Easier said than done
Chapter 1: Are you serious!
Irish: Hello everyone are you ready for this?
Yoh: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Irish: Fine, whatever this fic was inspired by the lovely chibichibiichigo you should check her out!
Irish: I don't own Shaman King and all that stuff
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"Are you feeling better honey?"
My mom asked as I was about walk out the door into the evil humid hot air that was Japan. My mom was fussing around getting ready for work.
"Yeah mom I'm off to school"
I said before she pulled me back in by the shirt collar. She pulled out a brush from her purse and ran it through the rat's nest that lived on my head. I brushed my hair this morning but it was still not good enough.
"Mom"
I moaned in between brushes.
"You have such pretty hair you really should grow it out"
Every girl at my school in America had super long hair, I decided to make a statement and cut my hair short, just bellow my chin. After having short hair long hair seemed like too much effort.
"Long hair is trouble some-ouch!"
I tried to pull but that made it worse.
"Stop pulling away" she kept brushing till she felt my hair met her standards "there perfect". It was annoying but she means well she doesn't want me to look like a "wild woman" at school.
"Bye have a good day"
She gave me a kiss on the cheek before shoving me out the door.
"You too mom"
I said walking out the door.
I had been sick with the flu for a week, Okay that's not entirely true I was sick with the flu but I was also suffering from heat stroke. You try going to a place with 100% humidity from where we're lucky to get a day of 60 degrees but now I am ready to get back to school. Walking to school I noticed people still stared at me even though I have lived in Japan for almost six months. I am from America from Maine specifically and moved to Japan after my mom got a job at the high school teaching English.
I don't think that was the only reason my father had passed away a year ago and I think mom wanted us to have a fresh start. I miss him and it hurts to think about him. I just wanted to get to school.
We got this small house in some neighborhood with a bunch of young families, I thought an apartment would be fine but mom wanted a house.
It's amazing how fast one could learn a foreign language when they were completely surrounded by it. Sadly the first four months of my move was spent learning how to read, write, speak and understand. Japanese schools only were three years instead of four, it was lame being a freshman again (I was a sophomore) but no one knew it. Funbari wasn't that bad of a place I mean it has the word fun it after all but I still missed my home. I missed the cool air, I missed the pine trees, and I missed books that weren't really hard to read.
I walked down the road missing the big yellow bus I used to see almost every morning. My skin was already burning from the heat, how can people live like this?
"Maya!"
I heard someone yell out.
Looking around I spotted a patch of light brown hair running behind me.
"Morty!"
He was short boy so short that you thought he was in elementary school with light brown hair and black eyes.
"How many times do I have to tell you my name is Manta!"
Oyamada Manta A.K.A Morty; he was the first person I meet in Funbari; I meet him in the horror section of the video store and we have been friends ever since. He was actually my only friend, when I first came to school people surrounded me like a endangered animal at the zoo but once the "new kid" charm wore off they isolated me because of my shy behavior. The fact that I vomited on my second day of school because of the heat did make me very popular. When I first met him I called him Morty instead of Manta by mistake and it was just so funny that I've been calling him that ever since. We both love the supernatural and quote on quote "spooky stuff". Walking up to Morty I noticed someone was with him. It was a boy I had never seen before.
A very cute boy.
The boy was taller than Monty and I, he held himself like there was nothing hold him down. He had brown hair pulled back into a pony, orange headphones around his neck, his shirt unbuttoned with black claws around his neck but what really won me over was his gentle brown eyes and serene smile. He was the wind on a hot day.
"Maya, this is my friend Asakura Yoh"
Morty said giving a name to the face. Yoh? Odd name but he looked like an odd kind of guy.
"It nice to meet you"
Good lord, he had such a sweet and gentle voice.
Yoh said taking my hand in his to shake it.
Man, his hands were so warm.
I could feel a strong spiritual energy coming from him; he had to be a shaman. I am also a shaman; I was trained by my grandmother to continue the family tradition after my mother refused to become a shaman. The family had no hard feelings for her decision; we are free to make our own choices and not let family control us. I became a shaman because it just felt right to me.
My spirit was Marzanna if you go by her polish name but she also is called More or Morena. She is the Baltic and Slavic goddess of death and rebirth in the terms of nature. She said she choose me because my blood called to her and that there was something important in my future. My mediums are the bracelets I wear because I have always been confident in my fighting abilities. I had been taking martial arts classes since I was eight (I'm 14), my dad took kung fu when he was a kid he wanted me to do the same. Marzanna prefers to not come to school with me; she finds the content way too boring for her. I have no idea what she does when I'm at school.
