The Seishin Tsuki
The exhausting walk through the desert was beginning to take its toll on everyone. The search for the Patch Village was mentally and physically draining, and positivity was beginning to dwindle.
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" cried HoroHoro, his head was craning back and his arms were lying limp by his sides. "All this walking is driving me crazy!"
"Shut up with your complaining." grunted Ren, he had his usual disgruntled expression on his face. "Of course we are."
"Yeah but, how can you be sure Ren?" added Chocolove, "I mean, it feels like we've been going in circles."
"Do any of you have any better ideas?" snapped Anna, she glared at the boys. Everyone shook their heads.
"I can feel the presence of the Patch Village." said Amidamaru, a calm expression washed over his face.
"Me too." Added Tokageroh. KoroKoro cued as well.
Yoh stepped towards the spirits and smiled. "Well, if Admidarmu says so, then that's good enough for me!" he said cheerfully.
"Me too, I have complete faith in you Tokegeroh my friend." Nodded Ryu.
Anna turned to watch the sun that was beginning to set upon the desert, casting great long shadows across the sandy horizons. "That may be true but it looks like we won't be finding the Patch Village tonight. We need to find somewhere to sleep."
Yoh looked around quickly and noticed a cluster of flat rocks next to a large dune of sand. "How about over there, Anna?" However, before Anna could respond the whole group had dashed across the desert towards the resting place to finally take the weight off their feet.
Anna stood alone in the desert and crossed her arms as she watched the group of friends all laughing and resting, as no one was looking, she managed a small smile.
"Anna." came a voice.
"Silva." Anna turned around to greet the familiar council shaman. "What do you want?"
"I was hoping you all would have found the Patch Village by now," sighed Silva.
"We still have one more day, Silva. And we have reason to believe that the Patch Village is close by." said Anna, her expression did not waver.
"I know, but are you aware of what night this is?" said Silva, he looked at the spirit medium closely.
"Of course I do, so what? Isn't the Seishin Tsuki just a myth?"
Silva looked up at the sky. "Some say that it is, but others say the night of the Seishin Tsuki can bring great things. However, there are others that say it is a night to be feared."
"What exactly is your point, Silva?" snapped Anna.
"I fear that you all may be in danger. Do you know how the legend goes?" asked Silva.
Anna sighed. "The Seishin Tsuki tonight shall bring what your heart and soul so dually sing. But the night will pass and was never here should these two forces meet in fear."
"You recited it perfectly Anna." smiled Silva.
"Of course I did. Don't you know who I am? I am the future Shaman Queen." snapped Anna. She turned on her heel to make her way towards the group. "I will tell the others, they can make their own minds up about what is to come."
"Alright, Anna." muttered Silva, before disappearing into the evening sun.
"So Anna," said Yoh as she approached. "What did Silva want this time?"
"He wanted to remind me that tonight is the night of the Spirit Moon." sniffed Anna.
"Spirit Moon?" the group said in unison.
"What's – what's that, Anna?" asked Tamao, nervously.
"The Spirit Moon only appears once every 500 years, and so it has always appeared close to the Shaman Fight. It is known by shaman kind as the Seishin Tsuki." explained Anna.
"Is it dangerous?" asked HoroHoro.
"Some say it is. However others say it can bring them the thing that they wish for most in the world."
"Wow! A moon that can grant wishes?" exclaimed Manta, he looked around at the rest of the group to see their expressions. Chocolove, Ryu and HoroHoro all looked very excited. Ren looked concerned, as usual. Faust's expression never changed. As for Yoh, he was listening carefully, his expression was hard to read.
"Not exactly, Manta. Because, the story goes that your heart and your soul have to desire the same thing." Anna crossed her arms and turned to Yoh, who seemed to be looking towards the ground now.
"My heart and soul totally want the same thing!" excitedly exclaimed HoroHoro.
"Yeah mine too!" yelled Chocolove.
"But be warned," said Anna. She was looking at them all seriously now.
"The Seishin Tsuki tonight shall bring what your heart and soul so dually sing. But the night will pass and was never here should these two forces meet in fear." Anna finished reciting, before flicking a stray piece of hair out of the face. "But, then there are others who say it's just a myth." she walked over to a flat rock and laid herself on her side. Tamao and Manta joined her. The rest of the group were all feeling excitable about what the night was to bring.
