DarkTaoAngel: Sorry for how late this update is, but I've been busy writing other good stories for you to read. They'll be ready soon. Maybe. I have no idea when they'll be done, you'll just have to wait a little while. I'll either work on this one a lot more (which is what I'll probably do) or write a few new fics. Oh, by the way, I've decided to make a nice dedication for this story. The WHOLE story goes to one person. This person has been one of my biggest fans, so I think they should get the dedication. Carly (Freak), don't spazz out again, but this story (not just one chapter anymore!) is for you! You're encouragement really helps, and I'm glad you like this story! Enjoy the update (this applies to everyone)!

Horo rushed to the room immediately, his mother following closely behind him. He wrenched open the door as quickly as he could, his mother, being shorter than him, peered over his shoulder to see what was going on. She looked shocked when she saw the massive amount of blood spread across the bed sheets, but said nothing. Putting a hand over her own mouth because she was so shocked, she watched quietly as the boy in the bed whom she hadn't even known for more than half of a day at the most began to writhe in pain, twisting in the sheets, staining them a deep crimson, but never opening his eyes. They were clamped shut as the wounds on his wrists reopened, spilling blood in large amounts from the still fresh, jagged cuts.

Horo said nothing, biting back the pain that had washed over himself immediately upon entering the room to see Ren in such a state. He tried to act as though he knew what he was doing, but he was terribly worried inside. He knelt down beside Ren's bed, trying desperately to gently shake him awake. He was having a nightmare, one that had led him to toss so ferociously that he'd accidentally opened his cuts again. They were too small to have to be stitched up, but they bled more than any cut that should require stitches would. Horo shook Ren a little harder, his mother still watching from the door, asking him what she could do, but he never responded. He probably didn't even hear her, he was too busy trying to get Ren to wake up gently so he didn't get startled.

All of a sudden, Ren's brilliant golden eyes shot wide open. He sat up and looked around for a moment as though unsure of where he was, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of familiarity. Finally, his gaze shot down to Horo, and a wave of relief flooded him. He slumped back down on the bed, closing his eyes for a minute, before he suddenly realized the pain that was shooting from his wrists. He looked at them, noting the massive amounts of blood still erupting from them, and looked back at Horo worriedly.

"Mom, I'm gonna need you to change the sheets while I dress his wounds, alright?" he glanced to his mother, who nodded, her eyes still holding the shocked expression they had ever since she's first seen Ren. "Okay, Ren, I'm going to get you some stuff for your wrists so maybe they won't open up again." He said, Ren nodding as he spoke. For some reason, he didn't care if he showed his weakness in front of Horo.

Ren sat idly on a chair in the bathroom as Horo rummaged throughout the hall closet, taking out an array of small items, most of which weren't even supposed to be there, until his finally came across what he was looking for. He held out a small, thick roll of what appeared to be a kind of tape that was made of cloth. He was going to have to wrap those around Ren's arms tightly so that the bleeding would stop. He ran hot water first over the cuts, Ren wincing as the heat reached his sore wrists, and then began to wrap the cloth.

It took Horo a good ten minutes to wrap the cloth, making sure not to wrap over the cast on Ren's left arm. He wasn't the best at dressing wounds, so the end result was a bit sloppy, but it still was effective at stopping most of the bleeding. A little bit of blood still managed to trickle out of the bandaging, but not as much as there would be without them.

"Well, you can take a shower tomorrow, but for today, since it's getting awfully late, you should at least change your shirt, since it got so full of blood. Your pants should be fine. Here," Horo said, handing Ren on of his rather thick pajama shirts to wear, "you can borrow this for now. At least until you get some clothes of your own."

Ren nodded in appreciation, taking off his own shirt easily by slipping it over his head and putting on the other one of Horo's. Horo smiled at seeing Ren in his overly baggy shirt. The shirt was burgundy in color, and it was about three sizes too large for Ren. It was cute, especially considering that Ren was so small.

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"Now dear, are you sure that this boy is going to be alright?" Horo's mother said, nodding in the direction of Ren, whose room they were currently in. They were observing him as he slept to see if anything else could reopen that they didn't know about.

"Yes, mom, I'm sure. Listen, he's in the Shaman Tournament, with me, and I've seen him fight lots of times. He'd even fought with me! He's really good, and he can withstand almost anything. I think he'll be just fine in a day or two."

