Aviantei

By: Aviantei

Part Fifty-Two: Mayday

The next morning brought the assembly of shamans to the beach. The ocean rolled up against the sands, far too gentle of a precursor to the military ships that were drawing closer on the water's surface every moment. Even a cold front had moved in, sweeping a chilly breeze through the air. It felt like both a relief from the oppressive humidity that had hung over them since their arrival and an ill omen for the future.

Standing at the ready, Ivy watched along with the others as Hao's Raven slipped through the air, decimating any of the warships the moment that they were within range. Bringing the others to fight was pointless; Ivy wouldn't have been surprised if Hao had invited them along to have another free showcase of his power.

"You actually…fought against that and survived?"

Lyserg's voice was quiet, but the fear and awe in his tone came across loud and clear. In Ivy's peripheral vision, several of the others also gave her questioning looks, but she was more so focused on watching Hao as he launched off Foxfire against Azazel, obliterating the massive angel Over Soul in a single move. Ivy was still surprised she'd gotten through that one, but that had been more thanks to Issebella and Kaede's interference than her own ability.

"I'm not so presumptuous as to think that Hao-dono was using his full strength on me," Ivy said, which just earned her more disbelieving looks from everyone save Opacho, who was hopping around and cheering for Hao. The others didn't seem to get that if Hao had been serious from the start, Ivy wouldn't have survived, let alone even had a body to resurrect from. "Oh, it looks like he's coming back."

Save for Ivy and the other members of Hoshi-Gumi, an immediate tension washed over the group as the shape of Raven drew closer from the distance. "I may have overdone it," Hao said, as flippant as ever while smoke roiled out of the ships he'd devastated. "Oh well. I'll save the rest of my mana for resurrections then. Can I leave the cleanup to you, Aviantei?"

Ivy didn't hesitate to step forward, trading out the frontline positions with Hao. This—this was the last possible thing that she'd be able to do for Hao: ensure that there wasn't any interference in getting him to Mu. And if she could take the burden of this fight on so that Ren and Lyserg wouldn't need to participate, then that served all the better.

"Tiartha."

Mya materialized at Ivy's right, her expression set and determined.

"Salquesen."

Xin-Zi formed next at her left, as poised as ever.

With the invocation of their elemental names, there was already the pull of nature responding to her call. Ivy had connected to the ocean here once, and, while the sea was an ever-changing thing, it still recognized her presence. The ships of the humans were nothing more than soulless weapons and vessels, the metal compromising of most of their mass having no such thing as loyalty to the ones that used them.

She wouldn't even need Nature's Regalia for something like this.

Ivy stood on the edge of the ocean, formed her Over Souls, and spoke two commands:

"Sal, di.

"Aruan, xiuenjo."

First came the sound of the few still intact ships crumpling. Ivy hadn't crushed them all the way, but she'd dented and tore holes straight for their hulls. Given enough time, they would sink on their own—but time was something that was slipping away, moment by moment, and Ivy didn't have any more to waste. Which was why she'd called upon the wave which crashed over the lot of them, waterlogging the already in danger ships and scattering most of their ability to recoup. Saltwater sprayed onto the beach, dousing all those gathered.

Satisfied with the results, Ivy took a moment to dry her clothes out with a quick manipulation of the elements before shifting both Mya and Xin-Zi to the water so that they could begin the process of recovering bodies and people before they were lost to the sea.

"Excellent work, as per usual." Hao's hand landed atop Ivy's head, jolting her back to the world outside of the ebb and flow of nature. Now more conscious of Hao than ever, Ivy couldn't stop herself from blushing if she tried. "I know you're not one for being spoiled, but I do think you've earned yourself at least some form of thanks for everything you've done for me. Anything come to mind?"

Far too many things came to mind, least of all a repeat of the memory that had at last returned to her, and Ivy's face felt as if it might melt off. As far as her awareness was concerned, it was as if the event had just happened not even a day ago, but, to Hao, it had been the span of a few months. Even then, he'd said it himself that it was more of a test than anything serious. And even if it wasn't, asking for such a thing was…

Hao-dono's about to go and become the Shaman King. He may have indulged me before, she thought, her hand curling at the memory, but this is a time more than ever to make sure I know my place.

