SHAMAN KING

TWisT KNifE

A/N: Please believe me when I say I had nothing to do with the spawning of this story, save for the plot, writing and characters…my friend is at fault here, 'cause he ran off before I could tell him no. It should be ok though, 'cause during the crud 3 or 4 months my maturity zoomed up. I'm still on 'hmm' mode with the story, but one part of the plot will be courtesy of the friend who put me up to this. I'll say what part when it comes. Now, while I inwardly fuss, scroll down past the titles and start flicking through.

Set: After anime, 'cause I can barely translate Japanese to find out what the hell is going on in the manga. All I get is the place conveniently named 'Muu' or somethin', which is what my mother calls me…contains manga elements of course, because the manga is more uber.

Pairings: Yes, HaoAnnaYoh, 'cause I'm stiff like that, but also HoroHoroJeanne LysergPirika Ren and no one at the moment and TamaoOC? JunBailong, Ryu…Kanna? What, it isn't THAT insane…fine, its pure crack…FaustEliza and the other canon ones and all. I'll tell you if I change anything. Also, urh, they'll be about a billion triangles, because other pairings are TamaoHoroHoro AnnaHoroHoro TamaoLyserg TamaoChocolove…and so on. I'd do a HaoOC/YohOC, but there are reasons. A) Hao probably wouldn't fancy anyone but Anna, especially a human, and Yoh urh…I dunno, something along those lines, but I can confuse him…well actually…I suppose the pairings right now are anyoneanyone

By the way, let me clarify this. I don't own squat except two OC's at this particular moment in time, and for the first few chapters, you will be 'WTF-ing'

Part I: December

Prologue: Cloudy

"It looks like a cloud."

"No child, it's a place where souls gather."

"What kinda souls?"

"Souls…bad and good,"

"Why does it look like a cloud?"

"That's because…"

"Utopia…"

"You say something Leon?"

The raven haired boy sweatdropped and hung his head, shaking his head vigorously. The girl arched a brow at him wonderingly, but rolled her eyes and walked away, muttering about males. He rolled his eyes in reply; glad she wasn't there to see it, before he hopped to his feet and brushed himself down.

'Heh, I say my thoughts aloud too much.'

"It's not a good coupling with that temperament of yours."

The boy growled in an irritated manner, before focusing his dark chestnut eyes on a slim figure, encased in the shadows.

"Least I'm not thin pretty boy."

He saw the vein pop out of the other's head, before the person stepped out, dark emerald eyes ablaze.

"Shut it," he groused, crossing his arms.

Leon stuck a tongue out at him. Leon wasn't incorrect in any form though. The boy's bony arms stuck out visibly, as well as his equally sharp looking other limbs. His shoulder length hat was too big for his head, and his cropped blonde hair made him seem even less there.

"Well, on any account, why are you here Raz?" Leon enquired, tilting his head to the side. The aforementioned boy nearly killed him, before he batted the temptation away.

"It's our master's birthday, fool. I sometimes forget how absent-minded you are."

Leon smirked.

"Doesn't that mean you're absent-minded too?"

- - -

"And it never ceases to amaze me how you can't take a joke," Leon sighed, cradling his slapped cheek protectively, while mustering a deflated expression.

"Forget it."

"What man slaps?"

"One who knows slaps affect men more."

Leon's eye lids drooped.

"Ok. But seriously, I don't remember being told it was the master's birthday." Leon paused briefly as his eyes scanned the familiar area they were in, seeking anything new. They were out, in the hopes of finding anything worthwhile in the market area. They'd just started their shopping, but it seemed that the sellers were stubborn and even though most still had most of their merchandise, they had claimed a specific spot and attached themselves there until the majority was gone.

"You'd think these idiots would learn that we DON'T like their stuff." Raz commented, frowning as he surveyed all the stalls and such.

Leon inwardly chuckled, but decided he may as well try and defend them.

"Don't be so harsh Raz. I think their determination is great. A lot travelled miles and miles here, knowing their stuff was utter rubbish, in the hopes someone would like it, all for their poor family back home."

"Yeah I suppose, but…we need something good for master…"

Leon sighed. Well, he'd tried.

Then, looking up at his friend, his eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Why don't we each make something with our own sweat and blood?" Leon suggested, causing Raz's eyes to widen. "I'm sure the master would love it."

The sun haired boy scratched his head, before giving Leon an incredulous look.

"You're nuts, dolt. He's a greedy son of…a gun. He wants his money BACK in the form of a present, so what he WANTS is us to buy something with the money soaked in our sweat and blood that we originally earned FROM him."

Leon sweatdropped and mimicked his friend's actions, before he shrugged, a mirth-ridden grin curving upwards on his face.

"Yeah, but when you bought him that really expensive piece of food he threw it back in your face."

"Yeah, and," Raz replied sourly, eyeing Leon, "since you had copied my idea, you legged it so the food wouldn't be thrown in your face."

Leon cast his eyes to the ground and twiddled his fingers, his forehead creasing somewhat. Yes, there were instances where he displayed cowardice, but deep down it was just due to his nature, for he immensely despised vio-

"Are you making up some monologue that won't make you look so bad in your head?" Raz asked. "Too bad it's too far from the truth."

Leon hung his head in shame, before straightening up and giving the area around him a focused look.

"I won't fail you this time Raz!" he declared loudly, thumping a curled hand onto his chest. Unfortunately, this action attracted the attention of numerous shoppers and kids, who all gawked at him and exchanged perplexed glances. Raz placed his head in his palm and prayed God strike him down.

Meanwhile, somewhere else…

"I've got a headache," the blue haired ainu muttered, rubbing the place in mention. A shorter boy with a purple spike for hair rolled his amber eyes and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.

