Shaman Rose

by HiddenFae

Everyone knows the story of Yoh Asakura, but what if one thing was changed? The change causes a tempest between his body and spirit, a detrimental occurrence for any shaman, and Hikari had to work through it. How much will everything change? (Fem!Yoh / Trans! Yoh)

Shaman Rose

By: Hidden Fae

Awakening and Friends

"Maybe one day we can choose how it feels to be a woman or a man

without rules but buried underneath there's a picture glued.

So when my body burns in ashes only sing the truth

Let these words strengthen all your views

because these words were meant for you"

Hollywood Undead This Love This Hate

-Story Start-

The sun was high in the sky, beating down and gleaming off of the river as a soft wind blew across the water. Every small wave glistened like silver as they pounded upon the rocky bank. The trees swaying in the gentle wind in rhythm with the rolling river, scattering their fallen leaves everywhere. It was a perfect image of simple beauty, and you would never guess that there was a city beyond those rock standing as a barrier behind the trees. Obscuring this vision of paradise only touched by two people.

A short old man sat upon one of the rocks. His wild gray hair sticking out like wings and crowning around his shining bald head. Grey robes pooling around him as he sat there, eyes closed. It was as if the old man was in a deep trance, canceling all of his human senses to focus on something higher. To focus on his student's attempt.

Said student was just in front of him, a small boy. Barely eight years old. He stood there wearing a black vest and short lined with orange, matching the headband in his unruly brown hair. Those little eyes were clenched closed as a small right hand hovered over a dead leaf that had fallen hours ago. The child was concentrating solely on the object as he released a small grunt.

The old man cracked open an eye. Had the child finally overcome his inner turmoil and accessed his furyoku, his spirit energy or essence? He kept watching as the boy put his other hand over the leaf. A bright light engulfed the area, blinding the child as his arms came up to block his eyes. 'Yes!' The old man thought before the light faded.

The light faded just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving in its wake...a slightly smoking leaf. The old man sighed as he jumped off of the rock, landing with more ease and grace than most of age were capable of. Small leaves surrounded the man, springing to life around him. All of them had glowing blue, round bodies with two large points on top and four little pointy limbs. The leaf spirits danced around the old man as he walked up to the child.

"You need to concentrate harder, Yoh." The old man told the boy as he stood behind the hunched child. "It is a simple feat, and I know it's hard for you, but you must find a way-"

"I DON'T WANT TO BE A SHAMAN!" The boy cried out as fell to his knees, a few tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked at the smoldering leaf in front of him. "I can't find it, there's just too much wrong with me grandpa…"

The old man knelt down beside the boy, resting his aged hand on a quivering shoulder as the boy continued to sob. "There is nothing wrong with you, Yoh." The grandfather whispered soothingly as he gently squeezed the boy's shoulder to comfort him. "You have a tempest disrupting what is between your soul and you body, yes. But I believe if you reveal it to others you may be able to weather that storm and be the strongest of us all."

"But...I don't wanna be a shaman...I wanna be a…" Yoh mumbled as his grandfather quirked his right brow up, gripping his grandson's shoulder even tighter. "I can't...I'm afraid no one would like me anymore."

"Yoh, you are my grandchild, and I have liked you." The grandfather said as his grandson turned to him with a shocked expression, one of pure panic as if he was about to be thrown out. "I have never liked you, because I have always loved you." He paused for a moment as a smile stretched his face as the boy's tears started up again. "So tell me, what is causing this storm within you?"

Yoh reached a little hand up to his eyes and started to wipe the tears away. Would his grandfather always be there? Would he understand? "I've….I feel like my body is wrong…" The boy sobbed as he looked up at his mentor and then started to think. "My spirit...feels different when compared to me body...you've always said a body and spirit match, but mine doesn't...not like yours."

The old man nodded as he listened to his grandson. He had figured the static between Yoh and his furyoku stemmed from that night eight years ago. "There are ways to fix this." Again, Yoh was shocked. He didn't want his spirit to change, it was made him who he was. But it would relieve the pain. "Physically of course, nothing can be done about your spirit. However, there are ways to alter your body to be true to who you are."

"By becoming Shaman King…"

"No, you would make for a terrible Shaman King." The grandfather smiled and stood straight up as Yoh slumped again. "However, there are physical means we can take to calm the tempest blocking your from your soul until you are ready to become the Shaman Queen."

Yoh was speechless as he fell forward, landing on his face in a very ungraceful manner. He quickly sat back up with a questioning look, asking how the old man knew. His grandpa only smiled wider as he held out his right hand to the young boy. "I've always known, I even told your father the night you were born that this would be your greatest hurdle, one of you have to overcome with your own strength." His wide smile softened, his right hand still outstretched. "So I ask again, what does your soul want from your body?"