"Meet in fear?" muttered Ren. "Meet in fear…"
"Yeah, what exactly is that supposed to mean? Does it mean the heart and the soul? But doesn't it mean that nothing will happen if the heart and the soul disagree?" chattered HoroHoro.
"Maybe it's just another way of saying be careful what you wish for?" added Chocolove.
"Well, either way it doesn't matter. Because tonight I am going to become Shaman King. Certainly that is what my heart and soul both agree on." Smiled Ren, laughing slightly.
"No way dude! Because my heart and soul say the same thing! I'm going to be Shaman King!" shouted HoroHoro.
"As if! You guys, my heart and soul are in complete unison over this. I am going to be Shaman King." laughed Chocolove.
"You? You're lucky you've even made it this far, you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the rest of us." scoffed Ren.
"What did you say pointy hair?!" shouted Chocolove, his stance had changed to that of attack.
"That is all well and good my little friends, but I am afraid it will be me who will be becoming the Shaman King. My heart and soul have no doubt." smiled Ryu, he placed his wooden sword on his shoulder as he spoke.
"You? No way!" shouted HoroHoro. The boys continued to fight over who would be Shaman King, Anna, Manta and Tamao looked on.
"Oh dear, now everyone is falling out." whimpered Tamao.
"It's to be expected. They all believe that their hearts and souls are telling them the same thing." sighed Anna.
"So you knew this would happen?" asked Manta.
"One thing is for sure, they cannot all be Shaman King. There can only be one. So if that is what their hearts and souls really desire, then it cannot be possible. It just doesn't work that way." said Anna, her eyes were fixated on Yoh.
"At least Faust seems okay." said Manta. Faust was standing a few feet away from the group, he had his arms around Eliza and they were gazing into each other's eyes. "It seems that he already has what his heart and soul desires." smiled Manta.
"Yoh hasn't said anything..." muttered Tamao.
Yoh was sitting crossed legged on a flat rock beside his friends with his back facing them. The boys were all arguing and screaming at each other. Their mediums were now glowing with their furyoku, and they were standing in close proximity with each other – looking like they were ready for a fight.
"My heart and soul are like best pals, they each know what the other wants! And I say it's to become Shaman King!" shouted HoroHoro.
"Why don't we ask Master Yoh what he thinks," grunted Ryu, turning to face Yoh. "Master Yoh, who do you think it will be?"
The group of boys calmed down briefly as their attention turned to Yoh. Yoh was drawing lines in the sand using the end of his scabbard. After a moment, Yoh closed his eyes and smiled a bit.
"If you ask me, your hearts and souls really all agree on this, but there can only be one Shaman King, right?" said Yoh, he opened his eyes and started doodling in the sand again.
"Yeah… you're right." muttered HoroHoro. "If our hearts and souls really all say the same thing, then that means…"
"It means that the Seishin Tsuki cannot grant us all what we desire." finished Ren, the glow of his furyoku disappeared from his Kwan Dao.
The look of disappointment washed over the boys for moment, until they each one by one shook it off.
"Ah well, looks like I'll just have to become Shaman King the hard way!" laughed HoroHoro. "By beating you all in the Shaman Fight!"
"You're on!" laughed Chocolove. "Only, I'm going to win!"
"You're all delusional, I will be victorious!" chirped in Ren.
They all began to laugh with each other. Tamao and Manta smiled at them all.
"Looks like they're all best of friends again." giggled Tamao.
"Yup, things are back to normal, as usual." smiled Manta. He looked at Anna, who still had a concerned look on her face. "Anna, are you alright?"
Anna didn't respond, she kept her gaze upon Yoh.
The night rolled in and the once red painted sunset was now a beautiful twilight blue, and millions of stars were twinkling in the night sky. The moon was full and larger than life, however it was noticeable how there appeared to be a slight shadow 'ghost' of a moon beside it.
"So that's it, huh?" muttered Chocolove. Everyone was sitting around a campfire; some were sitting on rocks whilst others were sitting cross-legged on the sandy ground. Yoh had not moved from the rock he was sitting on, however he was now laying back with his arms behind his head, his eyes closed like he was sleeping.
"It's not really what I was expecting." said Ryu, he cocked his head to one side whilst gazing at the moon.
"Yeah, it just looks like the normal moon, but it has a bit of a reflection beside it." said HoroHoro.
"I was expecting a whole other moon." said Manta.
"Me too," added Tamao.
