Aviantei

By: Aviantei

Part Fifty-Five: Love

Issebella wouldn't have called herself an early riser by any means, but the bustle of everyone else getting ready for the day (along with Kaede nudging her a handful of times and Militaresco threatening to shout if she didn't get up soon) was enough to help rouse her from bed. She did her best to comb out her hair with her fingers, then gave up once she could smell fresh baked bread from the kitchen, opting to pull the whole thing up into a messy ponytail instead.

When the food went outside, so did she, and getting something solid in her stomach was enough for Issebella to start to feel alert again. For the most part, everyone was opting for small talk, rather than move onto the day ahead, though it was still lingering over their group, a reminder of the tasks that needed to be done.

Issebella looked at them all, wondering if they'd be alright. Fighting the remaining Patch Officiants was going to be one thing, but Hao was another. Well, she thought, tossing the end of a still warm baguette into her mouth, if Principessa's determined to do this, it'll be fine. I'll just be a good cavaliere like always and make sure everyone's safe at the end.

Considering how many mouths and large appetites they had between them, the food didn't even last the better part of fifteen minutes, with nothing left but crumbs. Ivy, who'd been chatting with the others for once, took the opportunity to clear her throat. "Before we move forward," she said, catching everyone's attention, "I want to know the plan."

Several of the boys exchanged a glance that Issebella understood well enough to mean Does fighting our way through everything count as a plan? Issebella thought that was a decent enough approach as it was, and even more so considering the circumstances, but she knew better than to say that out loud.

Ren, who was on the same wavelength as Ivy, repressed a sigh. "What you're wanting to know is what should be doing, right?" Ivy nodded, looking satisfied to see someone who got it. Ren looked at the others. "You didn't forget that fight we watched, right? Ivy's mana is 720,000. With that much power and control, I wouldn't be surprised if she could blast her way through the rest of the Plants for us."

Ryu seemed to recognize that Ivy was in the immediate vicinity all over again and started to scoot back on the blanket. Horo paled, and he looked to Issebella for confirmation. Unsure of just what they were up against, she couldn't do much more than shrug. Out of the whole collective, Yoh was the sole member who didn't look perturbed by the information, though there was a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Technically that's possible, but I can't make any guarantees of that," Ivy said. She glanced at the door leading out of the Highlands Plant, a slight frown on her face. "I think even I would have a hard time with Nature's Regalia here, but it's not like it would be impossible."

"Oh, come on!" Chocolove said, raising his hand in his third-party straight man routine. "You went up against Hao. You pulled a whole wave down on the stadium! You really think you can't handle the Patch Priests?"

Ivy huffed, her glare making Chocolove retreat. "That was different. I don't know if you noticed, but my powers connect to nature. On Tokyo, I had enough resources at my disposal to call on. Here… This place is artificial. I could still use attacks on that same scale, yes, but I'd have to pull a lot more resources from my mana."

"So what's the problem?" Horo asked. "Like Ren said, you've got tons of mana to spare. You could at least blast through the rest of them, right?"

"Hold on," Lyserg said, his gentle voice sounding a bit more on edge than usual. He glanced to Ivy once with concern, and Issebella had to repress her smirk. "What happens if she burns through all her mana, and then someone gets hurt? Lady Jeanne isn't here, and we just have Faust's spirit to patch us up. We're going to be in big trouble if the five of us can't make it to Hao safe."

Ivy nodded as if to say That's the gist of it. "Both options are risky. If I turn into a juggernaut, there's a chance I won't be able to revive one of you if you fall. But if we don't overwhelm the Patch, you all may not make it to Hao before he wakes up from his trance. I'm okay with either approach, but I figured I'd ask because you're very involved."

A moment of thoughtful silence slipped over the group, and Issebella waited; she wasn't suited for making big calls like this. In the end, Yoh broke the silence:

"Well, it wouldn't be fair of us to drop everything onto Ivy just because we can," he said, and, despite the fact that he was still slouching where he sat, the others all listened at rapt attention. Yoh gave a toothy grin. "Besides, there are some fights coming up that we gotta handle ourselves. So, can we ask you to keep us in top shape?"