Yoh took the hand offered to him, feeling his grandfather's calloused hand against his own smooth skin. "It wants me to….to be a...girl…"

"Then come with me young one, and we will try again...together."

Later that night, they both witnessed something amazing. Not only had accepting his...no her...own storm, but also telling someone else, had led to her finally not only producing a leaf spirit, but an entire tree full. They all leapt and danced about without a care in the world except for the will of their young mistress who happily played with them.

-5 Years Later Tokyo-

The night was young, and the sky was beautiful. The moon was full and bright in the sky over the graveyard. It was just so sad that the city lights were shining brighter than stars and caused them to fade, but they could still be seen. It could have even been peaceful, if the noises from the city weren't so distracting. Oh well, no one was here to interrupt.

Unfortunately a young, and vertically challenged student was currently running through the graveyard, a book of ghost stories under his arm. His sandy-brown hair danced with each paranoia induced turn, trying to tell himself they weren't real. 'You could have taken the earlier English class and caught the train, but no, you wanted the late to sleep in, Manta!' The boy yelled in his head as he got up to the top of monument hill, the only point where he could cross the graveyard without being disrespectful to any resting spirits. 'Just don't think about the demon lady that was killed up here centuries ago. Yeah, it's just a superstitious story to keep little kids from acting up.' He was about to cross beside the little shack and could see the exit as plain as day in front of him.

"Hey, you want to join me and my friends, it's a beautiful night and you can almost see all of the stars."

Manta's short legs stopped in mid step. No one was ever up here this late, not unless they missed the train. Especially someone with such a cute voice. So it had to be the demon lady! The short student turned his head slowly to the left, his eyes so wide and fearful that his pupils had shrunk down to pin points. He quickly regained his composure, however, when he saw who spoke.

It was a girl, with shoulder length chocolate brown hair, with a two locks bound in sets of colorful beads, the front lock sporting two small feathers. The girl was lithe, thin, but not unhealthy so, but was definitely lacking in the chest area where other girls had basically sprouted overnight. She had on the girl's uniform of his school: the green pleated skirt, white buttoned blouse and the knotted red ribbon. The biggest differences were the orange headphones she used to keep her wild hair out of her eyes and thick-soled sandals on her feet. The biggest shocker made itself known in the paranoid area of Manta's mind, 'SHE'S SITTING ON THE DEMON LADY'S TOMBSTONE!'

"I would love to, but I need to be getting him." Manta said as he fidgeted and scratched the back of his head nervously as he looked at the grinning girl. 'Not to mention she's a bit crazy…' He quickly shook his head and pointed the separate hill that was connected by a bridge. "Plus you're kinda alone."

"Really, I thought you could see them too…" She whispered sullenly before lifting her arms up. "Come on guys, don't be shy!"

'Yeah, she's crazy alright.' Manta processed the information before his jaw fell open. Transparent people were ducked under the girl's arms, holding her up as she hugged their necks with an even wider smile. People were all around her, and he would swear they had come from a museum costume party with how they were dressed, but he could see through them! "See, my friends!" She grinned happily.

"Gh-ghosts?" The girl nodded. Manta did the only thing any self-respecting boy could do when confronted by ghosts. No one in his position could blame him. The height deficient lad scream like a little girl and ran away so fast he actually kicked up a dust trail in his wake.

"Did we over it, guys?" The girl asked as the ghosts all shrugged.

-Line Break-

'No one believes me, but I did. I know what I saw.' Manta's head shifted around again, somehow thinking that proof would just pop right out of the sky and land in his lap. Then again, it may have just his imagination, he had never seen that girl before, right? So maybe his mind projected his ideal girlfriend in his eyes to mess with him for reading those ghost stories on the way home? But could his mind have fooled his ears too? The voice was to cute and sounded like honey to be imaginary. So it could been a hallucination. Right?

There was nothing he could do, and he sure as hell could convince his classmates without proof. The little boy was caught between a moving truck and hot asphalt. 'Okay, not really, but 'between is overrated' nowadays.' He thought as the teacher walked in.

The old man straightened his tie as the students start sit at attention. Better to go ahead and get the class over with instead of wasting more time here. "Alright, before we begin, I would like to introduce our newest student." The teacher turned to the door a motioned for her to come in.

