The next morning, Anna was sipping her tea when Yoh arrived inside the house, breathing heavily and looking filthy.
But he was smiling.
"I've mastered it," he announced.
She merely looked at him, then at the sword at his hand, which seemed to have gained a new life. "Is that so?"
"Now, can I sleep?" he asked.
"Take your dinner first," she said, not looking at him.
"N-Nah. I want to…sleep…first…" With that, Yoh collapsed on the doorway, snoring softly.
Anna stood up and went to her bedroom. When she came back, she was holding a blanket. She placed it gently on her fiancé, then took the harusame from him. To her surprise, Yoh's hand covered hers accidentally.
"Ami…damaru…into the…harusame," he mumbled before going back into sleep.
She felt her mouth twitch, then decided to let him keep the sheath.
He's telling the truth, He did practice the technique all night.
Sleep. You deserve that.
She tried to pull her hand away, but he mumbled a protest, not letting go of her hand.
Her eyes softened, and she untangled her hand from his.
She didn't notice Kino watching them, a small smile on her face.
"Where are you going?" asked Jun when she saw her little brother dressing up early.
"I'm going to the church," he said sarcastically. "I've decided to mend my ways and will now dedicate my life to selfless existence."
"Your sister is just worried!" Pailong couldn't help but snap. "Why can't you appreciate that?"
His lips thinned into a sneer. "What do you know? A mere bodyguard who imagines that he is like us when he knows that he is long dead. Besides I do not give high regard to the unsolicited opinions of a mere puppet."
Jun was shocked. "Ren!"
He turned to her. "Please mind your own business and I will mind mine." With that, he left the mansion.
Pailong looked at his mistress. "Miss Jun…"
"I'm so sorry, Pailong," she whispered. "My brother does not mean that…he was just…well, affected by our father's presence."
"D-Don't," stammered Pailong. "I understand Master Ren. I hold no grudge against him. For your sake, Miss Jun, I will extend my patience."
"I wish my patience is as strong as yours. I easily get upset when it comes to my brother…my only brother." She looked at him, eyes shaking. "I care for him more than anyone else in the world."
He nodded smilingly, silently wishing that he could summon the guts to take his fragile-looking mistress into his arms. "He is lucky to have someone to love him the way you do. He shall realize that soon enough."
"You will be training alone today," said Anna, crossing her arms smugly in front of her chest. She eyed Horo Horo warily. "No tricks, do you understand?"
"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" saluted the boy servant. "Um…what do you want me to do today?"
"I want you to bring me something that can fill up the whole living room with this." She placed a piece of coin on his hand.
He blinked, then looked at in horror. "W-What?!!! You're asking for impossible things! I can barely buy a piece of candy with this!"
"Obey before you ask." She glared at him. "By the way, in between this task, you must also complete your 50 km jog and your 150 push-ups, plus your fifty laps in the river."
Horo Horo recounted to his sister what Anna ordered him to do.
Pirika looked at the coin. "Surely, Anna okami would not ask for impossible things, onii-chan. She must be teaching you to use your mind, in case one still exists within you."
"What?!"
"N-Nothing." She tossed the coin up and down in the air. "Why don't you get started on the fifty laps of swimming before they tell Anna okami." She pointed to the spirits that had been following his brother around since his special training began.
"Yeah, I better," agreed Horo Horo wearily. "But as much as I hated to admit it, the witch' training is actually starting to give me good results. My oversoul in my last battle with Yoh became much easier, and I felt that it lasted a few minutes longer than it usually did. If I keep this up, I may really improve more on amplifying the strengths of my attack!"
"That's the spirit, onii-chan!" cheered Pirika.
Horo Horo grinned, then sighed. "But she's still a pain in the ass."
Anna was walking back into the house when she felt another presence. It wasn't a normal human one. She stopped walking. "If you don't come out within the count of three, I shall be forced to attack. One…"
The wind began to blew heavier.
"Two…"
The leaves from the tree rustled, and leaves flew everywhere.
She didn't bother anymore to count up to three. She took off her prayer beads and chanted a sacred spell. She threw it around the tree on her left, and three evil spirits came out. She pressed her hands together and mumbled a prayer. Immediately, the spirits dissolved into nothingness.
She turned around, and was stunned to see a boy standing directly in front of her.
How did he came up behind me so fast without me sensing it?
She was immobilized by shock, especially when she saw the face.
He looked like Yoh, but still, it wasn't him. The person before him looked more sinister, despite the cheerful smile pasted on his smile.
"You're cheating," he told her. "You said you'd count up to three. I heard only two numbers. You didn't give my slaves a chance to show you their real powers."
"Do you expect me to wait for them then?" she asked, finally finding her voice.
"Smart girl," he said, unruffled by her coldness. "My brother's girl."
"B-Brother?" she whispered. It was taking her painfully slow seconds for her to digest what he said, along with the aura that she could sense from him.
He smiled. "You are scared of me, sweet one, aren't you?"
"Cocky, aren't you?" she asked through her heavy-lidded gaze.
"Confident," he stressed. "I can hear the frantic beats of your little heart, even at this distance. You are panicking. You do not know who I am, and you don't know whether to believe that I am your fiancé's brother."
