10

I LOVE THIS CHAPTER! Please read. I'm excited about this.


"Where're you off to, Garie?" Gabe asked, sitting on the kitchen table, munching on a bowl of cereal.

I froze at the doorway, not having realized that he was there. It was early morning, and I thought everybody was still asleep. I'd come home late last night after my…encounter with Hao, so I really hadn't seen any of the other apprentices. Now, I'd been trying to get out without having anyone see me. Too late.

"I'm…taking care of some business." I replied not making eye-contact with the older apprentice. He looked at me like he didn't believe me.

"What sort of business?" Gabe asked, as if playing dumb. He shoved another spoonful of cereal into his mouth and chewed, waiting for my answer.

"It's just…I um…" I couldn't think of a thing. Why the hell had I stopped? I could've just walked by and ignored him. But, no. Of course I couldn't do that, not to Gabe, at the very least. Tim, maybe. But not Gabe. He was too sweet for me to ignore him.

When I couldn't think of anything, Gabe asked, "Does it have anything to do with the mission you were given?"

I started slightly. "How do you know about that?"

"We all know," Gabe responded. "Sorry, babe, but you can't keep secrets in this house. It just doesn't work that way."

I almost jumped out of my skin when he said that. I know he was probably joking, but fear started to settle over me. How much did the other apprentices know? Did they know about last night? Oh god…this could not be good.

"So, the continent of Mu," Gabe tipped his bowl into his mouth and drank the loose milk. "That's pretty awesome. The Great Spirit doesn't always give such important tasks to apprentices. Are you scared?"

I shrugged, hoping that my anxiety wasn't obvious. "I don't know. I guess." I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt. "I wish I didn't have to do this on my own. I'm just scared that something bad will happen, and I won't be able to prevent it."

"You don't have to worry about that." Gabe assured me, and I found it strange how sure he sounded. "You're only an apprentice, and you haven't been here too long. Goldva's not about to give you some impossible task that'll surely kill you or anything like that." Then he smiled brightly. "And if you really feel insecure about going alone, ask Goldva if you can take one of us with you. You know any of us would be thrilled to see the lost continent for ourselves."

"Yeah, you're right," I said, feeling slightly more hopeful. "Maybe it'll be easier if I have an actual Patch with me."

Gabe's expression changed into one of surprise. "An actual Patch?"

"Yeah," I said. "I mean, I'm not technically a Patch. I've only been here for a short time, unlike you guys, who were raised in the village."

At this, Gabe laughed, which surprised me. "Garie, what are you saying? You are an actual Patch. There's no way in hell that you'd be a priestess if you weren't. Who told you something so ridiculous?"

I stood there, feeling almost ashamed of myself for calling myself a half-Patch. I hadn't considered my being a priestess. "I guess I'm letting Nichrom get to me."

"Him again?" Gabe stood up and came towards me. He put his hands on my shoulders. "Baby, listen to me, okay? You can't believe everything that people tell you, especially mean dudes who try to kill you."

"But what if he's right?" I couldn't help but ask. "I mean, I get that I'm a priestess. I know that should mean something, but…the way Nichrom talks about me, about family, it's like I should be ashamed to have human parents."

"Nichrom doesn't know a thing." Gabe said firmly. "The only thing he knows is anger, and hatred. He's a lost kid, and you're a strong priestess. It doesn't matter if your parents are human or whatever. That doesn't define who you are. You do."

I couldn't believe that I was getting teary-eyed because of this. My throat hurt as I tried to hold back a sob. I looked up at Gabe's soft eyes. Before I could break down, though, I took a step back.

"I have to get going." I said, though my voice shook. "I might be home later."

Before Gabe could stop me, I ran out the door, walking deeply into the forest. When I knew there was enough distance between me and the house, I fell back against a tree and cried freely.

One minute. That's the longest I allowed myself. When the minute was over, I stood up, wiped off my tears, and kept walking. I couldn't cry anymore. I couldn't allow myself to continue this. I had to have strength.

With that in mind, I walked quickly and with a purpose. I walked past the forest, past the arena, past the coffee shop, until I came to the field I'd found last night. Yoh had mentioned that he lived on the other side of the field. I walked as fast as I could, not daring to stop long enough for me to really think about what I was doing.

