Hi there!
I'm back and I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Among other things that happened, I was - and am still - not really satisfied of how this turned out...
Please tell me how you feel about it via MP or review, I'd appreciate that a lot!
Now to the new chapter, enjoy!
.
Warnings: mostly OC!centric, possible OOC, mistakes and stuff.
Lots of coarse language since our protagonist is rather... vocal sometimes (please bear with her, she'll get better... hopefully).
Rated T for language and some themes.
.
Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King, but I do own part of the plot and my adorable OC.
«Who do you think will win again?»
«Why, Boris of course.»
«Psh, please. Can't you see that Ryu's clearly going to win?»
«Hah! Wanna bet, lady?»
«Bring it on!»
This was the friendly conversation that the big Chinese panda-guy, Damayaji and me. Now you may be asking yourself how is it possible for him to be still alive - and well, just know that I had to do a lot of talking with the vampire to keep him from committing homicide and causing a commotion among the other visitors.
And when I say a lot I mean A LOT.
At least their team will be able to compete in the Shaman Fight.
By the way, while we were friendly chatting, Ryu fought against Boris and was clearly winning, Lyserg was controlled by Blamuro and kept Yoh (and Yoichi, lol) in his grip - and of course those two were too kind to try to break free and risk to hurt the green haired boy. Lilirara stayed back with Horo Horo and Ren for a while, before they too joined the fight.
There was also a bit of explanation on the spirits classes, namely the seirei class, from the talkative man from Hao's henchmen, after which Boris started to fly around. Shortly after that, Ryu blocked again the vampire's attack with his bloody wings that, once shattered, turned into vampire bats (they still looked like small, black pigs with wings to me, but still...).
"I must say..." Tsumizuki commented lightly, tapping her chin with a finger. "That your Elvis friend here is quite skillful even in he's about to faint for blood loss. His hairy Over Soul comes quite handy to block multiple attacks. It reminds me of my beloved wires, aah how I miss those times~"
I rolled my eyes, slightly amused by the fact that she actually complimented a samurai; she terribly loathed them just as much as I loathed the assholes in white - which reminded me...
Oh God, they're going to arrive soon. I just can't, I know I just-
"Maaasteeer, you're spacing out again~ And your little friend there is getting all frustrated again."
I looked in Lyserg's direction, noticing that Yoi-chan's expression was becoming rather... annoyed.
Shrug. Psh, Yoichi won't risk to hurt Lyserg even if he had the occasion to break free.
He was a good guy and seemed to have taken a liking to the little boy too, probably because of his sorrowful past.
Yoichi was similar to me in this sense, however we had... differences in choosing sides: his fear and despise for Hao were a little too much in my opinion, even after I explained him that my brother definitely had his reasons to act like this - without tell him everything. I didn't want to because it felt like... betraying Hao.
Stupid thought probably, but whatever.
On the other hand, even if I was afraid of his power too, my case was a bit different. I didn't want to leave Hao alone. I wanted show him that at least a part of his family didn't want him dead. I wanted to show him affection, not reverence.
«I hate humans! This is why I obey master Hao! He has reasons to create a world without humans!» Boris' shout brought me back to the present.
Oh, we're still at this point? Daaamn, so slow! I sighed impatiently, watching the other four henchmen taking the route to the Patch Village.
«At the estate he's in now, even I can't stop him. I don't want to get mixed up with this, let's go report.» the Mo-something guy (I definitely had problems with names) said, before facing Yoh. «Master Yoh, you won't understand... Winning against Boris won't change a thing. You still have to defeat us after him.»
And they vanished like this.
Cool acting, I must say.
«That way goes to the Patch Village... Umph, this is exciting.» Ren grinned at the idea. «The only thing we have to do is defeat this monster. If not, we can't continue.»
Meanwhile, Ryu managed to get back to his feet. «Don't worry, give me ten minutes...»
He looked really like he was going to pass out soon; however, I already knew he would win before giving in to his exhaustion. Boris, in any case, mocked him.
«Really? After your blood was sucked, you can still stand?»
«That's not the point... You hurt a friend of mine, you have to pay! But... even if you're a monster, you're also a man so I can't let this go.» the Elvis-wannabe said shakily. «I feel... that you have the same scent as me. Hated by your friends, you don't have a place to go and so you're always alone... you have the feeling of sadness within you!»
"Oh? He's more emphatic than I thought."
It surprise me that you actually know the meaning of empathy.
«Is he going to be alright...?» Lirirara asked after approaching me, looking rather worried for the black haired man. «Maybe with my spirits-»
«Have faith in him, Lirirara. This is a men's fight, what would he think if you just butted in to help him now?»
My answer didn't make her any more comfortable; I sighed to myself. I'm definitely not good with this kind of things.
