Little Futura
Everywhere I go, she just as to follow. Since when has she become such a large irritant in my path?
When did it become the man's fault in every situation? After all, it was that itako-clone that lashed out at me with that knife. I thought it was always the girl's fault which is why society is becoming morally corrupt. This time it is the other way around. The girl attacks and for no apparent reason, it is the guy's fault.
Men are head of the society for a reason. They think more logically and behave more logically. Father placed me as his inheritor for a reason too. However, since I came to Japan and America, girls here are so violent, dominating, and independent than the ones in China.
What happened?
It is a little ironic that I am complaining after such an incident. After all, I am aware of my own advantages.
The people here are different. I guess it is not too bad. But they are so weak, so spineless, so forgiving.
If Jun had ever told me what to do, I would yell at her and she would stop. No, Yoh and Horohoro merely cower at the sight of a girl that it becomes increasingly irritating. Maybe that is the real reason that he left. He could not stand his sister.
But I can be dense and pretend that I had done a favor.
"What is that smirk for?" The last irritant I need is my sister questioning my every action. Tempted I am to yell at her to leave me alone. Is that not so hard?
"I am hurting myself, sister." I snap. She scowls but does not say a word. I half-expected her to say something but am glad she did not.
Where is Horohoro again? It has been almost a week.
I cannot even remember why I he ran off.
"Damn, they don't sell milk here."
"You can try a restaurant." Karim suggested. The idiot Patch is much more than a friendly face. He is much more than what I want to believe. The Patch. This place. It is not what I think it is.
Even as much as my dream to become Shaman King is as bright as the sun, there is something too good about this that feels something exactly that of a set-up.
"Souvenir stores don't sell milk."
"This is stupid." I mutter. Jun had been following me for a while for the past hour or so. It has become tiresome. This tedious task of 'shopping' is wearing me out on a momentary basis.
"Let us go home, Ren." I almost wince. Jun's voice has become nearly imitative of that itako. It is annoying that she does not trust me. Then again, regardless of the situation, it is always the boy's fault even if he has no connection. To say that women are not being blessed with a higher social standing. Crap.
We arrive back at the house. As we go back in, I hear a voice that sounds all too familiar. So he is finally back. It took him long enough. The fool just needed some time to cool off from that disgraceful tantrum he threw earlier on.
And I also hear her voice. Horohoro's sister. She is still alive? Forgive my rude interpretation but I that strike of mine would have killed her. Maybe I've been soft lately. This stupid society is a terrible influence to my well-being.
The clone still had some of the tourniquet around her arm but the wounds look fine. "Sorry onii-san. That's what happened." The girl turns her head at our direction. We make eye contact but she quickly looks away once she sees me. I scowl and walk past like nothing has happened. "I raced Yoh, in courtesy with Anna's training and I was beginning to win. Then I think it was Manta who told me to stop and I didn't so 'bam'! I hit a lot of boxes and the wall."
I wondered if Horohoro could buy such an absurd story like that. But it is none of my business. That is her and his situation now, not mine.
The moment I see Horohoro embrace his sister, it made me wince on the inside. I was not sure why I winced. It makes me want to puke. They are siblings after all, I guess it is not terribly sinful to express love.
No, not that way, of course. Certainly I would not embrace Jun in any circumstance.
Horohoro greets me politely. It certainly caught me by surprise that I could only nod. He mentions to us he wants to go see Yoh. Now that we have one missing person come back, where is Tamao anyhow? I can almost count two weeks. She is the kind of shy that I am scared of as well. It makes me feel as if I should be kinder but it would not be me.
It would not.
I quietly follow Horohoro towards the upstairs room. When he opens the door, I hear another voice of a girl. It is not Tamao's neither is it Anna's. It sounds somewhat familiar. I feel as if I should know that sort of cold, calm tone.
"Ren."
Before I was able to see who it was, I roll my eyes and glance at the itako without turning my head.
"You're making dinner tonight."
Stupid woman.
"What?" she asks. I do not say a word. What on earth is she saying?
"Do not come near me." I whisper and head down the stairs. She reminds me of my mother. That cold woman who only communicated with me through messengers and our house servants. I only was able to see her during New Year's celebration and the Moon Festival.
Night falls quickly and the itako did not show up in the kitchen to order me what to do like she does for Yoh. She does so much work ordering around, any fool might ask why she cannot do this for herself. I have no cooking ability whatsoever. What is this spatula? I heard of it cutting someone in the head before but this thing flops.
What do you use this for?
"What is this?" Anna points to the crockery pot.
"Soup." I lick my dry lips. The smell of it isn't so bad.
"Soup." She repeats sarcastically. Both of us look into it as she holds the lid. It looks like soup. Some brownish chunks and liquid flow around it as it bubbles strangely.
"Stone soup." I say.
"Stone soup." She repeats sarcastically.
"From some cookbook. You drop stones into it or something and it will add flavor."
"Stone soup." She repeats again. Then, she takes the soup spoon and stirs it a little. The chunks begin to fly around cheerfully and I thought I almost spotted something green. "What kind of stones?"
"How should I know? It said stones." I retort. How did the book expect its reader to understand?
"You got if off the street, didn't you?" she glanced.
"Where else was I suppose to find these 'stones'?"
"Is this edible?"
"How should I know? You try it." I suggest. This is severely irritating me.
"I might die taking a sip of this. I want to see the day where I become the first lady of all Shamans and I do not want my husband's friend killing me accidentally by his lack of directions in a cookbook about stones."
"You will not die." I snap. "I promise."
"Then why won't you eat it?"
"Because I might die eating it."
"There we go." Anna shrugs. "Always like that." Like what? The girl left the kitchen for a moment and drags Chocolove in here. She points to the soup for Chocolove to see. I almost feel offended when Chocolove merely stares at the soup like something he's never seen before.
"What is this?" he cries.
"It's stone soup." Her sarcastic tone prevails.
"At least I got the physical features of it down." I insist. Well, making salad might not be so hard. Then again, I can ask Jun for some money to buy some instant noodles for everyone.
"Tell me if it's good." The itako shoves Chocolove to the crock pot. All of us watch intently as Chocolove picks up the spoon nervously. He slowly swallows the contents and before he could finish the spoonful, even to my surprise, faints. The itako looks at him and then looks at me.
"Tell me what exactly happened in the interval of five seconds." She demands. "Look at this! This is mud!" her hand scoops into the pot full of 'soup' where her mud-stained hand held a pile of wet, sloppy dirt. "You have absolutely no idea. We're eating out. You're paying." Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Horohoro and Ryu snickering to their selves.
"Tell that to my sister. I don't have to listen to you." I throw the tablecloth into the sink carelessly and leave. That, fortunately, stopped the laughing. And fortunately the crazy girl didn't stop me. That is PMS on a thirteen-year note.
A/N:: Wow. Okay. I severely cut stuff from here and there and completely omitted the scene between Ren and Pilica forgiving each other. In my honest opinion, I can't find it in Ren at all to forgive Pilica so the scene was best left out.