FallenTruth: I do not own Shaman King unfortunately. This is another story about the greatness of RenHoro yay! Sorry if it sucks I am new at this. On with the story!

Sacrifice

Part 1

HoroHoro smiled to himself a little grimly as he lay on the grass trying to keep himself from thinking about anything except the sun. Today was another beautiful day and he had nothing to do, his mind shied away from why that was. It was perfect really all he needed now was someone to share it with. He cursed himself, why did he have to go over old memories that pained him it was as if he enjoyed the pain his thoughts brought him. He sighed and opened his clear blue eyes. There wasn't anyone and his eyes grew shadowed filling with remembered pain and loss. Words haunted his mind spoken by a taunting voice as he saw his world crumble around him. He gritted his teeth. He was supposed to be avoiding these thoughts not dwelling on them. He was supposed to be keeping his mind blank. Blank as an empty page, he tried to visualize it. He pulled up an image of white paper, but his mind turned traitor and he saw it slowly turn pink then red as if stained with blood. His eyes flew open a haunted look in them. He was HoroHoro ice shaman and he was supposed to be happy. He was always happy no one was allowed to see through that. Even though there was no one there to see the cracks in his charade. Tears began to fill his eyes against his strict orders, he was glad that none of his friends were here to see him in this state. He didn't need anyone! He pounded the ground with his fist.

In his mind images of his sister flooded through him. Her smiling them all playing in the snow. He was torn as he saw her smile seemingly right at him and then cry out. She fell forward hitting the ground blood pouring from a sudden gaping wound in her front. A voice tutted and spoke,

"Oh dear too late again HoroHoro. You should have listened to me and taken my offer whilst you had the chance. Now she is suffering for it. If you even think of getting help then others will pay beginning with your friends. You my ice shaman are all mine. I will not share you. I will be back soon enough use this time to get ready for me." HoroHoro relived that moment when he saw her fall and he knew that he had failed her again. Why could he never do anything right? He was a complete baka like Ren said. Ren now there was an entirely different pain for the Ainu, he loved him, but he could never have him and now doubly so. He was too afraid what if he lost him? What if he didn't feel the same way? It would be just as bad as actually losing him. He shuddered thinking of all that could go wrong and now that he was a wanted man. The shiver that thrilled down his spine was not all theatrics. He was never going to feel as he had when he saw Pirika die ever again. He would never feel that lost and abandoned. Sure he felt lonely now but that was by his own choice. He had survived the past month feeling like this, he could survive longer.

He stood this place was now tainted, so many were now. He had nearly nowhere left to hide. He wished Koloro was here, but she now rarely left the other Luh. He took a deep breath and slowly buried all his thoughts down deep where they couldn't touch him. The breath he was releasing hissed out as suddenly someone touched him. Panic overrode all other thoughts and he quickly opened his eyes. What he saw made the fear he was feeling all too real. He quickly backed away from the shaman in front of him, who smiled,

"You seem nervous my love. I told you I was going to return. Didn't you believe me?" HoroHoro was shaking his head and backing away until he tripped landing flat on his back. His mind screamed at him to get up and he tried to his limbs scrambling to gain purchase on the now treacherous earth. The other was there faster than he thought possible straddling him pushing him back on the ground. HoroHoro whimpered in fear, what was going to happen to him? He wished Ren were here as he felt the tears from earlier starting to trickle down his cheeks. The older shaman looked down at him and smiled calmly,

"You don't seem happy to see me I wonder why." He leaned down and touched the Ainu's cheek making him flinch. "If you fight mew then others die. No one is to know about our arrangement." HoroHoro looked at him his eyes wide,

"What do you want?" The other shaman smiled and leant down kissing the cringing ice shaman.

"You and I am going to have you." HoroHoro started to struggle and the older shaman grabbed his arms pining them above him.

"Remember what I said would happen to your friends if you struggled?" Horo became still as a statue as the other grinned with delight, "Excellent, it's nice to see you being so co-operative." He bent his head blotting out HoroHoro's view of anything else.

HoroHoro felt the pain and the horror of what was happening to him, but it seemed as if it was happening to a different person. Someone not connected to him. The pain from the intrusions by the other shaman were his, but distant as if he was cushioned from the full impact of it. There was so much he wished he had said to people before it was too late. He supposed now they would never know. At least no one had to witness what had become of him, but that didn't seem so comforting now as it had before. Breathing was becoming more difficult and being detached was increasingly hard as the sound of tearing cloth came to his ears and he knew it was his clothes. He managed to stay detached through an effort of will and eventually no new pain came to him. The other shaman now lay atop him smiling and panting. He stood and dressed himself leaving the Ainu lying there in his own blood and pain. He saw the glazed look in the bluenette's eyes and merely smiled some more to himself, his power over the smaller boy felt good. Fire raced through his veins and he had to control himself from jumping at the boy again. Once was enough for now, soon enough he could return.

