Chuck: Not much to say right now except . . . enjoy! -

Please R&R Normal proofreader is still unavailable. Be gentle. -'


Chapter 11

Solution and Slumber

Twenty six year old Keiko Asakura sat on the porch of the Isumo estate. It was a cool spring morning, and the foliage around her seemed to sparkle from the dew that remained after the rainy night. Her baby in her arms, she stroked his head lovingly as she and her husband listened to the small man's proposal.

"You want us to sell you the estate?"

Mansumi smiled at the bandaged man. "Aa. It would be the perfect place to set up a factory. Out here it's quiet, peaceful; there would be no chance of vandalism or children sneaking in."

Mikihisa grunted. "Why would we ever sell the estate to you; especially if you'd tare it down and build a factory?"

"I'd be willing to offer you and your wife an efficient sum of money."

Mikihisa chuckled, then looked to his wife with loving eyes. "I think we're fine just the way we are, don't you Keiko?"

"Hai. The plants and trees are quite healthy, and the water is crystal clear. I would never give it up."

Mansumi studied the couple for a moment. "I hear you're shamans; all into spirits and nature?"

The two looked up, then nodded.

The small business man played with a lighter as he spoke. "The time of nature and spirits has passed. There's a new world order. Technology is coming up in the world. You can't stop evolution."

Mikihisa smiled. "No, but we can slow it down. Technology is great and everything, but I'd rather have a world where people aren't all pencil neck slobs, sitting in a desk while a computer does all of their work for them. "

The small man cringed. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm Oyamada Mansumi!"

There was a tiny moan. Keiko looked down, then smiled as the small child began to stir from his slumber. "Gomen, Yoh. Did the man wake you?"

The babe's eye's opened slightly, then he began to nuzzle his face into her robe.

"Are you hungry, Aka-chan?" She slightly opened her robe, then once the baby had settled with his needs, she slightly covered herself from the small man's eyes.

Mansumi smiled softly. "You know, I'm having one myself. My wife is due in four months."

Mikihisa eyed the man suspiciously, but Keiko simply smiled. "You must be very proud."

The small man chuckled, then he took a check book from his pocket, then looked back to the man of the house. "As a future father myself, I can understand that you want your child to grow up healthy and happy. Why not sell me this old place? With the money I'd give you, you'd have no problem providing for you family."

Mikihisa cringed. "I'd rather raise him here."

Mansumi growled. "There's no changing your mind, is there?" The two shamans shook their heads, then Mansumi growled, and turned away. As he began to walk away, he looked back and smiled at Keiko, who was now cradling her sleeping infant once again. "That's quite a cute baby you have. I'd be careful; I'd hate for anything to happen to him."


"What happened then, Dad?"

Mikihisa sighed. "I got so mad I threw him off the property. His wife was in the limo when this happened. He must've been pretty embarrassed."

Hao looked down. "Once again, all of this relates back to stupid pieces of paper."

The group now sat in Ren's apartment. They were spread out fairly well, Hao, Keiko, Mikihisa, Faust and Kino in the living room; Ren, Horo, Ryu, Tamao in the kitchen raiding the fridge as they listened.

Horo walked out of the cramped room and joined the Asakuras, while holding a large sandwich much like something out of Scooby Doo. He sat on the floor by Hao's feet. "Well, we now know why all of this happened; next problem is how do we stay alive?"

Kino took a sip of tea, then sighed. "There is no known way to exercise a grudge. It kills and that's the end of it. The area of Yoh's is quite dangerous. At a hotel, people go in and out everyday. They'll all become victims."

Ryu bit his lip. "What if we . . . burnt the hotel down?"

The shamans looked to him.

"Well, when we want to release a spirit from a body we cremate it. Maybe we have to do the same for the grudge. Release it from the onsen."

"Dude!" Horo frowned. "We can't burn down the onsen!"

"It was only a suggestion!"

"Well it was a dumb suggestion!"

Ren thought for a moment. "It's actually not so bad. It makes sense."

"You too, Ren! For god's sake!" The Ainu kicked the floor a little. "Just because we lost Yoh doesn't mean we have to lose the onsen as well!"

As the younger shamans began to argue, Mikihisa watched his wife as her hands began to tremble in their clasp. Keiko was becoming too stressed. The man remembered what Takashi had said before he died. Yoh had known someone was watching him that night; that's why he phoned the group at dinner. It hurt the father to think of how he had done so little to comfort his son, brushing him off like a snowflake, but his family came first. He would allow Keiko and Hao to move on, then he too, would be able to grieve.

Horo was about to throw a blast of ice at Ryu, when Mikihisa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Nani?"

"Would everyone just calm down?"

The shamans looked to Miki, then slowly grew silent.

Kino sighed, now able to speak without interruptions. "Ryu's plan might just work. With the onsen gone, the grudge would have lose it's connection, unless all that it needs is the ground and not the building."

Tamao yawned, then she laid her head against Ryu's chest. "Lyserg-chan . . .:

Ryu sighed as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's been a long day, and an even longer night. Do you think this could wait until tomorrow?"