She was stunned. How could have he read my mind so easily?
He laughed. "No, there is nothing wrong with you, Kyouyama Anna. You can hide your thoughts pretty well, and I can't read your mind, no matter how I try. You may have been a perfect robot, except that your heart betrays you. Your heart is speaking volumes."
At last, she regained her composure. "You seem to know a lot of things, but you forgot one little thing."
His forehead creased in interest. "Oh? And what is that one little thing?"
A sound slap turned his cheek to the right. "No one can ever manipulate Kyouyama Anna." Her voice was still even, despite the fury burning within her.
He touched his cheek, grinning. "You just proved to me what a challenge you are. Crushing your wild and untamed spirit shall be my delight." He bowed away. "It has been my pleasure to meet you, Anna. We shall meet again."
She felt the presence vanish, and she was alone once again. She rested her back against the tree, feeling that she was exhausted and drained physically and emotionally.
Yoh's brother?
Who is he?
Ren walked around the market square aimlessly, not knowing where to go. He wanted to train, but he was not in the mood to do so.
Just when he was about to give up and just go back to his home when he heard a familiar female screech. He hurried towards the source of the voice, where a large crowd was forming.
"Give back my money!" cried Pirika, trying to catch the petty thief who took off with the coin that Anna gave her brother for his assignment. She decided to help her poor brother by looking for wholesale items worth a penny. She didn't have much luck though. And now, someone stole the money!
"Don't bother to go after him anymore!" advised one concerned vendor, holding her back. "It's only a penny."
"Y-You don't understand! T-That penny is marked! My brother's fate depends on that!" she wailed as she watched the thief disappear amidst the crowd. The people didn't bother to help, because they were too busy amusing themselves on the thought of a girl getting all bent up for a penny.
She shut her eyes, trying her hardest not to cry. I'm sorry, Onii-chan. I failed you. I'm so sorry…
"Is this it?"
She opened her eyes and found Tao Ren holding out a coin towards her, on his other hand clutching the shirt of the thief.
"Is this your money?" he asked again.
Her eyes widened, and by instinct, she ran to him and threw her arms around him happily. "Arigatou!!!"
Ren felt the coin drop down from his hand and his grip on the thief's shirt loosen, enough for him to get away, but he couldn't react fast enough.
Finally, he pulled away from her and picked up the coin that dropped down the ground. He handed it to her.
"Thank you so much!" she gushed. "You saved my life yet again!"
"A penny?" There was a question in his voice.
She sweatdropped. "W-Well, it's like this…"
"Something that can fill an entire room?" echoed Ren in disbelief.
She nodded, then looked at the penny on her hand. "How can I buy something plenty or large enough to fill such a large space with this?"
"Can my money help?" he asked, not meaning to involve himself, but her troubled face was too much for him.
"N-No. Her rules were very strict. She wants the penny used – that alone."
He took the coin from her hand and peered at it curiously. He began to think deeply, his gaze concentrating on a man who lit his cigarette. He then snapped his fingers. "I think I already know."
She clapped her hands excitedly. "Really?"
He stood up, then helped her up. "Follow me."
Yoh opened his eyes and found Manta and Tamao looking at him with relief.
"At last, you woke up, Yoh-kun!" said his best friend. "You've been asleep for hours."
"W-Where am I?" he asked.
"In your bedroom, Master Yoh," said Tamao.
"H-How did that happen? I-I fell asleep in the doorway this morning!" he said, recalling that he fell asleep after Anna invited him to eat his cold supper.
"Ryu transferred you here," explained Manta.
"Ryu?" He was puzzled.
"Your biggest fan and staunchest supporter. Ryu of the wooden sword." He gestured towards the tall man with a weird hairdo who was sleeping on the floor. "He had traveled from the far kingdom in the east just to meet the future heir to the throne of the shaman king."
"Shall we wake him up already, Master Yoh?" asked Tamao.
"No, let him sleep. We can talk later." He looked around the room. "Where's Anna?"
Manta rubbed his head. "She said that she was just going to check on Horo Horo, but she still hasn't returned. She's been gone for two hours already."
"Maybe she's still torturing, I mean, training Horo Horo," said Tamao, scowling.
"Haha! You sound so funny when you sound so jealous! You are so obvious!" laughed Horo Horo as he entered the room.
Tamao glared at him. "Hah! Who asked you?" She silently wondered how a soft-spoken person like her could erupt this way when it comes to Horo Horo.
Yoh blinked. "Isn't Anna with you?"
Horo shook his head. "If she was, I didn't notice. I was just going to eat a little before I do my 50 km jog." He turned back to the maid. "Get me a plate of sandwich and a glass of juice."
"Hah! You're a servant here too! I will serve only Master Yoh!"
"Don't be so transparent with your feelings, Tamao! Now Yoh knows that you are secretly in love with him!" teased Horo.
The maid blushed. "No! It's not true!"
Yoh grinned, then looked out at the window, wondering where his fiancée was right now.
"Is something bothering you?" asked Kino as she looked at her unusually more pensive than usual student.
Anna shook her head. "Do not bother about me, Sensei."
