Summary: AU Two boys separated at birth…a princess caught in a war…a spirit rebelling against his master…one person to bring them all back together… TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne
Rating: K+ (PG)
Chapter Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long. I was on holiday, and it's a bit longer than the others. Yes, I know, a lot was wrong with the last chapter. So many details that need to be changed. I should really get a beta-reader. Any volunteers?
Pairings: TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne
Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. I do own a rather large teddy bear, though. Not that that has anything to do with the story, but I'm just wasting your time here XD
Key: Anything in italics is something that happened in the past.
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"Keiko! What in Heaven's name are you doing here? I thought I told you never to show your face here again. Get out at once!" The same female voice as before.
"I'm sorry, Mistress, but I wanted to see their faces one last time before I move on. Grant me this wish, Mistress!" A different, stumbling female voice.
"Fine. But it will not come without a cost. You go in that room and you will never be able to leave this place. You chose, Keiko; see your sons one more time and never see Mikihisa again, or walk away and swear never to come back."
"I…I wish to see my sons."
A door creaks open and there is a cry of joy. Silence rules for a moment, until Keiko's sobs echo throughout the room. All too soon, the door is shut and she screams as someone grabs her from behind. A thud later, there is a sound of dragging feet.
"I knew you'd never move on, Keiko. You're too weak even to resist me!"
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I gradually got used to my life with Yohmei. He was a good teacher, and gradually I began to understand the strange visions I was having. Konchi and Ponchi began to grow on me after a while, even if they were a little rude.
It was three weeks after I moved in with Yohmei that I met his wife, Kino. I first saw her in one of my visions, but at that time I had no idea who she was. When I mentioned it to Yohmei, he seemed incredibly happy. I suppose it was because that meant his wife was coming to see him. I was glad that he trusted my visions after so little time.
He had never talked much about her before, so when I saw her I was a little surprised. I shouldn't have been, really, because she was just as short as Yohmei, with white hair and petite glasses. When I was introduced, I felt my face go red, and again wondered why I was becoming so shy.
"Ah, Tamao. I was wondering when I would see your face," she said, greeting me.
"M…Mistress Kino. It's good to meet you."
She reached out to hug me and I tensed as she clasped her thin arms around me. Her good aura was strong, so I relaxed. I don't really know what it was that told me she was a good person, but a warm feeling inside me confirmed it.
She looked me up and down. "You're training here with Yohmei, aren't you?"
I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
She laughed. "Call me Kino."
I blushed once more. "Yes, Kino," I said deliberately. "Master Yohmei is a very good teacher. I've learnt how to make more sense of my predictions because of him."
Kino smiled, and a picture suddenly flashed in my mind: it was raining and there was a sound of crying. Someone was running away. Kino's face appeared, wet with tears, as well as Yohmei's and two other people I didn't recognise. Then it was gone.
"Excuse me, Kino," I said, backing out of the room. I could see her worried face as I left. As soon as I was out of sight, I ran for Yohmei.
"Master Yohmei!" I called, turning the corner into his room. "Master Yohmei, I just had a vision!"
He looked up from sitting in a meditating position and motioned for me to come towards him. I knelt down next to him, biting my fingernails.
"Tell me about it," he said, calmly.
I explained everything that I'd seen. I watched his face, waiting for a reaction. He considered me closely, and then turned away and closed his eyes. "That, Tamao, was not a prediction. What you just saw was a moment from the past."
I looked at him. I could see the past as well?
"The person running away called himself 'The Mistress's Adviser'. The two other people were daughter, Keiko, and her husband, Mikihisa."
I drew in breath. "What was happening? Why was Kino crying?"
He sighed. "I did not mean for you to find this out, but some greater being must have wished it so. Keiko gave birth to twin boys. The Mistress's Advisor came the day after they were born and took them away. You see, the Mistress knew there was something special about one of the boys. But she did not know which one, so she took both.
"Two days after the boys were taken, Keiko disappeared. My guess is that she went after the Mistress to try and get her sons back. We have never seen her since, so she must have been captured by the Mistress."
I found that my eyes were wet and hastily dried them on my sleeve. "Who is this 'Mistress' you keep talking about?"
Yohmei's eyes were also wet. "We know nothing about her, save what the Mistress's Advisor told us. He just said that she had ultimate power, and no one could resist her."
I stayed silent, thinking, keeping the pictures of the vision fresh in my mind. "What were the sons called?"