What happened next caused Manta's jaw to drop for the second time within twenty-four hours. It was the girl from last night, and she had a sweet and innocent smile on her face which was thrown off by the nervous look in her eyes. Her hands gripped the strap to her schoolbag that she held in front of her took a quick breath before her eyes calmed and her smile grew brighter, "Hi everyone, I'm Asukara, Hikari."

Yeah, her voice was definitely cute and sweet like honey. All the boys were starting to whisper about her, a few in the back even saying what they would like to do to her. Manta on the other was still letting his jaw as his eyes bugged out without any pupils. "IT'S YOU, FROM LAST! WHY ARE YOU HERE?" The boy yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at the girl, standing with one foot in his chair and the other on top of his desk.

"Huh?" The girl squeaked out as she tilted her head to her left cutely.

The first half of the day seemed to drag by after Hikari was placed in the empty seat next to Manta. She had her book up and everything, but been the feeling of lust from the majority of the guys, and that small trickle of confusion and anger from from the vertically challenged boy, it was hard to concentrate on school work. The feeling scared her for an entirely different reason though. 'Please tell me I did everything right! I hope I'm doing it right.' Hikari lifted her head from her book, fighting against her nature to sleep with her eyes open, and was currently winning thanks to her fear. 'They know, oh damn they know. I just started this class and I bet the whole school already knows!'

The lunch bell soon rang, and the girl was about to fall flat on her desk before a couple of guys walked up to her. "Hey, we were wondering if a cutie like you would like to have lunch with us on the roof. People hardly go up there, so no one will be able to interrupt out meal." The boys were smooth talkers, that's for sure, and Hikari's heart was definitely fluttering, but it wasn't because of the boy's words. It was the connotation behind them that caused her to smile.

"I would love to, but I'm still trying to learn the school. I don't want to get lost coming back." She spoke sweetly as that cute smile returned. In her mind she only thought one thing one repeat, 'I'm passing!' The boys looked defeated, but they were kind enough to not force anyone to do what they didn't want to.

The rest of lunch of quiet, well almost quiet. Hikari looked down to her left and saw the short boy from last. "Tell them, tell them I'm not crazy and that you were on monument hill surrounded by ghosts!" Manta yelled, his accusing finger still strong as it pointed at her.

"Uh...who are you? Morty, right?"

"It's Manta! And don't pull that crap, we met last night, you know, when you asked to hang out with you and your friends!"

"Sorry...but I just got here this morning."

Manta fumed and jumped back into his chair as everyone else started to crowd around her. The girls were asking where she got the beads and feathers in her hair while the boys were openly staring. Hikari tried to remain calm, she didn't think was beautiful or cute, like most of the guys had said. Then again, they do say that the biggest critic that will always tell you your flaws is yourself.

The rest of the day was uneventful, nothing major happening. Manta didn't blow up again, but he had this strange gleam in his eyes, like he had come up with the perfect plan. The bell rang and she went to her locker, trading her indoor sneakers and school regulation stocking for her sandals. However, she also had to deal with a handful of letters crowding her small locker. It seemed the walking around between classes had earned her a few admirers, to say the least. "Really? Well at least it boosts my confidence." She whispered as she slid the sandals on with practiced ease before heading out. "There we go, way more comfortable!"

Manta followed right behind her, making sure was far enough away before turning corners. Which didn't take long, but had caused him to run a lot with his small wasn't as tall as the other girls, but she could move. 'The way she moves…' Manta thought with puppy dog gleam in his eyes. Plus the way her skirt bounced with every pop of hips as she stepped. The boy quickly shook his head as the vibes started to creep him out. 'I'm not a stalker! I'm on a mission!'

The next few hours were boring as hell! How had she spent all of her time here, staring at a single stream until the sun started to set? It had gotten so dull that Manta pulled out his book and started reading. Only stopping when she leaned back from the railing and stretched out. "I could relax here all day!" She voiced her opinion before walking away.

The short boy fumbled to get his book back in his bag, only to drop it. He hurried to pick up and follow after the girl, ready to begin the hunt for evidence once again. His small legs carrying him to the next street. There was just one problem. "I lost her!" He yelled as a new idea popped into his head. "But I know where she'll be tonight!"

-Line Break-

"Listen boys, I don't care if this was girl ultra mellow. Hell I don't even care she was a woman!" A man wearing a white suit and purple shirt yelled as he gripped the wooden sword resting on his shoulder. "But the Dead Enders have been run out of everywhere we have tried to call our own, and will not surrender, not after searching for so long." He calmed down as his impossibly styled hair, that would even make Elvis cringe at his butchered signature style, pointed toward the moon. "Monument Hill is our Sacred Hang, and we must defend it. If she shows back up, we let her know that this place is ours, a place where we can be ourselves!"