Her hand still clenched tight at her side, Ivy dipped in the lowest bow she could muster while still standing. "Just being able to have stayed by your side as long as I have is more than enough of a reward." It didn't even sound like a lie because she meant it. Without Hao, nothing in her life would have been the same, and that was assuming that she would have made it through the loss of her parents. "The only thing I would have liked more would be to see you become Shaman King in person. But I lost, so all I can do is wait."

So thank you for everything you've done for me.

Just thinking the words sounded far too much like a final goodbye, so Ivy didn't say them. Even so, she kept her head down a bit longer until she was sure that she wasn't about to start crying again. Hao's hand patted her hair once more before his warmth pulled back. "No need to lower your head so much, Aviantei. You should stand tall and be proud of what you've accomplished."

"Aviantei-onee-chan!"

Ivy had chosen the right time to straighten up, as Opacho was running towards her and had just unleashed a flying leap into Ivy's arms. "Aviantei-onee-chan, Opacho going to miss you. Don't want to go without Aviantei-onee-chan."

Though it had to be at least the tenth time that she'd heard the sentiment, Ivy still gave Opacho a hug before adjusting to hold the little girl up as best she can. "I know," Ivy said, keeping her voice soothing. "I'm going to miss you, too. But you need to go and watch out for Hao-dono for me. I can't do it, so it's going to be an important job for you to take care of, Opacho. I'm counting on you."

Opacho's still wet eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Really, really. So take good care of him, okay?" Opacho nodded, and Ivy smiled at her earnestness before dropping a quick kiss onto Opacho's forehead. She giggled, and Ivy hugged her tighter, hoping that it wouldn't be long before there wasn't anything left to worry about.

Farther back on the beach, Lyserg and Ren were amongst the others, watching. Ivy dipped her head in their direction, and wished them silent luck as well.

Two hours wasn't anywhere enough time.

And then the final four teams were gone.

Ivy lied sprawled out in the sand, feeling exhausted. With all the people who had died—shaman and human alike—it had taken a frustrating amount of mana to bring them all back. Yes, Hao had taken care of a fair amount of them, but that didn't mean Ivy had let him do it all. Helping him preserve his mana was part of the least she could do, as minor of a thing as it was. She'd squeezed every last bit of usefulness out of herself, and yet it still didn't feel like near enough.

I did…everything I could, right?

"Man," Issebella said with a heavy sigh, "Principessa put us through all that training, and we never got to fight at all. Hate to say it about myself, but that's kind of lame, isn't it?"

"Don't be silly," Kaede said, starting to count off things on her fingers. "We helped with Ren-san, didn't we? Plus we fought Tecolote, and you went up against Hana-Gumi." She paused a moment, almost looking like she was pouting. "You went off on your own and did way more than I did, anyways. And Ka-san…"

Ivy blinked, glancing at her teammates and recognizing the looks on their faces. "Oh no," she said, pulling herself back into a sit. "Don't you dare look at me like that. I didn't do anything all that impressive."

"Oh, of course not, forgive me," Issebella said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Everyone could have just stolen their opponent's spirit in the middle of a match with just a word."

"Held of the X-Laws on their own," Kaede added, with less sarcasm but plenty of dryness to make up for it.

"Kept up with Dio."

"And sunk a whole battalion."

"Perfectly ordinary; any self-respecting shaman who can't do that stuff is a disgrace." Issebella flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Come on, Principessa. You put on a good front, but you're one of the most prideful people I've ever laid my eyes on. The least you can do for the sake of the rest of us is acknowledge that you're a ridiculous powerhouse."

Ivy knew Issebella had a point. She just also felt antsy, even with the tiredness starting to seep back into her bones. If I'm so impressive, then why in the world is this where I'm stopped? Her journey through the Shaman Fight was over. She wasn't allowed to go beyond this beach, except for when everything was over and she'd be released back into the world.

Kaede patted her shoulder. "If it weren't for where we ended up in the tournament brackets, you would have been able to go farther. That wasn't your fault." She gave one of her small, almost imperceptible smiles. "So cheer up, Ka-san."

