The Plum Princess

Shaman King Fan Fiction

OC


Summary: The Qing family is an ancient house that used to serve the Empire along side with the Tao family. Over the years, shamanic powers are shunned and the two families are forced to live on the frontiers of China. With the rivalries between the two, both Qing and Tao ceased further contact. With very few members left, the remaining Qing members adopt the practice of incest to keep the bloodline 'pure'. Qing Mei is the sole daughter in her family in present time and will marry the heir chosen by their father. As they partake in the Shaman Fight, Mei's beliefs is confronted with the outside world and the people she met…

Warnings: Contains OC, typos, grammar errors

Disclaimer: I do not own the series, be it the manga or anime.


Chapter 1: Start


The Shaman Fight do not have a special significance to me, not on personal level. It do have a special significance to the males in my family, my father and brothers. It's a once in a life time opportunity and it is simply too good to pass up. Every 500 years, the strongest Shaman in the world, during that time, will be hailed as the Shaman King. He (or she) will decide the course of the world… Basically, Shaman Fight is the tournament where every strong Shaman will fight each other till only one person left standing.

It is time.

How do I know that? Well, there is no moon tonight. Instead there is a falling star shines so brightly, brighter than any other star. It hangs on the sky, just like an omen. To us shamans, it is also a calling. The proclamation of the start of the great fight. The Shaman Fight. If my brothers win this… The time for Qing's family will come. Our rebirth. We will reclaim our past glory.

For this special occasion, the children are invited to the main compound, where the family head resides. We only visited this place a few times a year. The maids took extra time and effort to make me more than presentable for this particular meeting. They brush and style my hair (it have reached the length where it drag on the floor), dress me with silk and put on make up. I looked like the past princesses from ancient time. My maids can only accompany me to the gates. After I entered the compound, it will be Father's servants who will escort me.

It appears that I am the third to arrive. Two of my brothers are already waiting for me inside. Like me, they all have dresses up for the sake of this visit.

"My brothers" I greeted them with a bow along with hand gesture. "This sister of yours is glad that you all well."

"Just drop the formalities, Mei" Meng-nii waved it off with an easy smile. "We are siblings here. You do need to be so uptight around your own brothers. How many times should I tell you?" He looked at me with fake seriousness on his face. Then he's back to be cheerful again. "You look simply divine, my sister" He took hold of a strand of my hair and brought it to his lips. Meng-nii is the oldest son and most handsome one at that. He is very good at seducing maids. Despite the number of girls he have seduced, Meng-nii is careful enough not to leave any progeny behind. Father will find out one way or another and 'punish' Meng-nii and his conquests.

"Hands off, Meng. Ming might saw you." A new voice joined us. I turned to see Mao-nii hiding the lower half of his face behind his fan. He looked at Meng-nii with disapproval. Mao-nii is the second son and the smartest one out of all of us. He is so brilliant that Father wholly handed the control of Qing's finance and businesses in his hands when he was my age. Mao-nii also have ventured to the outside world more often than any of us, because of that. (Ming-nii can't be really trusted, fearing he might forget himself and create messes).

Meng-nii let go of my hair and turn around to face Mao-nii. "And you-" He grab hold of Mao-nii's shoulders. "-must lighten up more. It's because you spent too much time in your room in the company of paperwork instead of ladies… Maybe I should come with you on your next 'visit'." Meng-nii snickers as he massages Mao-nii's shoulders. "Or training. Seriously, you're loosing your muscles." Wordlessly Mao-nii remove himself from his grasps while glaring at Meng-nii.

I couldn't resist. "Maybe this sister of yours should pay you a visit during training hours, Aniue." I hide my amused smile behind my sleeves. "This sisters of yours are in need for a sparring partner…" Mao-nii only give me a half hearted glare at that.

"Well, there you go!" Meng-nii clapped, a big grin on his face. "Mao. I'll drag you to practice tomorrow. It's been awhile since the three of us hang out together-"

Before Meng-nii can finish his sentence, someone hugged me from behind. "What's this talking about hanging out?" Someone drawl in my ears. Without turning I know who this is.

"Ming-niisama." I greeted him without turning my head. Even though I can't see him, I can tell that he's grinning. Meng-nii's and Mao-nii's eyes went steely.