I was surprised to see Yoh's house. It wasn't a stone building, like mine or Hao's. It was an actual Japanese-style house with a garden and a clothes line and everything. It seemed large enough to hold a large amount of people. It had a very homey atmosphere to it. I looked past this and walked up to the door.

I was about to knock, but I suddenly heard a huge crash from the inside. I paused and listened. There was the sound of yelling voices, followed by more crashes. I stood there for a second, wondering if it was a bad time.

Then again, I had to deliver this message, so I opened the door and stepped inside. I followed the sound of yelling down the hall and to a large room. I peeked in, not sure if I should make my presence known yet, and was very much surprised by what I saw.

As I'd expected, Yoh was in there, along with the other teams and people on his side, all of them yelling and fighting. I saw two girls I hadn't seen before, one with blue hair, and I was sure she was related to Horo Horo, and another with pinkish hair. Who're they? I thought vaguely.

But something else took my mind off of the two strange girls. I caught a glimpse of long silver hair and an old-fashioned dress, and realized that the little murder princess was in there as well, so I wasn't surprised to see Marco and Lyserg trying to protect her from the flying plates and food. Also, Opacho was there, which was weird. What happened to her being Hao's teammate? And who was the tall dude all dressed in black with a goatee? Something was definitely wrong.

I saw Anna standing in a corner, her face set in more than her usual annoyed glare, a bowl of rice in one hand, and chopsticks in the other. She was glaring at the scene before her with obvious distaste.

"Hey you!" I jumped, thinking that she was talking to me, but then I realized that she was talking to Yoh, who lay sprawled on the floor. He responded with something that sounded like "Ugh."

"Don't you have a speech to do?" She asked the boy harshly. "I don't care to listen to a story full of details…"

"Alright," Yoh interrupted his fiancée. "Well, I wanted everyone to listen." When he got no real reply from his arguing companions, his voice got louder. "I'll talk about important matters. Well, today we're going to have to summit."

The response was almost instantaneous. Everyone froze, and it was as if they all turned into statues. Silence filled the room, and I was afraid that some of them might faint from shock.

"But first I have to tell you," Yoh continued. "The winner of the Shaman Fight will be Hao." When all he got was shocked looks, he went on. "You'll realize it too…He has a furyoku of 1,250,000. As long as we fight following the rules we won't stand a chance."

To this, Ren was the first to really react. "That's impossible! Then why are we still fighting? Are you telling me you're going to quit again?"

I listened eagerly. Could this be real? Were they giving up already? No, I thought desperately. If Hao becomes the Shaman King he'll destroy everything! This can't happen! I clenched my fists, trying to keep myself from lashing out. This was the second time in two days that I'd been eavesdropping on something important. I couldn't risk being found out. Well, not yet.

"Listen to me," Yoh said suddenly, causing the crowd to fall silent again. "This is information Hao left for the future Asakuras. This has been confirmed by Silva too, so it's real." I started when he mentioned my uncle, causing me to listen more intently. "The shaman who wins the tournament will have to assimilate with the Great Spirit. He will have to fall in an eternal sleep after the rite of the baptism. That's when we'll attack him."

"You're kidding me, right?" I couldn't hold back anymore. I entered the room, choosing to ignore all the strange looks I was getting. "That can't work."

Yoh blinked at me, thoroughly surprised to see me. "Garie, why are you here?"

"And why didn't you knock?" Anna asked, more angry than surprised. "We have a doorbell for a reason."

"Sorry, but this is urgent." I said, and I hoped that she wouldn't attack me. "What the hell makes you think that a surprise attack will work on someone like Hao?"

"She has a point." Horo Horo said suddenly. "And isn't that a dishonorable move?"

"Not at all," the dude in the black suddenly spoke up. "Because I'm here as your enemy. In fact, Hao-sama already knows. This is typical of the Shaman Fight. It has happened many times in the past. It is normal for some people to not accept the new king. But it's not easy at all. Right, priestess?"

Everyone's attention was on me again. "It's a death trap."

"Care to explain?" Jordin asked.

"The Shaman King will be protected by all of the Patch priests and apprentices. You'd have to fight your way past us. That's our true task." I glanced at the dude in the black and at Opacho. "Not to mention Hao's followers, who may or may not be worse than the Patch, will be there to prevent anything from happening."

