A/N:
I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Sorry for making all of you wait so long for this chapter! During the last few weeks I've had to teach my father how to use a smartphone and also how to use an app for his job. I hope you like it!
Chapter 12: Another Attack
I walked into my house after another extremely long day of training and almost collapsed in the hallway while I tried to make it to my room. The spirit, who had been extremely nervous while I was walking home, finally relaxed a little when I had made it inside the house. After I had reached my room, I closed the door and walked over to my bed. I plopped down onto it as every muscle in my body cried out in pain and then instantly fell asleep.
It's been a week and a half since our encounter with Jun. Whenever I thought of Lun, I had an extremely unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that wouldn't go away. I felt extremely uneasy about the situation. The spirit was also incredibly on edge whenever I left the house or wasn't at Yoh's place. He began to stick to me like glue and even went to my classes with me after that night. I didn't really mind it though his presence always brought me comfort.
As for my training, Anna didn't exaggerate when she said she was going to increase the intensity of it. To put it simply it's been hell, complete and total hell. I thought I knew how Yoh felt before but now I really do. Every night I come home, I've almost collapsed in the hallway while trying to make my way to my room. Luckily I haven't but with me also taking supplemental vocational classes I'm really starting to ware down. There are three reasons why I've been able to keep going. The first reason is I know if I don't train, I'll end up being killed the next time I run into anyone from the Zhao family. The second reason is my parents. They will immediately tell me I'm not allowed to spend time with Manta, Yoh, Amidamaru, Ayumi, or Anna anymore if my grades fall. The third one is Ling. I made a promise to him, and I have no intention of breaking it.
"I'm so tired," I said to Manta while we walked to Yoh's house.
Manta and I had just finished another morning of vocational classes. The spirit was next to me like usual and he was extremely on edge once again.
"Are you okay?" Manta asked with a concerned expression on his face.
"My entire body is sore. I have muscles I didn't even know I had that are painful to move. To top it all off, I still have to attend summer classes... If I feel like this now, how am I going to feel when school actually starts? All I'm doing is training, studying, eating and sleeping. I want to roll around the house and play video games or maybe just take a nap," I said as I rubbed my face with my hands.
"You sound like Yoh," Manta said with a smile of pity.
"I feel like Yoh," I said with a weak smile as I looked down at him.
Even though I was complaining, I knew Anna was only concerned about my wellbeing. This was her way of showing she cared about Yoh and me. My chest always feels warm when I think about it. I can't help but feel happy knowing she cares so much about me.
"It's (Name)!" I heard someone say.
I looked in front of us and noticed Ryu and his gang in front of the gate of Yoh's house. They were all sitting on their parked motorcycles. The group climbed off of their bikes as Manta and I walked over to them.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked in confusion when we reached them.
"Ryu..." the heavy set bald guy said before he trailed off.
"I want to talk to Yoh," Ryu said to me.
"What?" Manta asked in confusion.
"Why?" I asked.
"(Name)!" Anna suddenly shouted as the front door to the house slammed open.
I looked over at her along with the others and noticed that she was glaring at me. She had her hands on her hips while standing in the doorway. Ayumi was floating in the air next to her.
"Y-Yeah?" I asked her with a sweat drop at the back of my head.
What did I do?
"Hurry up," she ordered.
"Y-Yes. I'm coming," I said nervously.
Manta, Ryu and Ryu's gang followed me over to the front door of the house. Anna looked at everyone, except Manta and I, with distrust.
"Who are you?" she asked once we made it over to her.
"I'm sure you recognize Ryu from the night we encountered Jun. The others are his gang. Ryu said he wanted to talk to Yoh about something," I said to her.
"Fine," Anna said with a nod before she turned around and walked back into the house with the rest of us following close behind her.
We made our way into the living room, and I saw that Yoh was already sitting at the table.
"Hey, Yoh!" I said with a smile.