The fact that it was just luck of the draw felt far more frustrating than liberating, but Ivy could at least accept Kaede's attempt to make her feel better.

Issebella snorted. "Speaking of people who could stand to cheer up a bit."

Ha-Gumi were far from the only ones to be on the beach. With all the resurrections that had happened, there were numerous Shaman Fight participants around, as well as those who had come to support them. With Jun's proximity and Ivy's own recollection, it was a simple matter to recognize the Taos, and Asakura Keiko looked so much like her sons that it was near impossible not to tell who she was. Blocken had taken to helping the masked Asakura Mikihisa prepare fish for a barbecue party, and aroma of food and smoke blurred together with the crisp scent of the ocean.

And the rest of remnants of Hao's followers were there, too most of them looking as if they'd lost everything—which was accurate. Hao could have, but he didn't bother to resurrect them the day before, and he'd moved on as if it didn't matter.

"It's not like we can blame them," Ivy said, her eyes tracing the sparks off the sparkler in Mari's hand as they fizzled out before even hitting the sand. Ivy may not have been close to any of them, but the idea of the same thing happening to her was more than enough to send a pain of empathy through her heart. "They were essentially abandoned."

"But we weren't," Kaede said, the words brimming with a sort of conviction, though she shrugged soon after. "Maybe that's unfair to say, though. For us, Ka-san's way more of our pillar than he was."

"It doesn't hurt that that leader of yours there was his favorite."

With all their interactions to this point, Ivy could have recognized Anna's voice from nearly anywhere. She had a black and gold Oracle Bell in her hand that was larger than Ivy's own, taken from someone else. Though Anna wasn't all that tall, Ivy still felt small from her seating position, and she had to resist the urge to hop to her feet just to prove a nonexistent point.

"I don't know if I'd call myself his favorite or anything," Ivy said, earning herself a fresh snort from both Anna and Issebella. The latter was a losing battle, but at the very least Ivy could clear up the misunderstanding with Anna. "You should know just as well as I do that he's far more interested in you than me."

"Wow, you sure are hopeless." Ivy bristled at the insult, but Anna continued on, undeterred. "You seriously didn't realize that the only reason he flirted with me back then was to make you jealous? When I ran into him during your stupid little Star Festival, he hardly said a thing to me other than showing off that obnoxious Armored Over Soul of his."

No matter how many times Ivy repeated the words in her head, they didn't sound any more real. "T-that's ridiculous. Why w-would Hao-dono even bother—"

For the first time in their short string of interactions, Anna donned a look of something other than complete boredom as her eyebrows raised. "You didn't know? I guess maybe he would have wanted to keep it a secret from you. Still, all the others have heard by this point, so I'm impressed that it didn't get back to you."

Ivy looked between Issebella and Kaede for some sort of hint, but all she got was a shrug and a shake of the head; they had no idea what Anna was talking about, either. Anna herself let out a heavy sigh, as if she were a schoolteacher starting to become tired of explaining the same idea to students who never seemed to grasp the idea. "It'd just be pathetic letting you flounder there like an idiot, so fine, I'll tell you:

"Hao has the ability to read minds."

"Hao-dono…has the ability to…ehhh?!"

It wasn't as if it was a farfetched idea. Hao was good at reading people and situations; Ivy had just never suspected that was because he could peer into their minds. Either way, it didn't change the facts, because if what Anna had said was true, then…

Back when she was younger.

When she'd kissed him.

Anytime he made a request of her.

During their fight.

And earlier just before he left—

"You gotta be shitting me!"

Ivy punched the ground beside her, sending sand flying up in an angry wave. Kaede shuffled backwards from the immediate warpath, with Issebella following her lead.

"So what you're telling me is that—this entire goddamn time he knew, and he was just—just, what? Playing with me? Letting me think he was testing me? What the hell was the goddamn point of any of that? What was the point of me sitting around, pushing it down so that I didn't get in the way, if he already knew?!"

"Oh! Principessa finally snapped."

Kaede jabbed Issebella in the ribs with a well-aimed elbow. "Hush, or you're gonna make it worse."

