(Ichigo: Here we are! A new chapter for you all to enjoy!
Orenji: Chapter 4 coming your way very soon...it's already written, after all!
Ichigo: Now, read, relax, enjoy and leave a review if you so please!)
Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...if we did some things wouldn't have happened like they did.
Chapter 3: The End and Beginning of a Feudal Tale
The teens shared another look. He was the best friend of Amidamaru? It was unbelievable…and yet, they quietly listened as Mosuke began to tell them how he and Amidamaru came to be in the position they found themselves in today…
"We lived in hard times," Mosuke began. "War and famine everywhere…it was hell. A lot of people died back then…but we lived. We lived to make our dreams come true. Eventually, we found a shogun to work under. He was fond of Harusame, so we lived there for a while. But, after awhile, the Shogun grew greedy. He didn't want a sword better than Harusame to be made by me…so he sent Amidamaru to kill me."
Mosuke's words startled the teens. But, he didn't seem to notice, and instead continued on after taking a deep breath.
"He refused to do so. But, I couldn't just run away and let him accept the punishment for disobeying the shogun's orders! I had to give him the best sword I could possible make…we agreed to meet on the hill later that night…and that was the last time I ever saw him…that was the last night either of us saw each other…and our friends…"
The moon was already well on it's way towards rising in the dark sky when Mosuke cautiously opened the door to the room he shared with his wife and two daughters. He had hoped, perhaps, to get a glimpse of them curled up asleep on their fotons before he left. To give himself courage, he told himself, not because he was worried he wouldn't see them again.
Instead, however, his two daughters were nowhere to be seen. Only his wife was in the room, and she wasn't asleep. Instead she was bustling around the rooms, gathering items.
"If you're looking for the girls, they're over at Atsumi and Amidamaru's. Atsumi's…well…you know," Miyuki explained as she hurried around the room, twisting her long dark green hair into a ponytail, still dressed in her sleeping yukata. "They're keeping an eye on her while I get the stuff Atsumi told me to…actually," she turned to face Mosuke. "Have you seen Amidamaru? Atsumi hasn't seen him since the sun set…"
Mosuke's eyebrows knit together, contemplating. Should we tell Miyuki what was going on? What he and Amidamaru were planning on doing? No…it'd be best if he kept this silent. It'd be best if the twins and Miyuki didn't know why he was running away, just as it was better for Atsumi not to know what might happen…
"No, no I haven't. But…I will go look for him," he added as an afterthought, hoping to avoid having Miyuki stumble across them or anything else that could be dangerous to her.
As he closed the door, he caught a glimpse of Miyuki's confused brown eyes. Quickly he turned and left, running towards the meeting place, the sword he had kept out of sight of the doorway in his arms. He had to end this quickly or…
It was as he was starting the climb up the hill that it happened with little warning. A slight rustle as the leaves of nearby bushes were disturbed, the soft tap tap tap of straw sandals on the grass, a sudden searing pain across his back…
It was all over before he knew it. Such an incident as his death occurred in such a small amount of time, and left him with such profound regrets…
Mosuke considered it a miracle he could show his face, even in the afterlife, even when all those who cared about him and knew him were long gone…
"Someone had spied on us and told the Shogun. His men got to me, and to Amidamaru as well. He became known as the Fiend for how fiercely he fought…but without Harusame, eventually he wore out and…" he sighed, bowing his head, fingers twining into his hair. "I don't even know what happened to the others…to Miyuki and…"
Kotomi bit her lip, wondering how best to phrase her thoughts and how much she should reveal. "Um…Miyuki-san safely made it down to Nara with Moeka-chan and Maeka-chan…"
Mosuke's head jerked up in surprise. "Really!?"
"Mm! They made it in one piece!"
Mosuke's face relaxed, relieved. "That's good…"
"So now that you know that," Kotomi smiled. "Why don't you take that sword back to Amidamaru?"
"W-What?! I can't do that! The Harusame's in such horrible shape!" he touched the glass case, which contained the tarnished sword. "My pride won't allow it! But…" he sighed. "I guess she's been waiting for him, so I shouldn't be like that…"
"You can use my body to fix the sword, Mosuke!" Yoh said, grinning.
"Sure you can handle it~?" Kotomi teased, playfully.
"Better than you can."
"Ah!!" Kotomi cried, as if in pain, clutching her hands over her heart. "My heart! It hurts! You've wounded it with your cruel, cruel words…!"
Mosuke stared, paling slightly. Somehow, he had a feeling his wife would hit him for associating with, what she would have called, 'such idiotic fools'.
Manta sweatdropped. "Mosuke-san…you look like you've seen a ghost."
Kotomi sniffed dramatically. "Maybe…he just doesn't like my acting?"
"WHO WOULD?!"
Yoh chuckled at his friends' antics, before he became composed and serious, ready to do what he said he could. "Mosuke! Spirit Ball Mode! Hyoui Gattai!"
"You there," Mosuke said, his voice mixing with Yoh's as it was channelled through the teen's body. "Take me the nearest smithy"
And that's just what Kotomi and Manta did.