'You know, if he wasn't scary, he could a cool guy…' Manta thought as he tiptoed away, completely unaware of the beer can a few steps in front him.

"But Ryu, she's just a kid. Didn't you say that we had to become gangsters to help this city?" A large man, okay he was fat and huge, or at least like it, with 'B. B.' tattooed across his belly stepped forward.

"I don't want to do it either B Boy, but we have to show the other gangs we mean business. If that means roughing up a single person, girl or no, we must do it. Only when they realize we are here to stay will we be prepared to strike." Ryu said again as he held the sword in front of as if it were a cane.

"Okay, but why here? What about the Demon Lady Kikuchi?" A man wearing a long hoodie stepped forward, his hood up and casting a shadow over his face. "This is her burial site, what if she comes back to haunt us?"

"You want to know what I think of such superstitious nonsense?" Ryu lashed out with his wooden sword, completely unseen as it shattered the ancient tombstone that the girl was perched on last night. Rage, pure and unbridled, seeped from his very core as the wooden sword samurai examined his work, pleased. The gang behind him trembled in fear as the sound of can echoed through the graveyard.

The gang rushed around the shrine, looking for what made the sound. The men were all terrified, surely it had to be the demon lady's spirit. They just knew it, and each one already began thinking of their cries for mercy. Yet Ryu was unafraid, willing to hurt anyone who trespassed on his sacred hang. They all turned to the back of the building...and looked down.

"Uh-heh...Hi...guys…" Manta choked out as he started to back away. "Nice night...huh?"

Ryu's eyes once again shined with rage, as if he was holding back a primal fire. He only muttered two words. Two words that leave the short boy wishing he had never come here. "Get him."

-Line Break-

All the students crowded around little Manta, who had bandages wrapped around his head and a casted arm supported in a sling. He was also sporting a bruised left eye. He heard them talking about how he was stupid to try and pick a fight with the Dead Enders, and about how lucky he was to be alive. The short boy didn't pay any attention, just looking down at the ground. It wasn't like he went there to start a fight...he had just wanted proof.

"I'm sorry." The soft voice cut through the crowd of kids and Manta looked up to see the girl, Hikari, standing in front of him. There was no pained anger, the kind you get when someone close to you got hurt. No, it was just sorrow, grief for not being there to stop it sooner. "You went there for me, didn't you?"

Manta only nodded as she grabbed the little boy's good hand and started to walk off, her thick sandals clicking on the tiled floor. The boy went to say something, but it was caught in his throat and he only managed a gasp. "It's okay, my friends told me what happened…" She started, looking sad as she continued. "I knew you were following me all day, I figured you would give up if I stared at the river for a few hours...and I'm sorry I didn't act like I knew who you were, Morty, but I didn't want to get a lot of unwanted attention…"

"First, I get that you didn't want a lot of attention...Second, it's Manta, not Morty." The boy raged as his little legs went into overdrive trying to keep up with the girl who was dragging him. "Third, where are we going?!"

"I know your name, but Morty sounds cuter, as in Manta Shorty!" Hikari laughed innocently as the pair walked out of the school just as the bell started to ring. "And we're going to make everything right!"

-Line Break-

The sun had just set as Hikari sat on the broken tombstone. It was considered a sin to almost everyone for a monument such as this to be destroyed. It was utterly heartbreaking that spirits had to put up with this from time to time. Having to deal with punks who they could do anything without any rest. Good thing there were still a few good people left in the world...like Hikari and Morty!

"Is it really necessary for me to be tied to a tree?" Hikari had her head tilted back to see the stars, slowly turning to look at Manta with a smile on her face.

"Yep." The girl chirped as she stretched her legs and arms as her smile grew even wider. "I was getting tired of sitting on you, ya know. It really hurt my butt." Manta then proceeded to start opening his mouth and putting his foot in it by spouting off nonsense, even getting in a line about how they should leave before the Dead Enders showed up.

"What do we have here, boys?" A smooth yet angry voice filled the dead air. "What are you doing at the Dead Enders' sacred hang?"

Manta's eyes went wide and started to bulge as he turned to look at the voice. He knew who that voice belonged to, and he was currently holding back from...okay he was about to wet his pants. Who wouldn't in his situation? And Hikari, well she was standing up and patting down her school skirt before turning to face the tallest man who was leading the little gang behind him.

"Simple, Ryu, I just want two apologies. One for my friend, Morty-" "IT'S MANTA!" "-and the other one for destroying Kikuchi's tombstone."