"One month HoroHoro then I shall return. Be Ready." He vanished in a swirl of flames and the blue haired boy slowly staggered to his feet. There was an air about him as of one who has finally suffered one time too many.

He slowly walked home if that was what you could call it. It was a shell devoid of any real life. He entered the house and saw a letter on his doorstep through the blur of pain. He somehow managed to lift it up and read it. Without a word he crumpled it and it turned to ice in his hand. He dropped the note and it hit the ground shattering into a thousand pieces. It was still possible to see one or two words in familiar handwriting. They weren't part of his life anymore, he had no life anymore. As he looked out at the sun he felt no warmth and came to a decision. He could save his friends and himself all in one go. He felt cold all the time now and numb. He would just embrace the cold and the dark. Then this could be all over a smile crossed his face that was as cold as the ice he controlled. He was already pretty far gone a bit more and he could fall over the edge.

Ren looked at the fields as he drove along. He was on his way to see that baka Ainu HoroHoro who couldn't even answer letters. Yoh and the others had contacted him a few days ago worried about HoroHoro who hadn't spoken with anyone for just under a month. To tell the truth he was a bit worried as well, but had assumed the Ainu wasn't talking to him for some reason he couldn't fathom. Now he knew it was all their friends he was ignoring as well. Ren sighed as he felt an ache in his heart as he remembered HoroHoro's face stretched in a smile. Baka! Ren just couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was horribly wrong with his love. He sighed in frustration wishing he could drive faster without breaking the law. He and Horo always fought that was the only time they ever seemed to interact. He wished he could just tell him how he felt. In his mind he ran through all sorts of scenarios as they met again and none were the one he wanted the most. He always lashed out at HoroHoro and now would be no different it was just to cover what he really felt. Ren secretly suspected if HoroHoro ever knew the truth then he would hate the Chinese boy. Ren concentrated on the road not wanting to get distracted by his thoughts.

He saw the turnoff for Horo's house and took it driving along till he saw the building in front of him. It wasn't large, but it was cosy looking on the outside. However there was a feeling as if the house had been abandoned. The windows were dirty and dark no light shone out, but then again the sun was still in the sky. Ren parked and got out going to the front door. He stopped pulling out his Kwan Do, for some reason he felt slightly nervous. He entered and shivered at how cold it was. Looking around in the gloom on the floor Ren saw bits of paper. He knelt down lifting them up and reading them. They were wet and cold, but still legible. So Horo had received the letters sent to him. Where were Pirika and HoroHoro? He went into the first room and stopped. It looked as if the place had been ransacked things lying all over the place. Ren felt ice in his veins and quickly began searching all of the rooms. Horo wasn't there though he had been recently. As Ren was standing in HoroHoro's room, which was insanely blue and a bit fluffy he looked out the window. He saw the Ainu lying on the grass in a field behind the house. The Ainu was looking out into the distance at the sunset. Ren smiled seeing the ice shaman moving, but there was something not right about the picture. He couldn't tell from such a distance, but it looked like there were rips in his clothes and his hair was free of its ever-present headband. Ren left the room and started on his way to the field.

Horo looked at the sun and smiled to himself bitterly. It was fitting that he die in the same place as Pirika had. He raised the knife he held in his hand and whispered a short goodbye,

"I'm sorry Yoh, Ryu, Faust, Lyserg, Chocolove and especially you Ren. It's the only way that we can all be free. Goodbye." He drew the knife across his wrist deeply. He winced at the pain and repeated the motion on his other arm. He sat there just watching the red blood slowly well up and flow from him. He felt so tired and the darkness that had been his companion for a while now came to the front. It enveloped him in its embrace welcoming him back. He suddenly found himself looking at the sky unaware of having fallen over backwards. The grass seemed so soft cushioning his body as his life trickled out. A smile touched his face now he was free from him. He couldn't harm the ice shaman in death. That was one place that the other boy could not follow him. He closed his eyes ready to let go.

Ren reached the field and looked over to see HoroHoro lying on the grass. Ren walked up to the ice shaman smiling to himself, but not showing it outwardly. He faltered as he caught a glimpse of red by the shaman. His eyes widened and he raced to the Ainu and saw there were puddles of blood at his sides. Cuts on his wrists and a knife lying beside him told their own story. Tears filled his amber eyes as he looked at HoroHoro and saw that his clothes were ripped blood pouring from a dozen cuts and gashes. Someone had gotten to the bluenette before he did this to himself. The ice shaman's features were empty and Ren held him tightly the tears slowly falling and dropping on the older boys face. Ren froze as he felt a slight breath from the Ainu against his cheek. Automatic pilot kicked in and he pulled the boy into his arms lifting him and racing back to the house. He had to get him to a hospital as soon as possible, but would Horo last?

End of part 1

FallenTruth: There we go what do you think? See if you can guess who it was that attacked HoroHoro. He is so lovely(cries) why do I always hurt him? Helpful comments will be appreciated and possibly rewarded. Hehe!