"I did tell you all earlier, the stories of the Seishin Tsuki are just a myth." said Anna, her eyes worked her way around the group. She could only see the top of Yoh's head as he was lay facing the other direction.
"Yeah but, it sounded really awesome. A night of wish granting once every 500 years? How cool is that?" smiled HoroHoro.
"It is not surprising that we all desire the same thing. That is why we are all here, after all." added Ren, he was sitting with his back to a rock, his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
"Yeah," smiled HoroHoro. "But the real reason we're all here together is because of Yoh."
Yoh opened his eyes at the mention of his name.
"That's right." said Ryu. "Master Yoh is a kind hearted friend, he could see the good in each of us from the very beginning."
"Who'd have thought it, huh?" laughed HoroHoro. "Especially you, Ren. You were such a mental case." Ren blushed, his hair getting slightly taller as the conversation moved onto him.
"How dare you!" choked out Ren. "I'd rather we did not talk about it, thank you very much!"
"Yoh was even kind to me, even though I had already made my mind up that he was a weirdo and shouldn't be trusted." smiled Manta, trying to defuse the situation for Ren.
"And lets not forget about our big misunderstanding too, little friend." added Ryu. "Yes, Master Yoh has a special skill. His heart knows how to seek out the good in other people's hearts."
Yoh smiled, it made him feel a sense of warmth when his friends spoke of him. Yet his smile wavered from his face slightly, he could not help but wonder what the night might have in store for him. Yoh was not as convinced as the others of his deepest desires. Yoh did not know what he wanted, especially not in his soul.
"Come on, Yoh. You've been really quiet all evening. Why don't you come and talk to us?" asked HoroHoro.
Yoh closed his eyes briefly, but then nodded his head. He quickly sat up and turned around, he opened his mouth to respond to HoroHoro, only for the breath in his lungs to escape him as he realised the group had vanished.
Yoh quickly scrambled off the rock and to his feet. "Guys?" he called. It took Yoh a few more seconds to realise that he was not in the same place as before. There was still a campfire in what appeared to be exactly the same place, and there were flat rocks surrounding it, but he was not standing in the desert. He was standing on what appeared to be a large circular flat rock. Yoh jogged a few paces only to realise that the edge of the rock was actually a cliff. As he looked down, there were crashing waves below him. Yoh was actually standing on top of a huge circular rock tower in the middle of the ocean. The rocky platform he was standing on was completely flat, yet behind him the tower seemed to create a half dome, yet there were gaps in the rock dome that made them seem like tall windows. Yoh looked out into the distance only to see the large full moon on the ocean's horizon. However this time there was another moon beside it. It was smaller than the original moon, however it appeared to have a pink hue glow to it.
"Amidamaru?" called Yoh. His spirit did not appear. Yoh looked down at himself now and realised his weapons were not on his person. He looked around at his surroundings; the realisation that he was lost and trapped slowly began to dawn on him. He spun around and stared out at the twin moons in the sky. "What…? I don't understand…" He slowly turned himself back towards the campfire, only this time there was someone standing there on the other side of it, with their back facing Yoh.
Yoh blinked hard but then stared at the figure that had suddenly appeared. He quickly realised who it was.
"Hao?" whispered Yoh.
Hao slowly turned around, his expression was that of confusion and concern. Hao's eyes fixed themselves on Yoh, and then he smiled.
"Yoh." replied Hao. "How… interesting, it is, to see you."
Yoh realised that he felt relieved to see Hao standing there; only why he felt like that eluded him. Maybe Yoh was simply glad to not be alone. But shouldn't he be afraid of Hao, and this situation he is in?
Yoh turned away from Hao and looked towards the Spirit Moon. Hao's eyes followed Yoh's gaze, he then noticed the second moon in the sky.
"The Seishin Tsuki." muttered Hao. He began to walk towards Yoh, Yoh continued to stare at the pink moon in the sky.
Yoh turned to Hao as he approached him, but then back towards the moons in the sky. Hao and Yoh were now standing beside one another facing out of their apparent rocky captivity.
"I'm confused…" whispered Yoh.
"What?" replied Hao.
"If this is the effect of the Spirit Moon, how could I have not thought about this?" asked Yoh.
"I'm afraid I don't really know what you mean by 'this'," laughed Hao. "I'm just as confused as you are." Hao took a few steps forward towards the edge of the tower; he then sat himself down, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge of the tower's edge. Yoh joined him.