I needed to say something I had been thinking about crap for too long.
"It's nice to meet you too "
I tried to keep myself from curling up into a little ball blushing my brains out.
"Maya are you Okay? You seem to be spacing out a bit"
Morty said waving his hand in front of my face.
I realized that I been staring and had been holding his hand for a solid thirty seconds. Yoh was nice enough not to say anything but he had to be the sweetest guy in the world to not be creeped out by this.
"Crap! Sorry Morty I must be still a sick"
I yanked my sweaty gross hand out of this. I nervously laughed as I tried to whip hand behind my back. This was going so well, Morty was about to say something but Yoh burst out laughing.
"You call him Morty too!"
His laughter was infectious I started to laugh along with him.
"Yeah, why do you call him Morty?"
Finding the strength inside to act casual.
"He just looks like a Morty"
He said as if that made complete sense. His easygoing expression just made me laugh even harder; I haven't laughed like this since I came to this country.
The school bell starting to ring, ruining our conversation-to-be. I was more than willing to be late for class if I get to talk with Yoh longer.
"Come on you guys we have to get to class"
Morty on the other hand didn't want to get in trouble
"Yes Morty"
Yoh and I said in unison.
To be honest the rest of the school day was a blur the majority of my school day was spent watching Yoh sleep; it was creepy I know but he had such a cute sleeping face. It was so gentle and he had a slight smile on his face. I was also impressed that he could sleep in class without getting caught for three hours straight.
He woke up occasionally during class when the teacher called on him, Yoh even gave answers they weren't right but they gave the impression that he was paying attention. Once the teacher was satisfied Yoh would return to dream land.
Once the lunch bell rang he was wide-awake. We ate on the roof because that was a "prime cloud watching spot" according to Yoh. There weren't any clouds but I had a nice breeze. I found some shade so I don't burn to death. I reached inside my paper bag lunch I pulled out a sandwich. I ate in silence, Yoh wanted to enjoy his lunch period listen to his music. Morty was going to join us but he was held up by something.
"What are you eating?"
"Peanut butter sandwich."
I said making sure I had no food in my mouth before I said anything.
It was strange that such a lunch staple home would be completely foreign here. I always wanted to eat those fancy bentos that all the girls ate but I lacked the cooking skills and the patience. Who spends over an hour making a lunch?
"What's peanut butter?"
I looked over Morty decided to finally join us.
"Mushed up peanuts?" I wasn't sure how to describe it any other way.
Morty made a grimace but Yoh looked curious I could tell that he wanted to try it so I pulled a piece of my sandwich off and handed to him.
"Try it"
He ate without hesitation or complaint.
"Do you like it?"
He just stared off into space.
"I don't know yet"
I could tell by the look he was giving me that he wanted to give him some more but I wasn't having any of that.
"Well I'm not giving you anymore if that's what you're suggesting"
I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Stingy"
He said before laughing at me.
Hey it was my food; I have every right to be stingy with it. We in general silence but in a good way, it has been along time since I ate lunch with anyone so this really made my day.
Then I heard laughter; it wasn't the sweet laughter that Yoh had it was distinct ally female and positively maniacal. It was horrifying, it made my skin turn ice cold. It was like they were laughing at me like those mean girls would laugh at my when I did something that went against their social norms. It sent chills up my spine but Yoh and Morty didn't seem to hear it.
"Maya is something wrong?"
Maybe I was just hearing the conversations from downstairs or in the courtyard? Sound did travel so I decided to ignore it. The rest of the day went on as usual but I couldn't get that laughter out of my head.
All three of us walked home together; I lived in the other direction but I always walked Morty home he was just so small and he lived near this fast river on this old rickety bridge I always had a fear that he would fall and get swept away. I wanted to walk around but this was the only way. It wasn't a natural river either it was a man-made one used to catch rainfall, it had rained a lot this week so the water was rushing past. As we walked along the bridge Morty and Yoh argued (if you can call it that; Morty was the only one with a raised tone, Yoh just smiled and responded with a calm voice). It was a rather peaceful scene but strangely all I could think about was the laughter I had heard. I was walking ahead of them, I did that with Morty so if any of the wood gave way I would fall in.
"Hey Maya you're looking pretty pale. Are you okay?"
I was going to tell them I was fine but I never got the chance to.
CRACK!
Before Morty or I could even react Yoh fell through the wooden boards of the bridge and into the river.