"Eh…they're back again?" Atsumi peered down from her tree branch as she watched the three teenagers walk underneath the tree and towards Amidamaru and his tombstone.
"Ami-da-ma-ru~" Kotomi sang. "We have a present for you!"
"This is…" Amidamaru stared in shock as Yoh, unsheathed and revealed the sword to him. "This is the Harusame! Could it be you…!?"
"It was Mosuke," Manta clarified. "He's been in this world for 600 years…"
"It is…only he could have forged this sword…"
"'Sorry to have made you wait,' that's what he said before he passed on," Yoh explained, returning the sword to its sheath.
"He was too embarrassed to come with us…" Manta added.
Amidamaru started laughing, so hard that tears welled in the corner of his eyes. "That's exactly like him."
"Well…now you can follow him! We'll leave this here…bye now," Yoh placed the Harusame gently on the ground before walking away, hands in his pockets.
"Yoh!" Kotomi chased after him. "Let's get crepes this time! It's the season right!?"
"Sure!"
"What sweethearts," Atsumi murmured, sparkling as she watched the trio of teenagers walk down the stairs, chatting and joking as they went.
"How can you be okay with this!?" Manta cried, hurrying after the two taller teens. "Didn't you want him to be your partner?!"
"Well, yeah…it's a pity…but, nothing can compare to a ghost attaining enlightenment!"
"Except maybe an extra-large chocolate-banana crepe after a bowl of ramen~"
"Even better than that, Kotomi!"
"Ehhhhh? What do you know?"
"That helping people is better than food!"
"Maybe I'll believe you if you treat me!" she joked.
Manta was twitching as he listened to the argument. Just when he thought she might be a kind hearted girl, she does something to change his mind. Would he ever understand this girl?
"Hey…I found you brats…"
Pulled out of their little world, the trio looked down at the bottom of the stairs and saw none other than Ryu of the Wooden Sword standing at the foot of them, his Regent-styled hair-cut only a quarter of it's size thanks to the incident with Yoh and Amidamaru that had occurred not long ago.
"Yo!" Yoh greeted pleasantly with a smile, while Manta was shocked by Ryu's appearance and Kotomi stared at Ryu's new hair-do.
"'Yo!' MY ASS! Because you messed up my hair-do, I'm the laughing stock of town-no, the world! I'll return the favour!" he slid his right foot back, brandishing his signature wooden sword, readying to strike. "Prepare yourself!"
"Ehhh? But weren't you before?" Kotomi asked, not doing the smart thing and running…and instead saying more than what was necessary and getting into trouble…her speciality. "You look more normal now!"
"I don't have a problem with you, girlie. So just go home and bake a cake or something…"
"My mom won't let me cook…"
"Ugh! Just go away then!" he said, charging, planning to strike.
He didn't intend to harm her, simply hoping to scare her away. What he didn't expect was for her to catch the sword in her hand…and Kotomi didn't expect Atsumi to catch it before she did…
"What are you doing, Ghost-chan?" Kotomi asked after Ryu pulled his sword from their grip and continued his chase after Yoh and Manta…his action oblivious to both girls.
"You were off guard…he's so tall, he could have easily hit a major pressure point in your shoulder…and with your short stature, and the force he was striking with, it would have easily hurt you…"
A vein sprouted on Kotomi's forehead. She hated when people commented on her height. As if she needed to be reminded that she was only 4'9".
"I'm not that small!" she insisted, despite her thoughts.
"I-I'm sorry…"
Kotomi blinked, startled. "I-It's okay…"
"O-Oh…I…um…I'm sorry…!" she stuttered, disappearing just as suddenly as she came.
Kotomi blinked. That had been…strange…
On the other hand, she didn't have the time to reflect on this…Yoh and Manta needed her help!
With that, she turned and hurried up the stairs.
"Kuma-kunnnn!" Atsumi cried, glomping the spirit, tears in her eyes. "The girl screamed at me!"
"Are you 24 or 8…?"
"Neither!!!" she sniffled. "I don't like it when people yell at me…and-and, I thought I could be friends with her…but I was horrible and made her angry! Now you're my only friend! That's why I'm crying!"
"You can still be friends with her even if she's angry with you…just apologize to her."
"I didn't say anything mean!" she insisted.
"You called her short, didn't you?"
"I said that because she was small she could easily get hurt a lot because he's so abnormally huge!"
"Then…why don't you explain that to her?"
"No way!!"
The trio of teenagers sweatdropped, watching Atsumi's antics from the tree. After Ryu had been defeated, now for a second time, they had noticed Atsumi's crying voice…but they decided not to comment on it.
Somehow, they'd probably make things worse…
"You decided to stay behind, Amidamaru?" Yoh asked, turning to the ghost who had appeared behind him.
"Yes, even though I would like to follow Mosuke…it seems it will be awhile before I can go to the other world…"
Yoh swallowed, barely able to believe what he was hearing. "Does that mean…?!"
Amidamaru nodded, "Yes."
A broad grin spread across Yoh's face, and a small smile spread across Amidamaru's. It was the beginning of a beautiful partnership and friendship.
Though, one that would encounter its fair share of trails and tribulations…their very first occurring sooner than they thought it would…