"Well, yes, but still…" she said, still eying his strange breathing patterns suspiciously, as though his heart might stop again at any time. "Are you positive you put the bandages on right? Maybe we should take him to the hospital again. You said you took him there once, what did they say? They gave you medications for him, right? Did he take them? Are you-?"

"Mom! Mom, yes I'm sure. I've got everything under control! Relax, okay? He'll be fine." Horo said, glancing at Ren's sleeping form on the bed. It was hard to tell now that he had just been to the hospital. Other than his breathing problems, he seemed perfectly… peaceful. He looked almost childlike.

That made Horo wonder, though, what type of nightmare could have caused Ren to thrash like he had earlier? It couldn't have been about what had happened to him in China, because that was a long time ago. It had to be recent. Perhaps he was dreaming about what had happened to him on that mountain? Horo had never seen anyone react so badly to a mere dream before, so this one had to be something particularly horrible. It made Horo feel bad because he knew that if it was something from when he was on the mountain, he could have easily prevented it from ever happening.

One month… he thought, how is anyone supposed to make up their minds in that little time? I have to choose between being with Ren, which is what I want most, and leaving him forever. Of course, if I stay with him, we'll both die. But I promised him that I wouldn't leave him… I love him, but I'm sure he doesn't love me like I do him. Anyway, if he did, that would only make things worse. Then I'd have to choose between his happiness and my own. That'd be worse for him, too. But I don't have to worry about that bit. That'd never happen. But still, what am I supposed to do now? Ren needs me, and in less than a month I'm going to have to leave him. Is there really no way I can get out of this?

"Horo, dear, is anything wrong? You look troubled," his mother pointed out, seeing his frown and worried face, appearing deep in thought. "You know, you can tell me anything. Maybe I could help?"

Horo thought for a moment. Telling his mother would make it easier for him to deal with this whole situation, because maybe she could help, but how would he explain to her that there was this psychotic killer who had the hots for him and would kill her and Ren if he didn't do what he wanted him to? Horo shook his head vigorously, knowing that he was going to have to tell her eventually, and dreading most of all when he would have to tell Ren.

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Ren had stayed in bed most of the next day, sleeping the majority of that time. Horo had watched after him – with the help of his mother, of course – and though his wrists were not bleeding as much anymore, his breathing was still really shaky. Horo was extremely worried, especially after the stunt that Hao had pulled with Ren's oxygen intake at the hospital. He had been there every time Ren had woke up, and had been lucky that it was summer – though the weather wouldn't give that away – because he didn't have to go to school, which was good, because he needed to spend as much time helping Ren as possible.

As it turned out, Ren also had a particularly large gash on his chest, which Horo had discovered when it, too, had reopened. Doctors really weren't as good as they used to be, were they? They hadn't stitched up his chest or his wrists, though the cast on his arm was on pretty good. Horo checked over the medical papers, and they said that it was only a fracture, but it'd have to be on for a while anyway. With all the medicine Ren had to take, he might as well have had cancer or something. He had to take two in the morning, one at night, and one after every meal. Ren rarely wanted to eat, but Horo had to get him to eat at least a little bit of food, because he couldn't take his medicine without eating.

Horo's mother had gone out for part of the day, looking for more bandages for Ren, because they'd already used up all they had, so she was sure to be gone for a long time. Horo didn't mind, he got to spend more time with Ren that way. He was still trying to think of a way to get out of the deal with Hao, but he pretty much knew for sure that he'd have to accept his proposal to join him. He'd just have to spend as much time with Ren as he could now then.

Horo was on his way to finish the laundry for his mom when he decided to check on Ren again. He was still sleeping, curled in a ball on his side. At least he wasn't having nightmares anymore, though he had had one the day before. It was a pretty nasty one too. That was how the wound on his chest had reopened.

Horo stood in the doorway for a few minutes, a smile on his face. It was nice to see Ren so calm. He'd never really gotten to know Ren until he had come to live with him. Even then he didn't know much, but it still seemed as though he was part of the family somehow. It was just too bad that it all had to end soon. Horo had little more than three weeks to say goodbye.

"Horokeu?" Horo heard Ren say when he was about to turn and leave. He hadn't even realized that Ren had woke up, he had been too busy lost in thoughts about Hao.

"What is it?" Horo asked, watching as a frown made itself apparent on Ren's face. "What's wrong?"