"I'm still here!" Opacho yelled in her shrill voice, looking ready to attack anyone who came near her.

"Well said, priestess." The dude said with a cool smile.

"Impossible," Lyserg suddenly spoke up. "If this event has been happening from the beginning why do we even have matches? And if the Shaman Fight is used to elect a new king, why are there people trying to overthrow him?"

"Not everyone is allowed to go to that place," Anna responded. "Only a selected few can go there. Those will be the twelve shamans in the semi-finals." She glanced at me. "You're going to there, aren't you Garie?"

"The Great Spirit has given me a mission." I said while I wondered how word of this had gotten around so quickly. "Soon, the four teams will become clear. The first rounds are already finished."

"Ah," Anna agreed. "And two of the winning teams are part of the Gandhara, the third power. They're one of the most powerful groups in the Shaman Fight." She glanced at Ren. "Team the Ren, you have a fight against Team Myooh today. They're part of Gandhara."

Ren didn't respond immediately, and his response wasn't to Anna, it was to me. "Don't you have something to say, priestess?"

I blinked before realizing that he was right. "Oh, I have a message from Hao."

Around the room, everyone stiffened.

"How can you say that so casually?" Sam asked. "And when did you even start speaking to Hao?"

"Right around the same time I started speaking to you guys." I responded coolly. "I told you, I don't take sides."

"Sure as hell doesn't seem that way." Horo Horo responded. "Are you Hao's companion now, then?"

"Are you soft in the head?" I asked him in a harsh tone. "I just said I don't take sides. I'm just delivering a message. And I probably wouldn't even deliver it if it weren't for what happened at his house last night."

"Wow," Jordin held up her hand. "Stop right there. What the hell were you doing at his house?"
"You weren't making out with him or anything, were you?" Sam asked.

"Ew, no! Will you let me finish?" I asked. "I went to his house because I was totally lost, and he threatened me. Then he was all talking about some stupid thing or another, and then we started arguing, and then we weren't arguing anymore, and then he passed me a message."

"And you actually came out of that alive?" Chocolove asked in amazement.

"That doesn't give a whole lot of detail." Jordin said with a frown. "What were you arguing about?"

"That's…personal." I responded sheepishly.

"Oh, you were totally making out with him." Sam said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What was the message?" May spoke up, and I almost thanked her for getting the attention off of awkward thoughts. I noticed that she didn't look mad to see me at all. She did look slightly annoyed, which was a strange look for someone who usually so composed.

"He says he knows about Yoh's plan, like this dude told you already." I gestured towards the dude in the black. "And he wants you to know that you can try all you want, but all of you will ultimately fail. That's exactly what he told me, word for word. Oh, and he said something weird about you not being strong enough yet, Yoh, but I figure you probably know about that already." I turned to Jordin and Sam. "Nothing went on besides that. I quite honestly can't stand Hao, and I would never make out with him, got that?"

"Just checking." Sam said with a smile. "Because, you know, if it were me…"

"That's enough, Sam." Jordin said.

"Hey, I'm just saying, Hao may be a hard-ass, but he is a one fine hard-ass." Sam said with a dreamy look.

"I'm so close to strangling you." Jordin responded, almost outdoing Anna's annoyed look.

"Yes, you should not speak of such inappropriate things in the Lady Jeanne's presence." Marco suddenly said with obvious disapproval. "You're corrupting her innocence."

"It's quite alright, Marco." Jeanne said, and I was surprised by how soft and sweet her voice was, and how proper. She was certainly dignified for her age. I don't ever remember being that way when I was eleven or twelve, but then again, I wasn't raised by religious freaks that told me sin was punishable by death. "Everyone deserves a chance to speak their mind."

This sufficed to silence Marco. I didn't miss the hateful looks that Sam threw them, or the rage and hurt that shone brightly in Jordin's eyes. Obviously, Jordin hadn't forgotten what the X-laws had done to her, and it didn't seem like Sam was on their side either.

In the midst of all this, Yoh was standing in his corner, thinking. He looked at me finally. "Thanks for passing the message, Garie."

"Yeah, that's the last time I act as a messenger." I said. "Hao is on a whole other level of weirdness. Unless you count this group, of course."

