Figures that I work my ass off to finish a chapter on time and I don't even get a chance to post it cause of the weather. Anyway, enough of my grumbling…
This chapter fits in between (here's my pickiness) panels 21 and 22 of chapter 112. (Sorry, but it's true. XD) It also takes scenes and dialogue from Lyserg's flashback in volume ten, chapter 87.
Yes, Lyserg appears. No, no fighting. I'm not up to another fight scene just yet. Saving my energy mainly for chapter 15.
I recently realized that Ivy is the OC of mine that probably cusses the least, both in frequency and choice of words. Compare that to Stella who sometimes doesn't know the meaning of censorship, or Kama when she's pissed and been hanging around with Mizu. (I realize this may just be viewed as gibberish to you. Some of it will make sense over time… Maybe.)
One of the reasons I made Hao and Ivy meet when they were six was so she could be a part of the upcoming flashback sequences. Good thing Lysie's a year younger than the rest of the group or this wouldn't work… Well, it would have with my original plan for Ivy's character. Never mind.
In case you didn't know, "inanity" is a word that can mean "stupidity," but can also tie into "ridiculous." I kinda feel like my titles are going to the Death Note level…
Yes, Ivy is six and can speak Chinese, English, and Japanese. She was raised on the first two. We'll get into why she knows Japanese later. Or, at least, that's the plan… (ASD)
In a comment someone left, they said they wanted to know more about Mya. This made me realize that, other than some of the basics that could be kept from the original concept of this story, I really had no clue about her past and such, let alone how Ivy met her. I've started thinking about her more, and I'll try to get it in this story, but it's not really the main concern to be tacked on. Still, I promise I'll try. So, if you're curious/confused about something, speak up so I can figure out if it actually has significance, or if it was just something my brain spewed out cause it felt right.
I forgot to say anything about the previous chapter being number ten, so here's my celebratory "whoo!"
Thanks for support and apologies for rants. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Ivy, her story, some of her kick ass powers, spelling/grammatical errors, and misinterpretations/manipulations of plot points are mine. The rest of the Shaman King universe belongs to Hiroyuki Takei.
Part Eleven: Inanity
By the time Ivy woke up the next morning, the sun was already much higher than it should have been. She should have woken up a while ago, if only out of habit. And even if she had slept in, Hao surely would have come to wake her up. Oh well, her master probably had his reasons. He was always enigmatic at best.
Ivy sat up in bed. If she got ready quickly enough, it would be possible still get in a decent amount of training before-
Aviantei, feel free not to come to training tomorrow.
Hao's voice came back to her, along with the events of the previous day, both in poignant clarity. Why was she so stupid? She had flat out let her emotions get the better of her. It had all been a ridiculous game, that particular point had already been proven. And she was just as ridiculous for going along with it. All that was getting accomplished was making her life so much harder. The only reason she had gone with Hao in the first place… No, there had been two reasons. He had called her "Aviantei." He could make her strong enough to kill Ander.
Ivy punched the mattress beside her. If she was going to be strong enough to defeat him at all, she needed to be stable mentally. And that didn't require being distracted by your own master. She needed a day to re-find herself and get back in tune with the elements. Training could wait for that.
In fact, it would be a good day for you to explore the Patch Village.
Yes, that was what she would do. She'd take the day and spend it like some overexcited tourist. Maybe then Ivy would be able to clear her head. And if that didn't work, she'd stare into the Great Spirit, no matter how long it took, even if it was days.
You look into the Great Spirit and revel in it, but when it comes to things like this-
Ivy punched the mattress again, this time to stop remembering Hao's words. Enough was enough, already. She forced herself out of bed and hastily began to get dressed, fiercely determined to clear away all the troubles she was plagued with.
"Baka," she muttered.
--
Ivy sat on one of the more dilapidated buildings among those at the outskirts of the Patch Village, staring into the Great Spirit. She had spent a few hours in the Patch Village before the fact that it was essentially a tourist trap had gotten to her. So, she had retreated out here to stare at the swirling mass of souls. The effects of taking it in for a couple of hours were soothing.