"You got it," Ivy said, reaching for the pouch at her waist. With a flick of her wrist, nine still green leaves flew through the air, each of them headed towards a member of their group. Issebella caught hers, tucking it down the front of her dress, while Horo was squinting at his, as if the foliage would reveal some sort of secret. Opacho looked excited at the gift. "Keep these on you, then. That way, if something happens, I can start to heal you right away."

"Oh! Like you did before," Ryu said with a grin. "I didn't even realize this was your medium. You can use even something like this to heal, huh?"

"Many plants have medicinal properties," Ren said, putting his own leaf away in his pocket. "It's not that surprising that you could utilize it for something like that." His golden gaze landed on Issebella and Kaede. "I assume that we can count on you two to join the fighting forces, then?"

Kaede nodded, her hands in tight fists on her lap. "We didn't come all this way just to sit on the sidelines."

"If Principessa's gonna be focused on support, Kaede and I will keep her safe." With an arm tossed around Kaede's shoulders, Issebella pulled her in close. "Don't you worry about a thing, Ren-chan!"

Ren clicked his tongue. "If I were you, I'd be much more worried about your own safety than anyone else's. Your leader can take care of herself just fine."

"Well, if that's the case," said a deep voice, signaling the arrival of the Plant's Patch officiant, Kalim, "it looks like you kids all got plenty of rest. Now, you should be able to fight at full strength." The bones connected to his outfit made for an obvious indication of his Over Soul's medium. "Well, Horohoro? Have you the resolve to fight to the death?"

Having heard that Kalim had been responsible for looking over Horo, Issebella understood well enough that this was going to be his battle, and she stepped away with the others to let him handle it. My job is to watch out for Principessa. Besides, she thought, pressing a hand to her chest where the warmth of Ivy's mana was already thrumming in the leaves she passed out, there's no way that he's going to lose this.

She was right. Sure, it wasn't easy to fight against someone who you shared a close bond with. It could be even harder to fight whenever you were faced with the wounds of the past. Once upon a time, there had been a lonely boy and a lonely girl, and prejudice and tragedy separated them—it was the sort of story Issebella had seen play out plenty of times among her ragtag family back in Sicily.

Except, it seemed, this tale wasn't a complete heartbreaker.

Kororo, Horo's spirit ally had been the spirit of his first love all along, and she would be there always at his side, in battle or outside it.

In the aftermath, Kaede gave Issebella a gentle nudge in the side. "Are you sad?" she asked, quiet enough that the others couldn't hear as Horo worked to build Kalim a grave.

Issebella shook her head, and it wasn't a lie. "Are you kidding me? I'm a sucker for happy endings. Doesn't matter who gets them. Part of being in love is being happy when the other person's happy, you know? Whether or not you're involved in it is inconsequential." Watching Horo be able to smile and be flustered as he realized the truth was satisfying enough.

"Well," Kaede said, even quieter than before as she took Issebella's hand, "if you're happy, then I'm happy, too."

With Opacho's ability to read minds, they hadn't gotten hung up in Renim's trap in the Jungle Plant, and they were able to move on. A lingering sense of trepidation clung to the inside of Ren's chest, almost like it was following the line of his scar. He wasn't a fool. He knew that Nichrome was going to be one of the opponents before them. He knew that, in another outcome where he hadn't murdered Chrom, the man himself would have been the Patch Officiant standing in his younger brother's place.

If I want to tell Ivy that she can be more than just a weapon, if I want to be able to help Yoh save Hao, then I need to at least be able to handle this much without backing down. I'm…going to be the one that breaks the cycle of hatred.

The door to the seventh Plant opened, and Ren prepared himself to step forward.

"Ivy," he said, catching her attention. When he flicked her leaf back towards her, her expression tensed as she recognized what he was aiming to do. He said it anyway, so there wasn't any confusion. "Don't heal me for this one. It can wait until we're done."

"Are you serious, Ren?" Horohoro shouted, his outburst beating Chocolove's own by a mere fraction of a second. "Just because you're tough doesn't mean that you're not at risk, you know?"

