"I was pretty sure that I saw those Indians over here," muttered Anna as the headphoned-boy followed her around meekly. They were going around the plaza for half an hour already, hoping to find the vendors. The itako inferred that the two must know the secret to taking off the charm necklace.

"Indians?" echoed the boy, struggling to keep her within his sight. The crowd was certainly not helping – he kept on banging on people's body when he gets left behind by so much a couple of feet.

"Don't walk too close to me!" she snapped when she felt his breath behind her neck.

"I-I'm sorry, but you see, my neck is already in quite a painful situation now, so I cannot maintain safe distance," he said apologetically.

"Call me when it snaps broken," she said, rolling her eyes.

To her dismay, there were no Indians in the bazaar.

"How could have they disappeared so quickly?" she wondered.

The boy scratched his cheek. "Ah… Anna…about those In-"

He sweatdropped when she showed to him that she was obviously disinterested with whatever was in his mind now.

Tamao sighed, relieved, when she saw the men chasing her leave this area of the bazaar defeatedly.

"OK, now that I was able to help you, now you must keep your end of the bargain," said Horo Horo, grinning at her greedily.

She nodded. "Oh, right…what is it that you want in your life again?"

"Money!"

"OK." She brought out a board and her medium, a silver coin. She sat down on the sidewalk as Horo watched. He looked at the coin skeptically. "Is that the money you're talking about?"

"Ssh!" Tamao shut her eyes and concentrated for a moment.

Silence.

Suddenly, her eyes opened. "7, 30, 12, 29, 42, 3."

"Huh?" He looked at her blankly. "Didn't you study how to count numbers the right way back in elementary?"

"Buy a lottery ticket and mark those numbers," she ordered him.

"Huh? But I don't have any money!" he complained. "And what are our odds in winning the jamboree's super ultra mega jumbo lottery?"

"I thought you want to get rich?" she asked challengingly.

"Yes, but-"

"Make a way to get a ticket."

Horo rubbed his head. "Oh…alright…"

"Lyserg-kun, look! I can see the entire town from here!" cried Jeanne happily as she pointed to the twinkling stars below the sky – the lights of the jamboree.

The dowser nodded and smiled. They were riding on the ferris wheel for the fifth time, because Jeanne was enjoying the sights so much. He had never realized how beautiful Izumo was at night until he looked at it from this view.

She clasped her hands together and smelled the fragrance of the evening breeze. "Ah, I can stay here forever and be contented."

"I am thinking the same thing," he agreed. He then felt the ride slow down. "However, we already have to leave. We don't have money anymore for another ride."

"Oh, that's too bad," she said, frowning. Her face then lit up. "But you'll take me here again next time, right?"

He nodded. "But of course, Jeanne."

"And we'll ride the ferris wheel the whole night?"

"Yes, Jeanne, we will."

She suddenly threw her arms around him, giggling. "Thank you, Lyserg-kun!"

The dowser couldn't help but smile tenderly at her.

We've met only just a few hours ago, but how come I'm already use to your presence? Your touch feels so natural and right.

"Please, Miss, I promise you! We'll win the jamboree's super ultra mega jumbo lottery tonight! Just please buy us a ticket!" begged Horo.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, and Bill Gates is my first boyfriend. Get lost, you freak!"

"How about you, Sir?" Horo turned to a passing boy who was too close to a silently fuming blonde. "You look like a sensible fellow. Will you buy me a ticket for the jamboree's super ultra mega jumbo lottery?"

The earphoned boy paused and pointed to himself. "Y-You're talking to me?" Horo nodded eagerly.

"We don't have time for this! We have to find those Indians!" snapped the blonde, yanking the boy's collar.

Horo rolled his eyes. He felt a surge of sympathy for the boy, because his own sister treats him that way too.

"A-Anna, wait!" The boy quickly pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to him. "Good luck with the lottery draws!" he yelled, waving, as the girl dragged him away.

"I didn't have…to beg him to help me. I didn't have to give him a reassurance or a promise that I'll give half of my pot to him, yet he gave me this." He looked at the money again. He looked at the earphoned boy. "I forgot…to ask his name. Stupid but utterly cute me."

"I don't understand…I've searched every inch of the town plaza already, but I still can't find those two!" cried Anna, aghast.

The boy rubbed his eyes. "I'm sleepy already."

"Shut up! If I let you sleep right now, you'll wake up only after a century!" she snapped.

Amidamaru suddenly appeared beside its master. "Master, maybe you should sit down first."

Anna narrowed her eyes at the spirit. "He won't sit down."

Both cringed.

"What an awful night!" she said, massaging her aching temples. "I need a bodyguard, and I got a bum instead. Now I can't find those two Indians, and I'm stuck with the bum and his cowardly spirit."