"No, you're not~"
Despite the good intentions from Ryu's talk, Boris didn't take it too well. «Who do you take me for?! Me, like you? Bah! That's a low blow, you filthy human!»
«Not actually that low, Boris.» I chided him before he could attack again, choosing my words carefully this time; as manipulative as may sound, my only objective was making him a little more... reasonable.
«Everyone feels emotions, it's not that strange or insulting if you feel the same thing that someone else feels, you know? It simply makes you alive. You probably have quite a story behind you, which is why you're this angry with the world. Mind sharing with the rest of the class?»
He stayed silent for a few moments, probably gathering his own thoughts (or deciding if my words were just insulting or something, since I almost talked like he was a child), before talking again.
«You're correct... My ancestor, Dracula, was actually human. And not only that, he protected the country by defeating the enemy. He was a hero. But those pathetic, weak hearted humans were jealous! That's why they called him a vampire and killed him!»
So... history never appealed Karura too much, neither in the past nor the current life of hers. However, she listened gull attention to the story of the self proclaimed vampire - the story of a man which family was condemned by humanity due to fear, envy and ungratefulness.
Vlad Tepes was a grim, vicious man, but a hero nonetheless.
However, he was labeled as a murderer when the war time passed by. The Savior became the Threat and as such was dealt with.
And the ones that carried the burdens of such a change were his sons and daughters: his descendants were considered bloodthirsty vampires and executed or forced to leave the country. All happened for a mass belief in which they, the Tepes, were the enemy, the heresy, the menace.
Karura loathed either ungratefulness and hypocrisy, especially the latter, that's why she didn't blame that man for what he had done for the sake of his personal revenge.
It was different from Lyserg, because he - Boris - was not a "thankless little shit" who gave the cold shoulder to his companions: he stayed loyal to the side he chose and didn't forget what his savior had done for him.
She liked this.
Hence she didn't stop him from his impaling punishment: she liked him and wanted to help him understand something. He had to be beaten up by Ryu to realize that he was still weak, that it was simply stupid to fight alone; he had to see that there was still someone who wanted to befriend him despite his doings - someone had to go and make him see that not every human was that despicable.
He had to be saved.
There was still hope for him.
The fight ended with an obvious win for Ryu and a painful hit for Boris. I hoped his wounds were not too serious, it would be a pain to heal them up in an useful amount of time.
This, however, would have to wait now: he'd have to be alive before we thought about healing him up.
«Yoh, what are you doing?! It's dangerous, he's still alive!»
«I want to ask him about Hao and about himself.»
I took in a long breath and prepared myself for what would came in a few moments. Tsumizuki, are you ready?
"Aye sir~!" she chirped happily as I began pouring a large amount of furyoku in my secondary weapon: a pair of gloves-bracers similar to the ones Tsumizuki used in her previous life's occupation; they hid thin, metal wires that she manipulated to wrap them around her victims.
«Don't go, master Yoh!»
I planted my feet on the ground, steadying myself. Breath in, breath out - it's going to be alright.
«No. If we don't care for him he might die, then we'd be no different from a killer. And besides...» Yoh had reached the top of the high ground and was now facing Boris. «If he dies now, Ryu's efforts will be for nothing.»
NOW!
BANG!
Before the sword of light could hit the blonde vampire, a multitude of threads wrapped around the infamous archangel and halted its run. I almost lost my balance due to the force it had, but enhancing my legs with a load of furyoku I managed to keep it in place nonetheless.
... I thought it would be stronger than this...?
"That's just how awesome I am~" my spirit decided.
And of course fifteen years of training on my part didn't count a thing, right.
«What is this?!» someone cried out after recovering from the stupor.
And then my worst enemy appeared.
«His name is Michael. It's my special spirit which carried the punishing sword that will sentence all evil.»
Marco Lasso and his stupid glasses. Ehw.
«I am surprised that someone has been able to stop him, but this won't happen a second time.»
As he finished his little speech, he ordered his spirit to retreat; my wires retracted too, but I knew it was long from the end: they, the X-Laws, were there to "punish" Boris and probably even Hao's other henchmen.
The simple thought of them killing in the name of a false justice made me sick.
I took a fighting stance but before the Jackass could attack again, however-
«Wait, don't fight! We're not enemies, so please lower your gun.»
Yoichi managed to have all the attention on him; almost at least: Marco was still glaring at me menacingly since I prevented him from "punish the evil" while I was glaring at him with murderous intents because I hated him and all the shit he represented.
Everyone paused; the Tamashimi heir took the hint and continued. «Your objective is not this, right? I mean... fighting now wouldn't bring any advantage to you nor us.»
The leader of the X-Laws then spared him a glance, still serious but not so hostile towards him.