"I'm well aware." Horohoro's mouth flapped a few times, but it wasn't like he was the one that Ren needed to convince. "Being at risk is half the point. I don't intend to die, but I can't just fight Nichrome knowing that there's no danger for me. I at least should give him a fair shot at the one who killed his brother."

Ivy frowned, but she did keep the leaf in her palm instead of forcing it on him. "It's not going to be my fault if you die," she said, which was her way of saying she would resurrect him anyways.

"That's cute that you think you can beat me on your own," Nichrome said, his voice filled with a pained blend of bitterness and malice. "I'm strong, you know. You'd be better off attacking me all at once."

"Screw you," Ren said, assembling his kwan dao and stepping forward. Though it had been some time since he brought the weapon into an actual fight, it still felt right at home in his hands, an extension of his own body and will. "Why not be honest and admit that I'm the only one you're interested in? Since I killed your brother, after all."

I'm the one who ended his life, made him leave this world. I took him away from you. So go ahead, direct all your hatred at me, Nichrome. I deserve it. I'll take it all on, and I'll make sure we put an end to this here and now.

Though Ren thought that, it wasn't an easy thing to do. First, he had to make sure that Nichrome was honest about his feelings, rather than shoving them down beneath his sense of duty. Even then, it was almost painful to watch someone pushed to that point, a reminder of Ren's own mistakes. But he'd decided to take it, without any recovery, even as Nichrome's words became pointed daggers and his attacks became fiercer, even as the poison coursed through Ren's body, making his muscles and blood ache and burn.

Good. This is good. I can take this. I need to take this—

"Thank you, Tao Ren. I can finally release my burden."

Ren pushed further and didn't hold anything back. In the end, it was his victory, and Nichrome was the one that had fallen. Though his body may have become burnt and blackened from Ren's lightning, Nichrome still looked at peace. If nothing else, he'd been able to fight until the very end against the person who'd gouged a rift in his life.

Letting out a breath, Ren turned back to the others. For the most part, they looked relieved that he'd made it through, though Horohoro would never admit that something like that had crossed his mind. Ivy was in much the same position, except she was much better at keeping a poker face, and, when the warm pulse of her mana didn't come, Ren realized her intentions.

"If you want my help, you better ask for it," huh? he thought, feeling himself smile a little. "Ivy," he said, swallowing his pride for the moment, "would you minding taking care of my injuries, please?"

Ivy harrumphed, but her leaf and mana connected to him anyways, once again erasing his injuries and clearing away the pain. "Man, we're super lucky that we have Ivy on our side now, huh?" Yoh asked. "That poison didn't look like it was a joke." He sounded about ready to laugh, but then he must've noticed something in Ren's expression. "What's wrong? You decided to help by letting him hate you, right? And it worked out well. You did what you wanted to do."

"It's not just that," Ren said, surprised at the words spilling out of his mouth. "I feel insecure right now. "If I keep on taking hatred to end the cycle, what will happen if I keep on receiving it?" It had been several months since he'd overcome his father, but the memories of years of living in that anger and destruction hadn't left him. If he became the place where people left their hate, and he didn't let it out, what would become of him?

"Don't be stupid."

Ivy had stepped closer while he wasn't paying attention, and she rapped her fist against his skull. Ren looked up to her with a disgruntled look, but she didn't so much as acknowledge it. "You're stronger than someone else's pathetic hatred. If you think I'm more than that, then you are, too. Besides…just like me, you're not alone anymore, right?"

"Right," Yoh said with his own smile. "We're going to be here to help you if you ever need it. Besides, there's another way to kill a heart full of hatred. With love."

Love.

"Marco said it, and he was right. For now, you have us. And in the future, you'll find someone special that you can form a family with, and then all that hatred will disappear."

My own…family?

For the longest time, Ren had only been able to think of family as something to be hated. His own had doubtless given him plenty of reason to. There wasn't much else of a choice, whenever you'd been put through so much torture. But in the months since then, he'd seen that wasn't what family needed to be. Jun cared for him. So did his parents, though they were still uncertain the best way to show it. Carrying on as the heir of the Tao could mean so much more than simply letting the bloodline continue.

"Ehhh? Why are you blushing like that, Ren?"

