Tao Ren dragged himself to the bathroom, leaving dark scuffmarks over the clean white tile. The magnificent tub pushed away into the corner of the spacious bathroom had never looked so inviting. Mechanically he shed his navy blue, Adidas shorts, black and white checked boxers, white and blue jersey sporting the THS logo, and his wife-beater. The cold air running through the empty room raised goose bumps on his flawless tan skin. With the same apathetic demeanor, he turned the water on scathing hot, and waited for it to fill.

"Master Ren, is there anything wrong?" Ren's guardian ghost, Bason, glided through the wall unhindered. His deep voice echoed eerily through the sparkling white bathroom, making his master flinch a bit. Golden eyes half-lidded, Ren yawned and waved his ghost away.

"I'm just tired, Bason. No need for alarm." He climbed into the porcelain tub with the eagerness of a cat on catnip. A nice relaxing bath would do his aching body and swirling, twirling mind some good. Every fiber in Bason's body told him to remain by his master's side, but his training forced him to obey the command. Nodding but at unease, Bason left the bathroom the same way he had come. Ren sighed, running long, slender fingers through his beautiful mane of deep purple hair. It was true that he was tired, but there was so much more to it.

He relaxed completely, and let the water work it's magic on his muscles, kneading and soothing them. He rested his head against the back of the bathtub, on the squishy, purple water pillow that was constantly there. The little nubs on the pillow massaged his neck in a subtle manner. Now completely at ease, Tao Ren sunk partway under the boiling water.

How long has it been since I last saw him? Three years? Four? It seems like forever. I wonder what he's doing this very moment. Hn. He's probably forgotten all about me. That would be just like him. Too bad I can't forget.

His beautiful face plagues my every dream, thought and action. I would give anything to just hear one more idiotic comment run from his mouth…

Asakura Yoh had won the Shaman Tournament five years ago. Ren wasn't sure how it had been won; he had been unconscious for a while. However, when he woke up, he was in the arms of the blue-haired snowboarder, Horohoro, and everyone had been flitting over him and Yoh in bouts of worry. Amongst all the shouting, he had just barely been able to make out: 'I can't believe Yoh actually did it…!' He didn't remember much after that.

When everyone had fully recovered, there had been a sad farewell. Yoh and Anna were going to go back to the Asakura Temple, Ryu was going to return to his old gang, Lyserg had upped and disappeared, and worst of all, Horohoro was returning to the North!

For almost half a year, Ren had harbored the most sinful of desires for his teammate. He never let them known, of course. Being brought up in a family where it is taught that homosexual desires were sinful and punishable by death didn't exactly spur him on.

So he waited. Casting furtive and wishful glances in the snowboarder's direction whenever he felt safe, dreaming of a world where they could be together with no one thinking any different. Needless to say, Ren had sunk into depression when Horohoro had left.

Ren sighed, blowing bubbles out through his nose and watching their rainbow colors swirling in the pale light that radiated from the light bulb across the room. He watched as the foaming bubbles drifted away from him in the slight wave that pushed out each time in and exhaled.

Heart aching, Ren opened his eyes and stared lifelessly at the perfectly off-white ceiling. It feels like the sun is shining, he thought in a daze. Yet, no birds are singing anymore. The silence is ringing in my head. It's stuck on repeat, or so it seems. He sighed again, dark hair rippling behind him as he adjusted to a more comfortable position in the tub. It's dragging on. I can't stop these walls they keep caving in. It's gone too far. Where's my mind? Why can't time stop fear, this paranoia? It's a never- ending story, and it starts with me. So, maybe…it should end with me.

The fear and pain he had felt welling up deep in his chest exploded in spastic torrents of ambiguous tears. They flooded down his face silently, etching deep red lines into the smooth skin. He had now idea why he was crying, it was the first time in many, many years, and the sensation left him with a void in the pit of his stomach. The electric void of emptiness stretched and writhed until it had completely consumed him, mind body and soul.

Tao Ren gave up struggling for life. He gave up struggling for happiness. He gave up on his own sinful soul. He let himself sink down farther and farther until al he could see were the flames of Hell.

Hello there! First work of fiction together, so let us know what you think! Unfortunately, we have not seen the end of the series and are not completely positive on all the workings of everything, so if we get something wrong, then just let us know, then leave us to our own devices. Read and review, ne? Any questions, feel free to contact one of us through AIM!

Story title: Demon's Eye by Deep Purple

Chapter title: The Ultimate Sin by Ozzy Osbourne