Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.
A/N: This takes place AFTER Shaman King...just so you know.
This is one of the crack pairings I kinda like a bit more than other crack pairings...and Ryu is one of my fav. characters, so...YES!!!
Ryunosuke Umemiya, A.K.A. "Wooden Sword" Ryu, knew that he should have been happier now that the boss and his wife had finally returned. Hana had his real parents now, Tamao would be able to begin her career as an enka singer, and everyone was finally able to truly laugh and smile again. There was no reason he should have felt such deep sadness in his heart, yet it was undoubtedly there. Despite being surrounded by all of these close friends, he had never felt so lonely before in his entire life. It bothered him greatly; he didn't want to feel this way, especially not tonight.
Whenever he even so much as glanced at Yoh and Anna, that feeling of unease within him would grow more prominent, and his chest would start to ache. It made it impossible to focus on what was going on around him; the emotional discomfort that arose was just too strong to ignore. This was the first time such feelings had really made themselves known. Sighing heavily, he simply lit a cigarette, and slid it in between his teeth. He felt a little tipsy after having drunk so much already.
'Could it be,' Ryu thought to himself, wisps of cigarette smoke flowing out of his nostrils and the corners of his mouth, 'That the reason I feel this way...is because I'm jealous of them and the close bond they share? They're husband and wife...they know each other better than anyone else!! Maybe, I'm just feeling down because I'm still single after all of these years...? Is that what it is?'
Ryu took a slow, long look around the room, inspecting each and every person present. Tao Ren was married, he knew that, and considering the baby's hair and eye color, Ryu had a pretty good guess on who the mother was. Horohoro claimed he was currently in a relationship with someone, although due to the fact that he refuses to give out any names, this claim may be debatable. Chocolove, Lyserg and Manta seemed content with their lives, as well.
So, why wasn't he content, as well?
"Hey, Ryu...where ya goin'?" Yoh Asakura asked.
Flashing a tiny grin, Ryu looked over his shoulder at the younger man as he replied, "I'm, uh, just going out to get a bit of fresh air, boss...don't worry,"
"Okay, then..."
Anna glanced up from her glass. "Hmph...where's that idiot going?"
"Oh, he's just heading outside for a moment," Suddenly, Yoh turned his head away, and mumbled, "I really hope she got the invitation, though...I asked her to come specifically for Ryu's sake..."
"...Huh?" Anna raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"N-Nothing! Nothing dear!!"
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Ryu's tense muscles instantly relaxed the moment the cold night air brushed against his skin. He tilted his head back slightly, and stared at the twinkling stars looking down upon him from the inky-black sky. His only source of light was the single light-bulb over the door, the one he nearly knocked off with his pompadour several times in the past. Somewhere close by, a cricket was loudly chirping away.
For some reason, he felt at peace out here in the darkness, away from all the others. He didn't know why that was, and he didn't like it. The cigarette smoke continued to rise over his face like a gray veil. That comparison only made him feel even more depressed.
"Dammit...I deserve to have someone to love too, don't I...?" Ryu muttered to himself, shaking his head.
"...Ryunosuke?"
Ryu swerved his head to the right, and saw a lone figure standing before him, her beautiful, bright eyes practically illuminating through the darkness. She had long, reddish-brown hair that flowed all the way down to her waist, and a large red dot in the middle of her forehead. Despite wearing much more casual clothes compared to her usual royal attire, Ryu recognized her almost immediately. She was the woman who had saved his life.
"S...S...Lady Sati..."
A warm smile graced the young woman's lips. "It's very nice to see you again...Ryunosuke Umemiya."
The cricket had stopped chirping.
The next day...at a local cafe...
"Mmm...this coffee is really quite delicious, Ryunosuke," Sati remarked as she placed her cup down, "Are you sure you're not going to drink yours?"
Ryu, pale-faced and sweaty, shook his head wildly from side to side. "N...No...I'm fine..." Although he was putting on a brave face, he couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted. Sati's sudden and unexpected arrival had been a major surprise to him. Everyone else had felt the exact same way, except for Yoh, who just grinned and snickered to himself.
