Chapter 4

"Hao?!?" Hao looked up at Amidamaru, then smiled.
"Hi, Amidamaru." Hao smiled, then looked back down at Yoh.
"Hao! You're alive!?! How!?!" Amidamaru cried frantically. Hao smiled softly.
"It's kind of a wired story. It all started last year after I was defeated. I'm told it had looked like I had been thrown away from the area.. I woke up in a hospital bed diagnosed with amnesia, as an elderly women held my hand. I tried to piece together who I was with the bits of information given to me, but I soon gave up. I tried to get the town fortune teller to help, but she said I had to at least know one thing about my past, so I stared a new life in the quiet town that I had woken up in. I helped people build houses and sheds, earning a reasonable pay. It went on like this for several months, until a strange women entered the town. She had come to buy special herbs, but when she saw me, she began crying and yelling threats as me. I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn't give me a straight answer. I soon started getting mad, not even noticing the fire surrounding me. She then began screaming, 'You'll kill us like you killed my son!'. I finally noticed the fire and it disappeared. I walked over to her and asked what she meant, but she just ran away, so I went to the town fortune teller and asked what she meant. She soon gave me this weird liquid to drink, and when I did my memories came back. I remembered being Hao Asakura.. I felt bad about it so the people of the village told me to come here and ask for forgiveness, and to be part of the family again, but when I arrived, I heard people talking about how they would seel my soul, so I lost my nerve and began living at this waterfall. I've been here for the past 4 months."

Amidamaru looked at Hao thoughtfully. "That's when Yoh-dono's nightmares started getting worse." he said. Hao looked down at Yoh and cringed seeing scars on his hands and wrists from when he tried to burn him. Amidamaru quickly looked up.
"Wait a second, why should I believe you!?!" he cried. Hao looked up and frowned.
"I never said you had to." Hao then looked back down at Yoh.
"What happened to him?" he asked.
"We were attacked by some Jigoku guy who claimed to be a soul keeper. He said he had come for your soul and when he couldn't find it, he wanted to use Yoh as bait. So he hurt him, but when you wouldn't show he gave up and tried to finish him off." Amidamaru floated over to Yoh and looked at his bandages.
"Why did you help him?" he asked.
"Because he's my little brother." Hao looked up at Amidamaru.
"What nightmares were you talking about?" he asked. Amidamaru frowned at Hao.
"He's been having nightmares from when he was inside of you." he growled. Hao's expression became sad.

"It's okay Hao," a small voice said. Both Amidamaru and Hao looked down and saw Yoh smiling at them..
"I knew there was good in you," he sighed."Yoh-dono, you're okay!" Amidamaru cheered. Yoh smiled, then looked up at Hao.
"Thanks for saving me. I don't even wanna think about what would've happened if you hadn't been here," he laughed. Hao turned red, then looked away.
"It's no big deal," he said in embarrassment. With help from Amidamaru, Yoh weakly got to his feet, then turned to Hao.
"Well, lets go," he said. Hao looked over at him in confusion.
"You said you came here to be part of the family again, so come on." Hao frowned.
"Maybe I changed my mind," he growled.
"Come on, Hao. You know you wanna," Amidamaru ordered. Yoh looked at him sadly, then began walking out. Hao sat down and watched them leave, until Yoh suddenly cried out in pain and began to collapse. He quickly jumped up, ran over and caught him before he hit the ground. Yoh looked up at him tiredly, then smiled.
"I guess I'm still tired out," he laughed. Hao looked down at him, then sighed.
"Let me help you." He wrapped his arm around his rib cage, and began helping walk out of the cave.
"Thank you," Yoh laughed. Amidamaru looked over at them and saw Yoh was bleeding again.
"Yoh-dono."
"It's okay Amidamaru. I'll be fine."