"Yo!" he said with a smile as he greeted Manta and me.
He looked behind us and a confused look appeared on his face when he noticed Ryu and his gang.
"Ryu said he wanted to talk to you," I explained as I sat down at the table next to Anna.
Anna forced Manta to make all of us tea while Ryu and his gang silently sat down on the floor in living room and in the hallway. When the tea was done, Manta gave everyone a cup of it and then sat down on the floor next to Yoh.
"So... Ryu, what is it you wanted to talk to Yoh about?" I asked while Yoh, Anna, Manta, and I looked at him.
"Please! Let me be your student!" Ryu shouted as he bent forward and placed his forehead on the floor in front of him.
"Are you asking me?" Yoh asked in confusion as he blinked at him.
Ryu lifted his head off of the floor and gazed up at him.
"Who else can I ask? I want to be a shaman too!"
"What?!" Manta shouted in shock as he stood up.
"He was deeply touched by Yoh's fight," the guy with the red knit hat said.
"This is going to be a long story..." the heavy set bald guy said.
"Yeah..." the blue haired guy said with a weak smile.
"As you know, I'm reaching my end. There's no room in housing or society for me. What enjoyment is there while riding on my bike with my friends? Even then, I need money for gasoline. The world is a harsh place," Ryu said.
Yoh, Anna, and I looked at each other but didn't say anything.
"Whenever I'm on my bike, I think, where did I come from? Where am I going? I ride like a madman on the never-ending highways. I believe that if I keep riding I'll end up somewhere at least. I'm just trying to say that I have the heart of a traveler with nowhere to go. That's all," Ryu said while he looked down at the tea cup in front of him.
I couldn't stop myself from raising an eyebrow as I tried to figure out what he was trying to say. Ryu picked up his cup to take a drink and then let out a content sigh as he enjoyed his tea.
"So what are you trying to say?!" Manta shouted out angrily.
"Master!" Ryu suddenly shouted after he put his cup back down.
Yoh made a sound of surprise as he jumped a little due to Ryu's sudden outburst.
"During your fight, I saw a real man! As a man, becoming a shaman is the only path for me!" Ryu declared.
Ryu bent forward and placed his forehead against the floor again.
"Please, let me become your student! I beg of you!" Ryu begged.
Yoh looked at him and smiled sheepishly as he spoke.
"I don't know what to say."
"Okay," Anna said.
Ryu lifted his head and looked at her in surprise along with the rest of us.
"Only if you pass the test," Anna said before she smiled.
An incredulous look appeared on my face while I stared at her. One look at her smile told me that she was up to something.
"What's the test?" I asked her.
"He has to cook lunch. If I approve, he passes. Manta, lead him into the kitchen."
Yoh, Manta, and I looked at each other before Manta did as she asked and led Ryu to the kitchen for his test.
Why do I get the feeling she's not taking his request seriously? It seems to me like she's just itching for an opportunity to get better food than what Yoh, Manta, and I can make. I know for a fact that becoming a shaman isn't as easy as just saying that you want to become one. You would first have to be able to see spirits and Ryu can't as far as I know.
"Now, you two go train while he makes our lunch," Anna ordered as she looked at Yoh and me sternly.
Yoh and I looked over at each other again and I noticed he had tears streaming down his cheeks as he cried out. A sweat drop appeared at the back of my head while I stared at him before I stood up and did as I was told. I knew Anna would definitely punish me if I didn't...
By the time lunch was ready, I had already worked up a sweat. Yoh and I walked back into the house and met Manta, Ryu and Ryu's gang at the doorway of the dining room. When Manta, Yoh and I reached the table, sounds of amazement came from Yoh's and Manta's mouths. My mouth fell open in disbelief while I gazed at the vast assortment and presentation of the food. It all looked like it had been prepared by a professional chef and there was so much it almost couldn't fit on the table!
