Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Catacombs ❯ Desperation ( Chapter 5 )

Author Note: Cookies to you guys who spot my trademark phrase in this chapter! ^_^

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Amidamaru inhaled sharply in pain as he came round. It seemed that every nerve ending in his recently restored body was on fire, agonising lances shot through every muscle. He whimpered slightly.

There was a cold chuckle from somewhere above him. It was not a pleasant noise.

"My apologies, samurai, it appears I was too rough on you first time round. I forgot that you have not had to deal with pain for the past few hundred years; it must have come as quite a shock to you."

Amidamaru's swimming vision focused on an all too familiar figure, who was idly examining the tip of the riding crop.

"Admittedly, it was… exhilarating, listening to your vocal reactions to my strikes, even if they were a little… loud…"

"Bas…tard…" The young samurai panted. Sweat beaded on his forehead and a little rivulet of blood from somewhere under his hairline trickled uncomfortably down his cheek. His back felt as though it was burning up, both stinging and aching at the same time.

"Insulting me might not be your wisest move, Amidamaru, as I am the one with the whip and you are the one chained helplessly at my feet. Do try and think before you open your mouth, man." The voodoo bit something off the end of the leather crop and spat it out on the floor.

There was a long ragged moan drawn out from Amidamaru as the tip of the whip prodded him painfully in the chest and he was thrown onto his injured back. He bit back a cry of agony as he was kicked viciously in the ribs.

"As it lies," his attacker snarled, "I have business to attend to upstairs, but I will return as soon as I can to attend to this business!"

With a violent punch, he slammed Amidamaru's head back into the wall. Stars exploded in front of the young samurai's eyes as his skull came into contact with a jagged rock. He felt his own blood begin to spill from the fresh wound and his head lolled to one side as the shadowed man stalked out of the cell, laughing.

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As Yoh had expected, he did not sleep well. It was a while before he actually fell asleep, as he lay awake for long past midnight, watching the stars and wondering what had happened to Amidamaru.

At last, however, sheer fatigue took over and he fell into an uneasy sleep, his dreams haunted by visions of his friend's panicked face as he had begged Yoh to help him.

Then the dreamscape changed into the basement of the Tao castle, the place Yoh knew all too well. It was where Ren and Jun had been imprisoned for a few days under the wrath of their father, En.

Ren was there, sitting on a block of stone. There was a very dismal, very dead looking skeleton next to him. Bason was hovering before his face, in spirit form. The two were conversing and, though Yoh was nowhere near them, he could hear every word.

"Did you feel it, Bason? It was like being hit in the heart with an iron bar…" Ren was saying quietly.

"Yes, Master Ren. I felt it. I fear Amidamaru is in trouble."

"Amidamaru? How could he be in trouble? He and Yoh are an excellent team, where one goes the other follows no matter what."

"I fear Amidamaru is in a place where Yoh cannot follow." Bason's echoing voice sounded heavy and sad.

"Then we must help him!" Determination from Ren.

"I feel… I know where he is, Master."

"Where?"

"I think he is in the -"

The dream was suddenly cut of as Horo Horo, who was lying in the bed next to Yoh, gave a loud snore which woke Yoh up. The shaman cursed silently, glaring at the Ainu's clueless form.

He knew that he would not sleep again and decided to go for a walk. He dressed as quickly as he could, it being cold out, and set off down the street at a brisk stride.

Why had Horo chosen that minute to snore? If he had managed to restrain himself for a second later then Yoh might have found out where Amidamaru was and that matters more to me than anything else in the world at the moment… the young shaman thought sadly.

He continued down the street and suddenly turned left down an alley he had never noticed before. Where was he going? His legs were acting of their own accord and he could not seem to stop them.. what was happening?

He lurched left and right down a network of alleys, seemingly unable to stop his own legs from taking him where they pleased. When he at last stopped, he was in a part of the city he had never known of before, standing outside the front door of a rundown old house. There was a strange, warm feeling in his chest that he had not felt since Amidamaru's disappearance.

He decided to risk it. After all, could this really be the house…? He tried the front door - excellent, it wasn't locked. He slipped in but before he could close the door quietly, the wind caught it, sending it slamming home.

His breath caught as he heard quick footsteps approaching and he hurled himself behind the umbrella stand just in time; a tall, thin man had come to check on the door, complaining to himself about the wind.

Yoh slipped past the man and padded silently through the living room and into the hall. There were two flights of stairs, one that went up and one that descended into what was most likely the basement. Yoh wasn't sure which one to choose.

The quick footsteps behind him, however, alerted him to the danger he was in and he quickly dived down the stairs that lead to the basement, breathing a silent sigh of relief as the man again walked straight past him.

He looked round to see a heavy iron door. He tried it. It was locked. His suspicions were aroused; who put an iron door on a basement? He studied the lock. It was pretty simple and, with the help of his spirit sword (which felt strangely empty without Amidamaru's presence) he was able to slide the lock upwards.

The door swung slowly open, revealing a world of almost total blackness, dimly lit by moonlight streaming through a barred window.

Yoh took a deep breath and stepped inside.