As Morty screamed out Yoh's name,
"Morty hold these"
I handed him my glasses before I found myself submerged in ice-cold water; I had jumped in after him. I didn't regret my impulsive action; he was my friend so I had to save him. The water was moving fast; I felt myself being thrown around like clothes in a washing machine. I had to keep my head up or else both of us would drown (from what I have heard a lot of people in Japan cannot swim). Everything was blurry I could barely see without my glasses.
"Yoh!"
I called out; I knew I would not get a response but I knew it would reassure him that someone was coming to help. I thanked the lord above this wasn't a real river if there were any large rocks we'd be boned.
As the water was trying to pull my head down again I saw a mop of brown hair struggling against the current. Finding myself with renewed strength I swam with the current and grabbed onto him. He wasn't moving at all; he must have fallen unconscious. That was going to be a problem; I had to keep his head as well as mine or else.
"Maya! Yoh!"
I heard Morty's voice; he was running alongside the river; he looked like he was running a marathon. I felt like I was running one too; my body hurt and it was so cold. I wanted to call out for Marzanna but I would only get a mouthful of water. Pushing my body forward I reached the edge of the river; I desperately searched for something to grab onto but the sides were too smooth there wasn't anything to grab onto.
Please let there be a ladder or something! Please God!
Just before I felt myself be swept away by the current my hand hit something metal; grabbing onto to it I pulled our bodies toward it. It was a ladder! Latching one of my legs onto it I pulled Yoh's body out first, I need to do some chin ups after this my upper body strength sucked. I felt him being pulled out by Morty. I followed soon after laying on the ground half panting half crying. That was the scariest thing I have ever done in my entire life but I was glad that it was all over. Morty handed me back my glasses before going to look at Yoh. I slumped onto the ground wanting to rest.
"Maya! Yoh isn't breathing!"
My eyes snapped open and I pulled myself toward them. Morty was trying to slap him awake.
"How he wasn't under water that long?"
"He must have hit his head or something"
This was starting out so great and now everythings gone to shit.
"What do we do?"
Morty's father worked at a hospital so Morty had a lot of experience with medical stuff at least I hope he did.
"He has a pulse but I'm not heavy enough to perform CPR I need your help"
I had seen CPR done on TV so I had the basic idea of how it was done but I was going to need Morty's help.
"Place your hands there and push up and down"
He pointed to a spot on Yoh's chest and I began to push. I knew the next part of CPR and I hoped Morty was going to be the one to do it.
"How long to do we do this for?"
"You know that song Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees?"*
"Yeah?"
"Sing that song in your mind and follow the rhythm of the song."
I sang that dumb disco song in my head following along with the rhythm. Morty moved Yoh's head making sure his airways were open.
"Push air into his lungs"
Morty shouted.
"Why me?"
I'm not going to kiss a guy I just met no matter how cute!
"Cause you have bigger lungs than I do! Now hurry!"
He had a point; taking a deep breath I pressed my mouth to his and blew air into his lungs. I tried desperately to think that this was like a kiss but it wasn't working.
This is not how I wanted to get my first kiss.
"Now push his chest again!"
It went on like this for what seemed like hours; I pushed on his chest, sang the song and blew air into his mouth. My body hurt; everything hurt but I kept going. As I pushed air into his lungs brown eyes snapped open and his body threw itself upwards throwing my off his body. Water came gushing out his mouth and he was coughing so hard one would think that he was going to cough out a lung. I backed away giving him room for air after a few coughs his breathing returned to normal.
I was cold, tired and soaking wet.
It didn't matter though Yoh was alive.
I jumped onto him threw my arms around his neck and gave him a hug. Even after being tossed around in that river he was still warm.
"Thank God you're alright," I whispered
"What happened?"
He choked out.
"You almost drowned you idiot!"
Said an angry voice above us.
Looking over at us from the hill was a pretty girl wearing a little black dress and a red bandana. With her blonde hair she would have looked like an angel if it weren't for the icy glare and snarl on her face.
"Anna!"
Yoh shouted.
"Anna?"
The girl "Anna" walked and by walked I mean stomped right up to us, putting her hands on her hips she stared down at us.
"And what do you think you are doing with my fiancée?"
I jumped away from him in shock.
"Fiancée!"
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Irish: So there's the first chapter but I want to make one thing clear there will be NO Anna bashing! I like Anna she's pretty cool.
*They do teach you about the Bee Gees thing in real CPR classes
Irish: You see that sexy review button you should totally click it.