«Our focus is undoubtedly not taking on fellow shamans, but this changes when we meet followers of the root of all evil.»
Isn't he meaning himself too, then? He should commit suicide then, the world would be a better place for sure.
Tsumizuki laughed heartedly. "You're so heartless around him, I'm almost falling for you in this moment~"
Everyone - sans me and Yoichi - looked a bit confused at that answer. Yoh voiced the thought. «Uh... What do you mean with that? What's the root of all evil?»
«He means Hao.» Yoichi clarified, making the green haired boy gasp.
Lyserg looked very much taken aback. «They too know about his past?»
The blonde four-eyes then wore his nice-and-holy façade.
«Of course we know about him, he has appeared in history a few times. Not mentioning the Patch Tribe, over 80% if the contestants are related to Hao in some way.» he explained calmly. «The reason why we came here is because our teammates heard that five of Hao's lackeys are here, but relax.»
He smiled before concluding. «I, Marco, Captain of the Angel Team will be your friend.»
I think I'm going to puke. He makes Edward Cullen pale with all that sparkling in the background.
«However, there's something I must ask before doing anything.»
The holier-than-thou captain turned once back to Boris, which Yoh helped to climb down that height, with a meaningful glance. I immediately stepped between, standing near them.
«...so it was as I thought. You're blatantly shielding Haos henchman. Why, are you one of Hao's followers too?»
«I'm not.»
«Then why you are helping one of his lackeys?»
None of your f-cking business. I raised an eyebrow. «I've taking a liking to him and his story. Therefore, you won't kill him.»
The tension was very high, everyone could tell, as I kept my ground against the pompous asshole.
What happened a moment later, however, nobody could have ever expected: a sea of flames appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the entire area - strangely without hurting a single soul of my group - just before a giant red hand grabbed Boris.
Panic flowed into me like a tsunami, but not as much as the moment when the same thing happened to me (this was not supposed to happen, Hao helping us was so not in the plans!).
I think I heard shouting from Yoh and the others and an amused snicker before a hollowing feeling hit me like a train.
Well, the heck now?
And at the end, the biggest spirit that only the Shaman King can possess...
«Hey Mrs Laziness! Are you free this Sunday? We're planning on a hike, Max and me are taking the dogs along.»
A laughter before a pause. «Mmh, why not? It's not like I'm that lazy...»
«Well, you only are when you have to study for upcoming exams.»
«Oh shut up!»
Laughs filled the air before the scenery changed.
Blue lights flashing, a deafening sound and voices. Lots and lots of confused or hurried voices. A beeping sound becoming a stilled.
Someone screamed in sorrow. Someone - a blonde woman - was crying in the arms of dark haired man; she was the one that let out that scream.
Sadness, sorrow, regret. "Mother... Father... I'm so... so sorry..."
Blackness took everything away.
«Don't make me waste my time, young lady! Put some effort in and stop whining! Again!»
The small frame of a young girl slowly raised up from the muddy ground with the help of her arms, fatigue clear on her face. It was raining on the woods and the droplets touched every single centimeter of the forest, leaves and grass and rocks alike. An older woman stood not far away, an umbrella in her hands and a fierce scowl on her face.
«I-I'm ready...» the little one panted out, strengthen her grip on the wooden sword she was given.
Suddenly a bust of wind hit her from ahead, unbalancing her and sending her flat on her back again; new cuts appeared on her skin, on arms and legs alike. The woman let out an irritated sigh. «Tsk, if you can't even deflect a simple breeze you'll never control your furyoku, nor spirit! Again!»
The scene repeated itself.
Once. «Again.»
Twice. «Again!»
Thrice... «Again!»
They began in the early afternoon and didn't stop until evening.
Once upon a time, there was a far away land where a young boy lived alone. He had no friends nor family, for he had been left behind by everyone.
He then met a man - his savior - who treated him gently, gave him everything he needed to survive and taught him more and more things. The boy began slowly to look up at him, to wish for the man to acknowledge his efforts and abilities, which became stronger as the time passed.
For the first time in his life, the boy had a reason to continue his life.
However, one day the kind man betrayed the boy's trust. That was a despicable, selfish being to begin with, a creature that only desired power and notoriety. He ended up to be the cause of the boy's final despair and death.
No one ever cried for them.
«What in the Heaven's name are you saying?! It's your duty as an Asakura, you must fight that devil!»
Angry shouts were heard in the afternoon. Five shadows lingered in a closed space; a house, a room - a familiar room with familiar faces.
«He's not a devil, you ignorant idiot! He's human as you are but you're so blinded by your own fear and prejudice that you can't see it!»
SLAP! «Don't talk to your grandfather like that. Have some respect for family elders.»
