(Kotomi: New chapter! The Pyron arc begins!
Orenji: Enjoy the chapter, everyone!)
Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...so don't you dare ask us if we do.
Chapter 8: Enthusiastic Fanboy
It had been over a month since Yoh started his assiduous training. Lately, with school finally letting out at the end of July for the start of summer vacation, Yoh and Kotomi had started to join Yoh on his 50 kilometre runs through town.
That day, the run took them through a park. A park with benches, which Yoh was eternally thankful for when he realized he was going to croak from lack of oxygen, or he was going to fall face first into the pavement when his wobbly legs gave out.
"Stop, stop!" he gasped, grasping onto the bench to stay upright. "J-Just a small break! Let's just take a small break!"
"You okay, Yoh!?" asked Kotomi over the squeal of her borrowed bike's breaks. "You look like you're about to collapse!"
"No! You can't stop now!" Amidamaru protested, materializing beside them. "You're more than half-way there!"
Blearily, Yoh regarded Amidamaru, his brain slowly registering the samurai's words as he slumped onto the bench. "…I'm only half-way? You've gotta be kidding me!"
"It's okay, It's okay!" Atsumi soothed from behind him, massaging his sore shoulders and upper back. Yoh sighed, slumping over even more. Whatever she was doing back there felt so nice.
"I can't believe you haven't croaked yet!" the tiny Manta's voice was nothing but tiny as he voiced his opinion.
"He won't! Atsumi-san's massages are the best!" Kotomi pushed up her t-shirt sleeve, flexed her arm, and winked. "She said she'd teach me, so you can look forward to them at school too, Yoh!"
"Ehhhh? Atsumi's a nice lady. No one'd want you massaging them."
Kotomi's eyes narrowed, her expression resembling a mischievous fox. She debated kicking his bike and knocking him over, but deciding that probably wasn't the best way to prove she was a 'nice lady' like Atsumi, she opted instead to say, "Did you really have to say something like that?"
"They're really therapeutic, Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru said, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction before Manta or Kotomi does or says something to make the other homicidal. "Atsumi would give them too me when we were young and I was still learning how to wield swords. I could return feeling that every inch of me was throbbing in pain and in half-'n-hour I couldn't even remember why I needed a massage."
"Jeez," Atsumi murmured as she blushed. "That's not true."
"What!? Why are you being modest!? Don't listen to her, Yoh-dono! I speak the truth. You'll feel completely relaxed and rejuvenated with Atsumi's help!"
"Thanks a bunch, Atsumi!" Yoh smiled feeling as though he may have a second wind in him after all.
"Jeez, Anna's really packing the heat, huh?"
"As of late, my food has been tasting great," Yoh commented, instead of answering Manta's question. "In other words…it's like I'm training in order to eat tasty meals."
"That's…isn't it tough?" Manta asked.
"Well, if I train, fighting will be easier for me and Amidamaru. Plus…if I think it's fun, it'll be fun!"
"'Everything will work out', right?" Kotomi chirped.
"Exactamundo!"
She laughed. "Well…do you feel like you can continue on now? How many bowls of rice are you going to have for lunch? Three?" Kotomi added, as they started running and pedaling again.
"Definitely five!"
Manta sighed, "At least we know your stomach isn't broken--" his words stopped abruptly as they passed a bulletin board. Suddenly he was back-pedalling and staring at a poster using his bike as a stool. "LEE PAI LONG?!"
"What?" Kotomi backed up as well. "Lee Pai…don't tell me you're a fan of this guy, Manta!"
"Eh!? Why wouldn't I be!? He's a legend! An epic artist! Action star supreme!"
"Eh?! 'Epic' is a bit much, isn't it!? He's a dud! A D-class action star!" Kotomi was horrified. Mahoko's brother Daisuke had been a fan when he was younger and every time she watched the movies with him as a child she had felt her brain starting to rot. How could such a smart boy like Manta like these movies?!
"Ah! I saw this movie!" Atsumi gasped, staring at the posted.
"Ah! A woman with good taste--"
"It scared me! I couldn't stop crying at the fat men in cat suits!"
"I know, right!? The film's so bad…the lines are so corny!" Kotomi added, pedaling after Yoh who decided he'd rather finish his jog than listen to their argument.
