Disclaimer: Shaman King belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and Shonen Jump, not me.

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The little girl sat alone in the corner, playing quietly by herself. "And the kaa'san says to the tou'san, 'Let's take the baby to the park, shall we?' and then they take the baby to the park and play games," she murmured to herself, playing with her dolls. "And then the baby's guardian ghost says, 'I would like to play,' and they all say, 'Hai, come and play with us' and they all played together and were happy."

"Mistress!" The wraithlike governess grabbed her small charge by the arm. "What are you doing under the table? Your parents will be furious if they saw how dirty you've gotten!"

The little girl smiled impishly. "I'm playing with the kaa'san and the tou'san and the baby and the jiang-si!" she announced, holding up her dolls in her grubby little hands for her governess to see.

The woman swatted the girl across the face. "No Japanese! Speak only Chinese! Your parents insist on it!" she said. "You do not want to make your parents angry, do you?"

The child's face blanched. "No," she said in a tiny voice. "I do not want to make them angry."

Suddenly a sound caught her ear. "Why is there a baby crying?" she inquired, cocking her head to the side.

"It's your brother," the governess said shortly. "Now come along." She tried to tug the girl along with her, but the pixie broke free and ran down the hall, following the sound.

She heaved open the heavy mahogany doors and giggled with delight when she saw the crib. "I have a brother!" she said. She stood on tiptoe and peeked at the baby. Her eyebrows lowered in a frown. "Do not cry!" she told him, unconsciously using the same tone her mother used when speaking to a wayward spirit.

The little boy continued to wail, his small face screwed up in misery. His sister reached in and picked him up. Almost immediately he stopped and stared at her out of wide amber eyes.

"I see you've met Lian." Their mother's voice was calm and unemotional, even as she spoke to her daughter.

The little girl beamed at her small brother. "Hello, Lian!" she said. "I am Jun."

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Author's Note:
Backstories involving small children make me happy.