"You're leaving again, Prince Lyserg?" asked Millie, sniffling, as she watched Lyserg pack his things.
"I'm sorry, Mille, but you see, I have this big job to do," apologized Lyserg, smiling.
"I want to come! I want to come with you!" she said, stomping her feet.
Ellie came up from behind. "Millie, the place he's going to doesn't allow children."
"He's a kid too," she pointed out.
"Millie, come here," said the green-eyed boy, patting the space in the bed beside him. She obediently sat down beside him.
She gasped when he suddenly hugged her to his chest.
"We might not see each other again after this, because I'm going to a really far place, and going back will not be easy," he explained, exhaling deeply. She was about to protest when he laid his finger lightly on her lips. "Hush. Listen to me first, sweetie. I don't want to put your life into danger, so as your prince, I must see to it that you remain safe. If you come with me, my attention will just be divided, and I won't be able to defend you."
Her eyes welled up with tears. "I'll just be a deadweight…"
"Millie…"
She shook her head vehemently. "You'll see, Prince Lyserg! When I grow up, I'll be strong enough to defend myself, so I can go anywhere you go, without being a burden. I'll be a really strong shaman."
He nodded. "I will wait."
"Yes, you will!" said Millie. "Wait for me to grow up, then you come back here and make me your princess for real, ok?"
"Yes, little princess, I promise."
"Anna was here?!" exclaimed Yoh, accidentally slamming his fists on the table.
Chocolove nodded and passed to him the red bandanna she left while hurrying away awhile ago. "This belongs to Ms. Anna."
Yoh, Chocolove, and the gang were seated in a restaurant. They pulled the boy out from his performance when they learned that he had contact with Anna.
Yoh took the bandanna, eyes shaking. "I just missed her by minutes…"
"Master Yoh…" Horo patted his shoulder.
"She was really one-of-a-kind. I really thought she was a muse who stepped down from heaven to bless me," said Chocolove.
Horo sighed. Nothing scarier than a rabid devotee of the Worship Anna Kyouyama Movement.
"Did she tell you where she would go?" asked Yoh.
"I wish she did, but she was really in a hurry," said Chocolove, shrugging helplessly. He gazed at the boy who was the fiancé of Anna. No wonder she burst into tears! Asakura Yoh and Lazy John were similar in so many ways! She must care for him a lot, although for the life of me, I cannot imagine why.
He then noticed the boy with the pointed hair that was introduced to him awhile ago as Ren Tao. "Does it always stick out like that?" he asked.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"Does it?" he asked. "And how many inches is it?"
He was promptly beaten up by the blushing Ren Tao.
"I was talking about his hair! What were you all thinking?" wailed Chocolove after Ren had exhausted all his furyoku on him.
Ren was muttering again. Horo Horo was laughing his heart out with Ryu. Yoh…
Chocolove could see that Yoh's mind was far, far away.
His thoughts were interrupted when they heard a shrill scream.
"Onii-chan!!! Ren-kun!!!"
Both boys froze. Pirika was running towards them, tagging Manta along.
"You forgot to take this along, Master Yoh," said Pirika, handing him the old tattered book. "Kino-sama was really furious when you forgot it."
Yoh grinned. "Thanks." He took the book and scanned the pages. Magic, chants, and power derived from all kinds of animate and inanimate things filled the leaves of the book. His forehead creased. Anna sacrificed her life for this, so he must see to it that he masters these powers.
He looked up just in time to see Horo and Ren starting another heated argument again.
"Leave my sister alone, you twerp!"
"I want to talk to Pirika as much as you do!"
"I'll never accept you as my brother-in-law! Come hell or high water!"
Ren's face flushed. "W-Why did we arrive in that topic?" He panickedly glanced at Pirika, who was talking to Kororo.
"Your own mother said so," smirked Horo. "But I won't let that happen, over my handsome and dashing heaven-sent body!"
"Which one won't you let happen, onii-chan?" asked Pirika, standing up cluelessly. She was hugging Kororo in her arms.
"Oh!" Horo raised his brow at the furious Ren. "We were talking about the future wedding that would have no future – because I said so – between Ren and…"
"Ren is going to get married?" she gasped.
