Additional Author's Notes: If you are reading this, then I would just like to be perfectly clear that what you see here was originally posted on my LiveJournal Community for the enjoyment of my friends as we speculated about how the manga was going to end. I started this little series of side stories back in March in an effort to give some background to the original characters I was dealing with while role-playing. Originally I had no desire to make a big production out of it, but then it turned out a lot better than I thought it would. It might be a little rough around the edges, but it gave me the opportunity to explore some interesting territory. Anyway, if I haven't scared you off already, I hope you will enjoy the story.

At the very least you won't have to wait around for five months to get through the whole thing like my friends did.

Disclaimer: Although the severely warped and twisted imagination is my own, Shaman King and its characters are the property of Hiroyuki Takei.

Author's Notes: As a result of reading ahead through the Manga scanlations of the original Shaman King manga release and the most recent additions in the Kang Zeng Bang continuation I have begun to rethink certain aspects of the character I had created for the Mankin Universe, originally based exclusively on information from the Anime, but modified accordingly as I learned new details from reading the Manga. At this point I believe, with some confidence, that I should be able to finally tell her story from the beginning. If you have a low tolerance for original characters and/or alternative universes, then I would advise you to occupy your attention elsewhere as this probably isn't for you. I hope that the rest of you will be able to find some enjoyment from this little side story as I already have a good feeling about it and I've barely even gotten started yet.

Introduction Part 1 -- At That Time

It was something I never really gave much thought to. I mean, I knew my mom didn't like me hiking to the waterfall by myself because of the remote possibility that there could be mountain lions in the area, but it was hard for me to believe that there was really anything dangerous about that particular trail. After all, I grew up there and it was a place I always felt comfortable with even when the rest of the world was getting me down.

Back then the state park was my backyard. I didn't know about the spirit world, or rather, I wasn't yet aware that I had already become acquainted with it. Sure, I had experienced some things that I couldn't explain and my ideas when playing make believe had a way of seeming a little too real much to the discomfort of the parties involved, but I managed to remain firmly grounded by the association that I simply had an overactive imagination.

That way of thinking was alright while I was still in elementary school, but as soon as I was in middle school I was expected to stop playing around and act more grown up. I was a little upset at first, but I got over it because I could still keep a record of my stories in writing even if I could act them out myself. I was nearly ready to accept that anything out of the ordinary that might have happened to me before was merely something I had imagined.

I'm not sure what would have happened if I had carried on that way, but on that day it didn't matter because as I was walking along the usual path to the waterfall I saw him. In retrospect, it might have helped if I had payed a little more attention to the strange, dark-haired boy in the white cloak and fantastically over-decorated pants, but it was the flaming giant that stood behind him that really got my attention. It was unlike anything I had ever imagined which meant I couldn't possibly have been responsible for the fact that it was standing there and yet there it was plain as day.

The moment didn't last long. The boy climbed onto the giant's outstretched hand and took to the sky. In a matter of seconds they were gone from sight as if nothing had happened. I was about ready to dismiss the whole thing as a trick of the light or something, but nevertheless I decided I might as well head home.

The following afternoon I couldn't shake the feeling that something important had happened. With that in mind I decided that this time around I wouldn't be deterred from making the journey to the waterfall. There was no better place for me to collect my thoughts and ease my nerves. However, even a place I had become so familiar with over the years had managed to change in a way that I hadn't thought to prepare myself for.

At first glance it looked as if there was a perfectly ordinary, albeit rather out of place, small black kitten sitting on a rock in the middle of the creek staring at me with piercing green eyes. At first I was a little taken aback simply because this wasn't the sort of place one might expect to find such a small, helpless creature. However, I think it was the intelligent gleam in its eyes that made me start to wonder if perhaps things weren't quite as they appeared. When the kitten spoke an instant later my suspicions were confirmed and my life would be changed forever.

"You're late," the kitten remarked in a commanding tone that seemed rather unfitting for one so small.

I was momentarily dumbfounded. To her credit, taking on the form of a talking cat was probably the most effective way to get my attention on account of the fact that it, like the fiery giant, was something that I never would have thought of on my own. If not for that fact I might well have remained a skeptic. However, as it was, I managed to find my voice to respond to the talking kitten that stood before me.

"Are you talking to me?" It seemed like such a silly question because the kitten was looking straight at me, but I didn't want to jump to any wrong conclusions.

"I don't see any other small blond human children around here in direct violation of the rules set by their parents," the kitten assured her. "And I take it you must be wondering about that guy that was here yesterday."

At that point I must have fallen over into the creek because I distinctly remember going home wet. I stared at the strange, talking kitten for a moment before speaking up again.

"Who or what are you? And why do you know so much about me?" I must have really sounded like an idiot, but then again I honestly had no idea what I was getting into back then.

"You can call me Taki," the kitten responded in what seemed, at first, to be an unnecessarily cheerfully manner, but I think in reality she was trying to make me feel more comfortable. "It's Japanese for the word 'waterfall' and I'm sure if you think about it hard enough you can figure out the rest for yourself." She paused for several long seconds like she was waiting for me to say something to all that and then she continued. "Anyway, there isn't really a whole lot of time for that so I guess since you've been such a good sport about all this I'll just go ahead and tell you I'm the spirit of this waterfall."

Alright, maybe this was when I fell over. On the other hand maybe I just didn't bother to get back up.

"Considering how often you come here we've known each other for a pretty long time," Taki added hurriedly. "I know this is a lot to take in, but you probably already know that I'm telling you the truth."

When I stopped to think about it I realized that this was indeed the case even if I didn't fully comprehend why that was. After a brief pause I nodded in confirmation to show that I at least had a partial understanding of what she was saying.

"I can see spirits?" I asked trying to keep the surprise from my voice and failing spectacularly. I had joked about the supernatural often enough with my friends that it didn't come as a total shock to me, but the fact that everything I had almost managed to discredit as being a product of my overactive imagination was being revealed to me to be something that was in fact real still caught me by surprise. It didn't last long because the more I thought about it the more it just seemed right to me somehow.

"Now you're getting it," Taki replied. She hopped off the rock she had been sitting on and began strolling leisurely upstream along the surface of the water to join me. "Well, I've taken some liberties and discouraged the more malicious ones from bothering you, but the more playful and mischievous ones have been around you all the time." She paused and added, "I hope they didn't give you and your friends at school too much trouble. They were bored so I figured you might be able to have some fun with them even if you didn't realize what you were doing."

"I'm sorry," I answered dumbly. "I'm not sure I get what you're saying."

Taki struck a dramatic pose on the water raising a forepaw to point up at me, "You are someone who is capable of seeing and interacting with the spirit world."

I continued to stare blankly at her.

"Kiddo," Taki pounced onto my chest and pinned me down on my back against the edge of the creek, "you have shamanic powers!"

At the time I didn't understand what that meant, but it would eventually prove to be a significant aspect of my future.

To Be Continued...