"Well, I'd invite you to eat with us, but, um…" Yoh glanced sheepishly around the destroyed dining room, where plates and bits of food lay scattered along the broken wooden table, which I chose not to ask about.

"That's alright," I said, glancing around. "I have to go train anyway. I'll see you guys around."

"Wait Garie," Horo Horo called after me. I looked at him. "You said you were leaving? Where are you going?"

I looked at him for a second. It was strange the sense of endearment I had for this guy. He was certainly not the brightest crayon in the box, but he was a nice guy. Hadn't we met just about a week ago? How had we been friends, then gotten torn apart so quickly? Things were moving so fast.

Then again, this was the Shaman Fight, and I had no time to get caught up in relationships. Everyone I'd met so far was just a small part of this.

"Special Patch business." I said simply. "Top secret. Unless you're Hao, of course."

"How come Hao knows?" Horo Horo asked, obviously annoyed that he was the one out of the circle.

I shrugged. "What can I say? It slipped out."

"Are you sure nothing happened last night?" Sam asked with a smirk.

"No Sam, I was drunk and stoned out of my mind. I have no idea what happened." I said, rolling my eyes at her. I left the house, hoping that they hadn't taken me seriously. Soon, I was past the fields and was once again in the forest, heading towards town. It was a very hot day, and I was glad to be wearing shorts and a tank top. As I walked, I pulled my hair back into a tight ponytail, letting sunlight hit my shoulders and back.

The cool breeze brushed past me, and I breathed in deeply. The cool air cleared my head, and I suddenly felt calmer than I had in a while. I knew everything was falling apart slowly, but at the same time a small, almost invisible sense of hope was beginning to push its way through in me.

I knew that Yoh had faith in his plan. There was technically nothing stopping him from trying the plan out. The only thing that really mattered was carrying it out, and the worst part was that I couldn't help him. I would be with the Patch, protecting the Shaman King until my death. I'd probably end up fighting with Yoh, if that's what it took to do my job. I wouldn't care too much, though. If I lose, I lose, and he goes on. I had nothing against him getting past me. I did have something against him getting in the Great Spirit's way.

"Hey, Sullivan!" I suddenly heard behind me. I looked to see Tim running towards me, a large smile covering his face. He was wearing nothing but a pair of black swim trunks and black sandals. I was struck by how well-toned and tanned his chest was.

"What's up, Tim?" I asked, trying to focus more on him that his features.

"I'm heading down to the beach." Tim said. "Wanna come?"

I was about to deny him. I had training to get done. I had no idea what sort of threats this mission of mine would present to me. I had to be prepared. But then something struck me. I was leaving soon, very soon. Who knew how long I was going to be gone? Thinking of being away from Tim and the other apprentices sent a wave of insecurity through me.

Couldn't I risk not training for once? Just for a little while, at least.

"Sure, why not?"

Tim flashed me his thousand-watt smile, and my knees almost gave out beneath me. He led me down to the beach, and I realized that it was the same place where we'd landed when we came here. I remembered coming out of the helicopter. I remembered how excited and scared I'd been from all of these new experiences, and how nervous I was to please Goldva and the other Patch guys. Only a few days had passed since then, but it felt as If I'd grown beyond my years since then. Well, that's what I thought, at least.

The beach was mostly empty, save for a couple of joggers. I watched as Tim ran into the water, his sandals flying off and landing in the sand. After a gigantic splash, he came up, flipping his hair out of his face.

"Come on, Sullivan! Let's go!" He yelled at me.

I looked down at my shorts and tank top. "Um, I think I'll wait for you out here." I yelled at him from the edge of the water. "I'm not really in the right attire for swimming."

"That's no excuse." Tim said. He made his way back onto the sand, and before I knew it, he was chasing me. I ran as fast as I could to get away from him, but he still managed to grab me. He lifted me easily, as if I weighed no more than a couple of ounces, and swung me over his shoulder. My kicks and screams had no effect on him, and he tossed me into the ocean, letting the cool, salty water cover me and pull me down. I came up, gasping for air.

