Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

XxX

Yoh sighed as he stared at the ceiling above him. Though he would never verbally admit it, he wished that Hao was there. After getting back to the castle, he was thrown in this room and locked inside. There was no one guarding him this time, surprisingly, but there was also no way of escape either. He had searched every possible escape route, but none of them worked.

There was a window on the wall north of the door, but there were bars preventing him from breaking out. On the wall west of the door was a fireplace, but it was too small for him to hope crawling out through there. The rest of the room held no possibility for escape. The head of the bed rested against the middle of the east wall with a black nightstand to it's left and a coffin hanging on the wall to it's far right. All for walls were painted with stars and had inscriptions or small talismans on them. It was kind of pretty to look at, even if it was a bit unnerving.

There was a wooden closet to the right of the door, painted similarly to the ceiling. The ceiling had been painted to look like the night view of a sakura tree in full blossom for some reason. Leaves were painted randomly on the walls and ceiling as well. If it wasn't for the coffin and talismans, the room would probably seem really nice. Though, there was also the matter of who the room belonged to. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Hao's and that alone was enough to make him nervous.

Sure, he wanted to try and bring out the better side of him, but he hadn't really spoken to Hao since being turned. They had gone to the werewolf camp immediately afterward, so there was never really the chance to talk. He hadn't really thought about what he thought of Hao. He wasn't mad at him for turning him since he had technically allowed him to do it. Although, he wasn't sure what to think other than that.

Did he fear Hao? He didn't know. Did he trust Hao? He'd used to, but not anymore. Did he still think of Hao as a friend? No matter what happened, there would always be some feeling of friendship still there, but it was confusing. A lot of things were confusing now, although there wasn't much he could do until Hao came. All he really could do was wait. With a sigh, he laid back on the bed and closed his eyes. He didn't know how long Hao would be, so he might as well get some sleep while he could.

XxX

Cold, dark, restricting... A low growl escaped Yoh's lips as he tried to break free of the darkness binding him. It was too strong. It's claws caressed his skin, brushing past his waist before pulling him close. He was helpless against it. All he could do was shudder as he felt the shadow nuzzle his neck. He expected it to be cruel, hold him down, cause him pain, but instead it merely stayed there, holding him.

Confusion stirred his thoughts as the morning light hit his eyelids. This was no dream... but what else could it be? Yoh cautiously opened his eyes. He could see out the window from where he lay, the sunrise was just beginning to rise above the trees, chasing away the remainder of the night. He had slept a lot longer than he'd intended too. Perhaps the whole vampire thing had something to do with that.

Remembering the dark hold still clinging to him, he tried turning to face the one who invaded his space. The hold tightened as he tried to move, making it difficult for him to turn. When he finally did manage to turn around, he found himself facing the sleeping form of the vampire who'd turned him, Hao. Although, instead of being scared, he was surprised. Hao looked kinda cute when he was asleep.

XxX

Horohoro whimpered beneath the cold glares he received from everyone. It had taken only a day for them to realize he knew Hao was the vampire king. Currently, he sat in the middle of the court, tied to a post and awaiting his trial. Jeanne had charged him with assisting in the murders of the X-laws, including herself, and betrayal. Both crimes could easily give him the death sentence. Jeanne only had another day to live before Hao's toxin killed her and she intended to be a witness in the trial.

His heart froze as he watched his sister, father, Jeanne, and Mikihisa walk up to the stand while the rest of the clan circled around him, lips curled back into a snarl and eyes burning with rage. Loyalty was something that was viewed as sacred to the clan, one might even say that it was the greatest law of the werewolves. Anyone who was thought to have broken that law was treated with nothing but contempt.

"Order in the court!" Pirika howled, earning an instant silence from the crowd.

Horohoro hung his head low in hopes of hiding from his family's disapproving gaze.

"Usui Horokeu, the first born heir of the werewolves, is here today under the charge of the X-law's murder and betrayal of the clan!" Pirika announced.

Howls of rage and snapping fangs echoed in a chorus throughout the stadium. Horohoro stumbled back, tail between his legs as he moved away from the hostile crowd. They called him a dog, a vampire's pet, and the worst insults to any werewolf, they called him a traitor.

"Before his execution, law states that he is allowed to give his reasons. If those reasons correspond with any other laws, his sentence may be changed. Now, Horohoro, what are your reasons for your betrayal?" Pirika asked.

"I had only two choices at the time. Betray my clan and let Hao inside the camp, or say who he was and risk having my best friend and my family killed by my own kind! It was either betray the clan or betray my friend and loose the ones I love the most!" Horohoro snapped.

The crowd was filled with silent whispers as they all contemplated his response.

"Explain." Pirika ordered.

"The day before you arrived to save us, Yoh was turned... You and I know the laws better than anyone. If anyone knew that he was a vampire, he would have been executed immediately even though he had done nothing wrong! I wasn't going to let my best friend be killed for something that was done to him!" Horohoro growled.

"My son... is one of them?" Mikihisa gasped.

"Hao was the one who turned him." Horohoro whispered.

"Then why did you allow Hao inside the clan? Did you know if his intentions?" Pirika demanded.

"...Yes, I knew." Hohohoro said quietly.

"Then why did you remain quiet?" Pirika asked coolly.

"To save my little sister. Hao knew things about our clan which were only supposed to be known by the X-laws and the Alpha's family. He told me that Marco was intending on killing you and making Jeanne the new Alpha. I didn't know for sure if he was telling the truth or not, but I didn't have any time to verify his words. Call me a traitor if you want, but I wasn't going to risk getting you killed. Not the werewolf alpha, but my little sister." Horohoro said determinedly.

Pirika frowned before turning to face the other judges. Even with his advanced hearing, Horohoro couldn't hear a word they were saying. He knew that they were deciding what his punishment would be and the suspense was driving him nuts. When they turned back to look at him, he immediately noticed the sad expression on Pirika's face. Whatever they had decided for him, it wasn't good.

"Usui Horokeu, in light of your reasons, your punishment has been changed. From this day forward, you are a fugitive. You are exiled from our lands. If you are seen or scented anywhere in our territory after an hour, you will be killed on sight. Now-" Pirika said as she jumped down from her seat and cut the rope around his neck. "Get out of this camp!"

"Pirika..." Horohoro whimpered.

"Go!" Pirika growled.

Horohoro clenched his eyes shut before turning away from what he'd once known as his home and running into the forest. The tears he'd seen in his sister's eyes haunted him as he ran. He no longer had a home, he no longer had a family, he had nowhere to go. Banishment was the same as being dead to them, because if they ever saw him again, he'd be nothing more than a rouge wolf that needed to be put down.

He swallowed his sadness as he ran past toward the nearest boundary line. It was cruel. Jeanne must have had a say in how long he was given to leave, otherwise he would've been given a day to get out. All the other boundary lines took over five hours to reach at full speed. The only way for him to survive was to enter the vampire's territory, which took an hour to get there. It wasn't like he had a choice. I was either leave... or die by the hands of his own family.

XxX

Me: Poor Horohoro.

Horohoro: *whimpers*

*Fitting song starts playing*

Me: *hugs wolf Horohoro*

Ren: Aren't you the one who made him get banished?

Me: Shh! You'll ruin the moment.

Horohoro: *glares at author*

Me: Please review.