Ryu just looked at the girl as his hand gripped the hilt of his wooden katana, openly gaping at either her courage or sheer stupidity. It didn't matter which it was, she would soon learn the same lesson. "I don't wish to do this, know that, but no one tresspasses on our sacred hang...get her boys." The leader said calmly as the hooded man along with a gray haired man wearing a tank top charged out.

"Keep your eyes on me, Manta. You're about to see something very few ever do." Hikari said as her right foot slid behind her left, both bending at the knees as if she was about to pull a out a sword (no, not that one, get your mind out of the gutter!). "You ready...Kikuchi?"

"Yes, and I thank you for the chance at vengeance." A strong yet silky voice said. Manta's eyes widened as a form of light came into being behind the girl. The image appeared to be tearing apart from the edges as Hikari raised her right hand to the sky as the men charged in at unheard of speeds.

"Kikuchi, SPIRIT FORM!" The image of light was pulled into a small, blazing orb in the girl's hand as she held in front of her, palm down, allowing two fierce eyes to look through her fingers. "UNITY!" Her right hand slammed into her chest, forcing her to double over as Manta saw energy trying to compress itself into Hikari's body.

The men were right on top of her when, but the technique had been completed. All of this in a matter of moments. Hikari jumped forward, her right hand picking up a temporary wooden tombstone, holding it like a sword. Her swing was fast, too fast. The two men went flying apart from each other as she stood in the center of where they once were.

Hikari returned to a swordsman stance, and Manta could have sworn that he saw another image over Hikari's. Long raven hair tied into a ponytail with bandages binding her large bust and lower abdomen, all the way to what appeared to be a tattered white kimono top that hung at her hips, and covered with a red battle dress.

"I'm still waiting for that apology, Ryu." Hikari said with two voices. One was her natural sweet tone while the other one was fierce, just like the voice from earlier.

"Go to hell!" Ryu shouted as he rushed in, swinging with practiced ease, but wildly from rage.

Hikari parried each strike as if she were a master samurai. Each wild blow went wide as she knocked the wooden sword away. Someone was waiting for an opening with a practiced gaze as the Ryu kept swinging, bringing in other hand to get more power. The added power caused the girl's arms to almost buckle, not having the strength to keep this up despite having the knowledge of many battles telling her muscles what to do.

Then she had it! Ryu had pulled both of arms over his head, trying to break through the girl's defenses and get at the one who had wronged him. Manta couldn't keep his eyes on Hikari as she practically disappeared, reappearing in the gang leader's reach and swinging her right arm in a skyward arcs as raven colored hair flew everywhere, and the wooden gravemarker was then against Ryu's neck. Resting just above his shoulder as if it was ready to finish this fight once and for all.

"I'll take more than a little off the top the next time you decide to desecrate a spirit's final resting place." Hikari whispered for only Ryu to hear as his hair fell to frame his sharp face. He looked up to see his ruined style, his eyes soon rolling back as he fell to his back in an ungraceful heap.

-Line Break-

"I thank you again, Lady Hikari." Kikuchi said as she bowed, the blue hilted katana at her side gleaming in the moonlight as the mentioned girl and Manta inspected their work. It wasn't the best, but it was start. Hopefully the caretaker would take care of it in the morning.

"It was nothing, Kiku-chan!" Hikari sang out as Manta looked between the two. They were just fighting a strong opponent not even an hour ago, but they already started talking as if nothing happened. It had to be a woman thing, it just had to be.

"Hey...Hikari...how did you do that? How did you force the Demon Lady-" Kikuchi gave the short man an evil glare at the mention of that particular name she had earned since her death. "I-I mean Kikuchi...how did you force her into your body."

Hikari only smiled with bright white teeth. "Its because I'm a shaman. It's difficult to explain, but I will tomorrow." She said while stretching and stifling a yawn. "But first I need to get some sleep. Thank you for the help, Kiku-chan."

The spirit merely nodded as she watched the two leave the graveyard. She stayed there for a few minutes, thinking on what she had discovered on this day. "You know Wajirou, she is one of a kind." Kikuchi whispered to the full moon as her left hand rested on the pommel of her katana. "A spirit such as her own, trapped within that body...it must be unbearable for her at times." She looked back down, watching as the two had finally reached the gate with Manta shouting about how she could do these things. "I hope she finds peace one day, if only to end her torment...yet I felt she is too strong, or stubborn, to opt out of life."

Kikuchi then looked back up at the stars and moon before sitting, resting her back against the repaired tombstone. At least she had found someone who didn't treat her like a vengeful spirit. Maybe there was a chance she would finally reach peace?