Ming-nii sniffed my hair before letting go of me. "You look pretty, Mei Mei!" He looked at me with an awed look. "And you smells nice! Like always!" Ming-nii circled around me, trying to get a better look of my appearance. It's almost innocent but we knew better. Ming-nii is the youngest son but he is the strongest one out of all of us. But in exchange for that… "Let's go then! Father is waiting for us!" Ming-nii said loudly before he walk away from us, his movement exaggerated to be like soldiers. We can hear him humming even. The three of us exchanged looks before following him.

Servants bow down to us when we walk pass them. Ming-nii lead us on the front, followed by Meng-nii, Mao-nii and me on the back. They opened the door leading to the inner garden. The lamp posts are shining brightly but compared to the star, they look like flickers. We can see Father sitting on the gazebo, his back turning on us. Nevertheless we approached the gazebo and fell to our knees, paying our respects to him.

"We have arrived, Chichi-ue" As the oldest son, Meng-nii greeted him first. Father simply held up his hand. Meng-nii stood up first, followed by us. Father sipped his hot tea. A slight envy appear in my heart. In such a cold evening, a warm tea is the best. Even though we dressed in layers, the chilly air can still be felt.

"Look at that my children." Father motioned to the sky. "Behold the sacred star that marked the beginning of an era. An era in which us, the Qing family, ruled the world. When one of you, my sons, ascend to become Shaman King. You shall become the general to subjugate this world, wiping out the impurities. Those vermin who are not blessed with the slightest amount of spiritual ability... The same vermin that dared to banish us to this forsaken place..."

Normal people who can't see the spirits are 'impure' in our eyes. Shamans who fraternise with them are also regarded as 'impure'. The only shamans who are still regarded as 'impure' despite them not involved with normals are the Tao family. The Qing family and Tao family have a similar history worth of 2000 years, having served the Emperor together. What once started as friendly rivalry gradually become hatred. I never met a Tao before but they said their hair are as sharp as thorns. Interesting thing to behold.

"Our time has come..." Father continued. Because his back is facing us, I can't tell what sort of expression he have. "My son as the Shaman King... And my daughter as his queen... You all have been groomed to be the strongest shamans. When the victory is ours, a wedding between one of you and Mei will be held. As soon as you flowered, you shall work on producing an heir."

My face is becoming scarlet, I can tell. I hid my blushing face behind my sleeves. The course of this (one sided) conversation has turn to an embarrassing turn. In order to keep the lineage 'especially pure', the children of the Qing family married each other. Our number have dwindled over the decades. Father has married his sister and three cousins, resulting us. I am the only girl in this generation so my husband will be the next family head.

Father let out a long sigh. "If it's not for my weakened body, I would participate myself... But fate tells me otherwise." He gripped his knees. Age and disease have slowly rot his body away, leaving him obese and yet sickly. "In turn, the four of you will go. According to our records, a special shaman will come and test your strength. If you pass his test, you gained the right to enter the tournament. You must wait till then. Do not disappoint me."

"Yes, Chichi-ue" We said in unison, bowing once more.

"The Shaman Fight take place in the outside world. Vermin roam free out there. You must watch out for each other so they won't get their impurities... Especially Mei. You are our sole female. You are our most precious possession. Do not get swayed. I would hate it if we lose you to those vermin..."

"I won't, Chichi-ue. Some vermin won't make me sway from my path. For the sake of the Qing family..."

For the sake of my family, I will walk down the path of carnage... As my ancestors have always been doing...


Father said that we have to wait until further notice. So we retreat to our holdings, in different wings of the compound. I spent my days like usual. Wake up, stretching, clean up, get hair done, breakfast, studying, break, etiquette, lunch, free time, dancing practice, a shorter break, combat training, bath, dinner, sleep. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It's as if we never saw the star.

Meng-nii, however, keep his word of dragging Mao-nii to training. Ming-nii is more than delighted. Since it's been awhile, Meng-nii proposed to split us to teams of two. Ming-nii called dips on me. It's Ming-nii and me versus Meng-nii and Mao-nii. It was a lot of fun until Ming-nii got too excited. When he's like this, no one but Meng-nii should get close to him. Usually he won't calm down until he killed at least a dozen people. Afterwards, he will come to visit me and tell me the details of his 'playtime'. Ming-nii would become even more riled up if someone try to prevent him from seeing me. Meng-nii is the only one who can keep up with him, thus being his 'playmate'. It's a lot less bloody that way.