"Dammit, Tim!" I yelled, noticing that I was still wearing one of my flip flops. The other was nowhere to be seen. I swam back to the edge, where I sat on the sand and yanked off my remaining shoe, throwing it somewhere behind me. My shirt clung to my skin and I was sure it looked awful. The only thing I was glad about was that I'd had the sense to put my ukulele down by a nearby palm tree. Tim crouched near me.

"Sorry, it just had to be done." He said with his usual smile. I splashed some water at him and we began a water fight, tackling each other and seeing who could make it out alive. I soon came to learn that though I was quite apt in karate, Tim seemed to have some wrestling in his background as well, because he knocked me down plenty of times. I was persistent, though. Every time he pushed me down, I was able to do the same. Soon, both of us were on the ground, soaking wet, and breathing hard.

Tim turned to me, his smile unwavering despite how tired he seemed.

"You put up quite a fight, Garie." Tim said breathlessly.

"So do you." I replied, sitting up. My clothes were wet and caked with sand, and my hair was probably a mess. Strangely, though, I really didn't feel embarrassed. I smiled at Tim. "I'm actually having fun."

"I hope it's helping you get your mind off things." Tim commented, sitting up as well. "You've been super stressed lately."

"It's just because all of this shit going on." I said with a shrug. "The fight, the mission, my uncle, everything is just…jumbled up. I always feel like I should be doing something about all of this, but I don't know what to do."

Tim looked at me with a soft expression. "You want my advice?"

"I don't know." I replied cautiously. "Do I?"

"You need to let things go." Tim said instead of answering. "The trick is to just let the chips fall where they may. Believe me, worrying about things only helps to make things worse."

I stayed silent for a second, just staring into Tim's onyx eyes. I wondered how it was possible for anyone to have such beautiful eyes. I looked down at my hands. "You're right, no duh. But how the hell can I do that so easily?"

"If you want, we can talk about something else." Tim suggested. "That's always a start."

"Okay," I said, all for it. "Well, then, what do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about yourself." Tim said, smiling again.

"About me?" I asked, surprised. "What do you want to know?"

Tim shrugged. "Anything."

"Well," I said, really at a loss. "I was born in Mexico, I moved to Albuquerque when I was nine, and I still live there now. I have a bunch of siblings and my parents are both musicians."

"Well, that's vague." Tim said with a laugh.

I laughed. "I just don't know what to say." I looked at him. "What about you? What can you tell me about yourself?"

"Well," Tim leaned back on his elbows, a placid smile on his face. "I was born in the Patch village, where I've lived all my life. I have three brothers, all of whom are younger than me, and two sisters, one who's older than me and is majoring in psychology at Harvard, the other who is six years old and the youngest out of all of us."

"Damn," I said with an appreciative air. "So I'm not the only one with a huge family. And your parents?"

"Still the happiest couple I know." Tim replied. "Dad's a shaman, a strong one, but too old to be a priest, so he helps on the sidelines. Mom's a healer in the village. We own a small apothecary in the center of the village."

As I listened to him, I couldn't stop a smile from forming on my face, though I wasn't even sure why I was smiling. I guess it was because I hadn't really known Tim before today, before this talk. It felt good to be just a little closer to him.

"So you're parents are musicians." Tim said as a sort of casual comment. "I guess that explains why you're always carrying a ukulele around."

"Well, yeah," I said with a shrug. "Music's a big part of my family. Most of us have some sort of musical influence, and mine is singing and ukulele playing."

"Sweet." Tim said. Suddenly, he sat back up. "So, you still owe me for our little bet the other day."

"Oh," I replied wearily. "I totally forgot about that."

"Well, it's time for you to remember, Garie June, because I know what I want." Tim said with his playful smile.

"You said that days ago, and you still didn't tell me what you wanted." I said. "How do I know that this is the real thing?"

"Because I know exactly what I want this time." Tim replied. "And it's a good one."

I rolled my eyes. "Well then go ahead. Shoot."

Tim's look made me a thousand times more scared for what he wanted me to do. Maybe he was going to have me be his servant for the rest of the Shaman Fight, or maybe he'd torture me more by having me eat sand. A shiver ran down my spine as I thought of the possibilities.

"I want you to take me to the lost continent." He said plainly.

I was slightly taken aback by that request. "Um, that's it?" I asked, very much surprised. "No lifelong servitude? No cruel and unusual punishment?"