Anna was already sitting at the table and I sat down next to her. Manta took the seat straight across from me while Yoh sat down next to him in front of Anna.
"When it comes to cooking, I even impress myself," Ryu said proudly.
I continued to stare at the food on the table in complete amazement before I decided to finally have a taste of it. I picked up my chopsticks and the small bowl of food that was in front of me. When I was about to place a piece of food in my mouth, I looked up and realized everyone was staring at Anna intently. A sweat drop appeared at the back of my head before I finally put a piece of food in my mouth at the same time as Anna. My eyes widened in surprise and I looked down at the small bowl of food in amazement. It didn't only look good it also tasted good!
"Mistress Anna?" Ryu asked expectantly.
"You pass," she said after swallowing.
"I'd say," I said impressed as I nodded my head in agreement.
Ryu looked at her with joy on his face and stared at her expectantly. The others in his group, however, didn't look like they shared his enthusiasm. They glanced at him with weary expressions on their faces.
"You can start work immediately," Anna said.
Work?
"Yes!" Ryu shouted out in joy and excitement.
I watched the guy with the red knit hat whisper to the heavy set bald guy while everyone else in the group continued to look at Ryu wearily.
"This is really good!" Yoh said happily as he took his first bite.
"Yeah, it's like a pro's cooking!" Manta said with his mouth full of food.
"Compared to your cooking there's a world of difference," Anna said bluntly as she ate her food with a ghost of a smile on her lips.
Yoh, Manta, and I looked at her with sheepish smiles and spoke at the same time.
"Yes, that's true."
Yoh's and Manta's eyes widened as a look of realization appeared on their faces.
"Anna... you..." Yoh began saying.
"Maybe she'll use Ryu as a housekeeper," Manta said as he looked at Yoh.
Anna didn't say their assumption was wrong. I glanced over at her with a sweat drop at the back of my head.
So I was right, she really was going to use him as a chef. I'm surprised Yoh and Manta didn't realize it when she told him she wanted him to cook for his test... I can't say I blame her though Manta's, Yoh's, and my cooking wasn't all that great. It was barely edible.
"I did it!" Ryu shouted again as he continued to pump his fists up into the air enthusiastically.
"He doesn't even have a clue..." Yoh and Manta said at the same time while they watched Ryu from over their shoulder.
Ryu and his gang waited for us to eat the rest of the food and I was extremely satisfied by the end of the meal.
"Thanks for the meal!" Yoh said in gratitude while putting his hands together in a prayer position as he finished eating.
"It was absolutely delicious Ryu. Thank you," I said while I smiled at him and showed him my gratitude.
Everyone in his gang looked at me with a light blush on their cheeks while Ryu's face turned completely red. Ryu cleared his throat and looked off to the side in embarrassment as he tried to compose himself.
"You two go back to your training," Anna ordered Yoh and me.
A sigh escaped my lips before I stood up and headed back outside with Yoh following behind me. We trained together using Anna's daily workout routine and by the time dinner came around I was beyond exhausted. At least I knew there was decent food waiting for me when I was done.
When dinner ended, Ayumi trained me to help me develop my skills as a shaman. I hadn't been able to do much so far.
"You did it!" Ayumi shouted excitedly while I panted in exhaustion with my hands on my knees.
A small blue sphere with a leaf in the center of it was floating in the air in front of me. It had extremely small arms and legs and what looked like pointy ears at the top of its head.
I had finally summoned a Shikigami Kooni.
"Y-Yeah..." I said with a tired smile.
The spirit had a mixture of emotions flowing through him. He seemed like he couldn't decide how to feel about it.
"I must say I'm impressed. You've learned quite a bit over such a short period of time. You're also slowly starting to get used to Anna's training. Under normal circumstances it would take years for you to reach the level of skill you have. Next week I'm going to start teaching you how to be able to defend yourself with hand to hand combat. If the spirit and I aren't around, I want you to be able to do something to defend yourself."