The first sign of trouble, I went straight to the exit. Mao-nii followed me since he can't keep up with his younger brother. Thankfully Meng-nii managed to calm him down but doesn't mean he came out unscathed. Ming-nii always play 'rough'. Despite his fondness with me, Ming-nii never 'play' with me. He doesn't want me to get hurt and because I'm too delicate. Wether if it's really out of genuine affection or because I'm a girl, I'll never know. Perhaps a bit of both.

One night, sleep denied me. So I sat next to the window, nursing a cup of plum tea. The air is chilly so I draped a cloak for extra warmth. Not that it matters if I open the window. If the fall this year is this cold, winter will be even more so. A baby pink spirit ball materialise next to me and in a flash, a ghost of a beautiful woman appear. Mu Lauho, my spirit partner.

"Is it wise for you to stay up this late, Hime? In the middle of fall season as well..." She looked at me in concern.

"I'll be fine Mu Lauho. The special shaman will arrive anytime now. I don't want to greet him with bed hair. It simply won't do... Do you think I should get changed as well?" I looked down on my yukata. "It will be funny if I pass the test in my nightwear, don't you think? At least you always look beautiful now. It's your default look as a spirit."

Mu Lauho was a war orphan taken in by the Qing family, raised to be a spy. With her beauty and skills, she seduced men and retract information, killing them when needed. She certainly have the looks to seduce men. Mesmerising eyes highlighted with black and red eyeshadows... Face white from rice powder... Bright red lips... Strong eyebrows... Long jet black hair tied to a side bun and decorated with colourful gems... She is wearing white hanfu with brown trimmings. The sash highlighted her body. I never really saw it but I would believe it that Mu Lauho have a great body.

"You flatter me too much, Hime... This Mu Lauho is not worthy of your praise..." She said bashfully, bowing to me. I only chuckled. Mu Lauho must have been praised a lot for her beauty when she was alive. Even now she still got praises... From male spirits. Compared to me, the only thing I take pride in is my hair. Qing girls must grow out their hair long enough to drag on the floor. My hair is silky smooth thanks to daily treatments and my brothers praises it often. Ming-nii really likes to play with my hair.

"Do you think I'm regal enough to be a queen?" I start to play with my hair.

"Hime is the prized daughter of the Qing family. Of course you are more than fitting to be a queen... You are the future Shaman Queen."

"Shaman Queen huh..." I turn my gaze outside. Something purple flashes amongst the dark. I leapt to my feet. The cloak fell off to the floor as I head to my drawers. Putting on my training outfit, I glanced to my weapons. There are swords in all sizes and lengths but what caught my eye the most is my ribbon for dancing practice. Very well, I'll use it. Leaping out of the window, I head towards the garden, where there is a lot of space for fighting.

What awaits me there is a man. By the looks of his clothing, he appears to be a Native American. To get past the guards... To actually reach this place... That can only mean one thing. Either he's an enemy or... I put on a facade of indifference, just in case.

"What business do you have here?" I asked the foreigner.

"'I am Chrom of the Patch Village." He introduces himself. "I am one of the ten officiants who oversees the Shaman Fight. Tonight I shall test you wether you are worthy or not to gain the right to enter the tournament." Father was right. A special shaman will come here to test us. "The test is simple. All you need to do is to lay a clean hit on me in ten minutes" One hit? That is all? It sounds so... Simple. But if it's that simple... "Now then... Without further ado... Let's dance!"

His legs shines purple and he jumped backwards... Too high actually. And too far. There is no way a normal human can jump that far. Unless you're shaman of course. Chrom keep jumping around, never to stay in one place. I try to keep up but couldn't It started to feels like he's toying with me. Chrom start humming to himself as he looked down on me. How dare he!

"Milady!" Handmaidens and servants start to come to the garden. They all have a conflicted look on their faces, wondering wether should they help me.

"All of you stay put!" I barked. Chrom landed on top of a tree, an amused smile on his face. Internally applauding myself for not breaking my facade, I glances around. If he prefers high places then... Biting my ribbon wand, I start to climb the nearest tree. I can hear scandalised gasps from the servants. I am surrounded by brothers, of course I know how to climb trees.

"Heeee so the little lady knows how to climb trees as well..." Chrom stroked his chin. He grins "But will that help?" He jumped once again. So high up in the air. If I can't win on the ground, there is no choice but to fight in the air. Mustering all my strength, I jumped as well. It might be not as high as Chrom but... Can you find footing in the air?