"That's what you get for sleepwalking," he grumbled, forcefully pushing the complaining ainu away when he tried to latch on to him.

"But Ren!" he wailed, grabbing his arm. "It hurts!"

A vein pulsated and the spike on the boy's hair thrust up.

"What do you want me to do about it!?"

"But it's the Iron Maiden! She haunts me in my sleep!"

Ren growled and pushed HoroHoro away successfully this time, which was a tremendous relief. The boy slumped and let his head fall to one side. Ren tapped his forehead thoughtfully, before turning to HoroHoro.

"Actually, you just like her. I imagine in your dream you were chasing after her, and she was fleeing like the wind, and then, as you've experienced a matter of times, you hit your head on one of the walls," Ren informed him, smirking when HoroHoro turned beat red, struggling to construct a good comeback.

"A-Anna and Yoh have too many walls here!"

"You're also staying at their onsen for free."

"Which I'm not happy about," a cold voice spoke up from behind them.

HoroHoro nearly had a heart attack, and Ren stiffened a bit, before they hesitantly peered over their shoulders to be greeted by an agitated girl. Her blonde bangs were messy, indicating she'd been asleep, also confirmed by her half lidded eyes and the fact she was wearing a yukata. Her infamous light brown eyes scanned over the two, before she let herself fall back onto the wall beside her and folded her arms over her chest.

HoroHoro, having regained composure, twisted his face into a scowl.

"Surely I've repaid all that from my first visit here," he responded seriously, locking eyes with her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and he lost all his limited self confidence.

"If I wasn't so damn tired…," there was forced venom in her voice, which caused the two boys to give her a bemused look, "…then I'd kick your ass."

'Ow…'

Anna rolled her eyes.

"Yes HoroHoro, OW; it's a good thing you realise the extent of the pain that'll be inflicted upon you." With that she uttered something under her breath and whirled around, trying to slide the shoji door harshly, but failing when she felt her head throb.

Ren and HoroHoro's eyes followed her out, until HoroHoro frowned.

"Normally she'd have hit me into the wall and then ordered me to fix it. Why's she so…tired?"

Ren's eyes darkened.

"I'm not so worried about that, because I know she's a strong girl."

HoroHoro's bemused look was placed upon Ren.

"Then what…?"

"I'm just wondering why Yoh hasn't noticed."

---

"Y'know Tamao, I could help you carry some of those bags," a sweatdropping Manta offered, extending a hand out to the stumbling bubblegum haired girl. Tamao blushed and steadied herself.

"No thank you Manta-san," she declined politely, pin pointing her dark pink eyes ahead. "I must do this myself."

"Anna-san doesn't say you have to carry them all y'know," Manta said, his sweatdrop growing even bigger.

"Ah yeah, but Tamao's set a goal," Yoh explained to his short human friend, grinning toothily. "And she's set on doing it no matter what!"

Manta gave both his companions an amused smile, before it was converted into an amused smirk.

"Have you set any goals Yoh-kun?" Manta asked slyly, thinking of a certain itako.

Yoh halted to answer, which was a blink and then a blank look.

"Me?"

"Uh huh,"

"Well, other than me becoming Shaman King…," he stopped for a bit, closing his eyes as he thought, before they both flew back open and that grin spread over his tanned features again, "…Nope!"

"I shoulda known," Manta confessed, giving Tamao a wry smile, who giggled in reply.

A translucent figure appeared in a swirl beside Yoh, and his hand cupped his chin as he hovered there, black eyes curious.

"Just what were you implying Manta?" Amidamaru questioned curiously. Manta blushed and shook his head.

"Nothing, just, erh…"

Sensing his distress, Tamao sucked in a large breath and then her head peeked around the mountain of bags she was carrying.

"HaveyounoticedAnna-samaislookingverypalelately!?" she gasped out, her words exhaled along with her breath. All three gaped at her, until Yoh frowned slightly and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Yeah, I have actually, but I fear if I say anything she'll kill me," the Asakura sighed, hunching his shoulders.

Manta and Amidamaru shot him astonished looks for actually understanding that, but then recalled the words out of his mouth.

"Is something wrong with Anna-san?" Manta questioned, his brows interlinking. Amidamaru faded out and reappeared next to Tamao, alarming the girl and causing her nearly to fall.

"Yes, I've been wondering about that too," the guardian ghost remarked, looking at Yoh expectantly. "Well?"

Tamao's eyes watered somewhat and she sniffed, before glancing timidly at the floating samurai spirit.

"I think it's serious," she said. "I accidentally knocked a vase down, and Anna-sama came into the room a second later. I saw her look at the vase for ages, but then she looked up at me and just told me to clean it up. There was no anger or displeasure in her tone. It was just…there was nothing. I went from being scared of Anna-sama to being scared of what was wrong with Anna-sama!"

Tamao started sniffling again, as though she assumed it was her fault, and the sweatdropping trio tried to console her.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Yoh said soothingly, scratching the back of his neck. "It's probably just a little illness."

"I hope you're right," Manta added, his brows furrowing as he cast his large eyes on the ground.

"Don't worry!" Yoh exclaimed, noting his friend's sad look. "I bet'cha Anna'll just scare whatever it is away!"

Yoh's encouragement seemed to work, as Manta perked up and glanced appreciatively up at his taller friend.

"You're right Yoh, we shouldn't worry!"

"Yup, now Tamao, Amidamaru, let's go home. I gotta be back to make dinner!"

The brunette and Manta walked off casually, but Tamao and Amidamaru stayed rooted to the spot, in contemplative silence, before Amidamaru disappeared in another swirl and Tamao snapped out of her reverie, sprinting as best she could and calling for them. Of course, she fell down a few times, and Yoh and Manta got her to agree for the allowance of their aid.