"How do I know you are really here?" asked Yoh. "How do I know this is not just a dream?"
"I could ask you the same question. I suppose we will never know." Hao looked around. "This definitely looks like a dream, it just does not feel like one."
"The Seishin Tsuki tonight shall bring what your heart and soul so dually sing…" whispered Yoh. Hao leaned forward, allowing his hair to flow in the wind. The conditions around them began to calm slightly, the waves below were beginning to settle and the moonlight twinkled beautifully across the water. "Why are we not fighting?" asked Yoh.
"I guess that is what we desire. Not to fight." replied Hao.
"I'm not afraid of you, I trust that you are not going to try to harm me." added Yoh.
"I feel differently too. It feels as though we know each other well." Hao turned to Yoh.
Yoh began to realise an overwhelming feeling of kindness and warmth towards Hao was beginning to wash over him. It began from a feeling of emptiness and then it began to grow deep inside of him. They sat there for a while, gazing out at the scene in front of them.
"I should probably tell you something, Yoh." said Hao, after a long period of silence.
"What is it?" asked Yoh, looking concerned.
"The Seishin Tsuki is an extremely mysterious ancient force of power. It is very rare for an event like this to be created by the Spirit Moon. I, for one, have never experienced its' power like this." Hao got up from where he was sitting and made his way towards the fire. Yoh followed him, listening carefully.
"What is even more interesting is the fact that we are two halves of the same soul. As much as this is probably difficult for you to hear, you are the other half of my soul, Yoh. And for the Seishin Tsuki to still allow for this event to happen, amazes me." He turned to face Yoh.
"I don't understand, what are you saying?" asked Yoh, looking slightly worried.
Hao sighed, "It seems as though my desires for you to become one with me one day, are, in the eyes of the Seishin Tsuki, the same as your desires."
Yoh blinked. He recognised these feelings within him were that of love and friendship. What Hao was saying seemed to make a bit of sense.
"So what you're saying is, our hearts and souls desire the same thing, because they desire each other in some way?" muttered Yoh.
"In a way." Hao laughed slightly. "Or maybe, it's possible you want to become one with me, too."
Yoh's expression changed to that of slight fear. He took a few steps back, trying to understand what was happening.
"No… that can't be right." he placed both of his arms across his stomach, he leaned forward slightly. Hao now looked slightly concerned, but he soon managed to change his expression to that of arrogance. Hao laughed quietly to himself.
"Of course, why did I not realise this sooner?" chuckled Hao. "The other half of my soul wants to become one again, and there is nothing you can do about it Yoh."
Yoh wasn't listening. He couldn't understand this new feeling of desire he had within him that wanted to become closer to Hao. No, he didn't want to become 'one' with him. He wanted to be his friend. His brother. He wanted Hao to love him like a brother. How could that be the same as what Hao was saying?
"No." said Yoh, coldly. He stood up straight and threw a harsh glare towards Hao. "You are wrong."
Hao's eyes flickered, he tried to keep his composure secure. He wanted to control the situation.
"How am I wrong?" he smiled.
"I have no idea what my soul wants, but if what I am feeling is truly what my heart desires, then it must be the reason why you are here too. If we really are two halves of the same soul, Hao, then we must be two halves of the same heart too. We must be confusing the same feelings as something else." Yoh began to remember what his friends were saying around the campfire, how Yoh's heart would always seek out the good in others. That was part of who Yoh was, he could not ignore that was his belief, even for someone like Hao.
"Then tell me, what is your interpretation of the reason why we are both standing here, Yoh?" laughed Hao, he sat down on a rock and gestured both his hands towards Yoh in mocking sort of way.
"You want to become close to me. You want to be a brother to me. You care about me." Yoh spoke in a clear and consistent manner. Hao's eyes flickered again, but his expression remained the same.
A few moments of silence passed, then Hao began to laugh manically. Yoh did not move: he was certain.
"You have it completely wrong, little brother." chuckled Hao as he calmed down. "But what amuses me the most is that you got this idea from how you must be feeling right now."
"It is exactly what you are feeling too, Hao. Only, you don't realise it yet." said Yoh, he kept his gaze upon him and watched his expression closely.
Hao remained still and quiet for a moment, then he stood up quickly.
"Don't be so absurd!" he shouted. He began to march over to Yoh, Hao's expression was angry. His eyes were glistening, but Yoh kept his gaze upon them. Hao stood with his face just inches away from Yoh's. "I could never want that! I could never feel that way!"