"It's not like I can answer any of that for you," Anna said, back to sounding annoyed at the entire world. "Maybe if you hadn't been such a pansy with your feelings, then you wouldn't be in this mess." When Ivy gave her an incredulous look, Anna just snorted again. "Oh, please, like you don't broadcast your feelings like a beacon. You're always trying so hard to hide them that it just ends up being counterproductive."

Tossing a handful of sand at Anna wouldn't do much other than give a temporary sense of satisfaction, so Ivy just settled for punching the beach again to gain a bit of catharsis. "I didn't ask for your stupid advice!"

"Too bad, you're getting it." Anna cocked her head to the side. "If you're so concerned about what Hao was thinking, go ask him yourself, or at least go throw your temper tantrum somewhere else. Some of us like eating in peace." And with that, she made a perfect pivot in her sandal and stalked off, the beads around her neck rattling and her skirt swaying.

Issebella waited at least a handful a moments before speaking. "So, uh, Principessa, what do you wanna do now?"

Still feeling mortified, Ivy was wondering just how much more she could blush before she became lightheaded. "I'm…not sure," she said, rubbing grains of sand between her fingers, letting the gritty texture stick under her nails. "I know I want to talk to him, but I also don't even know if it's possible. They left several hours ago, and, even if they hadn't, is it at all possible for us get to Mu? Or is that something that's only possible if you've earned the right to go there? If I go ahead and put in all the effort and I can't even see him, then I have no idea what I'd do."

"That sure doesn't sound like the kid who said she'd wander around in the world just to get away from me."

Ander's voice contained so much less malice than usual that Ivy only recognized it was him when she looked up to see him standing in front of her. Issebella and Kaede tensed, their mana ready to solidify into Over Souls at any moment, but Ivy held up a hand to put them at ease. Xin-Zi was still with Mya, so it wasn't like Ander had a practiced spirit ally to do any real damage with. And what he could manage with the elements on their own, Ivy could outclass without issue.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ivy asked once she was sure that her teammates weren't about to maul her brother.

"I was just thinking that it's not like you to act so wishy washy about what you want to do," Ander said. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, indicating Blocken handing a fish to Mikihisa next to the low grill. "I talked to the Lego dude. You've been with Hao for ages. I'd say if there's anyone that deserves an explanation from him, you qualify for it. Besides…

"You decided that you wanted to murder me when you were six. Are you going to let something like an ocean get in the way of what you want right now?"

Ah, man, Ivy thought, flicking the sand off her fingers before she ran the hand through her hair. I must really be a mess if I need Ander to give me a pep talk. Who gave a damn if getting to Mu wasn't possible? If nothing else, she could dive down there and see for herself. Fine. To hell with it. If Hao wants to test me again, I'll pass without question, no matter how stupid it is.

Ivy stood, using her control over the earth to clear away any sand still clinging to her clothes and skin. Ander flinched back, as if he were worried she was about to retaliate (which, considering what she'd done in the arena, was fair), but Ivy walked right past him, feeling the blood pumping through her veins as a testament to her will.

"Xiè-xiè, Andie-gē-gē."

Ander spun around, his voice caught in his throat, but Ivy didn't look back at him. Maybe, if the world wasn't over, there would be time for that later. Maybe, once everything was done, she wouldn't want to see him again. It was pointless to try and predict that future. All there was right then was the present, and the choices she'd make one moment at a time.

"Issebella! Kaede!"

They came to stand at her sides without any other explanation. Ivy looked over the sky, its pristine shade of blue slipping towards the yellow-orange-red of sunset reflected on the expanse of the ocean stretched out before them as a saltwater-scented breeze rolled by.

"We're going!"

[Author's Notes]

We're not done yet. Onward to Mu!

Thanks to Emily W, Half Winged Angel in Despair, Torch Phoenix, and Lyria Hart for the fav, follows, and review since the last update! We're all amazing, as are you, reader!

I'm still in awe over that most recent trailer. Very much ready for April 1 and the start of the new anime! By the time the next chapter comes out, the first EP will have already aired, so be sure to support the new anime, okay, folks? Actually, the new US print release of the manga will be out by next update as well, so consider supporting that to thank Takei for giving us such a great series~. Meanwhile, I'll be giving this story my all, too!

Next Time - Part Fifty-Three: "Journey." Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[03.20.2021]