"'In a battle of strength, the person himself, as well as the opponent, will be hurt!'" Manta quoted, him and his little yellow bike hot on their heals.
"Manta," Kotomi sighed. This was going no where fast. Change of topic. "Hey if you wanna watch some good movies I'll lend you some of my Edo-period…" she trailed off when she noticed Manta wasn't even listening anymore.
Looks like she was gunna have to put up with Pai Long for awhile…
"'Thick tree branches can be broken easily, but thin and flexible, small branches won't be broken.' Lee Pai Long mocks his opponents with various kicks and feints, and then….he gives the final blow when he spots an opening!" Manta was grinning. "How's that? Do you think it'd be helpful in a Shaman Fight?"
"Shaman Fights are different than martial arts," Yoh explained.
"And besides, I can't see Yoh doing kung-fu…" Kotomi murmured before adding, trying once again to steer the conversation away from Pai Long, "So would you be a thick branch or a skinny branch, Yoh? I think skinny since you're so easy-going and Manta would be thick because he's so rigid. What do you think, Atsumi-san?"
"Yoh-kun would be a thick branch! The ones that can support people and stand immoveable during a storm…Manta-kun would be a thin branch since he's easily swayed by the wind!"
Kotomi blinked. Is that was the expression was saying? Kotomi thought it meant rigid things broke easily and that flexible things didn't…if that's what it means than her assignment of who's what works…yet if it's what Atsumi said…
So this is how she failed classical literature…
"Hey, Yoh," Kotomi asked, glaring at her school bag sitting in the basket of her bike. The school bag she had to carry around because she had summer school in the mornings. "How did you manage to pass classic lit!? You were asleep the entire time and I don't think you even read any of the stories!"
"I'm a new student so they went easy on me~"
"EH!? Is that why!? Jeez…I wish I was still a transfer student…You should buy me ice cream or lunch or something to make up for the fact you took my spot!"
"I don't think Anna-dono would give Yoh-dono money for such a thing," Amidamaru said.
Kotomi almost fell over. That used to work. Before Anna showed up…wait a minute…did Amidamaru just imply that…?
"What!? She has you on an allowance, Yoh!?" she sweatdropped when Yoh nodded sadly. "W-Wow, you guys really are like an engaged or married couple…Can I at least get a bowl of rice? I skipped breakfast this morning because I woke up late…"
"Oh, oh, I'll make you rice!" chirped Atsumi.
Kotomi sweatdropped. Did Atsumi know how to cook rice using modern appliances?
"O-Oh! Ok! Thank you!"
"I haven't had Atsumi's rice in a long time…" commented Amidamaru, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"It's all I can make. It's my duty as a woman!"
"You're a very wonderful woman, indeed…"
"Hey, Atsumi-san…why are you hanging around here, anyway?" Manta asked, feeling uncomfortable with the sparks of passion the two ghosts seemed to be giving off in each others presence. "Kotomi needs to find a ghost…you're just giving her the wrong idea."
"Eh? Why can't she be my ghost?"
"Because she's weak and can't fight?"
"What? I'm worse than her! Besides, maybe she can teach me how to heal people!"
"YOU?! Heal people!? That probably requires work, and smarts, and being gentle!"
Kotomi bristled, angry that he didn't believe she could do it. "So what?! I can do it! There's something I can do out there, maybe this is it! It can't hurt to try," she glanced at Atsumi. "Right!?"
Atsumi pursed her lips. How did she dissuade her without offending her?
"Becoming a yuta normally takes years of diligent mental training and physical training. I had to learning everything on my own and from my grandmother's notes…It's a hard road to chose. Unless you're hoping to be like your mother and use current science rather than furyoku…"
Kotomi moved her head back and forth. "I don't want to be a doctor! I don't mind if it takes a long time, I just wanna find something I can do, that's why I came here, after all! If I've found what that something is, I don't mind putting in a lot of effort! If you won't teach me, just say so! Don't beat around the bush!"
The ghost pouted. "You yell at me a lot…"
Startled, Kotomi looked away, glaring at the pavement underneath her bike tires. She didn't realize she was yelling. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to. You don't have to teach me if you don't want to. If that's the case, I'm sorry I bothered you."
"Let's just go see the movie," Manta proposed, thinking it'd cheer up both depressed and downhearted girls.