"Well then, seeing as you are so quick to point it out – I am half of you, Hao. So if I feel like that, then it means you do. One half of you wants to be closer to me. To care about me, like a little brother." Yoh spoke so calmly. Hao's eyes flickered again, and for a brief moment Hao's face softened and turned to a caring look. His shoulders relaxed as he continued to gaze at Yoh. Could Yoh really be right? Hao's eyes dropped to look to the ground, he then sighed heavily.
Hao leaned closer to Yoh and put his head on his shoulder. Yoh faltered briefly, before wrapping his arms around his twin. Hao placed his hands across Yoh's back, and for a moment, the Asakura twins embraced one another.
Yoh closed his eyes and smiled. But, suddenly, he felt a sharp burning pain across his shoulder blades. It rapidly got worse until he could not bare it. Yoh cried out in pain as he fell to his knees, he looked up at Hao to see that his face had disgruntled and looked psychotic. Hao began to laugh.
"You are a fool to think of me as your 'caring' older brother!" he exclaimed. Hao then forcefully kicked Yoh to the floor. Yoh cried out in pain once more. Hao slowly walked towards him, laughing. However, Hao's eyes had a look of fear.
Yoh clenched his heart as he began to feel an unbearable stabbing pain throughout his chest. Yoh cried out in agony as Hao reached him. He bent down and grabbed Yoh by the neck of his shirt and began to slowly lift him, he then held him above the ground, staring into Yoh's eyes.
Yoh began to gasp for breath as his brother was choking him. Hao slowly walked towards the edge of the tower before holding his twin over the edge, the crashing of waves could be heard far below.
Yoh could do nothing but continue to try and gasp for air. Yoh's eyes fixed themselves onto Hao's, and Yoh saw how fearful and helpless Hao's eyes seemed to be. It was like looking deep into a lost soul.
"Still think I care about you?!" screamed Hao, before letting go of his twin's shirt, forcing Yoh to fall to his death.
In that moment, as Yoh began to fall, everything seemed to become still. It was like time had stopped moving for a brief moment. Tears left Yoh's eyes and they flittered into the air as his shirt slipped away from Hao's fingers, and in that moment Hao heard his twin whisper the words:
"Yes…"
Yoh fell down. His position changed in mid air so that he was now falling head first towards the water. The glow from the fire above him moved further and further away, the silhouette of his brother vanished out of sight as Yoh was about to hit the ocean…
"Come on, Yoh. You've been really quiet all evening. Why don't you come and talk to us?" asked HoroHoro.
Yoh opened his eyes and stared up at the night sky. He looked confused for a moment. Did he fall asleep?
Yoh sat up and turned to HoroHoro, he opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly an excruciating pain overwhelmed him. He agonised, almost falling off the rock he was sitting on. Anna quickly darted over to his side.
"Yoh what is it? What's wrong?" she cried. She placed her hand on his back to help him, Yoh recoiled away from her crying out in pain.
"Argh! My back, my back – it hurts." winced Yoh. The group of shamans looked worriedly at each other then back at Yoh.
Anna slowly and carefully began to lift Yoh's shirt to inspect his back. She gasped loudly in shock.
"Yoh… what on earth…?" she whispered, her eyes white. Yoh's back was almost completely covered in third degree burns, they looked raw and blistered, almost as though the sores were fresh.
Yoh took a few sharp breaths, trying to endure the pain. His friends buzzed around him, equally as confused as to what could have caused the burns. HoroHoro inspected the rock Yoh was lay upon, but it was cool.
"Could… could this have something to do with the Seishin Tsuki?" shakily asked Manta, looking at Anna. Anna simply shook her head, she did not know.
"Yoh, do you have any idea how this happened to you?" asked Ren, looking at him seriously. Yoh lowered his head and took a deep breath, he now realised he was struggling to breathe, too. He placed his hand across his neck and noticed his flesh felt sore and tender, almost like he had been strangled. He slowly got to his feet, Anna and HoroHoro tried to help him. Yoh found his composure, and then gazed at the unusual moon in the sky.
Yoh simply shook his head. He chose not to mention the throbbing pain he could feel in his chest with every beat of his heart.
"The Seishin Tsuki tonight shall bring,
What your heart and soul so dually sing.
But the night will pass and was never here,
Should these two forces…
…meet in fear..."