Ther was a long pause, then Kino nodded. "Aa. It would probably be best if you all had a good night's sleep after all that has happened," so the group spread throughout the living room. Ren offered Keiko and Mikihisa his room, then slept by the couch, where Kino had claimed. It didn't take long for the room to fall into silence. Everyone was tired. They either laid sleeping, or lost in thought such as the Tao did.


There had been so many bodies that night. Yoko, Junen, Goro, Takashi, even Lyserg and Manta. So many had died that night. How would they ever explain it? He sighed, then shuddered as he felt an arm wrap around him. Horo Horo. "Daijoubu, Horo Horo?"There was only silence in the dark room, but he felt the other boy curl up to him. "Things are pretty messed up aren't they? So many people are dead now, and even a few of our friends are gone.To think . . . this all started because Yoh died." The Tao felt his eyes beginning to mist up as the words came to him. "Don't you wish we could just . . . go back in time; before last Saturday? I mean, we could go back and stop Yoh from dying. Then . . . then everything would be okay again, and everyone would still be alive.

Horo listened to the words quietly, then sighed as he pulled his sheet over him more.

"I know I'm used to seeing people die, but . . . this whole having friends thing is really messing that up. I wish that . . ."

"Shh! Daijoubu, Ren. Everything's going to be okay. We'll get out of this."

Ren sighed, then froze realizing how far away Horo sounded. He then looked down and began to tremble seeing that the arm around him was stained with a dark sticky substance. This was not Horo Horo.

The Ainu waited for Ren to speak again when he heard a strange rattling sound. "Nani?" He looked over then stared when he saw a dark figure looming over the Tao.

It began to almost walk it's hands up the shaman's arms, leaving dark prints behind, then it placed a hand on Ren's cheek.

"Ren!" The Ainu jumped up, walking the others, then he flicked the light. The figure was gone, but Ren remained, trembling and gasping for air. "Ren!" He ran to the boy's side, then began to shake him lightly. "Daijoubu!"

Mikihisa and Keiko entered the room, then joined the group as they watched the Ainu.

Kino slid off the couch. "What happened?"

"I don't know. Ren was talking, then that thing was on him."

The elderly women gave the Ainu a small shove, then began to study Ren. He stared up at the ceiling while gasping, and his body was slowly becoming cold. Kino waved her hand in front of his face, then when receiving no response, she felt his pulse. "He's dying."

"No!" Horo sat Ren up, then leaned him against his chest. "Ren, come on! Wake up!"

Keiko walked over to Horo Horo. "Here, let's get him on the couch." She lifted the Tao, then laid him down, covering him with a sheet. He still remained unresponsive.

Ryu cringed. "It'll attack us even when we're all together?"

Kino sighed. "It's not usually a grudges' style, but I guess anything is possible."

Mikihisa walked over to the couch, and started down at the ill shaman. "We were all asleep, so technically we weren't together."

Ren suddenly released a loud gasp.

"Ren!" Horo quickly took his hand. "Ren, daijoubu!"

The Tao trembled for a moment longer, then he slowly relaxed.

Kino took his hand, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Horo. He's gone."

"No . . .' The Ainu held the hand close, then hung his head, trying to hide his tears from the others.

"Ryu-chan . . . Ren isn't really . . ."

Ryu shielded Tamao from the sight of their dead friend. "Daijoubu, Tamao-chan. Daijoubu."

Horo now held the Tao close, as he stroked his cheek. "I don't understand. Why is Yoh doing this? We're his friends!"

"It's as I've said, this isn't really Yoh. This is the grudge left from Saturday night. It only feels the emotions Yoh felt that night."

"Let's see them then." The room seemed to be growing darker, and darker, when Hao slowly looked up to his grandmother. "I . . . want to see what happened."

Mikihisa shook his head. "No. You've seen enough people die tonight."

"I want to!"

Kino sighed. "Hao . . . this could be a little intense for you."

"It's my decision and I want to see it!" Hao felt a hand on his shoulder. "Huh?"

Mikihisa was beside him now. "Then . . . I'm seeing it too."

Kino sighed, knowing there was no argument now that Mikihisa was on Hao's side. "Fine. Do as you wish." She looked to the limp shaman in Horo's arms. "Hao you place a hand on Ren's cheek, then Mikihisa will hold your hand. That should link you two together."

Haopn approached the corpse, then slowly slid his hand past Horo's arm and placed a hand on the scarlet cheek. He then felt Mikihisa hold his hand.

Keiko cringed. "Are you two . . . sure about this?"

Mikihisa looked back. "Aa. In order to beat this thing we have to understand it." The room was already fading away. All he could see now was his wife, but even she was fading away. It was as if he was falling to sleep. As if jumping into cold water, he took a deep breath and prepared for the plunge.


Chuck: Hee hee hee. Short chappy, but the next one will make up for it. I've already started it. Stay tuned for chapter 12: "A Murder Most Foul"! -