Ren looked as if he was thinking for a minute, trying to recall something he'd forgotten. Finally he looked up at Horo with a quite sad look on his face, still frowning, and it was another moment before he said anything.

"You don't still… hate me, do you?" he asked, completely serious, his voice soft and sad, "For what I said? You're not still mad at me, are you?"

Horo was completely taken aback by the way Ren said this. It was as though Horo had made him think that. He wasn't trying to, not at all. Did he really think he'd hurt Horo that one time and he'd never gotten over that?

"What? Hate you? No, of course not!" he said, walking casually over to Ren's bed and plopping himself down beside it like he had every time he came in to visit Ren. "I never did. What would make you think that?"

"Well… um, he told me something," Ren said, fidgeting with his thumbs slightly, "when I was up on that mountain. He told me I'd never get to see you again, or if I did, you'd hate me for what I said."

"Who said that? Was it Hao?" Ren nodded, looking down slightly as though thinking Horo was yelling at him. He was doing nothing of the sort, but he'd accidentally raised his voice in his rage at Hao. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten so upset. I'm not angry at you; it's Hao I'm mad at. What exactly did he tell you?"

"Oh," Ren said, relieved that Horo wasn't mad at him, "Well, I don't remember what happened exactly, but it wasn't that long after I'd been stuck up there, and he came out of nowhere and told me that he knew what I'd said to you, and that you'd be angry at me if I lived, and that I should just die because…" he had to choke back sobs at this point, "because I'd never be worth anything to anyone anyway, and look at what happened to the pilot of the jet I was on. That was all my fault because I told him not to land and then we crashed. He was my friend and I killed him. Why should I deserve to live? I don't mean anything. At least that's what he said."

"But," Horo said, wiping away some of the tears that had managed to leak slowly from Ren's half closed eyes, "you mean something to me. You mean everything to me. Why do you think I went back for you?"

"I-I… I just thought…" Ren said, now fully crying. But, somehow, he didn't care if Horo saw him.

Why was it that only Horo could see him cry?

He'd never cried, but for some reason he did now…

For Horo.

Why was that?

Why was it that Ren was so willing to give up his heart to Horo?

Why was he so willing to love Horo?

"Shhh, don't cry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you feel so bad. It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm sor—" but Horo didn't get another word out. Before he knew it, he felt Ren pull him into a light hug, which lasted a few moments, and then, as he pulled back slightly…

He kissed him.

It was loving and gentle, but it was a lot coming from Ren. Knowing that he could be facing rejection, just like he had throughout most of his childhood, it was a big thing for Ren to so easily let someone else into his life.

He knew the consequences.

He knew what could happen.

Horo could easily turn him down.

He could be hurt again.

So why did he still insist on trying?

Because he loved Horo that much.

Horo wasn't pulling away, but Ren didn't want to deepen the kiss because he didn't know what Horo's reaction would be. He broke the kiss and looked at Horo apologetically.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking away slightly, knowing that Horo would definitely hate him now. But to his surprise, Horo merely chuckled and leaned in, kissing Ren this time. Ren felt Horo open his mouth and his tongue licked at his lips lightly. Ren opened his mouth, allowing him entrance. He felt Horo massaging his tongue with his own. It felt… good. It wasn't just the kiss, it was the feeling behind it. Love.

Ren whimpered a bit as Horo broke the kiss, staring lovingly at Ren, who was panting, a light pink blush creeping on his cheeks.

"What's there to be sorry for?" Horo asked, Ren opened his mouth to speak, but Horo beat him to it, "I love you, too."

(Page breaker – you thought that was all, didn't you?)

Horo's mother came back later that day, a large bag of groceries in one hand and the package of bandages she'd bought for Ren incase is wounds opened up again in the other. She called Horo's name a few times, but he didn't answer, and she didn't want to call any louder because she didn't want to wake up Ren if he was still sleeping. She decided to check and see if Horo was in his room, but as she passed by Ren's room, she saw that she didn't have to.

Ren was fast asleep on his bed, facing the wall to the right, with Horo sleeping right by the bed, his head resting a mere few inches from Ren's, kneeling on the floor. Horo's mother smiled and left the room, returning to the kitchen to put away the rest of the groceries.