"You must tell me what's on your mind," the old woman said.
She nodded reluctantly, then told him about the appearance of Yoh's brother. At the end of her narration, the woman wasn't smiling.
"Be careful of him. He has returned." Kino gazed at her. "Now more than ever, Yoh must learn."
"He has taken the first step already," she told her. "He has learned the oversoul."
"That's a start," agreed her teacher. "You've been such a great help to my grandson."
She bowed. "Think nothing of it."
At last, Pirika arrived, a small package on her hand. Ren stood outside the familiar gates of the Asakura mansion.
"Are you sure you don't want to come in and meet the others?" she asked again.
He shook his head.
She sighed. "I could have dragged you in there with me, but I'm worried about onii-chan…what he would do if he sees you." Her cheeks turned warm faintly, startling him. "Thanks for your help again!" She gave him a quick wave, then disappeared into the compound.
Ren sighed deeply, then walked back home.
"Are you sure this is it?" asked Horo Horo as he looked at what Pirika bought that night.
"My friend says so!" insisted Pirika, pouting.
"By any chance, it's not the same friend that you told me you have a crush on, eh?" asked the elder brother, grinning wickedly.
"Onii-chan!" She blushed profusely and pushed her brother away. "It's not true!"
Unfortunately, her push was a bit too much, because it caused him to fall off from the window pane that he was sitting on.
"Onii-chan?" Pirika peered downwards, where she found his brother lying on his stomach.
"O-OK…I…just…realized something…"moaned Horo Horo. "Ouch. The truth does hurt."
"Master Yoh!" gushed Ryu when upon waking up, he saw the future shaman king looking his way.
"I'm glad you're awake already," greeted Yoh cheerfully. "Thanks for bringing me here."
"D-Don't thank me, Master Yoh! It is my pleasure to serve an important person like you!" He clasped Yoh's hands with his. "All my life, I had been dreaming of serving a shaman king, and it came true, thanks to you!"
"Ah, Yoh, he wants to train as a shaman too, under your supervision." Manta smiled at Ryu.
"Um, actually, I don't know anything about teaching…" Yoh began to say.
"Yeah," agreed Horo Horo. "To tell you the truth, Ryu, he's also training under someone too."
"Really?" The man's eyes widened. "The master is training under someone else too? Meaning that person is much more powerful than the Master Yoh who is the heir to the title of shaman king? Who is that person then?"
Horo Horo, who had recovered from his recent accident, grinned. "Who else, but the shaman king's queen."
Right on cue, they heard the front door open downstairs, and the Anna okami being greeted politely by the maids.
Anna looked at the package Horo Horo was holding. Behind them, Pirika, Manta, Tamao, Ryu and Yoh watched in interest.
"So this is what you think the answer to my riddle is, huh?" said Anna, her eyes narrowed.
"Didn't she get any sleep last night?" Ryu whispered to Manta. "Why are her eyes like that?"
He immediately became the recipient of her glare of doom, then she continued to unwrap the package.
A matchbox was revealed.
"Huh? Even with all the matches scattered in the room, it still wouldn't fill the room up," said Manta, puzzled.
"Will you explain why you gave me this?" asked Anna, eyes narrowed at Horo Horo.
"Um…that's because…um…" He turned to his sister. "Um, why don't I let Pirika explain? You know? Since my answer is too, um, complicated for simple minds such as yours. Um, no offense." He gave his sister a shove towards Anna.
"Well, it's like this." She picked up one match stick and rubbed it against the box. It burned, and she lit a candle with it. Soon the whole room was filled with the light of the flame in the candle.
Yoh's eyes lit up. "Wow, that's so cool! That was really smart of you, Horo Horo!"
Manta looked at his friend, rolling his eyes. "Don't tell me that you believed that he really thought of that?"
"He didn't?" echoed Yoh, surprised.
"Very good, Pirika." Anna looked at Horo, who was grinning sheepishly. "Well, I did ask you to solve it, but I didn't specify that you can't ask for help from others. Therefore, you passed my final test. As long as you have your sister with you, I can count on you not being in trouble with your stupidity."
"And what do you mean by that?" demanded Horo Horo as Tamao snickered.
She turned to her fiancé. "Asakura, you will still continue to train, but not under me anymore."
"What do you mean?" asked Yoh, forehead creased.
"It has been decided by sensei to give the rest of the trainings in your hand."
"What do you mean?"
"It shall be revealed tomorrow." She gazed at him, her face a little concerned. "Do not lose your belief and trust in your ability, and you'll be able to surpass anything."
He was fascinated by her words, and he nodded.
He couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. He had a lot to know the next day.
Hao, standing from the tree top, looked on at the scene inside the Asakura house. He grinned. "Do your best, small brother."
His eyes went to Anna next. The girl who impressed him with her blazing high and mighty spirit, but with eyes still as cold as the underworld itself. She fascinated him.
"But your heart…it's your weakness. What a shame." He smiled, his mind thinking thoughts that only he could decipher. "We will meet again."
Tsuzuku
: : I'm sorry about the slight OOCs in Pirika and Ren's personalities. ^^;; I just like seeing them together.