"Huh, huh? You got someone you're thinking about?"

"Ren-chan's in love with someone!"

"Hmph… It's been a long time since I last used my hatred to kick your asses!"

"Hey! If you go beating each other up, I'm not going to heal you anymore, you hear me?! You ungrateful little—"

And amongst the laughter and grunts as they fought, Ren felt that love would, in fact, be the answer.

They were running out of time.

Even with Ivy's healing capability, Thallim hadn't been an easy matchup for their collected ability. Kaede was glad that Chocolove had realized his power of erosion, but it had still taken a bit longer than they all would have liked, and it was even more stressful thanks to the feeling that Hao was growing closer and closer to waking up. Yoh had likewise been able to take care of Silva in a showdown, which meant there was only Plant left to get through.

The Universe.

"I'm going to take care of your lives, do you agree?" Ryu asked, proposing his plan to use his Yamata no Orochi Go Over Soul to help provide everyone with oxygen. It was a sound strategy to help conserve the others' mana so that they could fight, but Kaede didn't feel satisfied with it.

I came all this way, and I've still just stood on the sidelines. I don't want that. She clenched her fists, trying not to let the feelings overwhelm her. If I've just come here to be an extra body, then I'm going to be a burden all over again…!

A hand rested on her shoulder, and Ivy stood by Kaede. She'd reached out to Issebella, too, and worry had, after a long fight, wormed its way into her expression. "Issebella, Kaede," Ivy said, sounding just a little bit guilty, "I know I shouldn't ask this of you. But if we don't hurry, it's going to be too late. Could you two please clear the way for me…?"

"Come on," Issebella said, smacking Ivy across the back. "You're the Principessa; making demands is what you do. You wanna hurry up and get to him, don't you?" Ivy's face flushed, but she still nodded. "Then we'll make it happen, right, Kaede?"

Issebella's enthusiasm and smile was enough to bolster Kaede's spirits, as was having something requested of her. Ryu aside, the Five Warriors would need to have power if they were going to do anything to stop Hao. That meant that right here, right now, on this battlefield was going to be Kaede's last shot to make sure she wasn't creating more trouble for anyone.

"Don't you worry, Ka-san," she said, using the words to set her resolve, "Issebella and I will take care of this." And before Ivy could even get out a word of thanks, Kaede climbed the stairs leading to the final Plant's door, Issebella's footsteps following after her.

"H-hey, hold up," Ryu said, trying to catch up with them. "You heard the plan, right? My Over Soul—"

"Can take care of the others, yes." Kaede glanced back to him and tried to soften her expression so it didn't seem like she was just dismissing him. "But it's time for us knights to pull our weight. Take care of everyone else, Umemiya-san, and make sure they get through the other door as soon as it opens." She paused a moment, then added, "These two are my 'Best Place,' too, so I need to take care of them."

Ryu stopped mid protest, then nodded. "You got it. I'll be counting on you, too, so leave Ivy to me."

With that settled, the door opened, and it was dark.

Not complete darkness, no. Nowhere near as dark as that basement she'd been trapped in. There were still pinpricks of light in the air, along with replicas of planets to complete the form of the universe. And in the center of that was a figure that was doubtless the Patch Officiant in charge of the place, an alien shape that Kaede recognized.

Rutherford.

Back during her qualifier, Rutherford had been difficult to pin down with her enigmatic appearance and fast Over Soul. Of course, she'd just been testing to see that Kaede could form an Over Soul, so it wasn't a proper fight. What little information Kaede had, it wasn't enough. This match was the equivalent of fighting an unknown opponent.

We don't have all the information like some of the other Officiants, she thought, and she knew Issebella was on the same wavelength.

We don't have the homefield advantage, either, Issebella was thinking, that smile never once leaving her face.

This isn't going to be easy.

But if the Principessa says so, then it's gotta be done!

So instead of planning…

…the best thing we can do…

"…Is go all out and crush them from the start!"

Kaede formed the largest version of Maple Prison she could muster, shifting her mana to create an outpouring of oxygen in the new dome. Issebella had leapt in with Cavaliere's Creed's armor form to protect her, and she swung her longsword without any hesitation. Though they'd created an arena they could breathe in, gravity still wasn't in effect, so Rutherford was afloat in the center, and dodging took zero effort. Kaede tsked and pushed Maple Prison further, creating several branches that Issebella could use as platforms to steady herself on.