"You're going to teach me martial arts?"
"Yes," she said with a nod.
"Awesome! So I'll be able to fight like Pailong?!" I said excitedly.
"I don't know about that, but you'll definitely be able to handle a confrontation when I'm done training you. In any case, let's end your training here today. You look exhausted."
"I am exhausted," I said as I nodded my head in agreement.
Ayumi, the spirit, and I headed back inside of the house and the moment we made it into the living room Ayumi spoke with excitement in her voice.
"Anna, she's already managed to summon a Shikigami Kooni!"
Anna looked back at us with a small amount of surprise on her face. She was at the small round table and was watching television until Ayumi's announcement. Yoh and Manta were also at the table and looked over at me in surprise.
"Really?" Yoh asked.
"Yes!" Ayumi said with a grin.
"It took me years to figure that out..." Yoh said.
"That's because you're slow," Anna said bluntly.
I decided to sit down at the table and watched television with her until it was time for me and Manta to go home.
"Do you want us to give you a ride (Name), Manta?" Ryu asked as I started to put my shoes on.
Ryu and his gang were standing in the hallway along with Yoh and Anna.
"I'm alright. Thanks for the offer," I said.
I couldn't accept it. My parents would definitely not like it if I was taken home by a gang.
Manta and I headed out of the house with the spirit in tow and eventually parted ways to walk to our own separate homes. I was unfortunate enough that I still had homework to do when I made it to the house. I was forced to stay awake long enough to do it before I finally collapsed onto the bed and instantly fell asleep.
The next few days were the same. I went to my summer classes and trained at Yoh's and then after I was finished with Anna's training I was able to eat something that seemed like it was cooked by a professional chef before I trained more with Ayumi and headed home once I was ready to leave. Ryu's gang had taken refuge inside of Yoh's house since Ryu had become Anna's housekeeper. It was obvious his gang didn't think Anna was training him. She had given him a housekeeping list to follow and told Ryu it was his training. Meanwhile, the spirit continued to stick to me like glue and watched over me. I wasn't sure how he felt about my shaman training. It felt like he had mixed emotions. He seemed confused and uneasy and yet also proud.
I stretched my arms up into the air while Yoh, Manta, the spirit and I headed towards Yoh's house.
"I'm so happy that we're done with Anna's training for today," I said with a relieved sigh.
"Yeah!" Yoh said happily in agreement.
"I bet Ryu will like his new sword you bought for him," I said.
When we finished training, we decided to go find a wooden sword for Ryu since Yoh had broken his during his fight with Pailong.
"Come on! Everything is half price! Buy everything! Everything must go!" a man shouted at one of the vendor stalls at the side of the street.
A stampede of women ran towards him in order to buy something as they fought each other for the merchandise.
"Wow... That's a lot of desperate people," I said in amazement as we continued to walk down the street.
An arm with a long white sleeve suddenly appeared as someone reached out from between two of the women. Whoever it was had been pushed down to the ground during the commotion and was trying desperately to escape the crowd.
We stopped when we saw Ryu emerge from the legs of the women as he crawled out of the group.
"What are you doing?" Manta asked.
He was currently sitting on his bicycle.
"Do you need a hand Ryu?" I asked as I extended my right hand towards him.
He nodded his head and grabbed it, and I helped him up from the ground.
"Thanks," he said.
We walked away from the large group of women and headed over to a quiet spot so Yoh could give Ryu his new sword.
"Here," Yoh said as he extended the wooden sword out to Ryu.
"What's this?" Ryu asked in confusion.
"I broke yours when I borrowed it."
"Ah," Ryu said as he grabbed it.
As we headed to Yoh's house together in silence, I looked up at the gold colored sky and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Sometimes it's nice to just stare up at the sky and not think about anything.
I think Yoh's personality is starting to rub off on me...
The spirit was extremely nervous, and I decided to speak to him.
"Nothing's going to happen, spirit. You don't have to be so nervous. Try to enjoy the sunset. Isn't it pretty?" I said to him calmly with a small smile on my lips.
"Yeah," Yoh said in agreement.
"Master," Ryu said.
"Yes?" Yoh asked.
"I probably shouldn't say this because I'm the student, but you are a bit lazy."
"What?"
"I think that being a shaman is a full time job. I've heard that there will be a lot of people like Ren gathering. If you don't train hard, then I don't think you will be strong enough. That's what I think, at least."
"But, Yoh is getting stronger," Manta said with a small smile.
"The more you train, the stronger you will become! Am I wrong?" Ryu asked passionately.
Yoh didn't say anything for a few moments and then looked up at the sky with a smile.
"Look up there. That cloud formation looks so wonderful. If I could nap up there, it would be so great..."
Ryu looked at him for a few moments before he let out a sigh and stopped walking. We stopped and looked back at him.
"You like the clouds. And you like to drift along with the winds. But if you drift with the winds, you cannot focus in a Shaman Fight."
"I can see your point of view Ryu, but I also think what he's doing is right to a certain extent. If you don't enjoy the simple things around you or take it easy from time to time, you'll wear yourself out. There needs to be balance. It makes it easier to focus on things if you don't feel like you're locked inside a cage because you're not able to enjoy life," I said as I looked back up at the sky.
When I looked back down, I noticed a tall curvaceous woman with black eyes in front of us. She wore a red sleeveless top with a Chinese collar that had gold edging and showed off her stomach. There was a gold belt around her hips that held up her red mini skirt. Red wrist bands were wrapped around her wrists. She had red boots which went just above her knees. Her long dark cyan hair reached down to her hips and was parted on the right side of her head. There were two long sections of bangs in front of her face. The left bang went over her left eye and had several silver hair clips. Her hair was curly and frizzy from the back of her neck all the way down to her hips.
The spirits nervousness skyrocketed, and I had a feeling that she was related to the Zhao's or the Tao's since she was wearing Chinese styled clothing. There was a confident expression on her face while she stared at us with her arms crossed underneath her chest. It was obvious she was waiting for us to come around.
"Prepare to die, Yoh Asakura! (First Name) (Last Name)!" she said confidently.
"...Well at least I know she's not part of the Zhao's," I muttered with a sigh.
They wouldn't be after Yoh as well.
"Yoh!" Manta shouted in alarm.
A woman suddenly appeared in front of her. She had long brown hair that was up in a high ponytail by a red ribbon and bangs that were parted in the middle. Her outfit was an extremely tight fitting ninja outfit and her eyes were covered by a green visor.
The moment the ninja woman charged at us, Yoh suddenly shoved me, Ryu and Manta to the side. I let out a sound of surprise as I was thrown into the bushes next to us along with Ryu who had been standing next to me. The ninja woman pulled out a weapon with three thin whips and swung at Yoh. He raised his arms in front of him to defend himself and let out a sound of pain as the weapon made contact with his arms.
"Master!" Ryu yelled out in alarm.
The ninja woman launched a thin wire at Yoh and managed to make it wrap tightly around his neck to choke him and my eyes widened in alarm.
"Yoh!" I shouted as I stood up and Ryu charged at her.
"It's cowardly to attack a retreating opponent!" Ryu shouted at her as he swung his sword.
His sword slammed into the side of her head but nothing happened. She didn't even flinch. It was as if he hadn't done anything at all.
She quickly made a round house kick and sent him flying back. His back slammed into the trunk of a tree which was next to me before she threw three kunai at him. Ryu's eyes bulged, and he yelled out in horror as they planted themselves into his hair. Manta quickly ran over to us to see if he was okay while Yoh took his chance and managed to untangle his neck from her weapon. He quickly jumped back to put more distance between them and let out a few pants.
"I though I was going to die there... Thank you, Ryu," Yoh said as he looked over at Ryu.
Ryu was still in shock and could only give him a peace sign. Yoh grinned at him before he looked back over at the ninja woman with a serious expression on his face.
"Amidamaru!"
"Yes!" Amidamaru shouted as he appeared behind him.
"Amidamaru! Spirit Ball Mode!" Yoh shouted as Amidamaru turned into a blue spirit ball and formed in his right hand.
After that Yoh lifted his right arm into the air.
"Over Soul Merge!" Yoh shouted before he pushed Amidamaru's soul inside of his chest.
After Yoh finished merging with Amidamaru, the ninja woman threw a few kunai at him. He jumped into the air to dodge them, and then she suddenly threw some at me. My eyes widened in alarm and I dived out of the way just in time. The spirit quickly flew over to my side as I stood back up.
"Master!" Ryu shouted as he threw his sword towards him.
While Yoh was still in the air, he caught Ryu's sword and used it to block the kunai the ninja woman threw at him. Afterwards, he landed on his feet once again in a crouched position.
"Is she another one of Ren's friends?" Ryu asked tensely.
"I don't know, but somehow she feels similar to Pailong!" Manta said tensely.
"I would say she is connected to the Tao's in some way. She knew mine and Yoh's name. As far as I know, the Tao's are the only ones who would want to kill Yoh," I said seriously.
The ninja woman threw more kunai at me, and the spirit quickly created an extremely strong gust of wind that flew forward to intercept them. As a result, the kunai stopped in their tracks and fell the ground with a loud clatter. She was forced to jump to the side in order to avoid being thrown back by the wind and the cyan haired woman looked at the spirit in surprise.
I could tell the spirit was extremely tense. He wasn't going to let down his guard just in case the ninja woman tried to do anything else to me. I knew I was in capable hands. It was Yoh I was really worried about. Who knew what this woman was really capable of? If she was anything like Pailong, then she must be powerful.
She quickly sent another round of kunai at Yoh, and he blocked them with his sword once again. I watched with Manta and Ryu as she took out her wire weapon and wrapped it around his sword. A game of tug of war ensued as she pulled on the wire in order to pull Yoh's weapon right out of his hands. Yoh was forced to take a step forward to prevent it and then began to pull back. He pulled back with enough force that the woman flew up into the air and then crashed down onto the ground behind him on her back.
"It doesn't make any difference what weapons you use," Yoh said to the cyan haired woman.
She looked at him in surprise for a few moments before a confident smirk appeared on her face again.
"Then how about this?" she asked.
The ninja woman stood up before a thin layer of white energy surrounded her body. Suddenly she started multiplying as she circled around Yoh.
"It's an illusion!" Ryu shouted in shock.
She laughed at Yoh mockingly as if daring him to try to hit her while she and her illusions of herself circled around him.
"Damn you! Using illusions!" Amidamaru said tensely.
The woman launched several illusions at him while Yoh tried to swing at each of them as they came his way in case any of them were really her. In the mean time, she was able to hit him several times. Eventually, he fell to the ground in a kneeling position as he panted in pain and exhaustion.
"When Yugai is finished with him, you're next," the cyan haired woman said to me with a confident look on her face.
"Amidamaru!" Yoh said while panting heavily.
"Calm down, Lord Yoh. Now, close your eyes," Amidamaru said.
"Eyes... Okay," Yoh said before he closed his eyes.
"There is only one opponent. Don't be fooled by her tricks. Feel with your heart."
Yugai and her illusions launched at him all at the same time as she prepared for her final blow. I looked at him anxiously and made a last minute decision.
"Spirit, I want you to throw your wind at Yugai to protect Yoh!" I shouted.
He did as I asked and flew forward as he created a strong gust of wind. Yugai was blown away from Yoh and she ended up slamming into a nearby tree before falling to the ground with a loud thud. She slowly stood up and looked at me with a frown on her lips. Afterwards, she decided to multiply herself again and launched towards me. Ryu and Manta were still next to me and I quickly shoved them out of the way to protect them. Yugai reached me only moments later and I yelled out in pain as she kicked me and sent me crashing down onto the ground.
"(Name)!" Yoh shouted in alarm.
I stood back up and punched at one of the Yugai's as she launched at me but my fist went through an illusion instead. She managed to kick me in the stomach and knocked the air out of me as I flew back and slammed down onto the ground. The spirit quickly came to my aid when she went to attack me again and threw her away from me. Yoh also came to my aid and hit the real Yugai in the face with the back of the handle of his sword. The green visor that had been covering her eyes broke as she flew backwards.
"He did it!" Manta shouted excitedly.
"Amazing!" Ryu said in amazement.
Yugai made a single flip in the air to land on her feet. Her feet slid against the ground until she came to a stop in a crouched position. She made a sound of annoyance as she opened her black eyes and then stood up before she threw some sort of smoke bomb into the ground. Smoke blanketed the whole area and Manta, Ryu, and I started to cough. Almost instantly, I felt my body go completely numb and it took everything in my power to keep myself from falling to the ground as Manta and Ryu collapsed.
"W-What is this?" I asked.
"My body has become numb!" Yoh said while also struggling to remain on his feet.
"They've resorted to dirty tricks!" Amidamaru said.
The spirit quickly used his wind to disperse what was left of the smoke and then Yugai threw another set of kunai at Yoh. He managed to block them with his sword, but it was obvious he was struggling to move. She sent another round at him as he used his sword as a cane to remain on his feet and one of them sliced into his cheek.
"Y-Yoh! Spirit, I want you to go help him!" I said tensely before I fell to my knees.
Yugai suddenly threw a set of kunai at me, and the spirit quickly prevented them from striking me as he created his wind. She immediately threw two more sets of kunai at Yoh and they sliced into his clothes. It was obvious Yugai knew that as long as she kept attacking me the spirit wouldn't leave my side. He wasn't going to be able to help Yoh with how far I am away from him!
"Y-Yoh!" Manta said weakly.
"That's problematic. If I don't return home soon and make dinner, Anna will get mad again," Yoh said.
I gave him an incredulous look. Is now really the time to be thinking of something like that?
"That's my job master," Ryu said.
"Is that so?" Yoh said with a light laugh.
"...You two," I said in amusement as I forced myself to slowly stand back up.
I suppose I can't blame him. Anna's wrath is not something I want to be on the other end of. She's already increased the intensity of our training because he decided to watch the clouds earlier today instead of lifting weights. We have to lift twice the amount of weight now...
"Yoh you might be right. I don't want Anna to tell us that we have to lift heavier weights because she didn't get dinner on time," I said with a look of dread of my face.
"That's right," Yoh said with exhaustion in his voice.
He definitely didn't look thrilled at the thought.
"You've gone numb in the head too. Very good. Finish him off and then the girl Yugai!" the cyan haired woman ordered with a confident smile on her face.
Not if I can help it. I won't allow her to kill him.
"Let's see if I can also destroy this one," I said to myself while hoping I could help Yoh out.
I used the last of my energy to charge towards Yugai as she threw another round of kunai at Yoh. Yoh, with Amidamaru's help, managed to use his wooden sword and blocked it causing the kunai to plant themselves into the sword before they fell to the ground.
"Amidamaru is a samurai who killed a thousand people. To him, this numbness isn't a problem. Right, Amidamaru?" Yoh said.
"That's right!" Amidamaru said as his form appeared behind Yoh.
"You talk too much brat! Shut him up! Yugai!" the cyan haired woman said annoyed.
"Hey, Yugai!" I shouted when I reached her.
She looked over at me in surprise as I pulled my fist back to punch her. I managed to punch her in the face with as much strength as I could muster. Her body flew back towards a nearby tree but before she actually hit it she screamed and began to slowly crack into pieces until she was destroyed.
My eyes widened in surprise when I noticed a pair of familiar gold eyes. Ren was hiding behind the tree I had sent Yugai flying towards. There was a look of shock on his face. I gave him a small smile and his eyes widened just a little more. Unlike all the other times I had seen him, he didn't glare at me. He seemed like he was too shocked to.
"I-Impossible! How...?! How could you destroy Yugai with a single punch without being merged with a tool?!" she shouted at me in shock.
"I don't know... I just can?" I said with a tired laugh as I looked over at her.
My body suddenly collapsed and I fell onto my back as the spirit came to my side.
"A-Awesome!" Yoh said in amazement.
"I'm so numb... It's not even funny," I muttered while looking up at the sky with a tired expression on my face.
"You..." the woman said with anger in her voice.
She started to advance towards me but the spirit created a wall of wind that forced her to stay in place.
"So, what do you plan to do now?" Yoh asked in his carefree way as he smiled at her.
She looked over at him and then glared at me again before she decided to turn around and started to walk away.
"Make sure to tell Ren and Jun I said hello, will you?" I called after her.
Amidamaru flew out of Yoh's chest as his Over Soul Merge broke and appeared next to Yoh in his full form.
"That's good. I was barely able to do this much," Yoh said with a tired sigh as he smiled.
"I wouldn't have been able to help you again either," I said to him.
Yoh walked over to me and I just stared up at him.
"Are you alright?"
"Other than the fact I'm completely numb, I think I'm okay. The spirit made sure of it," I said with a relaxed smile on my face as I let out a small laugh.
"Do you want to go over to Manta and Ryu?" he asked.
"Yes. But, I don't really feel like I can move at the moment without help."
"Okay," Yoh said.
He helped me stand up and then walked me over to the others before we both sat down on the ground next to Manta and Ryu.
"Are you two alright?" Yoh asked.
"We'd better go home! Anna will be waiting for us. I bet she's starving!" Manta said with his back against Ryu.
"But my body is so numb, I can't move," Ryu said while in a position that reminded me of a cat or dog when it's stretching.
Yoh and I heard footsteps behind us, and we moved our heads back to look at the person with our heads upside down. Anna was standing there with an extremely furious expression on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. Yoh, Ryu, and Manta made strangled yells of surprise before they suddenly found the strength to stand up. I just continued to sit on the ground.
"Hey, Anna," I said with a relaxed smile.
She gazed down at me as her eye twitched and I laughed nervously. Ayumi appeared next to her and looked down at me as well.
"Why does it look like you've been in a fight again?" she asked.
"Because we have... That's why were here actually. Our bodies were too numb to move but apparently after seeing Anna they can stand up again."
"You really are a handful you know that?"
"Hey, I don't look for trouble it always seems to come to me. It's not my fault people want to kill me nowadays."
"Who was it, the Zhao family?"
"No. I think it was someone related to Jun and Ren. She had a ninja woman Jiang Shi named Yugai that was similar to Pailong. Yugai attacked us and threw a strange smoke bomb that made us go numb," I said as I explained what happened to Anna and Ayumi.
"I'm hungry," Anna said annoyed.
"Y-Yes!" Ryu, Yoh, and Manta shouted before they began to walk back to Yoh's house.
I sighed and then forced myself to stand up as well and followed them all to the house. To be honest, I was starting to feel pretty hungry too. I decided to take a hidden glance at the tree where Ren had been but there was no trace of him. He had disappeared once again.
The rest of the night I relaxed with the others before I headed home and started on my homework. While I worked on it, I couldn't help but think about what happened. My training was already paying off. Normally I wouldn't have been able to stand up after my entire body went numb. The fact I could punch Yugai was a miracle.
Soon... Soon I'll be able to defend myself without relying on others to help me. I'll be able to stand on my own two feet and I'll be able to help Ren and Jun!