Hao was right. What type of sane person looked into the core of all spiritual entities without being affected, but fell apart at something as trivial as a kiss? For all Ivy knew there was something wrong with her. It was plain out ridiculous.
Maybe if that hadn't been her first kiss… No, that wouldn't have mattered. The concept of Hao kissing her at any point in time would be enough to send her into the same state of embarrassment. How had she even kept that sliver of calm yesterday? It seemed impossible. What ticked Ivy off further was that no one individual would ever affect her the way Hao Asakura could. Even if it was only a game.
"Dammit!" she complained, leaning back on the palms of her hands and staring into the upper reaches of the Great Spirit.
"Oh, hello there," a voice greeted, causing the girl to jump. "Is everything alright?"
"Oh, um, yes," Ivy stammered, flustered by the sudden appearance of the person addressing her. "You just startled me." She looked over the boy who was now standing beside the seat she had taken. He appeared to be around her age, if not younger, with hair that was a seemingly impossible shade if light green. There was a smile on his face that lit up his grey-green eyes.
"Are you sure?" he continued to query. "You seemed pretty frustrated to me, which is why I came over. May I sit down?" Ivy was so taken aback by the suddenness of the question, she simply nodded without thinking. The boy enthusiastically complied. By the way, my name is Lyserg Diethel. It's nice to meet you."
Ivy blinked. If this boy's surname really was Diethel, then she had seen him before. It was a memory buried by eight years of passing time, but the details were still there, as clear as the day they had first occurred.
--
"Mother… Father…"
They were much quieter and in English as opposed to Chinese, but the words were still the same as hers had been. And that almost made her want to scream. She had patiently watched as Hao had killed the young couple without so much as batting an eye. It had been a painful reminder of her own parents' death, but Ivy understood the logic behind the action. If the couple refused to assist him, why let them live as opposition? But the appearance of the boy had almost broken her.
They had a child?
"Who… who are you?" the boy quietly asked. Then he raised his voice. "What have you done to my parents?!"
"Fools," Hao flatly stated. "They died because they wouldn't promise to help me in the Shaman Fight eight years from now." He then went to exit the home. "Incredible… Everywhere I go, amateurs."
"Wait!" the boy shouted, grabbing onto the collar of Hao's then star-adorned cloak as the latter passed. "Stop! Don't you ignore me!"
Hao turned back to the boy, giving him one of the most bone chilling glares Ivy had ever seen. "Such amateurs," he finalized before summoning the Spirit of Fire to set the house ablaze.
--
"Lyserg…" Ivy muttered. "My name is Lon Ivy. It's a pleasure."
"Ivy-chan, huh? That's a nice name," Lyserg complimented. "So, how come you came all the way out here?"
Ivy tried to pull herself out of the past and focus on the present conversation. Why had she come out here, again? "Oh, I just needed to clear my mind," she answered. "I've had a lot to think about lately." That was a very vague but true statement. Probably one of the few ones she could say in a situation like this.
"So have I," the British boy said, redirecting his gaze. Ivy did the same. "They say all souls eventually return to the Great Spirit. I was just wondering if my parents were in there somewhere."
Ivy felt sick at herself. How could she tell this boy that she had known personally for only a few minutes that she had been there to watch his parents die, their souls eaten by the Spirit of Fire for strength?
"So you've lost your parents, too?" That one sentence required the most effort Ivy ever had to put into keeping her voice steady. It was just one mistake after the other with her of late, wasn't it? First getting caught up in Hao's games, then talking to this boy. Man, she was just plain-out stupid…
"You mean…" Lyserg didn't have to be as picky about what emotions he displayed. However, he was quick at recovering from his shows. "So we've both lost."
"Yes," Ivy confirmed, not allowing herself to say anymore.
"That's why I'm here," Lyserg continued. "Because he is."
Oh, please, please don't say his name…
"Hao." The word was filled with venom. "He's the one who killed them. I have to defeat him. That's why I decided to join the X-Laws."
