DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shaman King nor do I own any of Hiroyuki Takei's brilliant characters or concepts associated with Shaman King (although I wish I did). I do, however, own all original characters and spirits contained in this story, as well as the idea behind it.

A/N: I got the idea for this story about a month ago (before I had finished reading the manga) and I proceeded to write it in the most unchronological order possible. I plan on having this be a 4-5 part story so it's probably going to be about 50-60 chapters at least, depending on how much I decide to condense the details. The first thing I started writing was the end of the 4th part/beginning of the 5th part of the story. Then, when I got unmotivated, I started writing the 1st part . And then I finished reading the manga, and now I have to completely revise the ending I planned (which will probably end up making the story even longer) because I obviously assumed the wrong ending XD. Anyway, point is, I really hope you guys can stay interested and bear with me through the whole story I envisioned.

Also, my summary sucks (I know, sorry) but basically the story focuses on my OC but also heavily on Hao and Yoh and their, uhmm, "bond".

Also,

WARNING: If you haven't finished reading the manga, later (much later, actually) chapters will contain definite spoilers! You were warned!

Chapter 1: First Life- The Escape

"Who are you talking to, Amaya?"

"..."

"There is no one there. How many times do I have to tell you to stop imagining companions? People will think you've gone mad. How will we ever marry you off, then?"

Amaya didn't reply. It had been like this since as long as she could remember. These "figments" of her imagination. Every so often, she would encounter one. They were so life-like, it was almost impossible for her to distinguish them from real people. And every time she was caught trying to communicate with one, her mother would scold her mercilessly and accuse her of being too spoiled in desiring constant companionship and reckless in her fantastical creations. "A real lady," she would say, "is unaffected by loneliness. Only shame. You should learn to distinguish amongst them".

Her family was, without a doubt, intolerant of deviant behaviour. And she was, unquestionably, a magnet for it. In public, she was seldom allowed to speak, for fear that one of her strange delusions would cloud her mind and she would unintentionally taint the family name. Weary of raising suspicions in the village, her family would excuse her passivity as a cause of her extreme shyness. In reality, she was actually quite opinionated. But, she could never express her views openly, unless she wished to be disowned.

As she was a beautiful young girl, with far more potential than any of the other girls in the area, with a lovely, angelic face, and a quick, well-adaptable mind, her family chose to raise her despite her disability, in hopes that she would one day attract a powerful, rich man who would lead their family into prosperity. Her eyes were big and round, her mouth pouty, and her hair curly, long and brown. Even as a child, her beauty was near-flawless. Nevertheless, despite constant praise and attention from others, she never really felt she belonged. In the back of her mind, she always knew she was hiding a part of herself.

By the time she turned 17, she had lost almost all hope in humanity. Her life seemed meaningless and superficial, her duties demeaning and the expectations of her family limiting and unsatisfactory, to say the least. On the outside, she was beautiful and obedient. But on the inside, she was grave and lonely. She had learned to completely shut off the side of her that most defined her. She had no real desire to socialize and, whenever possible, she chose to be alone with her thoughts. Nevertheless, fate had a different plan for her.

A wealthy politician, Eiro Abe, was visiting Kyoto, in order to maintain solid ties with the people there. Out of respect for his visit, Amaya was obliged to accompany her family to greet him. Within moments of their encounter, he took a liking to the beautiful young girl, immediately intending to make her one of his wives. She was, however, at most, indifferent towards his cocky ignorance. Nevertheless, his ego shielded the reality of her feelings for him, and he began to pay her house nightly visits. Her family, ecstatic at Amaya's powerful admirer, encouraged the relationship incessantly. Despite her uncharacteristically young age, they joyfully accepted his courtship. Amaya, on the other hand, become more and more withdrawn and more and more desperate as the visits continued and the pressure on her increased. She didn't want to be married to this man. Her father, upon seeing her obvious hesitations, feared that Eiro would soon notice her indifference and forfeit his pursuit.

"Do you intend on ruining the family?" he thundered at her once Eiro had left, after one of her particularly unresponsive evenings. "This is our chance for prosperity, and you will do your duty, whether you like it or not!"

"I am doing my duty," she replied emotionlessly.

"You intend to drive him away with you impartiality, you ungrateful girl!"

"How can I fake affection? I have yet to be schooled by you in this field"

*SLAP*

"You spiteful, selfish child! You bring shame on this family!"

She didn't respond, but simply bore the criticism as her cheek stung.

"According to society's standards, you are already married to the politician. And you will do well to maintain his affections. Otherwise, you will be sent to be a nun like all other unworthy wives"

And with that, she was left alone. Her heart was full of sorrow, her mind burdened. On the one hand, her duty was to her family and that duty entailed her devotion to this self-absorbed, unintuitive man. But on the other hand, her heart became engulfed with sadness whenever she envisioned living the rest of her life in her current situation.

Her solution was abrupt and rash. She would have to escape. She mentally prepared herself as the time shifted farther and farther into the night. By the time the sky was at its darkest, and the occupants of her residence were all soundly asleep, her courage and determination had dwindled. She was having doubts. After all, she was still young, inexperienced and alone, not to mention a woman. In a heartbeat, she knew she had to make a life-altering decision which she could never turn back on, no matter what. She could either stay here and live out the rest of her life in stagnant, emotionless superficiality, or she could escape and somehow make her own way and reach a higher level of consciousness and a greater understanding of life. The fear expressed by her mind was vetoed by the will of her heart. Without further hesitation, she disappeared into the night. Thankfully, she had managed to escape before the inevitable day Eiro would have stayed the night. Hence, in her mind, she was still a single and free woman, unbinded and guiltless.

