Disclaimer: I don't own Ah My Buddha!
Here At Last
Having Enough
"Oww."
"Quit moaning! It was your fault for not reciting properly!"
"I didn't see you try it. OWW!"
"Shut up pervert!"
That interaction was typical for a certain group of nuns and a monk, in-training of course. They all are teenagers, high-schoolers even, that take residence in the Saienji Temple just outside of town. And while the boy was admired by the other men as 'lucky', the former can say the opposite for himself.
"All I am saying is that you always complain about my chants and yet you never step up to the plate to show how it is done." His name is Ikkou Satonaka, age seventeen, and attends the temple for confidential reasons. His likes are fun, summer, and apparently girls; his dislikes are extra work, being used as a pawn, when others hit him for the hell of it and being talked to by the girls like so. His dream is to find the right girl for him and finally graduate from high-school; which is rather difficult for his duties to the temple.
"We are girls, we don't do the dirty work! Perverts like you should shut up and stay shut up!" This was Chitose Nanbu, one of the girls working at the temple; and, believe it or not, she has a crush on Ikkou. But it is clear that she will rather die than admit it and instead shows her love by putting the object of her crush down lower than her own feet. It is either that he is flirting with other girls or the other way around that Nanbu appears out of nowhere and pounds Ikkou bad.
"Hey don't look at me, you no-good idiot! I prefer to fight ghosts instead of scaring them to flee!" This is Yuuko Atouda, the resident tomboy of the group. And she also has the cliché 'flat chest' that almost makes her look like a boy on first glance. Who knows why she joined the temple when all she does at school is start fights and eat between meals when she is not beating down on Ikkou.
"You will do it the next time, right~?" Ikkou and the rest of the girls groaned out to hear what could only be Haruka Amanogawa, the best exorcist of them all and the one to start Ikkou's daily beatdowns. Seriously, she knows that her chest is the heaviest and always flashes to get what she wants, steps back a meter and laugh at the poor foul get what for; and that always seemed to be Ikkou.
"Guys, can we please wait to do this tomorrow? I am beat." Ikkou didn't know to feel relieved or scared for the morning, like always with Sumi Ikuina; the kindest of the girls to him, yet always cause another gang-up anyways. She is also the one that has the talent with animals and is often playfully chased by dogs or any other animal that walks with four legs.
"…" Then there is the silent and shy type of girl in the gang, Hinata Sugai. And she is also easily found by the little, fire-breathing imp on her shoulder. Both of which love to see Ikkou be the human punching bag, set on fire a few times than not.
"When we get back, you better make a feast for half a hundred, you slacking no-gooder!" That really made Ikkou's evening, not really since it was Sakura Sugai; and yes, she is Hinata's sister. And she also is the brainy girl that handles not only the temple, leaving Ikkou with most of the work of course, and is the student council present where the rest of the gang goes for High School. Also, she is an official glutton that enjoys pushing Ikkou around for her ridiculously large 'diet'.
"Fine, but if you don't like it then don't ask for seconds!" Ikkou used to be the type to try and put up with the abuse since he used to love girls, or rather what is under their clothes. But lately, he started to open his eyes and realize that if he wanted a girl for her looks, then he should look for one on the streets; Ikkou realized that their personality chemistry was never going to mix. "I mean it! I did my part and we lost money when you guys tried to seduce our client, in front of his wife!"
"Shut it and make us our dinner, pervert!" Ikkou rubbed yet another bruise on the cheek, it was actually quite numb compared to how hurt his heart was. He said nothing more until they finally got to the front gate to the temple, where an aged midget was waiting for them.
"I got a call that you idiots managed to mess up our pay, right in the middle of tax season! Haven't I told you to always leave it to Sakura-kun?" She was Jotoku Kawahara, owner and head monk of the temple. Like the rest of the girls, she beats and scolds Ikkou for either breaking a rule, behaving out of line or for the heck of it too. "And you, lazy and spoiled boy, should've been a man about it!"