He can be so cute sometimes. I'd almost forgotten that he could be so sweet and innocent, Horo's mother thought as she put away the groceries slowly, one at a time, And that boy, Ren, he's nice enough, too. I wonder what his story is? He seems so quiet and reserved. Horo's told me that he had a rough past, but how bad could it be to make him have nightmares like that? I can tell Horo cares a lot about him, to go through so much to help him. He takes really good care of him. There must be something really special about him.

She finished putting away the groceries and went outside to get the mail. There was never very much mail in Hokkaido, being as there weren't that many people who lived there, and those who do were mostly the kind of simple people who kept pretty much to themselves. And with Horo back home now, the only mail she got were bills. When Horo was in Tokyo, she got a lot of letters from him, and from Pirika, too, but now she didn't get any.

After sorting out the various bills of the day, she decided to get herself a cup of tea. It took her a few minutes to start the oven, but when she heard the whistle of the kettle she took it off the stove and poured her tea. She almost dropped it when she heard the fire trucks racing by her house, but she caught herself in time. What would they be doing in Hokkaido? There were never any fires. It was mostly cold there, and so fires, however few there were, always got put out right away. It must have been a pretty big one, too, because as soon as she was able to regain her composure, another truck came roaring down the street, right by her house.

"My goodness!" she said, taking a sip of her warm herbal tea and watching as a third fire truck passed her house. She made her way to the living room window, taking her tea with her, and peered out it, looking to see if she could spot where the fire was. She saw a small blaze of red, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. Walking slowly and clutching her tea in one hand, she went to the front door and tried to pry it open, hoping to catch a better glance of where the fire was, but the door wouldn't open. She pulled it as hard as she could, but still it wouldn't budge. All of a sudden, as though an invisible force was being lifted, the door opened quickly, and she managed to spill a bit of her tea on the rug by the door as she stumbled backwards. Ignoring it, she placed her tea gently down on the table in the living room, and set her eyes upon the intruder.

"What are you doing here?" she asked the boy, who had walked into her house uninvited. He wasn't wearing very elaborate clothing for the weather, only a tank-top and blue jeans, but he didn't seem to have a problem with the cold weather. As he stood there she noticed something. He wasn't even shivering.

The boy had light brown hair, Horo's mother observed, that only went down to his shoulders. It looked as though it had been cut recently, too, because the trimming on the bottom looked a little uneven, and as a mother, she was able to notice things like this. Also, on his arm, he wore an oracle bell. Horo's mother hadn't seen one of those in a while, because Horo hadn't worn his since the Shaman Tournament had been postponed because of a man called 'Hao' who was supposedly really powerful and wanted to become the Shaman King. She'd never seen this 'Hao,' but from what she'd heard about him, he was dangerous and pretty well unstoppable. Her son had seen him once, but he didn't tell her much about what he looked like. She did tell him that he had a large, red spirit, but that was about all. Lucky he would never think to come to a place like Hokkaido.

The boy didn't answer her question, but proved her hypothesis about his being a shaman correct by putting out one of his hands, a light red flame erupting from it. The flame moved to the tips of his fingers, being expertly wielded. This boy was truly skilled. He moved closer to Horo's mother, who backed away slightly, knowing that she shouldn't fear him because she didn't even know who he was, but also, her not being a shaman herself, knowing that she couldn't just stand up to him either.

The flame grew even larger, almost hitting the ceiling, which worried Horo's mother because her house could burn down at any moment. The boy then stretched out his other arm and easily ignited that hand, too. Both flames were tall, the bright orange tips glowing against the rest of the fire, which was all yellow. It was no wonder that the boy wasn't cold, he was a master of fire, which was enough to keep him from getting cold at all. Horo's mother, on the other hand, was now deeply worried. This boy was trouble.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes, smirked slightly, and in an unusually deep voice for a boy his age said, "Good evening, Mrs. Usui."

DarkTaoAngel: Sorry for not using Horo's mom's real name, but I don't know what it is, and I didn't want to make up a name for her. Besides, apart from this chapter, she's not really a main character. Oh, and the first kiss of this story! Sorry, but no lemons for a while. I don't want to write one this early in the story, and plus, Ren's still hurt! And Hao's here! I feel so evil right now for making Hao come in! He wasn't even supposed to, but I have to keep this story interesting somehow. So, do you want me to kill Horo's mom or not? Because I will if you want me to. Vote yes or no in your reviews! You will review, right? I didn't get that many reviews for the last chapter, which makes me sad. And when I am sad, I tend to write sad things. So, unless you want me to kill Ren and Horo's mom next, review!