Tim shrugged. "Well, I did have something else in mind at first, but since I heard you were getting a mission down in Mu, I figured I might as well tag along."

I looked at him for a second. "You're totally lying. What did you really want out of this deal, Timothy?"

He looked at me, and though he was smiling, his eyes bore deeply into mine with a sort of intensity. "A date."

My eyes widened at how unexpected, and strangely fitting his answer was. I was so shocked that all I managed to say was: "Uh…"

"But now I realize that you'd probably go on a date with me even if I hadn't won that bet." Tim observed.

I tried to ignore the fluttering going on in my chest. "You'd seriously ask me on a date?"

Tim laughed. "Technically we're already on a date, since you agreed to come down here with me."

"Oh crap, you're right." I realized this a little too late. Well, isn't that what a date was anyway? Two people having fun together in some sort of random setting, sharing things about each other. Yup, that's a date right there. "So," I said, looking back at Tim. "What do we do now?"

Tim smiled. "I could kiss you."

I nodded, smiling back. "Yeah, that seems fitting."

I hardly had time to breathe before Tim's lips were on mine. I suppose the best way for me to describe it was an unimaginable feeling of happiness washing over me. My heart fluttered, and my head spun, but I paid no attention to that. All I could feel was Tim's lips against mine, and the wonderful feeling that my heart was melting.

When the kiss ended, I looked at Tim, most likely smiling like a fool. "So, is this an official date?"

"I think it's safe to say so." Tim confirmed.

I sincerely hoped my cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I say we head back home and get some food. I'm starving." Tim replied.

"Oh yes, please." I said. "I don't think I ate at all today."

Tim laughed, hauling himself up and pulling me up after. My cheeks were probably still very red, which I found to be really embarrassing. Eventually we were able to locate my flip flops, and I grabbed my ukulele. Our clothes were still pretty wet, but we figured a walk in the hot sun would probably help dry us off a little.

I liked that we were still talking so casually to each other despite the fact that he was holding my hand. It was fun trying to find our way home from the beach. It proved to be a lot harder than I thought. It turned out that neither of us remembered the way to the house from the beach.

"Here, maybe Erato can help." I said. I called to my spirit and waited. A couple of seconds passed and she didn't appear. My eyes narrowed. "That's weird." I muttered, taking my memory tablet where Erato stayed out of my shorts pocket. "Erato? You there?" I shook it a little, only because she really hates it when I do that, but nothing happened. "Where is she?"

"Maybe she decided to take the day off." Tim responded with his usual carefree smile. "I wouldn't blame her for wanting to give you some privacy."

"But it isn't like her to just leave." I pocketed the tablet. "Where could she have gone?"

Tim shrugged. "Don't worry, she'll be back." He took out his own tablet. "For now, I'll have Kitty help us with directions."

When he said 'Kitty', I half expected to see a cat appear before me. You can imagine my surprise when a gigantic grizzly bear appeared in front of us. I looked at the bear and back at Tim.

"Your bear's name is Kitty?" I asked.

Tim smiled sheepishly. "Well, he does have a real name, but I was five when my dad gave him to me, and I couldn't pronounce his name, so I called him Kitty. It kind of stuck."

I laughed at this, petting Kitty's head. The bear nuzzled his head into my palm, and I smiled happily. "What a sweetheart."

"Yeah, but you should see him when he's mad." Tim said. "He'd tear you apart if he had the chance." He addressed Kitty. "See if you can help us find our way." At his command, Kitty stood on his back legs. I was struck by how large he was in comparison to us. The bear sniffed the air around him, then he fell back onto all fours with a thump. He started walking through the forest, and Tim and I followed.

The bear proved to be effective, because we soon found our way through the dark thicket. When we found the house, I followed Tim inside and closed the door behind me. We found Gabe and Mariah eating lunch in the dining room.

"Hey, where have you guys been?" Gabe asked when we stepped inside.

"And why are you wet?" Mariah spoke through a mouth full of taco.

"We were at the beach." Tim responded, already making himself a taco. "It was a nice day out."

"Did you get all of your business done, Garie?" Gabe asked, looking at me with knowing eyes.