"Whatever. I need to get dinner started." Ikkou walked past the old hag, ignoring her screaming at him. The girls didn't think much of it, only that they were going to get their dinner and maybe extras with their 'persuasion skills'.
But while there was food on the table, Ikkou left the kitchen and started to take his own food into the hallway. "You idiot! You are not allowed to eat anywhere but at the dinner table!" Ikkou growled quietly.
"If you need someone to beat down, I will be in my room studying for an exam later this week. That last job really set me back." Ikkou responded and left for his room. At least, that it looked like when,
"That moron doesn't know anything about studying, only reading those dirty magazines I keep finding in his room." Chitose huffed and ate her food, not even showing that it was rather delicious. "And now he is acting like he owns this place, the little pervert."
"Don't you think that is a little too harsh?" Sumi asked. "He does keep the temple clean and he cooks really good. He even helped me on my homework when I was having trouble on some math…"
"He probably just wanted to get into your room and see your underwear. He is the type of course." Yuuko retorted with a laugh. "So, he cleans and cooks, that just makes him even more pathetic as a man. It is his fault for messing up our work and he is a real pushover! How are we going to be good house wives when that idiot can't let us learn!?"
"Yuuko, you know that is not true. I have seen you hit Ikkou-kun when he was doing his homework and you wanted a snack." Sumi responded and Yuuko 'assaulted' her on the chest, like the latter does with the other girls.
"The point is, Sumi, that idiot better pull his weight around and do something productive for once in his life." Chitose stated. "If he doesn't get us money for the bills, then he can't keep lazing around being a pervert!" With a huff, she got back to eating her food. The rest of the girls didn't care about this discussion, only on the food and that they can't get seconds.
But none of them knew that Ikkou never moved an inch from the dining room door and listened to every word. 'Well there goes the second chance for you, Nanbu-san.' That was a dark thought for a hard-working and honest young man, probably from all the abuse that finally started to show. 'If you want someone to push around and yell at, find someone else. I am not going to be walked over anymore.'
With thoughts said in silence, Ikkou walked over his dinner to his room and got to work. Tomorrow is going to be a different day, for both him and all the girls of Saienji Temple. Something big is going to come and stay, whatever they like it or not.
XXXXX
The next day, the daylight alarm was heard and the girls dragged themselves out of their rooms. "Ikkou!" The tiny head monk shouted to a room door that hadn't been opened. "Ikkou! Wake up!" When they opened the door themselves, they found an empty bedroom. "Where is that foolish boy!?"
"Probably off somewhere, being the pervert that he is." Chitose growled out; she was the one with a crush that she will rather die than to admit. And she has this habit of putting down Ikkou due to him naturally attracted to 'well-grown' women, whatever or not that's the circumstances.
"Hey guys! I found Ikkou-kun! And see what he is doing!" Another one of the girls shouted and when everyone followed the voice, they saw the monk in question outside in the garden. He was sitting in the standard mediation posture; legs cress-crossed, eyes closed and hands together. There was also a strange glow forming an outline all around him.
"Just what the hell is he doing? And what is that shitty glow?" Yuuko remarked and while the rest of the girls are clueless, Head Monk Jotoku had the look of amusement and interest on her face.
"Well, what do you know? That foolish little boy actually can tap into his Super Monk energy." She answered, "He finally has been reading our scrolls and making some progress on his training. If he keeps it up, he might use his inner power at will." This was the real reason Ikkou was at the temple; he has a dormant energy power that is capable of exorcising any spirit or supernatural being. The problem is that Ikkou could only use it when his heart is racing; more specifically, when he witnesses a girl in the nude.
This slightly shocked the girls, they thought such an idea was impossible. "But of course," The head priestess suddenly sounded annoyed and walked over to Ikkou. "Why are you wasting time when you have chores to do!" She attempted to prove her point with her signature forehead chop; too bad that failed.