She did just that, launching a fresh attack. Rutherford was able to dodge again, but the new branches limited her mobility. She raised a hand, and Kaede felt the pulse of mana before she could see the attack.

"Crop Circle."

The force twisted up Maple Prison's branches like tearing through wet paper, and Kaede pushed her will farther so that the whole structure didn't collapse and leave them stranded in open space. Issebella didn't take the attack sitting down, letting out a shout as she swung her blade, but Rutherford didn't hesitate, holding out both of her Over Souled hands, one pointing to each of them.

"Cattle Mutilation."

Gravity jerked Kaede's body out of her position, and she and Issebella crashed together, the force sticking them together enough that they couldn't even move, the Shamanic Oracle not enough to outpace the force that captured them. Issebella collapsed her Over Soul longsword so that it wouldn't hurt Kaede, and it wasn't a miracle that Issebella hadn't gotten impaled on Soul of the Forest's antlers as they'd pulled close together.

Issebella grunted, trying in vain to pull herself away. "You know I'm no good at thinking about this kind of stuff, Kaede! What're we gonna do?"

"We said it already, right?" Kaede said, forcing the words out of her throat. "We're gonna crush the enemy and that's it!"

"You cannot crush me," Rutherford said, hovering above them on her UFO. Through the alien mask she was wearing, it was impossible to read her expression. "You're not going to proceed any further. It doesn't matter if you were under my care, Kaede. I can't let you disturb the Shaman King."

Issebella laughed. "Oh, please," she said, speaking for them both, "try telling that to our juggernaut of a Principessa. She's gonna get through here whether you like it or not."

Good, yes, keep her talking. Kaede let Issebella run her mouth, not even bothering to listen to Rutherford's responses. This may feel like space, but the Plant's all artificial. And this gravity is still the effect of an Over Soul. There's always a way to counter it. So the best way would be—

Best way? Ah, who cared about that.

The way that's gonna work is this!

Kaede channeled even more of her mana into Maple Prison, growing the branches behind her before pumping mana into it in a full blast. The trees grew into the shape of Fia, except much larger than the deer spirit's actual size, and a massive pair of antlers drove forward, impaling Rutherford through the stomach. Cattle Mutilation's hold on them faltered, and Issebella kicked off Kaede, her sword drawn. It only took two swift movements for the mask on Rutherford's face to fall away and the tip of Cavaliere's Creed to be poised at her throat.

"Now, it'd be a real shame for a cutie like you to die, and Kaede would be sad if we have to hurt someone else more than necessary." Issebella said, using Rutherford's own Over Soul to stand on. "But I'm not opposed to doing what I need to survive. So open the door, and I might be able to talk the Principessa into healing you up before we bounce."

Rutherford's hands moved to her stomach, surprised to see blood there. Kaede didn't pull out the branches, knowing that doing so would just make Rutherford bleed out faster. "I… I…"

"We need to go forward," Kaede said, growing a fresh branch to move her closer. "I know this is your job, but please."

The single reason Issebella didn't attack was because she was thinking of Kaede. Kaede knew that they were wasting time here, but trampling everyone in their path didn't seem right, either. That's why she'd thrown as much into the fight as she had—if they could make Rutherford surrender, then it would all be worthwhile.

"You don't…wish to hurt me," Rutherford said, then let out a small laugh as a small trail of blood ran down from the corner of her lips. "Ah, that's so like you, Kaede… Then in that case…"

Kaede realized what was about to happen, and she moved, grabbing onto Rutherford's shoulders. It shouldn't have done anything to stop the attack Rutherford was about to aim at herself, but it seemed the sudden contact had shocked her enough to make her Over Soul falter. "No," Kaede said, taking the leaf that Ivy had given her and pressing it against Rutherford's chest. "Please, no more."

Ivy's Over Soul set to work at healing the moment it came into contact with someone with an injury, and Kaede pulled back her own Over Soul to let the wound start to close. Issebella didn't lower her sword, but she also didn't push the attack forward. Rutherford looked between them, a sad look on her face.

