Juby was a normal girl who went to a normal high school. She wasn't popular, didn't have much talent on any specific thing besides schoolwork, and she didn't have many friends.
Unless you counted the spirits. It's quite surprising, you might think, for such a normal, boring girl to be able to see ghosts. For as long as she could remember, her only friends were ghosts. Of course, she persuaded herself to think that they weren't real, to not communicate or think about them, but they always came back. Always.
The other kids at her school thought she was a freak. Seeing things just made her seem weirder than she already was; the biggest untalented nerd in the school. Even her teachers found her case hopeless and were getting tired of lecturing the students who bullied her, calling her "weirdo" or "psycho." Even her parents weren't much help, actually, they made matters worse. They sent her to countless psychologists, hoping to cure her of her strange sights and imaginations. Juby endured years of this pain, and tried to ignore the ghosts who even sometimes talked to her.
Anyway, the summer before 10th grade, Juby was notified that she and her family were moving to Tokyo, Japan. Even though she was very happy to leave those mean kids that bullied her behind, she hated to leave her spirit friends behind. As much as she wanted to ignore them, they were the only ones who gave her comfort and support, and without them she didn't know how she could bear to live in Tokyo.
Little did she know how her life was about to change.
Part One
It was a sunny, clear day, and things were going as normal inside one of the many classrooms in Funbari High School. The students were all chattering about the latest styles, books, movies, etc, and the only people who were sitting in silence were a group of weird looking boys and girls in the back. One of them had huge headphones clamped over his ears, sitting next to an extremely short boy who was reading…apparently reading the dictionary…
Across from them sat a boy with a huge spike protruding out of his head, another boy who was wearing a big winter coat even though it was only the beginning of fall, and two girls, one wearing a bandana over her head and another with long, blue hair, were staring out of the window. Behind them was a green-haired boy who was lazily swinging something on a string.
However, silence fell upon the classroom immediately as the teacher, an old but extremely strict man, walked into the room. But the silence wasn't because of his entering, because all eyes were on the girl who followed timidly behind him.
She had long, brown hair, amber eyes, and wore a dull blue T-shirt and baggy pants. As she looked around the room nervously the teacher cleared his throat, and began to introduce the newcomer.
"This is Juby Tsutsuku, our new transfer student. She came all the way from the United States, so I'm sure that each and every one of you will try your very best to make her feel at home. Juby, you may pick any of the empty seats and settle down. You may borrow a neighbor's book for today, since you haven't gotten yours yet."
Juby nodded, and shakily walked to an empty desk at the back. As quickly as they had looked upon her the many sets of eyes turned away and the chattering began. Juby received a warm smile from the green-haired boy that sat next to her and tried to return it, but instead made a grimace and received a frown from the red-bandana girl.
As the lesson started, the green-haired boy shifted his book so that she could see too. She stared at him. No one had ever been this nice to her before, at least, without her or the teacher asking. But she already knew what the teacher was talking about, since she "preread" it in her math book at her old school. Before she knew it, she was lying her head on the tabletop and taking a nap. But the smacking of the teacher's stick on her table rudely interrupted her nap.
"Miss Tsutsuku! I know this may be your first day and I will let you slip out of detention, but that is no excuse to sleep in class. So, as you were listening so intently on the lesson, please demonstrate problem thirty-four from the textbook on the chalkboard."
The green-haired boy quickly shoved the book into her hands as she walked, trembling, to the front of the room. Hastily pushing the hair in the front of her face away, she began to do the problem. It was quite easy to her, but she saw that it was clearly harder than the other exercises on the page. When she finished with the correct answer, the teacher just gloated at her.
He reread her work and said, very slowly, "That is correct, Miss Tsutsuku, but please, I would appreciate it if you would pay attention in class, whether you already know the material or not." He immediately picked up the lesson again.
As she walked back to her seat, the green-haired boy winked at her and this time she returned him a smile. Shortly after the break bell rang. All the students hustled out of the room, Juby in the very back. She had forgotten to pack a lunch in the hurry to get to school today, but it happened many times in the past. Usually the bullies just threw some of the unwanted apples and oranges at her.
Stepping outside, Juby gasped. To her surprise, the green-haired boy was talking to a shining fairy in the corner of the courtyard. She looked around him. Many of his friends, the students she saw sitting in the back with him, were also talking to strange looking things. Juby glanced at the passing people and were sure that they couldn't see the creatures. She only hoped her conclusion was right.
As she stepped up to the group, they all turned up and looked at her. After a few seconds of awkward silence, a boy with earphones around his neck stood up and spoke.
"Uh, can I help you?"
Juby didn't know what to say. "A-are t-those …are those s-sp-pirits?"
The boy stared at her. "You can see them?" He pointed to a floating man with big shields, a sword, and white hair tied in a strange ponytail.
"Yes. But…the other students can't, right?"
He looked around at the others around him, and said, "Yeah. We're the only ones that can see them. But…since you can see them, you must be a shaman, right?"
"A what?"
"A shaman. You don't know what a shaman is?" The others behind him looked at her, bewildered.
Juby looked down. "No, I don't know what a shaman is. Sorry about that."
Then, with her head down, she slowly backed away. But she didn't get very far until the red-bandana girl caught her by the arm and pulled her back.
"You can't be a shaman and not know what a shaman is," she said, matter-of-factly, still wearing the same frown she gave her earlier in the day. Juby, confused by what was going on, sat down and listened to the others explain to her what a shaman was…or more like what SHE was.
The headphone boy introduced himself as Yoh Asakura, and, as if reading her mind, introduced everyone else in the group too. The boy with the spike was Ren, the blue haired girl was Pirika, the red-bandana girl was Anna, the short boy was Manta, Horo-Horo was the blue haired boy with the overlarge coat, and Lyserg was the green-haired boy.
"I'm Juby," Juby said. Anna's frown deepened.
"We know that already. Manta, please explain to Juby exactly what a shaman is."
Fishing out his huge dictionary, the short boy began his speech (copied out of Shonen Jump rofl):
"A Shaman is a person who can interface with the world of gods and spirits, which allows them to do amazing things. They can ask the gods for wisdom, borrow the power of the spirits to heal the sick, and summon the ghosts of the dead into this world. Of course, by contacting the dead they can also speak with the great figures of history (This is Yoh's Ability). Because not everyone can talk with spirits, shamans have been revered since the earliest times, and they still exist all over the world. The most well-known shamans are found in Native American Tribes, China, and Paplia New Guinea. In Japan there are spirit-summoning shamans called Itako (which is what Anna is) in the northeast regions, and the yuta in the amami islands of north of Okinawa who tell fortunes and heal the sick with spiritual powers. Both work for the people's good and are well respected."
"Uhh…" Juby looked around her, a very confused look on her face. "I didn't quite get that."
Yoh just smiled at her. "It might be confusing at first, but after a while you'll get it. Anyway, we'll show you what kinds of things that you can do, since you're a shaman."
Juby nodded, but a smile spread across her face.
When she got back in class that day, she realized that these might just be her very first real friends that she'd ever made in her life. What kind of things could you do when you're a shaman? Looking out the window she began to think that she, maybe, could do these amazing things too.
"I know I can," she thought to herself, smiling.
BLEEHHHHH. I know it's horrible TT no need for you to say so. Fails horribly at first fanfic. I know you probably want to say some really bad stuff about this piece of crap I spent like 30 minutes on (I know I'm slow .. Shhh.) …
