Unmovable. Against his will, memories seemed to suddenly charge into his head, flooding his thoughts.

"You fought really well … even if you lost."

No! He needed to concentrate! He needed to win! He needed to keep his eyes locked on those of his opponent's. Gold needed to mix with brown into an abyss of forever misunderstanding as the two of them clashed head on. He needed to wipe Yoh's oversoul from the face of this earth!

"Ah! Ren! That's what headphone boy called you! Ren-san!"

"You, you're like a wildfire…"

Shut up.

"Yeah?! Well, you're short!"

"Do you really … Do you really hate headphone boy that much…? Do you really hate … everyone?"

Shut up!

"This sort of thing … it's good for Ren. I'm happy."

"I'm not perfect either. Do you want to kill me too?"

Shut up!! Shut up!! Shut up!! Shut up!!

"Ren… Why…?"

SHUT UP!!!!!

The two boys finally met after a single second that seemed like an eternity. A blinding light. A deafening boom. Shamans from all over the world stared at the television screen in awe. Who would win? Who would make it past the preliminaries? Which of these two boys who had given their absolute everything would come out of this battle as a victor? And which would … fail? The world seemed alive with noise.

But not for Ren. Everything was quiet for Ren. Time had stopped. He could no longer supress the memories. He could no longer hold back this emotion. He could no longer pretend that he was all powerful.

He could no longer ignore that voice.

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windy: Well, there you have it. The beginning. Next comes the actual story. windy's always wanted to do a story about Ren's past. Now she is.

Ren: What the heck was that short comment you stuck in there for?!

windy: It's called foreshadowing.

Ren: That's not my point!! Why I oughtta … ! -emo rant-

windy: -ignores- The more reviews I get, the faster I update. Ta-ta! 3