This chapter is shorter than before, because I finished this overnight. You see, I've just started pre university studies and preparing for it really consumes my time. All the stuff... Ugh, Nevertheless, I think it'll be a very fun experience since I had a time listening to the lectures. Well, bored sometimes, but overall it still instilled in me the spirit to study (thank god for short speeches). All right, first few things I would like to say. One, the previous story i've deleted was until chapter 6 only, so I was estatic when this story finally stepped into its chapter 7. If you had some questions about it, you can always check my profile for clarifications. I swear I would not delete this story no matter what. If I do that, you can bear witness here and just shun my stories forever. Second thing, on my statement of 'not supporting incest' or something similar some chapters back. Actually, I just do not support SIBLINGS incest, though MasterofRiddles is making me change my mind on the HaoYoh twincest... hmmm... Anyway, thanks to her for reviewing. I love you so much:-)

On with the story! (Lol, definitely no connections with Shaman King's real plot, though I was wondering on doing some crossovers. You think it's appropriate?)


Chapter 7: Sidetrack

The bright light shone over the green grass, showing its jolly demeanor as two young boys lay resting on the grass, eyes closed, hands gripping on badminton racquets, calmly basking on the friendly heat upon their bodies. They were exhausted from a game they had played earlier. Yoh turned to the boy on his right and smiled a little, eyes in satisfaction.

"Good game we played, Horohoro."

"You were only saying that because you are the better player." Horohoro sulked a little. "Every time we play I'm sure to lose." Yoh laughed heartily and sat up, brushing his hair as the wind blew it into disarray.

"Well, at least you're good in drawing. I cannot even draw a decent face." Yoh pouted. Horohoro sat up as well, adjusting his tee shirt and producing a drawing board out of nowhere.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I drew something yesterday. Give me your comment." Yoh took the bright blue drawing board and stared at the picture Horohoro drew. It was the picture of a swallow flying in the skies. Each shape and feature was drawn with precision; even the clouds look proportionate in the background. Trust Horohoro to make such a magnificent drawing. "I saw this swallow yesterday when I was walking home and it gave me an inspiration to draw. I name it, 'Freedom'. Unbridled by cages or locks, being able to fly around without any worries in the air, that is true independence to me." Yoh, who was scrutinizing the picture, placed the board back down and frowned at his friend, who was looking dreamily into the air.

"Your father hit you again, didn't he?" Horohoro's eyes snapped and he looked down. Yoh bit his lip, realizing he had guessed right. "Well, when will you and your mother move out? My house can always accommodate you both."

"It's not that simple, Yoh." Horohoro replied bitterly.


Usui Horokeu belonged to a broken family. Since he was young, he was witness to the abuses his drunken father gave to his mother. Seeing the pale, fragile body on the kitchen floor had always raged his senses, making him want to shout aloud at this monster.

Get your hands off okaa-san! Leave us alone!

Nevertheless, each time was also a futile attempt since his each time alcohol entered his brain he became another person. He will become an aggressive; just lashing out everything to everyone in his sight. Each time, his mother would lock him in a closet and whisper to him to be silent, to be a good boy; he wanted okaa-san to be proud of him right? Each time, Horohoro had to remain quiet as the lithe body bled from the holes of the closet, not a single moan to be heard. Every time, after his father was done with filling his own insanely pleasures, he would fall on the nearest couch and snored liked no man's worth, leaving the mother to pick up herself again before unlocking their young son from the cupboard.

Soon, no cupboard in their quaint little house can fill Horohoro's rapidly growing self; he turned to a victim also. Somehow, his father had also grown maniacal, even without alcohol. How many burns he and his mother had suffered, Horohoro had lost count. The lashes from canes, hits and kicks, Horohoro and his mother received was beyond humane levels, but the same mantra his mother kept on telling him had stopped him. She was peace loving, friendly, warm, and somehow Horohoro suspected despite all the beastly actions done on them, she loved his father.

Horo-chan, please believe that he does love you. I love you too, so please be a good boy and listen to okaa-san, all right?

This mantra was the only reason he had not bolted or killed the man with whom he had to share a surname and blood relation.


Soon, Horohoro was ten years old. Fairly tall among his peers, he grew up to be a quiet and reserved boy, since his hair was meshed with blue and black and he always received teases and insults from the neighbourhood bullies. His only companions were Asakura Yoh, his kindergarten friend, and his drawing board. Horohoro loved drawing. Every time he drew something, he would let Yoh see. Every praised artwork from Yoh, Horohoro will rush home to his beloved mother and let him see the picture as well. She would smile at him, although Horohoro can see that she was no longer strong than before and was beginning to have various deseases. Horohoro could only close his eyes from seeing her growing thin until she was mere skin and bones, not only because they had no money to see the doctor, but also because she was a strong believer in the spiritual and unbelievable, and refuses any kind of medication.

"Come out here, woman!" His father's rough bellow woke Horohoro up from where he was; sitting next to his mother, who was lying on bed and chanting some queer looking beads. "Where are you? You want to play hide and seek? I'll play with you!" his father's gruff footsteps on the steps shook them, for he was a large man. Horohoro's mother coughed a little and stood up, having finishing her prayers. Horohoro immediately pushed her back to the bed.