"The X-Laws, huh?" That meant Lyserg was going to become her enemy. Come to think of it, they were far enough from the village. If she wanted to, it would be a simple matter for Ivy to overpower and kill him, use the elements to dispose of his body, and take the souls of both him and his spirit ally back to Hao to be consumed by the Spirit of Fire. It was a favorable situation: one less enemy, more power for Hao, and Ivy not having to sit through this conversation that was only making her mental situation more muddled than it already was.
"So you've heard of them, then?" Lyserg seemed more enthusiastic then Ivy had seen him so far. "I talked to them the other day and I've seen their Over Souls in action. They said they have enough power to surpass Hao."
What a ridiculous concept. They can't even beat me, let alone Hao-dono.
"Hey, do you have a team yet?" Lyserg questioned, making Ivy remember that the next stage of the Shaman Fight was a team tournament. Since all of Hao's followers had already been partnered up with each other, she would have to search for some teammates on her own. "If not, you can come with me. You suffered in the past, I'm sure the X-Laws would be glad to have you."
Yeah, glad to have her if she was in a body bag. Ivy could already see Marco gladly shoving his gun in her face the instant she was in range. Then again, it might be a little fun to go along with this. Go ahead, break a few guns. Maybe even eliminate the X-Laws before they became an issue. No, too risky, Hao still needed them around. Even if he didn't, it wasn't her place to deal with them anyway.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline," Ivy said, turning back to Lyserg. "I've heard of the X-Laws before. Their purpose is to defeat Hao, correct?" She paused to let the boy nod before continuing. "I understand that this Hao killed your parents, but I personally have nothing against him. I also have no intentions to involve myself in the politics of this competition. I'm only here for the same reasons you are, and I know very well that we do not share the same cause for loss."
"Oh," Lyserg quietly responded, his tone disappointed.
"Don't get me wrong," Ivy corrected herself, realizing what he must be thinking. "I'm not saying that I wish to become your enemy. In fact, I'd much rather we become friends." Ivy becoming friends with an X-Law. Hell, Lyserg becoming friends with one of Hao's followers. What a concept. "Do you accept that offer, Lyserg Diethel?"
The green haired youth was temporarily silent. Ivy could just see his brain in motion. She patiently waited.
"Yes," Lyserg finally agreed, holding out his hand for Ivy to shake. She blinked, then complied before standing up.
"Thank you." A small bow accompanied the words. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go. Bye."
"Ah, goodbye." Lyserg's response appeared to be on reflex. "Um, I hope we see each other again, soon."
"Same here." Hopefully on pleasant terms.
And Ivy left Lyserg on the ruins, knowing that those terms would be extremely scarce.
--
After Hao had left the then burning home of the Diethels, Ivy had stayed behind. Hao hadn't told her to come, and the flames wouldn't harm her, so why not? Besides, she wanted to make sure the boy was safe. If his parents couldn't look after him, then she would. Even if it only was for a moment.
Ivy watched as the boy cried his eyes out over his parents, just like she would have done of not for Ander rendering her unconscious. He wasn't moving either, though Ivy couldn't blame him. Even if she had been awake, she still would have laid there, hoping for death. Though it would have been difficult for her to die amongst the flames, she doubted the same held true for this boy.
Maybe he just didn't realize the danger he was in. It was logical to assume that all he was seeing were his parents' corpses; even unconsciousness couldn't save Ivy from that one. She wished it was possible to go and talk some sense into him, but a good excuse as to why she was there wouldn't come. No, all she could do was wait for help to arrive and heal him if he showed any complications due to the smoke now filling the room.
After what seemed like an eternity, a siren was audible. That sound seemed to bring the boy back to reality, and he slowly stood up and worked his way to the front door, pushing it open and promptly collapsing. Ivy sighed in relief, sent a leaf filled with her mana to clear the smoke in his lungs, then went to exit out the back into the night where she would find her master.
--
Now reentering her temporary room, Ivy exhaled. For some reason, meeting Lyserg was exactly what she had needed. Her mind was clear again, with her goal back in perfect focus. First, she would avenge her parents. And after that, she would protect Hao no matter what the consequence. Not particularly caring about the hour, Ivy dropped herself on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Baka."