Yet Ikkou opened his eyes and the outline receded. "Good morning. As this is a weekend, I assumed that you all would've preferred to sleep in." Ikkou spoke in a soft yet confident tone. He then cracked some of his joints and stood up. That was when he noticed miniature hag. "My apologies for not responding, I was deep in meditation."
"I CAN SEE THAT!" The little wrinkled old ghoul shouted off before feeling her lungs shrink a little. She just signaled everyone to give her a moment to catch her breath. "Now tell me why you haven't done your chores!"
"They are done." Ikkou simply said, not sounding suspicious at all. "And I had my breakfast an hour ago. I also placed your breakfast on the table." The girls couldn't make anything out of this Ikkou; is he being sarcastic or is he being genuine with that tone. Ikkou just invited himself into the temple. "Pardon me while I consult the scrolls, I need to catch up on my studying."
"We will be the judges of that, lazy good-for-nothing!" Ikkou even ignored that response. And as he was in the library, the girls headed over to the dinner table to see plates and bowls of food already laid out.
"Wow! This is delicious! And it's so fresh too!" Haruka shouted out and ate through the entire breakfast in no time at all. The other girls sat down and upon eating their servings, they agreed with Haruka. "Ikkou is so amazing that he made us all this food and done his chores already this morning!"
"Bah! That pervert is probably lying his way into watching his porn videos, I just know it!" Chitose retorted with a huff, like every time Ikkou was complimented for anything. "As soon as I see those hallways dusty and muddy, that idiot will have to sleep outside the walls for this!" The other girls just ignored Chitose and finished their delicious breakfast, until they heard screaming outside the dining hall. "HOW THE HECK ARE THE HALLWAYS SO SPOTLESS!?"
The girls left the dining table and found Chitose looking like she was shocked out of her wits. And so, did they when the hallways shun like polished marble, even blinding them with the sun's rays. As soon as Chitose got out of her stupor, she was still grouchy. "That pervert got lucky."
With no cases to work on, just yet, the girls headed back to their rooms. Until they saw a sack of papers taped to their bedroom doors. This set Chitose off something as annoyed, and just grabbed hers to tear up. "I knew it! That pervert wanted to leave us some cheesy, corny love poems to make up to us!"
"I don't think so, Nanbu-san." Hinata said, actually reading what was on her bedroom door. "This is not a poem, it is more like a study guide." That confused Chitose and looked over Hinata's shoulder. The paper sheets did look like summaries of history in short sentences that still had a lot of content. "I think that Ikkou-san made these for us since we have a history mid-term later this week."
"…and I tore up my copy…" Chitose responded in a solemn look, disappointed in herself. For acting like a loose cannon, waiting for just one small thing to set her off. "Can I study with you guys tonight?"
Hinata shrugged. "You can ask Ikkou-san for an extra copy for yourself. It is always worth a try." Chitose tried to hide a sneer at the thought of actually talking to Ikkou. But she sucked it up and found Ikkou in the garden studying one of the scrolls, like he said so.
"I am slightly annoyed that you tore up the study guide I made for you without even reading a single sentence…" Ikkou spoke in a tone that was so sincere that it successfully made Chitose feel guilty and not ticked off, not the slightest. "I am sure that I can print a replacement before lunch time. And while you are out here, may you join me in studying these lessons on chants?"
"Fine." Chitose mumbled. "Just keep your hands and your comments to yourself." Ikkou nodded and went back to his scroll while handing out another for Chitose to take. And for a while, there was just silence between those two. However, the ice was broken when the sounds of a door opening and,
"I see you youngsters are finally listening to my advice." Chitose almost jumped out of her skin while Ikkou just directed his attention to the one person who will talk to them like that. Jotoku, in all of her dwarf glory, walked up to the two teenagers. "I just got a call about a case involving ghosts. And this client has crates of dough to burn so don't mess this up!"
"Of course, Lady Jotoku." Ikkou responded and headed back inside to get his uniform ready. And the old monk couldn't help but feel complimented by how polite and respectful the 'little spoiled idiot' had finally been to her.