"You are not going out! Didn't he know you are sick! Okaa-san, don't go!" Horohoro pleaded as he tried all his might to keep her on the bed.

"Horo-chan, it's our fate, we must submit to fate, you understand? If you ever try to fight fate, it will backfire on you. Horo-chan, don't stop me!"

"Okaa-san! We have choices in life! Why must you suffer like this?" Horohoro plead again, hoping his mother would stop struggling as the man outside rattled the locked door roughly.

"You are trying to hide away, eh? Trust me; you would not have the chance! Few more minutes and I'll get to you already!"

"Let me go!" Horohoro's mother screamed for the last time as she pushed her son away with the last muster of strength and his face landed squarely on the bedpost.

As the bedroom door flung open, the last thing Horohoro registered was blackness.


"You are not an adult! Your mother was not able to withstand all the pains, and you are just a kid receiving the same blows!" Yoh protested. "What is not simple? You are just giving yourself excuses, you know?"

"Stop it, Yoh." Horohoro murmured, slowly rubbing his scar that was starting to ache.


Thanks to his mother's last spurt of energy, Horohoro had ended up with a bloodied forehead. The scar was not pretty; it was hideous and the first time Horohoro saw it for himself he cried. It did not help that his father come in flamboyantly into his hospital room, albeit being tugged by his grief-stricken wife, and stared at him with satisfaction.

"Look at you!" he had said. "You are now an imperfect freak just like your mother!"

It stripped Horohoro of his esteem even further; he became a little snail; hiding in its shell, a little hermit who had shut himself from the world. he would hide himself in his house everyday, refusing to step out of the house for even one day (hence skipping school) and remaining in his room in that house scarce of love and care, furiously drawing every day. The bullies who used to make fun of his hair grew bored of booing him outside his house everyday with no response and focused to another victim. It was a week of confinement before Yoh grew sick of it.

He practically barged into Horohoro's room, where Horohoro was once again smudging the entire paper with black crayon (the only form of 'drawing' he had been doing since coming out of the hospital). Pissed with him, Yoh had dragged him out by the collar and pushed him out to the street, scolding him in bubbling rage.

"You only have a god damn scar, for god's sake! Are you going to act like the world's over?"

"Yoh-chan! What are you doing to Horo-chan? A freak like him should stay at home before my husband reaches home!" Horohoro's mother had wailed in between garlic rings around her neck, trying to get Horohoro back inside the house as Horohoro tried to reach to his mother. Yoh was wedged between them, and luckily, he was strong enough to handle the pressure from both sides.

"Yoh, please let me get back in, we must surrender to fate and let me suffer!"

"Shut the fuck up!" The vulgarity in the other boy's words silenced the beforehand struggling mother and son. They stared blankly at Yoh, who took a deep breath before continuing. "Your life is yours, Horohoro. There's no such thing as surrendering to fate. You must create your own future; understand? You are the one who taught me that, have you forgotten? You have dreams; you have wishes. Damn, if you and your mother stayed under on that man you call a father; how can you protect her? How can you stay strong?"

"I need no protection! It's called destiny, you rude boy had better go home and not disturb!" All of a sudden, Yoh fell to the floor, being pushed by the woman called Horohoro's mother. The black haired lady glared at him, Yoh felt her cold stares icier than the icicles that Horohoro had shown him last winter when they had went snow boarding, the musty garlic smell making his nose wrinkle. He closed his eyes, fearful of what will happen next (or was it because of the garlic? He was not sure). It was a pause. Half frightened; he slowly opened an eye.

Horohoro was clutching his mother's wrist, with tears in his eyes.

"Okaa-san! Please stop! He's my only friend! I beg you, please don't hit him!"

"Horo-chan! He had been so impolite to us and now you are helping him?!" Horohoro's mother raised her voice in a hysterical tone, the garlic rings shaking in agreement. It would have been a funny scene if not for the expression of the two people standing in front of him. Horohoro was standing with tears from his eyes, attempting his hardest not to cry out; while the other was blank as a sheet of paper encircled by the odour inducing preservative, a medicine believed to be able to fend off vampires.

"Okaa-san, let's us go back now!" With that, the door slammed in front of Yoh's face.


"Your scar still hurt?" Yoh stared at his friend. Horohoro adjusted his bandana covering the scar and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. The scar is less painful now. Thanks a lot Yoh, for standing by me all the time. You really are my best friend. Don't worry, if things really get out of control I'll move over with okaa-san, all right? Even if I have to drag her along, I promise."

"Well, what are friends for?" Yoh grimaced slightly. "I respect your decision. Anyway, let's go back. We're in time for school now; I believe I heard Kazuki-sensei grumbling yesterday. Some new student coming."

"Ha-ha, I believe she'll be mentally crying why on earth Ryu-san always places her classes at first periods."

"It's bliss, isn't it? Less history lessons."

With that said, the two friends laughed heartily as their shadows left the field, unaware of the dark shapes moulding that signified the plight befalling them, which was anything but bliss.


Well, this is a flashback chapter, as you can see, before their big brawl which I had not wrote yet on paper (or computer, but I think it's not important, ne?) and still remain a mystery. Why don't you try and make guesses? No prizes but... Just for fun! Hahaha... Till next chapter, please read and review!