Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Hoshi ga Hoshii desu ❯ the graveyard ( Chapter 9 )

H o s h i - g a - H o s h i i - d e s u

"I want the stars"

by Lucathia

chapter 9: the graveyard

Hoshi was lost.

He was standing in an open meadow out in nowhere. He thought he was in Japan, but he didn't remember seeing a meadow there before. The breeze silently played with his hair, teasingly twirling his long strands about his face. Hoshi reached up to brush the strands away from his face when a shadow fell by his feet.

A solemn figure stood before him. He was tall with dark hair cropped slightly below his ears. His mouth was a thin line that curved downwards. His eyes were two steady pools of black. He was dressed in dark green pants and a black t-shirt. By his side stood a silent, tabby cat. The figure only faced Hoshi for a few seconds before turning away.

Hoshi stared at the figure.

"Who are you?"

The figure paused, his back still facing Hoshi.

Hoshi repeated his question.

"Who are you?'

The figure turned his head, his dark eyes glancing over Hoshi briefly.

"I'm Hoshi."

Hoshi shook his head.

"You are not Hoshi. I'm Hoshi."

The figure mockingly repeated Hoshi's words.

"You are not Hoshi. I'm Hoshi."

Hoshi stared back at the figure.

The figure glowered.

"Egotistical bastard. The world doesn't revolve around you. You can't just waltz in and take on my name! You can't take my place in their hearts."

Hoshi's eyes widened.

"You're the boy in the photo."

The figure scowled.

"Finally noticed, haven't you? Aren't you a bit dense?"

Without waiting for Hoshi's answer, the figure continued speaking.

"Your name isn't Hoshi."

Then what was his name?

The figure glared at Hoshi.

"Your name is..."

"MURDERER!"

Suddenly, the scene changed and Hoshi stood upon debris. He glanced around wildly, trying to find Tsuki's older brother. His eyes finally landed on the older brother...who wasn't standing anymore. He was covered in the debris, a pool of red seeping through underneath. Next to the body of the boy lay the body of an older man—Tsuki's father.

Above the two bodies stood...himself...

He watched as his other self laughed maniacally, standing upon the debris with a blazing fire surrounding him.

"Chichei na."

When everything blacked out, he could still hear his own laugh echoing within his mind.

Hoshi woke up with a start, sweat dripping down his face. Panting heavily, Hoshi looked out the window. It was still dark.

Hoshisuke meowed, wondering what had disturbed his master. Hoshi shakily reached towards Hoshisuke, but retracted his hands before he touched the spirit.

Hoshisuke had been the other Hoshi's cat. It had been standing next to the Hoshi who had been questioning him. Hoshi shuddered. He probably was...the murderer of his own spirit. Hoshi remembered asking Hoshisuke how it had died. He shook his head...how hypocritical of him.

If he couldn't even look at Hoshisuke, how would he be able to face Sora and Tsuki? After all, his dream wasn't a normal nightmare.

Hoshi buried his face in his hands, a trickle of water running down his cheek. Gods...he hoped against all hope that the rest of his memory would never return. If this little piece of his memory was a taste of what was to come, he truly would rather not know at all. It was better to live in oblivious peace.

For now at least. Just for a little longer. That was all he wished for.

The contentment he felt with Sora and Tsuki...he didn't want to let that go yet.

But now...he realized that he was only taking the place of the deceased Hoshi. And ironically, he was the one who had killed him.

They would definitely hate him with a hate so great that a glare from them would send Hoshi straight to Hell. Not that he wasn't going to be condemned there in the first place.

Shakily, Hoshi got off his bed and left the room. He needed to go outside. The cool night air would be able to help him think more rationally.

His head felt as if millions of needles were pricking at it. He couldn't concentrate at all.

He wanted...no...he needed to look at the stars. They always had a calming effect on him. The wondrous little sparks of light in the sky twinkled nonstop every single night. Their stableness in the sky assured him of his existence.

Tokyo was full of buildings and crowded streets. There were few trees and even less open spaces where he could lay down and admire the stars. Because of this, Hoshi eventually wandered towards the only open space in his entire proximity.

The graveyard.

For many people, the graveyard brought fear. Normal people usually stayed away from graveyards because of their fear of ghosts and spirits. Others were afraid of being disrespectful towards the dead. In any case, few people visited the graveyard and even fewer people visited the graveyard after the sun set. After all, who knew what could happen in a graveyard when it was pitch black? At night, only the stars and the moon guided those strange people who chose to go to graveyards.

Well, Hoshi was one of those strange people. He'd scoff at whoever was afraid of spirits. Did Hoshisuke look intimidating? Not at all. Hoshisuke looked like any other cat...just a little more transparent.

Anyway, the graveyard was the perfect place to gaze at the stars. When Hoshi's eyes landed on the open land, free of buildings and the like, Hoshi's worries were immediately pushed to the back of his mind. He waltzed into the graveyard as if he owned it. Like an exuberant child who found joy in jumping on spring beds, Hoshi found excitement jumping over the tall grass of the graveyard. Hoshi plopped on top of the grass, facing upwards. He spread his arms out and closed his eyes.

The wind felt nice.

After a few seconds, Hoshi opened his eyes and gazed at the stars. They never ceased to fascinate him. They were his first memories, the first things he remembered seeing. He had woken up in darkness and the tiny dots of light were the only things that had been fighting against the darkness.

As Hoshi continued to gaze at the stars, there was a rustle behind him. Someone was approaching his spot. Someone else actually came to the graveyard at this ungodly hour.

"Stars are lights that guide and show us the way..."

Hoshi glanced up.

"Those who can't see the light will lose their path and die."

Looking at someone upside down was kind of hard. The boy standing behind him was wearing a small, sleeveless, red top and black, baggy pants. Those attributes weren't too eye-catching. When Hoshi saw the person's hair, however, he wondered if his eyes were working right. After all, hair that stood up in one perfect spike certainly defied all laws of gravity.

The other boy's golden eyes narrowed as Hoshi slowly sat up.

"You are..."

Hoshi's long hair slowly cascaded down his back.

"...not Yoh."

Hoshi glanced at the other boy, his own eyes narrowing as well. It was that name again.

to be continued

A/N: Hoshi had some terrible realizations...but he finally meets another SK member afterwards. Anyone recognize who (it's pretty obvious) approached Hoshi and which episode/chapter his quote is from?

next chapter: I am alive

please review! :)