'We see each other for the first time in seven years, and all she does is say it's 'nice to see me again'...and now it's the next day, and we're here...in a cafe...having breakfast...WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'
As if having just read his thoughts, Sati wrapped her hands tightly around her cup as she spoke, "Ryunosuke...I apologize for having not spoken with you last night during the festivities. I was very worn out from having traveled all the way from my homeland to Japan, and although I had many things to say to you, I just didn't have the energy then..."
"Oh...that's okay. I totally understand," Ryu simply waved it off. No use mulling over stuff that happened in the past, anyway.
"You've grown up alot, Ryunosuke...both physically and mentally...and your goatee is rather cute, too."
"Huh...sometimes I wonder about that...not the goatee, I mean, I'm talking about the growing-up part..."
"That's very good...I'm glad you've grown into such a splendid young gentleman," Sati smiled, and Ryu felt the heat rise to his cheeks. She was probably even more beautiful now than when he first saw her that fateful night seven years back, when he had been killed by Hao's henchmen. He felt close to this woman, closer than he did with Anna or Tamao. Not in the sense of friendship, but in an entirely different sense completely.
Taking in a deep breath, Sati closed her eyes, and what was probably the first time in her entire life, a faint blush crept up onto her pale cheeks. "I think it's time...we get down to business,"
"Business...?"
"You see, Ryunosuke...the reason I accepted Asakura-san's invitation, the reason I ventured all the way to Funbari Inn...was because you would be there,"
Ryu's heart skipped a beat. Did she just say what he think she said?
"None of my followers, the Gandhara, know my true purpose for coming here. None of them have any idea about my...my feelings for you..."
"F...F...Feelings?" Ryu wasn't sure whether this was a dream or not, but he silently prayed in the depths of his mind to the great Shaman King himself that it wasn't!!
Saki nervously brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "I know this may sound rather abrupt, and a bit shocking, Ryunosuke, but...but I've been thinking about you alot lately..."
"Really...?"
Saki placed her hand upon Ryu's, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Yes...I have..."
Ryu gulped; her hand felt so warm to the touch. "Lady Saki...I...this is rather sudden, isn't it?"
"Ryunosuke...everything in life, if not planned, is 'rather sudden'...don't you think?"
"...I guess so..."
Saki cocked her head slightly to the right. "I've thought about you so much...ever since I saved you that night during the Shaman Fight seven years ago. When I heard how upset you were after I was killed by Hao's henchmen...I was touched by the fact you cared enough to fight for my sake. When I returned to my homeland, I...I became secretly obsessed with seeing you again, Ryunosuke..." Her eyes shimmered with swelling tears as she spoke.
"Lady Sati...?" Ryu lowered his voice so that it could barely be heard.
"Please...call me 'Sati'..." Sati interjected.
Ryu nodded. "Sati...?"
"Yes, Ryunosuke?"
"Is everything you said," Ryu hesitated for a moment, "Is everything you said true?"
Tears began to flow out of Sati's eyes as she slowly nodded her head. "Yes, of course," she replied, "I meant every word..."
"Sati...to tell the truth, I've been in love with you too ever since I first saw you...so in a way, we've just been too ignorant of the other's feelings to realize the truth sooner..." Ryu said bashfully, watching the waiter pass by out of the corner of his eye. He was a bit curious on when their food would finally arrive; it's been at least a whole half-hour already since they ordered.
"Ryunosuke...before this moment is lost, I want you to kiss me!"
Ryu's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he stared at the young, beautiful woman sitting across from him. Had he been drinking anything at that moment, he would have probably spewed it all in her face out of pure shock. Sati was already leaning in towards him, her lips pursed. She was really serious about this.
"Now that the Shaman Fight is over, I am able to live a normal life! I don't have to train anymore! I can finally do things I've never been able to do as a child, because my family forced me to focus my Shamanic abilities at an early age! Please, Ryunosuke...make me feel like a normal woman for once in my life!!" Sati cried with an unusual amount of forcefulness in her words, something that was rather unlike her. Ryu was a little taken aback, but since this was the first time a woman he liked had ever WANTED to kiss him, who was he to say 'no'?
"Ryunosuke...I...I love you..."
"Hee...you can just call me 'Ryu', you know..."
For that one fleeting, passionate moment, everything felt right with the world...
"Well...it seems everything worked out alright between Ryu and Sati, huh?"
"Hmm? Yoh...what are you talking about?"
"Eh...nothing, Anna...it's nothing..."