She raced into the night, unsure of her destination or plan, but somehow feeling freer and more alive than she had ever felt. After traveling for hours, she finally decided to seek shelter in a near forest, just as dawn was approaching. She quickly fell asleep under a giant, peaceful tree, well-concealed by the surrounding shrubbery.

She awoke late in the afternoon to an unusual sight. A white ball of light was casually floating above her. She stared at it, reaching her hand out to touch it. But, just as she did so, it retreated from her grasp. Curious, she sat up, and once again tried to grab it, to no avail. The ball of light, once again, dodged her hand.

"What are you?" she asked aloud.

There was a short moment of stillness, where the wind blowing through the trees was the only thing heard, and then there was a bright flash of light. Standing before Amaya was a beautiful, tall and steady deer. She gazed at it in amazement.

"Are you another one of my fabrications?" she asked it.

It did not reply, but simply bowed its head to her and scuffed the ground with one of its hooves.

"You're very beautiful," Amaya commented as she reached out her hand to the majestic animal.

The deer approached her hand cautiously, but there was no contact between them.

"I don't know what you are, or where you came from, but you're welcome to join me if you wish. Although I'm not quite sure of a destination yet, but, I'm sure I could use the company," she smiled as she got up and stretched.

The deer made no response but, when Amaya began walking, it cautiously followed behind her. Amaya smiled to herself.

"I think I shall call you Aya, which is similar to my own name, since you are a figment created by my own mind"

They walked in silence until the exit of the forest. Once they arrived, Amaya sighed. She was at a crossroads.

"What now?" she asked.

Aya, however, did not stop walking, but advanced past Amaya. Amaya, confused, observed her. Upon realizing that she was not being followed, Aya stopped and turned around to face Amaya. All at once, Amaya understood that Aya was guiding her so, without further hesitation, she followed behind her.

This commenced the beginning of a long, difficult, destinationless journey. Amaya followed Aya as far as Izumo, both of them learning to trust and care for one another along the way. Although Amaya was still unsure how or why Aya came to her, she considered her her only true companion and their bond became strong and enduring. With time, Amaya learnt that she could dispel Aya to the brooch fastened to her breast, if ever she thought she may be in danger. All she had to do was touch the brooch and will Aya to return to it, and Aya would disappear into it. This was Amaya's first indication that, perhaps, Aya was not a fabrication of her imagination after all, but indeed a real entity. This hypothesis, naturally, raised the possibility that, just maybe, Aya was some sort of spirit.

By the time they had reached Izumo, a year had passed. Although she had brought along spare clothing, and washed what she wore nightly in nearby lakes, most of her garments were very worn out by this time. In addition, Amaya had grown somewhat thinner due to decreased food availability. Although Aya played a prominent role in her survival, by guiding her to easily-available hunting prey, fishing sites and edible crops, Amaya still felt uncomfortable killing and stealing from nature, so she limited her food intake.

A little time after Amaya had arrived in Izumo, a strange incident occurred. Just as she was dispelling Aya, in order to grant them both some rest and peace of mind, a rustling amongst the trees startled her. She had found a quiet, secluded little forest where she had intended to rest for the night. However, the sudden and continuous rustling unnerved her. Just as she was about to release Aya, a strange creature emerged from the bushes and leapt towards her. Instinctively, she dodged the attack and screamed. Inexperienced and unfamiliar with the strange creature, she hastily grabbed her things and began to run, hoping to lose it in the forest. As she ran, she searched for some kind of weapon to defend herself with.

She swiftly grabbed a large tree branch off the ground as she ran, risking a look back to see if the creature was still following her. Although she didn't see it, she felt a strong presence around her, so decided not to let her guard down. As she turned her head back to face the front, the creature appeared in front of her. She avoided it slimly as it slashed out towards her. Taking the tree branch firmly in her hand, she tried to hit it, but to no avail. The branch went right through it. Unnerved, she kept running, observing an apparent clearing in the distance. Just as she was about to reach the clearing, however, a pack of creatures popped up in front of her. Desperate and unsure what to do in her circumstance, she closed her eyes and focused all her energy on destroying the creatures in front of her, willing herself to somehow make them disappear.

There was a sudden flash of light. When she opened her eyes, all the creatures in front of her had vanished. Exhausted and half-conscious from her stressful exertion, she stumbled out of the forest, through the clearing. Fighting the darkness that threatened to engulf her vision, she turned her head back to see a second group of creatures vigilantly pursuing her. Unable to continue any longer, she fainted in front of a large property just outside the clearing.

Unbeknowest to her, this was the beginning of a new, and incomparably difficult journey, which would test her strength of mind, heart and will in the most difficult of trials. This was the beginning of the most troublesome of battles one could ever fight. And it all began with...him.

...

A carriage stopped in front of her, just as the creatures were about to attack. In an instant, the creatures had vanished and her limp body had been lifted from the cold ground into a strong hold. The world as she knew it would never exist again. Never had she looked back upon her decision to escape that life. That is, until she met him. It started with a rescue, and it will end with a rescue.

A/N: I researched the history of Japan in the Heian period because I wanted this story to be factually accurate. All the references to Eiro's courtship are customary events that would have occurred at the time. Supposedly, polygamy was very common, especially among powerful men of the time. In addition, there was no real marriage ceremony, but the man would visit the woman nightly. After this occurred for some time, the two would be considered 'married'. However, they would only live together once they had a child together or once one of the husband's parents died. Then, the wife would join her husband in his house. For men with many wives, the ones that got older or were no longer favoured by him would be sent to going a convent and become a nun. Harsh, I know...

Anyway, if you guys have any questions/comments, feel free to let me know. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter =)