Heeello everyone!
I've just come back from my little vacation and since I'm in a very good mood I managed to finish the chapter. And I must say that I feel more comfortable with the third person than with the first, but whatever...
Sooo I feel like I went a bit OOC with Yoh and Anna here, but I'm not sure. I think it's normal to be unsure after finding out something like that.
In any case, I finally managed to write some scenes with Lirirara, YAY!
But enough with my ranting, here you have the new chapter! Enjoy!
As always, thanks to everyone who reads/follows/favs/reviews the story!
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Edit: I edited a few phrases which sounded a bit off, I'm sorry for the mistakes.
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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. (I'm not sure if I should put M instead since I'm not used to the rating here - please tell me if you think I should change that!)
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Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King, but I do own part of the plot and my adorable OC.
Not much after Boris and me managed to meet up with the others while they were exiting a restaurant-like building. I immediately noticed a new presence among the guys, a certain blonde head which both my brothers were interested in, if I remembered correctly (well, I could see Yoh and Anna as a couple: even if he's scared of her, Yoh truly loves her despite her... difficult personality; still, I didn't like her).
There was something that put me a little on edge: Lirirara was not with them and that made me frown. I had to check on her as soon as possible, yep.
Suddenly I felt a shiver run down my spine and I wasn't sure if that was because of the thought of Anna or something else. Nevertheless, Boris and I approached the five of them; my friendly smile already back on its right place.
«Guys, there you are!»
Yoichi was (not strangely) the first one who reacted. «Ah, Karura-san! You're back!»
«Yep, we're both back.» I gestured to Boris, making the brown haired young man before me loose his enthusiasm a bit. «And please, don't begin with that face. He's strong and everyone saw it, besides... you know as I do that this is important.» The last part was whispered before someone else called for us out of nowhere - a new voice undoubtedly.
«I see the entire group has assembled... Do you think you'll still be together when he fights start?» A teen with an afro-styled hair and a big cheetah behind him - obviously a spirit - appeared from one of the side alleys.
Ah, I see. This is that time already. Too bad that he had been straightly ignored by everyone except me and Yoichi, until of course he mentioned he was a participant in the tournament too; I could already sense a migraine coming up in my head for the nonsensical jokes he tried to crack. Well, let's leave it all to Ren for now.
«Mistr- I mean, Karura-dono, does this person bother you?» Boris asked with hostile voice.
I shook my head for both he question and the suffix he used (probably that was the most informal epithet he was going to use). «Don't worry, it's alright. He's going to be part of Yoh's group after all.» I turned to Anna, who was leading the group away. «You must be Yoh's fiancée, right? Pleased to meet you!»
She eyed suspiciously the hand I tended to her before looking at me. «And you're that person, the one Kino-sensei and Yohmei-san told me about.»
Figures that they told her about me too. My smile widened, starting to resemble a Cheshire grin already. «I didn't know I was that famous. How are they doing, by the way?»
Wonderful, she's glaring at me now and with NO REASON apparently. So much for a good beginning.
«They're faring fine.»
«That's a nice thing to hear.» I lied bluntly, for I didn't really care for them. Feeling that the conversation was already over, my attention went to my brother. «Yoh, can I speak to you privately as soon as our new friend there has finished his show?»
Speaking of perfect timing, in that moment Chocolove - who was being threatened by Ren - shouted. «Woah, woah, woah! Don't joke around like that, I only want to be your teammate!»
«Teammate?» Ren asked.
«Yeah... teammate.»
I cleared my throat. «So, you have read the rules of the Shaman Fight in the Oracle Bell?»
«Yeah. Before the Shaman Fight I returned to Tokyo to wait and found out something interesting.» he paused, throwing a glance at the Tao's weapon, still at a few centimeters from his face. «We'll have to fight in groups of three people per match, but the groups may be of more. Every member of a team can fight as he or she wishes, of course, but not following the rules can get the whole team disqualified.»
«Ah, now that I think of it...» Ryu said suddenly. «I remember that Karura-chan said something similar when we met the X-Laws.»
I simply nodded while Yoichi spoke up. «All the things he just explained are true. If a shaman can't find a group to fight with, he or she will be automatically out of the tournament.»
My mind took off to Lalaland as soon as Chocolove continued to tell the others about his spirit Mic and the three most influential groups in the tournament; don't take it badly, but that discussion didn't really matter to me at the moment: I was more worried about the talk I had to have with Yoh. Hopefully it wouldn't impress him too much...?
«So, how do we team up then?» someone suddenly asked, catching my attention back.
«The comedian here will be in my team.» Ren immediately stated. «We'll have to fight sooner or later, so I'll form a separate team to have a better chance in competing with you.»
Ryu was not pleased with this. «How can you say such things!»
«I don't mind, who's your third guy?»
«Umph, I'm not interested in things that have uncertain outcomes and since you'll surely look for Lyserg...» the Chinese trailed off. «It's a waste of time, either of you two will do.»
«Will do?! Stop boasting! Besides, did you forget that there are also Yoichi and Karura here?»
As thankful as I could have been for Horo Horo's consideration, there was still a little problem.
«Um... to be honest we were planning on have our own team... We still need to find our third member though...» Yoichi said, anticipating me.
Yoh cocked his head to the side. «Isn't Boris your third member?»
A loud WHAT was heard. I scoffed. «As much as I'd like that, he has his own team. Was thinking about asking the Patch to include Lirirara in the tournament since she's a strong shaman after all. That is... if she accepts to participate.»
«That's probably the best choice and if the Patch don't approve that you can still join one of our teams!»
Have I ever said that I love my little brother? Because seriously, he's too kind for his own good.
«Thanks, Yoh. I think it's worth a try, but if you're fine we'll think about your offer later so everyone will be happy, hopefully.»
Well, probably not everyone. Ryu's wish to team up with Lyserg will be crushed later by Anna, in order to get Faust on Yoh's squad. The green haired boy had made his decision - blinded by the talks of that four-eyes asshole - and that's it. I didn't feel sorry for not giving a damn about him.
On the other hand, I was concerned about my group: leaving aside the team name issue, which will be a pain in the ass sincerely, Yoichi had to accept the fact that Boris was on our side and not an enemy: he was under my care and I considered him a good acquaintance - to not to say friend already, it was a bit early for that I think...?
As for his jealousy, he'd have to live with the fact that I don't care for anyone in a romantic way. One and one only was my objective here and that definitely didn't involve falling in love.
«Dear, I think they have finished speaking. You can have your time alone with Yoh-chan now~»
Sigh. «Tsumi, will you ever stop sounding like a total creep? Do me a favor and stay here with Yoichi and Boris so they don't try to kill each other meanwhile.» And if I had to trust Tsumizuki with their well being... well, that's how much importance I put in that talk. «Sooo, Yoh? Can I kidnap you for some time?»
Ignoring the glare from Anna, to which he seemed to be oblivious of, my brother nodded. «Sure. I think my training will start from tomorrow.»
«Yoh, I don't think this is a good-»
«Don't worry, Anna-chan! He'll be right back for dinner, see you later~» I interrupted the blonde's statement putting an arm around the teen's shoulders and began to drag him away, while I felt more than one look of disbelief for how I acted with the Ice Queen.
The two of us walked around for a bit, not really talking (small chat counts?) or pointing at stalls and restaurants with particular dishes we promised to try sooner or later. It was the first time I actually got some time alone with Yoh - before we travelled together with the others and there hadn't been really occasions to talk like this - so I fully enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere.
Finally, we ended up in the lake area just before the Spirit King. The sandy coast was lovely in my opinion and relaxing too, so there we sat; I took off my shoes and took a few steps in the water just before Yoh spoke up again.
«So, what did you want to talk about? I don't really understand why, but Anna seems to be wary of you.»
I turned around to face him, my hands behind my back. «Probably is because of what Mikihisa and Yohmei told her about me, about Hao... and about our family.»
«Our family as in... "Hao's and yours"?» he asked hesitantly and I could hear the gears in his head turning already. He probably felt that something was simply off, especially with me knowing his relatives; he was not stupid.
So I decided to not hit around the bush and tell him directly. «Yoh, Hao is your twin brother and I am your older sister. I believe that you never heard about this, but it's the truth: your grandfather probably told Anna everything, but I didn't want you to know by someone else.» I paused a few seconds to let him take in the new piece of information.
«Wait a second, grandpa always spoke about the importance of the lineage and stuff. If you're an Asakura, how is it that you-»
«Our opinions differed from each other's and we ended up to take different ways.» I interrupted him; My bad habit strikes again. «...I don't know what they told you or what Anna will tell you, but will you listen to my version of the story?»
«...Yes, of course.»
When I heard his positive reply a few moments later, I smiled to myself and began to told him everything: from my situation - as in being reincarnated, not coming from another world - to my hatred for Mikihisa since the time he wanted to kill both him and Hao, to the mission he had to accomplish as an Asakura.
Yoh listened to me carefully and without interrupting, not even once, and for that I was really, really grateful.
I took a deep breath, almost an hour later than when I started talking. «And that's all.»
«So... basically my family wants to kill Hao, who is either our brother and our ancestor, because he wants to become Shaman King and put an end to humanity.» I nodded. «And since you're okay with this, you fled from home before dad or grandpa tried to kill you off.»
«Well, it's not that I'm okay with that, but I think that Hao deserves to be happy in some way-»
«...That's twisted, nee-san.»
«But! I'd also like to make him understand that not all humans are despicable. Well, the majority of them is, but not everyone. He might change his mind if he gets that, it's not a lost cause, you know...»
«Mmh...»
Yoh mumbled something to himself for a few moments, deep in thoughts. Then, as if nothing happened, he laid on the back with his arms folded behind his head. He stayed eyes-closed for a few minutes and I let him ponder to himself as long as he needed (though I suspected that he had fell asleep somewhere in the middle; I was fortunately wrong).
«Okay, I understand.» he suddenly said. «If you think we can do something for him, then I trust you. And I'll do whatever is in my ability to help out.»
I blinked once and stared into his smiling face; this boy was so utterly honest that it was only natural to want to stay with him, seriously: it was accepting, like you could throw anything at him and he'll say "okay, don't worry".
«Thank you, Yoh. Really... Really thank you for your trust.»
«Whaaat, this is what family stands for, isn't it?»
I nodded, thanking him again to be his adorable, accepting self in my mind; I had the impression that he'd understand and probably forgive anyone after hearing their story - unless it was someone psychotic without reason.
...Wait a second.
«Yoh, I'm sorry if this sounds a bit off, but... what will you do now? I mean, you know. The others will probably make you go and try to kill Hao as five centuries ago.»
The "will you forgive them for lying to you" part went unsaid.
«Mmmh... I don't want to kill my brother, what I said before applies to him too. He's my family as you are and...» he trailed off, which caught my attention. Turning to him, I noticed a faint blush on his cheeks; was he embarrassed? What? «Well... I'd like to know you more. I had fun spending time together before we arrived here, especially when you argued with Yoichi and Horo Horo, and-»
«Do you mean, you like to spend time with me?» I summarized; he nodded a bit awkwardly. «Well, huh... it would be my pleasure of course. I thought you'd want some time to yourself to think about everything.»
«I plan to do that, but I also want to get to know you. We have some years to make up to, right...?»
It was my turn to nod as Yoh smiled, a little more comforted by the situation. Wait, was he embarrassed to ask me to spend time together? Why is that? I decided to ask him right away and the answer I got... I did not expect it.
«What do you mean that you didn't know if I saw you as my brother?» I asked after a few moments of silence, completely dumbstruck.
He scratched his cheek, laughing a bit nervously. «You always spoke about Hao, I thought you-»
«You thought that I cared for him more than for you?»
«...Basically, yes. Sorry.» And then he had his cute-slash-apologetic smile on his face.
It was official: in that moment I felt the urge to hug him, which I definitely gave in to.
«K-Karura?!» he stuttered as I pulled him towards me.
«Stupid little brother, never ever think about something like this.» I mumbled near his left ear, before releasing him a bit to look at him eye to eye. «I love you as I love Hao, remember it. It's just that his case is a bit more complicated, as you probably can imagine.»
He nodded slowly, smiling as he always did - and what do they say? Smiling is contagious.
«Good! Now let's get back before that female demon signs you up for an extra run tomorrow. And by the way, how the hell do you put up with her demands all the time? It's excruciating!»
Upon seeing my exasperated face, my lovely brother laughed. «Ahah, Anna can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but it's not that bad...»
«Yoh, how is that only a bit overwhelming?!»
And so the conversation went on while we stood up and made our way to the main plaza. I also had to visit Lirirara, might as well go there with Yoh since I suspect he was worried for her too.
To be honest, Yoh didn't expect such a story. What Karura told him a few hours before totally threw him off, even if he didn't show it on the outside: he had siblings, both of which had to run away - for a reason or another - from the Asakura estate, where he grew up alone. And no one never ever named them in front of him, probably not wanting him to know and begin asking questions.
He deserved to know about them, he thought a bit snappily, Karura and Hao were his older sister and brother, no matter if they were evil or good; he didn't care about that, Yoh just wanted to know. It wasn't that bad, right? But his parents had to hide everything from him - his siblings, the Asakuras' history, the 'mission' he was supposed to accomplish...
Strangely, those were the things that worried him more, not the fact that he risked to not be here and alive.
The young Asakura decided to spend some time pondering about that situation, waiting also for some explanation by his family - meaning, parents and grandparents - on the matter. He understood the situation, but he couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed by those who he trusted so much in the past years. Yoh felt a similar emotion towards Karura too, because she acted like she was a complete stranger since the beginning - but a tiny part of him kept saying that she had been right to do so, that it had to be done.
However, more than anything, the young brunette felt the need to know everything about his lineage. And to do so, he had to listen to Anna's version of the story and Hao's too - that is, if his twin brother would tell him.
«Yoh! You're back finally!»
That was Horo Horo's welcome when he made it back to the inn. Much to his surprise Boris was still there with everyone, even if he and Yoichi sat to the opposite sides of the room; and the young Asakura couldn't help but notice a far too familiar red sign on the Tamashimi's cheek. They fought and Anna got pissed, he mused.
«Eheh, sorry for being late, Karura and I went to visit Lirirara earlier. She has awaken finally, but is still a bit weak.» he explained, hoping that his motive was reasonable enough for Anna; he didn't want extra exercises for the next day after all.
«So, Karura-san decided to stay with her?» At Yoichi's question, Yoh simply nodded. «I'll be going there too then.» And with that the brown haired boy left the room, probably more than happy to stay away from the Romanian shaman. Not that Yoh could blame him for that: Yoichi was not the only one to sense the tense atmosphere.
A moment later Anna's blonde hair appeared from the nearby corridor, followed by Tamao. Her gaze, which held a bit of worry and uncertainty, was immediately on Yoh. «What took you so long to come back? Did you get lost or something?»
The boy looked at her directly in her eyes, finding immediately the real questions she wanted to ask. Did that woman tell you about that? Do you want to join Hao's side now that you know what your family did?
Probably if it was someone else he would have felt even offended by the implication; but Yoh, being Yoh, didn't: he cared for his parents and grandparents, he wouldn't turn his back to them completely. However, for once he wanted them to understand that they shouldn't have kept him in the dark for so long: he'd have appreciated better a bit more of honesty.
«We talked a bit too much and lost the track of time. Next time we'll be more careful.»
At that, Anna narrowed her eyes. «Next time?»
«Yes, next time. I want to get to know Karura a bit more, she's a good company.»
«I d-don't think is a good idea, master Yoh... That's Hao's sister!» Tamao reminded timidly; he gave her a kind smile before turning his gaze back to Anna. Now he was sure that his fiancée didn't like the idea too much, but he wouldn't step back from his decision.
He had the rights to do so and he made a promise to his sister; no matter what the others might say, he would fulfill it.
«You can be a good person even if you have a merciless family, can't you?» Yoh almost murmured that reply, passing near the two girls with a weak smile plastered on his face.
And for once Anna didn't answer. She was a bit shocked by the implication he just made: was he referring to Ren's case or his own? Even if she tended to the first option, because the Yoh she knew would never say something like that, a small part of her couldn't shake off the uneasiness she felt in that moment.
She only hoped it was a temporary thing, because if it wasn't it could mean just one thing...
Six days later...
«So, today's the great day, isn't it?»
«Y-yeah... I'm a bit nervous in fact...»
«Aha, don't be! You'll do just fine, I know it!»
The Seminoa girl sighed deeply, a hand on her chest to give herself some kind of courage. The young man was right, today she had to prove herself worth of participating in the Shaman Tournament: it took almost forever of Yoichi's kind requests and a fair share of continuous nagging on Karura's part to the Patch officiants to create that occasion, so she wasn't going to waste it.
That was the perfect chance to see the Patch Tribe's true color, she said to herself. From the day- no, the moment she woke up with that officiant near her bed, she had felt the desire of knowing the truth more than ever; and probably the fact that he - Thalim, as he introduced himself - didn't try to kill her at sight and even tried to make her more comfortable was a good sign.
It didn't mean that she had lowered her guard completely, of course.
Throwing those thoughts aside - Lirirara knew better, in that moment she had to focus her mind on one and only task, namely fighting with the officiants before her - the trio stepped closer to the ring appositely prepared for that occasion. She strengthened the grip on her wand as her spirit appeared near her.
They were welcomed by the familiar voice of Goldva. «Lirirara of the Seminoa tribe, step ahead.»
She complied, not before receiving an encouraging smile from Yoichi and a friendly slap on her back from Karura; the black haired shaman stepped up until she was a mere two meters from the current head of the Patch and two of the officiants - one of them, surprisingly, was the one she met after waking up.
«After the suggestion of three of our participants and the acceptance of the Spirit King, we decided accordingly to give you a test to show your worth to take part in the Shaman Tournament.» Goldva spoke solemnly, waving a hand to one of the other two Patch. «All you have to do is fighting with Magna, think of it as the qualification match the other shamans went through. The rules are still the same, to pass you need to damage his body at least once.»
«That's... all?» the Seminoa girl asked after a moment.
«Well, you already received the blessing of the Spirit King and you arrived in the village. What did you expect?»
The area fell silent for a few seconds, until a yell reached the ring. «Go, Lirirara! You can do it! Wipe the floor with his ass, come on!»
Everybody felt the urge to facepalm while the poor girl only wanted to disappear for the embarrassment: did Karura have to be this loud every time?!
«Well then, if you're ready then we shall begin.» Magna's deep voice took all the attention to him. Soon after both Goldva and Thalim left the ring, the latter joining the two other shamans; when everyone was ready to go, the match began.
The two challengers immediately formed their oversouls and Magna charged at the younger woman, which carefully evaded; her dolls split up to attack the officiant from different sides, but he managed to avoid any contact with them. The four then retreated back to their master's side, ready to protect her and attack at any moment.
The male shaman studied the movements of her mediums carefully, knowing better than to just charge blindly: he defended and attacked when possible, just as she did. What he didn't take to account, though, was the possibility of Lirirara taking a hit just to make him lower his guard for a second - more than enough to her dolls to touch him.
Pain bloomed in his right arm as the unbearable sensation of losing a limb hit him. Magna managed to evade the contact with more than one doll, but was taken aback nonetheless; a smirk formed on his lips after he recovered: it looked like the Seminoa tribe had reasons to be feared after all.
The determination in Lirirara's eyes was more than enough to convince him, Goldva and Thalim of that.
«Illusions, huh? Pretty dangerous if they touch you and you don't have a strong mind.»
A light laugh reached the plant shaman. «Aha, are you insulting your comrade by calling him weak? That's not cute at all.»
«Says the one who brought hell for six days to us because she wanted her friend to be in her team. Is that cute to you?» Thalim replied, earning another chuckle.
«But we managed to gain this occasion, isn't it alright?»
«It is, since your friend looks quite skilled if you ask me. She could be a good addition to the Tournament.»
A muffled scream reached the three of them shortly after followed by a whack sound, like something or someone was hit by a rod straight in the face. Karura whistled, looking rather amused. «Hey, does that count as damage? Because if it does, I think Lirirara just won.»
«Well, technically it counts. Right, chief?»
Goldva, at some meters of distance, nodded solemnly. «Magna, that's enough! This girl proved herself worth of the Shaman Tournament. Her skill at controlling four spirit at the same time is good and the timing of their attacks shows the strength of their bond.»
A joyful scream echoed in the air as Karura shamelessly jumped on the ring and tackled the Seminoa girl, successfully making them both fall to the ground. The three officiants smirked to themselves while Yoichi ran up to his teammates to help them.
It looked like the current tournament was going to be interesting.
I suck at writing combat scenes, I know. It will get better, or at least I hope...