"I don't have the money…and I doubt Anna-san would chip in. H-Hey! What are you doing!?" Kotomi stared in horror as Yoh, somehow, managed to get Kotomi's phone from the pouch attached to her school bag and began fiddling around with it. "D-Don't do that! You're not allowed to play with that! What are you trying to do!?"
Yoh ignored her, murmuring under his breath as he pushed various buttons, leaving Kotomi to worry about whether he was going to find that text message she had send Mahoko asking what she should do about the situation with Yoh and Anna since she was feeling strange, and the answering reply, 'Just act like you usually do.'
"I'm trying to get a hold of Mahoko," Yoh finally said. "Apparently she's 'On the phone with Mommy Dearest. Interrupt me and I will--'" he drew in a breath sharply, turning a little pink. "That's really lewd!!"
"Here. Give it here," Kotomi said, taking back her phone and starting to text message Mahoko
'Mako,' it read. 'Say hi to Otome-san for me. Yoh wants me to go to a movie with him but he doesn't have any money. Can you hook him up? P.S. You can come too. It's a Lee Pai Long movie, so brings lots of popcorn along so we can throw it at the screen 3'
"And send…" she murmured out loud as she hit the appropriate button and watched the paper airplane graphic on the screen zoom into a mail-box, whose flag was raised and the door shut.
A moment later, Mahoko's reply came, saying, 'The hell Komi! You trying to kill me? After all these years of friendship and love…you want me to kill myself watching something only a creepy old man would love?'
Kotomi snickered at the implication that Manta was a creepy old man as she composed, and then sent, her next message. 'Manta's the one who suggested the film. Come on, I can't find a main spirit, I can't find a boyfriend…take pity on me and keep me company…please?'
'You realize you're gunna have to stop guilting people into doing things one day, riiiight? I mean, it'll always work on me but…ah, whatever. Meet me there and I'll hook you guys up.'
Grinning, the brunette said her thanks and love before snapping her phone shut, returning it to its case. "Mako said she'd pay for us."
"Ahhh, Mahoko's a livesaver," suddenly Manta had a whole new respect for her. He could almost forget about the inflatable raft incident in the hospital…
Almost…
"She is, she is…but do you still need Anna-san's permission, Yoh? Or are you going to sneak out?"
"Ah! Of course I need her permission! Ah, let's hurry up and go ask--no, wait, I'll just go by myself. It'll be quicker this way! She'll probably be more agreeable if I don't bring a bunch of people home without asking. The money thing probably sold her, but just in case," Yoh called as he jogged off. "Stay here, guys! I'll be back in a minute!"
"Geez…" Manta sighed. "Now I'm kinda curious about where Yoh-kun lives…we're almost in the middle of no where."
"Should we follow him?" Kotomi asked.
"What are you, a stalker?"
"I hate you…"
"The feeling's mutual…"
Atsumi sweatdropped. It'd be nice if those two learnt how to get along. But not tonight.
It was doubtful those two would unite in regards to Pai Long, however, if their personal feelings for the action star were any indication…
"By the way," Amidamaru asked, breaking the strange tension. "What is an akushon star? Is he a bad guy?
"No, no, that's not what it means," Atsumi giggled, patting his arm. "It has nothing to do with 'Aku' it's an English word…"
As Atsumi explained she saw a spark of excitement in Amidamaru's eyes and she decided to come, just on the off chance she might see part of the spunky, goof she fell in love with all those years ago.
She could face cat suit men for that…right?
"Here you go…you bad movie loving people!" Mahoko said, a few hours later, holding out the tickets to everyone, who then proceeded into the theater to get food, drinks and a seat.
Except for Kotomi, who was almost in tears that her friend decided to come after all.
"Maaaaako, you're a life saver! I didn't know what else to do! First Atsumi-san rejected me and now…I need cheering up…you think Yoh's sleeping face will do it? The sleeping face of cute boys is supposed to be rejuvenated isn't it? It always is in dramas and stuff…"
"Boy plus action equals no sleepie! And you got rejected by a girl? What's up with that?!"
"I didn't mean that kind of rejection! I kinda asked her to be my main spirit…"
"Komi…did you ask her nicely? Were you specific? Or did you let your 'I'm hopeless' attitude take over again?"