"Damare!" he yelled at Horo. He turned to the girl. "P-Pirika, he was just kidding. I-I'm not going to-"
"Liar!" said Horo, smirking some more. "You said-"
Ren stomped on Horo's foot. "I said NOTHING!!!"
Yoh smiled. Who would have known that beneath Ren Tao's snobbish ways lies a shy boyish heart?
Pirika was still clueless, even when Ren and Horo started to challenge each other in a shaman match.
That afternoon, Pirika busied herself in treating Ren's wounds. "I thought you were sensible. Why did you challenge my onii-chan to a battle?" They were already in the foot of the first forest they decided to try.
"Sorry," he mumbled, unable to look at her in the eye. They were so intimately close…He watched the creamy-skinned hand wiping his bruises with a brownish concoction. He wanted to clasp that hand with his badly.
"Are you sure you're not going to marry anyone yet?" she asked icily.
He vehemently shook his head.
"Good," she mumbled, her eyes shyly returning to his bruises.
Horo fortunately, wasn't hearing any of Ren and Pirika's conversation. He was talking to Manta.
"You mean, Faust has an oracle bell too?" said Horo excitedly. "And he's staying in the Asakura House?"
Manta nodded.
"Let's send Tamao a message!" Horo took out his oracle bell and started to punch on its keys furiously.
"What is he doing?" asked Amidamaru, amazed.
"Texting," sighed the midget.
"What's that?" asked Tokageroh, Ryu's power spirit.
"You send a condensed message and it will reach the person you're contacting immediately," explained Ryu.
"Can I contact my mom then?" asked Tokageroh, sniffling. "I miss her so much."
"Um, I'm not sure if the signal can reach the other world," said Manta, sweatdropping.
"Message sent!" announced Horo Horo, throwing his fist into the air in victory.
True to Manta's words, a beep came in minutes after Horo sent a message.
"What did she say?" asked Amidamaru, floating towards the Ainu boy.
"I texted her 'Good night, sweet dreams. Dream of me and only me tonight!'." Horo read the message. "She said, 'I don't want to have a nightmare tonight. Good night still, and if you dream of other girls tonight, don't you even think of returning to the Asakura House again'." Horo hugged his oracle bell to his chest, sighing. "She's crazy about me!" he yelled.
Another beep. Horo read the message.
"Faust is going to sleep already. Don't text me again for tonight. Bye!" read Horo, sighing. "I really should send Tamao her own oracle bell."
"Oracle bells can be used only by shamans," said Shilva, joining them around the bonfire.
"She has powers too." Horo sighed. "As soon as we finish this journey, I'll go right back home into the Asakura bath and relax. Then I'll ask her to massage me."
Anna looked up at the night sky, relishing the silver moonlight kissing her. She stifled a gasp when she felt arms wrap around her neck.
"It's cold out here," said Hao lazily, burying his face on her hair.
She shook her head. "I'm not yet sleepy. I want to walk for awhile."
"Alright, as my lady wants." He took off his cape and placed it around her shoulders. "Don't wander off too far. Shall I ask Zinc to accompany you?"
She quickly shook her head. Hao immediately understood. "Be careful, Anna," he murmured. "Please come back."
Yoh was already reaching the first quarter of the book contents. Already, he had learned a lot, yet he couldn't concentrate. He couldn't stop thinking of Hao and Anna. He shifted his position from sitting on a tree branch. He knew how powerful Hao was, but he just couldn't hand Anna and the fate over the world to him!
I have to be stronger.
I must.
He stiffened when he heard something rustle in the pages of the book. He inspected the cover curiously. What was making the book sound?
To his shock, the book suddenly lit up, revealing two shikigamis. The two looked very fierce, and very excited to kill him. He gulped, then looked at his katana. Could he pull this off even without Amidamaru by his side?
No time to think now, because the shikigamis were heading his way! He jumped down from the branch and rolled down the grass. Just as he was about to stand up, the shikigamis attacked him again, this time, coming from two separate directions! He was going to get sandwiched!
"What do you think are you doing, standing there doing nothing?" boomed a familiar voice.
The next thing he knew was that the shikigamis were being held by prayer beads. Anna was standing in front of him, forehead creased.
"A-Anna?" he murmured incredulously.
Tsuzuku
I have to cut it there. The power will be interrupted any minute now. ^^;; I'll make it up in the next chapter, just please bear with Syao-chan.