"Yoh and Hao."
I went to bed that night feeling much more sober than I ever had before.
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It was the middle of the night. I could tell because the moon was directly in the centre of the sky. I was awake; I had just had another vision. I wasn't too sure what to think of it. My previous one had been looking into the past, not the future, so maybe this one was too. I closed my eyes and found myself looking once again at the girl in my vision. That was the last straw. I went to find Yohmei.
He wasn't asleep in his room as I thought he would be. He was sitting by the fire, staring into it as if it held all the secrets to the world. I felt mean going up to him and shaking him by the shoulder, waking him from his reverie.
"Master Yohmei, I think I had another vision. I'm not sure if it was the past of the future."
He didn't say anything, so I continued. "I saw a girl. She was older than me, wearing a black dress, and something red on her head. She had some blue beads around her neck. I think she's coming to Izumo!"
Yohmei nodded. "Yes, her name is Anna Kyouyama. She is coming here to undergo extra training in her Itako powers."
"Itako? What's that?"
"An Itako is a type of Shaman who can bring back, or banish, the dead. The beads she wears are used to call the dead from the Spirit World. Anna is very practised at it. Oh, Tamao?"
"Yes, Master Yohmei?"
"Don't be scared by Anna's personality. She only uses it as a cover-up. She's very nice once you get to know her."
"Yes, Master Yohmei."
"Good-night, Tamao."
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I awoke the next morning to a lot of noise outside. Opening the window, I saw Yohmei and Kino standing in the garden talking to someone else. I squinted against the early morning sun and realised with a start that it was the girl from my vision – Anna.
Hurriedly, I got dressed (ignoring rude remarks from Konchi and Ponchi), and went down to meet her. Her first remark was "Hello Tamao," and her second was "Fix breakfast for us please."
I was a little stunned, but remembered what Yohmei had said the night before. Quietly, I went back into the house to make Anna some breakfast. Having no idea what she wanted, I decided to make a small buffet that we all could have. I had just finished spreading it out on the table when Anna, Kino and Yohmei entered the room.
I tried to smile at them. "Welcome to Izumo, Anna. I hope you enjoy your breakfast."
She stared at me as we sat down to eat. I could feel her eyes boring into my face and refused to look at her. Instead, I concentrated on putting my food in my mouth. I looked up at a quiet spluttering sound. Anna put her chopsticks down.
"This is the worst breakfast I've ever had. Try again, Tamao."
I glanced at Kino and Yohmei, unsure of what to do. Yohmei gazed solemnly at me and Kino gave me a hesitant smile. I turned and went back into the kitchen, feeling my face go red.
I had a long morning ahead of me.
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As I said at the beginning, if anyone can beta-test for me, or knows of anyone who will, please say so in a review and leave an email that I can contact you. I will be forever in your debt if you do!
Yeah, I promise that the next chapter will have you all reeling from shock. –Smirk- I have a lot more in stock for you all.
Andrea Nefisto: :D Yeah, the flashbacks are meant to be confusing. Figured out who the bad 'Mistress' is yet? Bet you can't guess!
Daedal: Thanks for your positive comments O.o;; Lots of things will get explained later, like why no one recognises Tamao, and why she goes with Yohmei when he's a total stranger. I agree, though, I'm not too keen on the last chapter myself. It lacks lots of information and it's a bit confusing. I might rewrite it.
Dragutza: Thanks! The others will come in quite soon, don't you worry.
Midori.Wave: Yep, Anna has now come in, as you can very well see. Yoh will come along pretty soon, but there are some things you need to know about him first!
Devilicious-jo: Meh, I'll keep Konchi with a K if you're not sure. Thanks anyway!
Akira: The first chapter is Tamao speaking from the end of the story. The whole story is her looking back at what happened, so when she says that Kino and Yohmei are her adoptive parents, it means that at the end they are her adoptive parents. Make sense?
Ren0bsesser: Glad you like it! Ren won't come in for a while yet, but he'll be a main character.
As always, please leave a review!
Xbakiyalo
Please answer in your reviews if you can:· I haven't seen any episodes with Kino in. Is her character okay?
· Does Tamao call Yohmei "Master Yohmei" or am I making that up?
· What exactly is the thing Anna wears on her head called? Is it a headscarf?
· Can someone explain Anna's past to me?
· Am I right in thinking Tamao calls Anna "Miss Anna"?