"Uh, yeah, I did." I responded vaguely as I sat down, even though I was soaking wet. I ignored that fact and began to prepare myself some dinner. The smell of ground beef was making my stomach growl.

Throughout the meal, I did my best to keep my eyes off of Tim. I did this because every time I did happen to look at him, it would take me a really long time to look away. Whenever he caught me looking, though, he'd smile as always, and I'd look away, blushing. I wondered if the others noticed this about us. I thought of what they might say if they knew about our date. How long would it be before the truth came out?

"Did you watch Tao Ren's fight today?" Gabe asked Mariah after a while.

"I did," Mariah said excitedly. "Wasn't that amazing? Horo Horo is a lot stronger than he seems."

"Why?" I asked, intrigued. "What happened."

"They fought this Buddhist team." Mariah explained. "And Ren and Chocolove were brought down pretty quickly."

"But not before Ren showed his new oversoul." Gabe cut in. "Man, that thing was scary."

"Yeah, who knew that guy could handle lightning like that?" Mariah said. "It was great, but he was still not strong enough for these guys. In the end, only Horo Horo was left standing. And I've got to say, his new oversoul is pretty impressive."

"How do you know how much furyoku someone has?" I asked out of random. I don't know why I chose that moment to ask, but ever since that morning at Yoh's house I'd been wondering.

Mariah shrugged. "Everyone's furyoku levels are in the oracle bells. I'm sure yours is in there, if you're wondering."

I nodded and decided I'd check it out later, though it wasn't my furyoku level that I was worried about. "Will there be other fights today?"

"Yeah," Gabe responded lightly. "One of Hao's teams, I believe. But I wouldn't bother with that one. When it's Hao we're talking about, the winners are usually guaranteed."

"No kidding." Tim said, and I could see his face darken when Hao was mentioned. "We'll be lucky if the other team even comes out alive from this one."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Mariah commented darkly. "The final teams have almost emerged, and you know that everyone's going to do everything they can to get to the top. Who knows what could happen?"

Before any of us could reply, Rutherfor came into the room looking preoccupied.

"Hey Ruth," I greeted her with my mouth full. "What's up?"

"Oh, just the usual." Ruth said in a worried tone. "Fights breaking out everywhere, threats emerging from different groups. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Totally." Tim said sarcastically, though I could tell he was concerned. "Is something in particular wrong?"

Ruth sat down, looking uncomfortable. "Goldva held a meeting for the priests just now. I'm not necessarily allowed to give you guys the details, but it looks like something big is coming our way."

"Big in what context?" Gabe asked.

"Goldva didn't say much," Ruth responded, shrugging. "But I have a feeling it has something to do with the Gandhara and the elemental warriors."

"Elemental warriors?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Who're they?"

"An old legend," Tim said, his eyes narrowed. I could tell that I wasn't the only confused one. "They're five shamans who supposedly control the five elemental spirits."

"You mean the ones Silva was trying to steal?" I asked, feeling alarmed.

"Yeah," Tim said. "But that stuff isn't supposed to be real. It can't be." He looked at Ruth expectantly.

"Look," Ruth said defensively. "I only know what Goldva told us. We don't know who the warriors are, but I think he had a hunch. He's afraid the the elemental spirits will be stolen, so we have to be careful and protect them."

"But if there are elemental warriors, shouldn't they be helpful?" Mariah asked. "I mean, I thought their purpose was to bring peace."

"So, essentially they'd be trying to get rid of Hao." I concluded.

"Yes, I know." Ruth said, and I could tell she was stressed trying to understand all of this. "I don't think Goldva was even telling the whole truth. Until we know more, the best thing to do is to continue our work in the Shaman Fight."

Tim nodded. "Besides, who knows what these people are up to. I bet there're plenty of shamans trying to get rid of Hao already. It shouldn't be our problem."

I was about to reply to the comment, but a sudden, blinding light cut me off. The room was filled with white light that had all of us covering our eyes.

"What the–?" I heard Tim yell as we felt a tremor beneath our feet. I gripped the edge of the table, closing my eyes tightly. I heard plates and utensils clatter to the ground. What was going on?

When the light faded, I opened my eyes and saw that all around the table, everyone wore the exact same expression.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, breaking the shocked silence.


Hope you liked it! I can't wait for summer!