Chrom's happy expression changed to alarm when my ribbon managed to wrap itself around his foot. I yanked the ribbon back to pull Chrom towards me. When he is close enough, I balled my fist and try to land a punch on him. Chrom only smiled though. Using his free foot, he kicked me on the stomach, effectively sending me down. As if the pain on my stomach is not enough, I landed on a tree. Now my hair will get entangled with leaves and branches.

"Milady!" The servants start to surround the tree, one starting to climb to help.

"I said... STAY PUT!" I yelled harshly on them. Balancing myself on the thicker branch, I pulled my hair. Leaves and branches sticking. "You'll pay for this" I said heatedly, my facade breaking. Chrom just let out a good natured chuckle. 'Laugh all you want' I finally figured out his secret.

He leapt to the air once more, followed by me. "Mu Lauho! Spirit Ball mode!" She materialises to a spirit ball in my palm. Eyeing Chrom, I 'slammed' her into my ribbon. A bright pink light temporarily blinded me but when I recover, my ribbon is glowing from my wand to the very tip, just like Chrom's feet. I swing my ribbon and unlike before, they are moving just like I pictured in my head... Not just twirling but actually shoot like a bullet. Chrom's foot is caught once more but I'm not done yet. My ribbon soon wrapped around him and mustering all the strength I have, I throw him down to the ground.

WHAM

Aaaaaah never I heard a sound more satisfying than this. I landed smoothly on a tree and then down to the ground. That was a hit. I managed to hurt him. That means I pass the test. Everyone is watching in anticipation as Chrom got to his feet, brushing off dust from his pants.

"Uwaaah that surprises me! But good job there, Little Lady!" Chrom smiled widely at me, rubbing the back of his neck. He take one look at my face and grinned. "You pass."

The handmaidens and servants looked immensely relieved and cheered. A couple ran towards me, bringing me a cloak to keep warm in this cool autumn night. "Milady, that was splendid!" "As expected from our lady!" I simply nodded at their words. After they drape the cloak around me, I took a few steps forward.

"Anything else?"

"Wow, you're really a tough one aren't you? Despite your moves so elegant... Do you dance by the way?" Chrom asked with great curiosity. Really? He wants to talk about dancing? And he should notice that I do ribbon dance. My weapon is a ribbon wand!

"Yes, I do ribbon dancing" I answered him nonetheless. "Now what?"

Chrom pulled out something from his pocket. It looks like a pager. It's pink too. "This is the Oracle Bell, the proof that you are now a participant of the Shaman Fight. It works like a pager too. Details of the tournament can be found in here. The tournament will be held in Japan. In order to move forward, you must fight three more battles against other participants. If you win at least two rounds, you can move to the next test." He handed me the Oracle Bell.

"I understand" I touched the screen. "Now go, you still have to test my brothers."

He have a look of bewilderment on his face. "Eh? Is that it? No celebration? No look of wonder? Nothing?" I simply shook my head. Yes, entering the Shaman Fight is a good thing but it's just a start. It's still a long way to go before reaching the Shaman King throne. Chrom scratched his chin. "Hmmm your reaction is not what I expected... Still, you're pretty good to saw through my Over Soul and then implement it right away. You got potential! Oh well. Guess it's time to go! How many brothers you have?"

"Three. Each of them are strong." The Qings are the ones who will be at the top after all. "But watch out for my third brother, Ming-nii. He's very excitable. You might get killed." It's one thing to kill another shaman but a Shaman Fight officiant? Ming-nii is hot blooded enough not to care though. At least I give him a warning beforehand.

"It seems we'll be having many hot blooded folks! The more the merrier! It will be like a festivity!" Chrom said excitedly. I only stared at him with indifference. There's an awkward silence between us as the servants also stays quiet. "A-hem" Chrom coughed, putting on his cloak. "I'll be on my way then. See you around Little Lady! I'll show you our native dances the next time we meet!" With a salute, he jumped to the wall and I can see him jumping to the other side of the estate.

What an odd man... Chrom of the Patch village...

My handmaidens are busy fretting over my current state and take me inside for a quick wash up. I let them, being tired and cold... But before that... I strapped my Oracle Bell to my wrist. A sense of pride and excitement shot through me.

I won the right to be at the starting line.


I'm rewriting this story. I'm sorry for the (unannounced) hiatus status for this fanfic...

I'm checking the wiki. There are not a lot of information about Chrom's OS so I took the liberty to write it according to my imagination. Since the spirit said to take shape as a locust, I make him jump around like a locust. I hope you guys don't mind.

Thank you for reading

NO FLAME