'Maybe there is hope for you after all.' Jotoku thought to herself and whipped her head at Chitose. "And I said we have a case, so get going!" The young girl jumped yet again and rushed back into the temple.
Later, at the client's house,
"Hurry it up Ikkou, you idiot!" Chitose shouted as dozens upon dozens of ghosts swarmed all around them. All the while, the sole male monk was chanting out an incantation with the hopes of sealing away the troublesome spirits. It was just not going as fast as the girls wanted, especially as the poltergeists were trying to eat away their clothes.
"I guess that we will have to do it again!" Yuuko shouted and reached in for Chitose's clothes, with the intent to flash the latter for an instant cure. However,
"That is not necessary, Atouda-san." Ikkou responded and let out a strong, golden glow that made the spirits scream before they were vanquished, turned into harmless smoke. The light then died down and Ikkou relaxed himself a little, "I am glad that I finally got the hang of it. We're done here."
With that, Ikkou contacted the client and told her the good news. The girls were shocked that the client granted them extra cash when Ikkou enchanted the entire house with seals within just an hour. They were even a little peeved when the client gave Ikkou a kiss on the cheek as an 'extra-extra' bonus.
XXXXX
And this went on for several days,
"Just what is your problem!?" Surprisingly, it was both Chitose and Yuuko who cornered Ikkou, somewhat, while he was finished with his morning chores.
"I must beg my pardon, ladies, I have no issue to address." Ikkou responded, not even flinching to the growing angry looks on both teenaged girls. "I also must ask what has gotten you both in such a foul mood."
"YOU!" Ikkou's face finally twitched and yet didn't say a word. "In just one day, you suddenly are some hotshot because you finally use that perverted power of yours and you can do all the chores before sunrise! Well you are not, you are still a lazy, no-good idiot!" Chitose let out a few huffs while wondering why Ikkou was not arguing with her.
"Pardon me, I was under the impression that we were doing rather well in our studies. I was not aware that I was showing off." Ikkou responded and the girls were getting extra angry, trying to figure him out. "And I am sorry for offending you, but I am not changing back." Ikkou suddenly spoke, "Rest assured that I am have no more intention to indulge in perverted activities until graduation and I will be focusing on my studies and my work."
"Are we just too ugly for you!?" Yuuko finally shouted off and Ikkou stopped in his tracks. "I mean it! You might have been on our nerves but we are young and beautiful girls, so where is the praises!? The compliments!? The flattery!? Do you have another girl for you to hit on!?"
"Yuuko-san." Ikkou said with a firm tone that startled the bluehead. "I am a boy so I must be hitting on girls. You are a girl, so you must hate boys and see as living punching bags. Am I correct?"
"NO!" Yuuko screamed at Ikkou who only looked at her with an expression that said 'answer truthy'. "Well…maybe." Yuuko said while looking down, feeling a little ashamed.
"Yuuko, the point I am trying to make is that I am growing up." Ikkou then spoke up. "When I was first brought here to be trained, I thought that I was living the dream of every man. But no more. I am planning to graduate and move out of the city to attend college." This shocked everyone and before they could respond,
"All I have to say is that I am going to learn, train and study here while keeping my grades up. Once graduation comes, you all will never see me again." Ikkou continued. "Until then, I am willing to put up with anything that happens to this temple. And once I leave for college, you will never see me again and you can finally be happy with your lives. That is what a real man does to a woman." With that said, Ikkou left for his room and the girls stayed where they were for the rest of the day.
End of Chapter 1
*What do you think? I am making Ikkou a little OC, I am taking inspiration from the Naruto OC from 'A Frozen Heart', that is also based on Aizen from the Bleach Manga. I am not reinventing the character all together, just a smidge from the original Ikkou in the source material.
And I don't downright hate Chitose, that won't be fair for you lovers out there. I am simply portraying Chitose as I see her in the canon material. She is not going to be bashed, just taking the change extra hard in this chapter. CC is welcomed and flamers are ignored, thank you!*