Secrets of the Patch
A Sequel to Forgotten Memories
By Elle Pellano
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.
Chapter I: The Unknown Enemies
Mikihisa panted and walked heavily. He was dead tired from the journey and it was a relief to see a lone boulder in the middle of a vast wasteland of yellow sand. It was an unusually hot day and he couldn't bear the scorching heat of the sun anymore. He sat down, wiped the streams of sweat with his cloak and reached out for his water bottle tied to his waist. It was empty. He cursed at the desert wind hoping it would reach his father-in-law in Izumo. Master Yohmei had forced him to go on this quest alone. Mikihisa could still remember the old man's smirk. Goldva would be very pleased to see you.
He breathed deeply to get rid of his frustration. He needed to be reminded of his goal so he took out from his satchel the ancient-looking bundle of paper which he was bound to return. Aureum's diary - if not for this he could have been at home training with his wife. However, he had a sworn oath to fulfill. Besides, he was almost there. The village was just over the sandy dunes. He slipped the journal to his satchel, rose to his feet with burning determination and continued his trek towards the hill of sand. A few more strides and he would finally reach the hill's peak where he could have a bird's eye view of his destination. He felt a sense of triumph when he arrived at the top but the excitement and energy were drained from him after what he saw.
Yoh couldn't get his finger on it but something about his fiancée had changed since they got back from Osorezan. He pretended to be reading a text book by the dining table while he was peering at her as she prepared dinner for him the 12th night in a row. She had gone… soft- had become a little domesticated. Perhaps meeting her mother for the first time had a good effect on her. He gladly remembered the night they got back from their short trip from the Holy Mountain when Anna Kyouyama, the strongest and scariest known itako in the Shamanic world, actually asked him what he liked for dinner. Since then, she cooked their evening meal out of her own accord although Yoh still had to wake up early to prepare their breakfast and boxed lunch for school, sweep the floor, scrub the bathroom tiles, do the laundry, fix the plumbing, and run errands while doing vigorous physical training. He couldn't help but let out a grin forgetting that he had held the book way higher for him to conceal his happiness.
His musings were shattered with a thunderous, "What are you smiling about Yoh Asakura? Get your school things out of the dining table!"
Oh well, maybe some things would never change…
There were a number of huge fissures on the ground where the Patch tribal community had settled. He could have deduced that a strong earthquake had wiped the life out of the place had he not noticed where the cracks were coming from. They had originated from a huge sink hole at the center of the village where Goldva's hut once stood. A catastrophe like this would leave out no survivors yet something moved among the rubble of fallen straw huts and stones. Mikihisa slid downhill as fast as he could to check it out.
He hurriedly threw away the debris covering what appeared to be the lone survivor of the Patch tribe. If this person were still alive, he could tell me what occurred here.It was Goldva whom he had dug out of the rubble. There was blood on her forehead and she seemed to suffer a lot of bone fractures. Mikihisa had no choice but to perform a healing technique that he had yet to perfect. Mending her broken bones almost consumed his furyoku.
"Master Goldva! Master Goldva!" Mikihisa shook the Patch leader gently after the healing was over.
The old lady slowly opened her eyes and touched Mikihisa's bird mask. "Is it really you, Bird Man?"
Mikihisa sweatdropped, "Er… yes… I suppose so." He helped her sat up. "What happened here Master Goldva? Where's everybody?"
The Patch leader rubbed her aching back as she recalled the events that took place. "It all started when the earth began to shake."
The village's peaceful sleep was disturbed by a loud rumbling noise coming from the depths of the earth. Goldva thought she was having a nightmare but it all became too clear when she heard a woman screamed in fright. She immediately jumped out of her straw bed and run to see what the commotion was all about. A number of Patch villagers have already gathered outside staring at something that looked like ghostly apparitions of four adolescents: a girl and three boys.
"Who are you? This village does not welcome you." Silva stepped forward with clenched fists.
"We have come to destroy, you who have destroyed us. Give us back what was rightfully ours," the intruders chanted.
"We have not taken anything from you, young ones," Goldva also stepped out of the crowd. "We are a community of poor shaman fight referees who are currently doing menial jobs for a living. We do not entertain contestants anymore. Please come back after 500 years." Everyone sweatdropped at their chief's untimely sense of humor.
One of the boys smirked and waved his hand at the direction of Goldva's hut. A large chasm had formed and swallowed the leader's tattered dwelling. The ground shook more violently than before as cracks began to appear. The villagers panicked and ran from the enemies as far as they could but an invisible barrier that had sealed the whole area prevented them from escaping their doom. Four orbs had flown out of the abyss where the chief's home once stood towards each extended hand of the intruders. The ten Patch officials called their spirits to prepare for a fierce battle but the moment the orbs touched the four enemies' fingers, a white light had engulfed the whole place.
"Stop!" was the last word that was heard from the village chief.
"Everyone of the Patch was taken Master Goldva?" Mikihisa inquired.
"I don't know what exactly became of my tribe members. One thing is for sure though… They had stolen what the Patch tribe had kept secret for centuries." Goldva had a serious look on her face.
"You mean the other four elemental spirits?"
"How in the Great Spirit's name did you know that? We made it sure that only the Spirit of Fire would come up in the tribe's history," the elderly woman cried out in disbelief.
"Master, you lend us this journal, remember?" Mikihisa took out the ancient-smelling bundle of paper from his satchel.
"Ah yes, yes. Well I can't help it when you're the one who's borrowing." The old woman managed to let out a flirty smile despite her condition.
"I am a married man you know," Mikihisa uttered audibly. "I'm here at Master Yohmei's bidding to return this artifact to the Patch tribe," he held it out to the old woman.
"Aureum's journal is the only important historical document that was saved from the attack. Thank you for taking care of it." Goldva stroke the diary lovingly. She opened it to scan its pages but she got the second shock of her life.
It was a sketch pad.
There was a slight uneasiness in the air as they ate dinner together. Yoh broke the silence by exclaiming that his future wife's cooking was getting better only to get a death glare from his fiancée. "So it was horrible before?"
"I did not mean it that way, Anna." He waved his hands frantically.
Anna slammed her chopsticks on the table and stood up. "I think I just lost my appetite. I'm going to my room to rest. Eat this all or else!"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Yoh bowed his head a couple of times. The itako ignored him and went straight to her room.
Yoh sighed. Girls are really weird.
He ate all that Anna prepared to the point that he felt bloated. He washed the dishes afterwards then cleared the dining table to do his homework. It was already midnight when he finished his Math exercises. It was difficult without Anna helping him with the problems. He stood up to stretch his arms and legs but accidentally kicked his satchel that was leaning at the foot of the table. Some of the contents spilled out and he scrambled to fix the mess that he made.
Pen, pencil, eraser, Science Workbook, dictionary, notepad, and a pee-smelling bunch of papers.
Yoh froze for a moment .
"Master Aureum's diary? How did it get here?"
End Chapter I.