"I can't let you pass without being defeated," she said, her hands shaking at her sides. "If nothing else, you should knock me out. The door won't open otherwise." Kaede nodded at Issebella. "I don't know what you've decided that's made you push yourself this far. But I'm glad that you've found something you want to protect enough that you're making that expression…"

Kaede didn't know the face she was making in that moment, nor the next as Issebella hit Rutherford with the flat of her longsword. The officiant crumpled, even as her injury was stitching itself together, and for a moment, Kaede worried that it wouldn't be enough, and they'd need to kill Rutherford anyways. But soon there were several shouts of excitement from outside of Maple Prison, and Kaede near collapsed in relief then and there. It was thanks to Issebella catching onto her that Kaede didn't float off into the distance.

"Issebella," Kaede whispered, squeezing hard onto the hand that caught her, "did I do enough?"

"Huh? Of course you did, silly." And Issebella leaned down to plant a quick kiss on the top of Kaede's hair. "You kicked ass. Now—let's go deliver our Principessa to her Principe, yeah?"

Ivy had started moving long before Yamata no Orochi Go could catch up with her, and she was through the final Plant's exit before the doors had even fully opened. Opacho was running with her, and they both sprinted up the massive flight of stairs leading towards the Shaman King's final chambers at the top of the structure. Plant life sprouted from the cracked structures, the place feeling every bit like the temple of legend that it was, but Ivy didn't care about that.

Hao was there, at the very top. He was still sleeping, yes, but it wouldn't be for long. She'd long stopped caring about who would win when the Five Warriors got to him. That was inconsequential. Now, all she wanted to do was meet with him one more time, the feeling fueled by one part frustration, one part love. Even if all the struggle had been for nothing and he would maintain his position as Shaman King, she at least wanted to reach out to him and speak her mind for the first time.

And then the wave of dark and lonely mana washed over her, and Ivy stopped dead in her tracks as her Oracle Bell chirped. She didn't hear the words as the Patch Chief Goldva came barreling down the stairs in her armored Over Soul, trying to escape. Not even she stood a chance, her whole armor disintegrating from the sheer force of the mana wave that followed after it. Ivy could hear the sounds of several thunks behind her as some of the others collapsed from being in his mere presence.

Hao stood at the top of the stairs, clad in nothing save for a cloth from the waist down, and his expression was imperceptible. Ivy could tell, just from looking at him, that he was soulless, a corpse puppet pulled by strings from on high. And even still, he exuded such a power that it was impossible to deny.

"That's not…" Opacho sobbed, grasping onto Ivy's pant leg. "That's not Hao-dono. Hao-dono is kind…!"

Ah, Ivy thought, too frozen to even look back at the others behind her, to even pick up Opacho and give her comfort in the last few moments that they'd be together, this sucks.

Before he fell, Yoh spoke something too far away for Ivy to hear.

Opacho's hold on Ivy's pants disappeared.

Hao's mana surged further.

The elements screamed.

"I came all this way, and I still don't get to see you."

And then everything in the world turned to white.

[Author's Notes]

Big chapter here. Since love is one of the important themes of Shaman King as a whole, I wanted to spend some time on it, so hopefully I did it justice.

Thanks to Yussif Gasir, Milagros Ojeda, and LyriaHart for the favorites, follows, and review! Your appreciation and love is also important to me, so all the thanks! This story has also, after all these years, reached 100 favorites, so thank you all very much!

When I was working on this chapter someone asked me for a two word summary, to which I provided "everyone dies" lol. That closing line was floating around a while, too, so I'm glad I got to use it.

Also! Shameless self promotion! I finally got back to posting art on my Instagram account ( aviplotbunny)! Some of that includes a bunch of art pieces for this story, including stuff like Ivy's Armored Over Soul. I'm in the process of updating my DeviantArt account (Aviantei) as well, but the backlog is much larger there, so... There will eventually be much higher res versions of the art pieces there, so feel free to check out either if you're interested!

Next Time - Part Fifty-Six: "Mercy." Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[05.01.2021]