«I never considered him, neither you, as my family...» she seethed angrily. «He could have managed to kill two newborns and you wouldn't have cared! You are the monster here, not Hao!»
«Karura, please... stop saying things like these!»
«This child is crazy, Mikihisa.»
«Either that or she has been subjugated by Hao's will two months ago.»
Indignation.
«You forget that you must thank him for everything you have now!»
They wouldn't listen, she knew. Those stupid, ungrateful fools... She despised them very much; not because they didn't accept her vision, but rather because they didn't acknowledged their ancestor's merits.
It's sad when such men are only remembered for their mistakes and not for their greatest achievements.
"Thus, we shall deliver punishment to them~"
An apparently innocent suggestion, which had been accepted with frightening speed.
They have to pay...
And suddenly everything was dyed in crimson.
Two people stood in the middle of a greenery plain. It was already late in the night, but neither of them seemed affected by that; rather, they looked at each other in a positively calm way.
«I believe you know why I am here, right?» the first one, a man with long, dark hair kept bound in a low tail, said in a friendly tone. The other, a young girl in her early twenties, simply nodded while mirroring his smile. «Then, we can begin. My name is Thalim by the way, nice to meet you.»
She grinned friendly. «The pleasure is mine! Err, I think you already know but my name is Karura. Please go easy on me.»
«Ahah, why now... If this is a test then you have to put some effort in it, don't you?»
«Mmmh, guess you're right then.» The smile didn't fade from her eyes. «Let's begin!»
They both formed their Over Souls immediately. The girl new better than to attack him from ahead since he had so many tricks up his sleeve; plants and nature manipulation was that awesome after all.
Everything is part of destiny.
Destiny - the path of this world, of all his living entities, of all souls that dwell in it - is something unchangeable. Some creatures may be able to see how this path stretches before their eyes, but it's incorrect to think that that knowledge can bring effective changes.
That knowledge can only bring false hopes and illusions. If you truly devotes yourself to observing the world you're in, you'll be able to understand its rules and paths, thus come to the only possible conclusion.
In the long run all the pieces fall into their prearranged place, that's how destiny works.
It doesn't like that someone tries to change what it has already decided, even if it is a God's desire.
But, strangely enough, it still allows to these curious creatures to live and think - incorrectly - that they can change their fate.
Why, you may ask?
Well, it's up to you to come up with an answer. Be it that destiny loves to play with their puppets or something that is already prearranged by another Being higher than it.
«What, this is my opponent? What a letdown, I hoped for something more entertaining this time.»
A cloud of smoke left the blue haired shaman's lips as she said that. Much to her disappointment, her adversary didn't react to her taunting: she merely kept smiling nonchalantly, looking rather dumb in her opinion. "Well," she thought, "better for me. It's just another dumbass to defeat and then I'll be officially in the second stage."
Once the fight began, though, the friendly grin was wiped off the girl's face only to be replaced by an half daring half cocky smile. She had the rights to do that, though: the match lasted ten minutes at last and the blue haired woman was forced to surrender after having herself beaten up and her medium turned into slices.
Then, the other girl turned friendly again. «I'm sorry for your armor, I didn't plan on that. My spirit got a bit out of control then...» Ah, the boldness! She even offered her a hand to get back to her feet.
The blue haired girl refused, of course.
«Well, see you later then, Kanna.» the brunette said happily. «Take care and... Please, say hi to your master for me, will you?»
Kanna was stunned for a few moments after that phrase, long enough to hear the officiant acknowledge that girl's victory and her joyful shout. She turned quickly to ask the many questions her mind was now filled in, to find only the dim light of the moon, illuminating the stage of the match.
"My name is Asanoha Douji and I lived a thousand years ago in Japan's Heian Era."
Long blonde hair, brown warm eyes, fair skin. A pale kimono with a tight, bright red obi; the same color of the ribbon that held her hair in place. A worn out house at the limits of the woods, in a plain with high ad green grass.
Then, another figure - tinier, different from her. They shared the same skin and eye color, but the smaller one's hair were a dark shade of brown. There was happiness between them, those smiles were the proof.
"Please, force some common sense in his head for once..."
It didn't last long.
Sorrow, distrust, hatehatehateHATE-
Such feelings were so strong and overwhelming that she almost fainted. She should accept them nonetheless, accept and understand. This was what she asked.
She wouldn't disappoint her, she promised.
"Welcome to this world, my little treasure. Your name will be... Asaha."
She remembered then. Asaha Douji.
Hao's real name.
The moment when they will receive the Great Spirit's benediction.
The last part may be a bit confusing, but it's meant to be: those are either memories or some kind of strange knowledge from the Great Spirit.
Please tell me what you think about the chapter!