"E-Eh…the second one…ehehehe…"
"Komi…shamans have to be worthy of their spirit! I inherited Miyuki from my mother when I showed her I was ready, remember? Only after that was I allowed! You need to show your willingness! Like me, I dedicated years of my life to the shrine, and not to mention that handy-dandy celibacy oath…"
"Than…what am I supposed to do? I can't go around healing people or something…I tried to volunteer once at the hospital and my mom started laughing hysterically…"
"That's because you get frustrated when people whine and complain unless they're this tall," Mahoko held her hand so it was level with her nose. "And wear orange headphones."
"E-Eh!? That's not true! I'm totally understanding and compassionate, right? H-Hey! What's with that look like you ate something bad?!"
"You guys are going to miss the movie," Miyuki noted. "You guys will miss the chance to see the boys make asses of themselves."
"True, true."
"I'm telling you, Yoh won't like it…!" Kotomi cried as she was dragged inside by Mahoko.
"E-Eh!? Y-You really liked it Yoh?" she asked two-hours later, shocked.
"Yeah! Of course! It was amazing!"
"Going into that enemy base all by himself…" Manta trailed off and than continued, his words, kicks and punches in synch with Yoh. "Don't make me laugh! Taste my fury!"
"Simpletons…" Anna sighed as the boys imitated the scene from the movie.
"Mako…" the small, pig-tailed girl tugged on her sleeve. "I-Is this painful feeling in my heart disillusionment…!?"
"Welcome to the real world," Miyuki congratulated in a dry, unhappy voice. "THIS is what guys are like: they're all simple-minded, microscopic morons…your Prince Charming is nothing but a fantasy."
"EH?! No way!!!"
The brunette ghost frowned. "You shouldn't be so judgemental! You need to love every part of a person!"
"Oh yeah? Do you love every part of Amidamaru?" Atsumi's best friend snapped, gesturing at the ghost in question as he babbles praise about the film. "Well, DO YOU?"
"Mm! Of course! Even the incredible dorkiness that annoys me to no end!"
"Urg…you're going to make his ego swell…"
Kotomi blinked. "Then, did you not love Mosuke-san…?"
Miyuki looked off into the distances, silent, colour slowly filling her cheeks, turning them red. "W-Well…of course I do."
"Told you~" Atsumi sang.
"H-HEY!"
"Hmm…so I have to love every side of him…" Kotomi murmured, contemplating. "Alright! Thank you, Sensei! I will learn to like even the annoying sides of him!"
Miyuki hung her head in defeat, "Don't praise her like she taught you something amazing…"
"At least I'm the one who didn't cry during the scene here Pai Long almost died…MIYUKI."
"EH!?" Kotomi's voice was so loud it attracted the rest of the group's attention. "IT WAS YOU THAT CRIED, MIYUKI!?"
"I'm going to kill you…"
She cowered behind Yoh. "Don't hurt me…it was Atsumi-san that mentioned it!"
"But Miyuki would never hurt cutesy-wutesy lil' ol' me~!" Atsumi giggled, causing Kotomi to stare. She was really beginning to fee that Atsumi wasn't quiet all there…or at the very least, her true personality isn't what she led others to believe.
She seemed to have the skill Kotomi always wondered how girls managed to do…wrap guys and people around their little fingers…demonstrated when Amidamaru materialized in front of Atsumi to protect her in case Miyuki did attack.
"Heeey, can we go home?" she asked. "I feel like I need to go into hibernation…"
"You could always take a vow of celibacy like me!" Mahoko thumped her fist on her chest.
"No way! A vow of celibacy doesn't stop heartbreak, it just takes the fun out of everything! No 'confirmation of love'!"
"Well, neither alternative is very pleasant…celibacy or heartbreak," Miyuki wasn't even going to comment about sex supposedly being a confirmation of love.
Let the romanticist keep her ideals until they threaten her life, she figured.
"Anyway~! Let's go, Miyuki!" Mahoko said, walking ahead of the group, stopping when stitched up bodies hopped out of an alleyway and blocked their path, clawed arms before them.
Sensing danger everyone braced themselves for whatever might be coming their way. Was it Ren? Or someone new…? Only one way to find out…
"My God! Retro, bunny-hopping, Pai Long fanatics!"
Kotomi and Manta fell over with a loud crash.
Apparently Mahoko's instincts were slow to alert her to danger…
