"Turbine! Are you alright?" Kaia asked worriedly as she squatted down next to him.
He sat up and looked at her. "Yeah, I was just startled, that's all." He lied as he ran his hand through his messy black hair.
"Oh, okay." Kaia smiled. "Well, what do you think of the outfit I bought when we were traveling here?" She stood up and spun around happily.
"It's...different. I like your dress better but this will do until we can get it washed." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and walked down the hall. He didn't smile so Kaia knew he was not at all pleased with her new outfit. She sighed and followed slowly behind with her staff.
They walked through the streets towards the plaza and eventually caught up with the rest of the group. Kaia hung around behind Turbine because she didn't like Hanagumi, who walked in front of them. They were three girls that claim to be witches and never talked to anyone. This upset Kaia because she was so friendly with everyone. Their auras scared her too, and their clothes.
Kaia peeked around Turbine and saw Big Guy Bill in front of Hanagumi. She was happy to see him at least. She frowned when she saw the small figure on his shoulder. It was her team's leader, Blocken Mayer. He was small and seemed weak to the eyes but Kaia could feel his aura stronger than ever. It would be bad to get Blocken mad and he creeped her out terribly. He wore some kind of mask and was always wrapped up in that ugly ochre cloak. Blocken talked to her occasionally but his presence just scares her.
"Wow, look at the crowd." She heard Hao say from up front of the line.
She looked past Bill and saw Hao walking with Opacho and Lucchist. She remembered when she first saw Hao and was surprised by his charismatic power and how young he was. His aura scared her more than Blocken's. Even though he showed no sign of hatred and anger, his aura told otherwise. He would kill in a heartbeat if angered. Usually, Hao was a great person to be around but Turbine would never let her stay with him too long. Little Opacho ran beside Hao, she was so cute to watch. Kaia wasn't scared of Opacho's aura. It was small and sweet like a child's aura should be. A towering black figure strided along beside Hao. Kaia was wary of Lucchist. His aura wasn't bad but he looked scary to her. He always carried a book around and wore that black hat with a feather. He reminded her of the Jewish preists that she had seen when she and Turbine were in a place called "The Holy Land," tall and dressed in black.
Kaia caught sight of four more people in the very front of the line. Two men wearing monk clothes, black sunglasses and carried instruments. One man had short blonde hair and the other had long black hair. This was the Boz, some of the most friendliest people she had ever met. Their aura was weak but very good aura. She wasn't afraid of them. She was afraid of Peyote though. He was a mysterious man, hiding the pulses of his furyoku constantly so she couldn't read him and hid his face behind layers of clothes. She knew that he was a shaman from a country called "Mexico," and Turbine often talked to him. Peyote wore a sombrero, goggles, a poncho and a skirt-like piece of clothing. She figured that the place he was from must have been a desert, judging by his clothes. He was a musician too, he had a guitar case strapped across his back. She's never heard him play before, unlike the Boz. They played all the time!
The fourth person was her other teammate, Basil. His aura wasn't strong and it wasn't good either but Kaia had tried to befriend him, despite how bad he treated her at first. Turbine described Basil as arrogant, spoiled and a snot nosed brat. Kaia didn't want to say the other words he had said. She didn't understand them but she knew they were bad. Basically, Turbine didn't like Basil. He was just as old as Kaia, had cropped black hair and wore a matadoor's uniform. Kaia had seen them in books and wondered why Basil wore it when he wasn't fighting bulls. Maybe no one gave him any money to go and buy an outfit! That's what it was.
"Everyone knows who we are." Zang-Ching grinned as they walked up the steps to the platform in the plaza. He had walked along with Turbine
"We already have a reputation." Kana from Hanagumi snorted as she lit a cigarette.
"Soak it in, my friends. This is fame and fortune." Hao smiled as he stared up at the Great Spirit with a determined expression. He outstretched his arms as if to receive the giant pillar of souls.
Turbine covered Kaia's eyes so she wouldn't stare at the Great Spirit too long. "Now that we are all gathered here, Lord Hao, what are your orders?" He asked.
"Train hard in the upcoming months. The Shaman Tournament starts in three months and you must be ready to help me win." Hao said with a smirk.
To be continued in Chapter 8!