"It's alright to say things like that to me, Anna," said the boy gently. "But Amidamaru is not a coward. He had been through so much back when he was still alive. I think he's a very brave and strong fighter, in the truest sense."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"

He and Amidamaru sighed.

"Anna, may I suggest something without you contemplating murder plans against me?"

"It depends."

"Let's go to my house."

"You do know that what you just did to me is something short of a murder, but just as effective," sighed the boy as he touched his swollen cheeks mercilessly slapped repeatedly by the girl awhile ago. "You should have let me finish my suggestion. You see, those two Indians are Shilva and Karimu, my housemates. I just figured it out awhile ago."

"You should have said that earlier so I didn't have to waste my time walking around the town plaza," she said coolly.

They both paused when they saw a gang blocking their way, headed by a tall man with long, cucumber-like hair.

"Sorry to break up your date, children, but we want you to hand over all your money to us right now, just so no one would get hurt," said the leader, slamming his wooden sword on his palm repeatedly.

"Date? The last guy I would ever go out on a date with except for someone who looks as awful as you is this…"She narrowed her eyes at her companion. "…bum."

"Ouch," said the boy.

"You dare insult my handsomeness?' roared the leader. "Let me tell you who I am. I am Ryu of the Wooden Sword, the most feared leader of the most fearsome street gang here in Izumo!"

The two looked at him blankly.

"Never heard of him," said the boy, rubbing his cheek.

"Well, I'm not surprised," she said, looking at Ryu mockingly.

The man's face turned crimson. "You are cute, young miss, but your tongue leaves less to be desired." He raised his arm, and a spirit appeared on it. "Now, Tokageroh would be the one to talk to you."

More blank looks.

"A shaman?" asked the boy. "Wow, that's cool!"

"Your spirit is ugly," said the girl. "But it's an improvement compared to your face."

Tokageroh's eyes twinkled. "Did you hear that, Boss? She thinks I'm cuter than you!"

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Ryu took off his jacket. "You pissed me off, now pay for it."

Tokageroh targeted Anna. "Here, cutie. Give me a smooch!"

"Hyou Gattai!"

Ryu and Tokageroh froze when they saw a spirit fuse into a twig the boy was able to pick up. Just before the spirit could touch Anna, the twig hit it directly on the face.

The boy grinned. "Sorry about that. But if I don't intervene, Ms. Anna will kill you for sure. Just a warning."

"Why you meddling-" Ryu turned to his companions. "Get him!!!"

"Do you expect to defeat them all with a mere twig?" asked Anna.

"Eh? No problem at all," said the boy, grinning. "We can do it, right, Amidamaru?"

The samurai grinned. "Yes, Master."

And true to his words, he was able to dispose of the entire gang in a few minutes. Anna watched with grudging admiration.

He is more than a lazy bum.

"That's the last of them," said the boy cheerfully when he slammed Ryu onto the floor. "Sorry if you got hurt, but believe me, you'll suffer worse in the hands of Ms. Anna."

Ryu was speechless. He couldn't believe that with such little effort, the boy was able to take them all out…with the help of only a twig.

"Wait!" he called as the two began to leave. "I want to…train under you!"

The boy paused and looked at him.

"I want to become even half as strong as you are!" begged Ryu. "Please!"

The boy grinned. "Sorry. I don't know much about being a teacher."

The man paused.

"But I'll be happy to give you some pieces of advice. You can visit me in my house, if you want." With that, the boy continued to walk away.

"Boss?" his fellow gangsters asked.

Ryu clenched his fists. "I'll still train under him."

"Yes, but first, we'll have to rest. He didn't beat us up too badly, but it's better that we are sure."

"Right." Ryu rode on his motorcycle again. "I'll find you again, Master, and I'll train under you." He then froze. "Hey, wait a minute! I forgot to ask his name! And I don't know his house!"

"Tonight's winning jackpot for the jamboree's super ultra mega jumbo lottery is the combination…7, 30, 12, 29, 42, and 3!!!" announce the emcee.

Horo looked at his ticket, hands trembling. Beside him, Tamao smiled.

"That's my number!!!!" yelled Horo, jumping happily.

"I see," said Shilva, sipping his tea calmly. "OK, let's remove it now."

Yoh had just finished narrating to the two the predicament with the charm necklace.

"Ah, Yoh, you never change. You're still an idiot," sighed Karimu. "Come, let's take that off."

"Wait."

The men and Yoh turned to Anna.

"I've changed my mind. Don't remove the necklace anymore," she ordered.

"Huh?"

"I want to keep Yoh as my bodyguard," she announced.

"What?!" yelped the boy.

"I can see a potential for him…powerful but untapped. If he trains under me, he can become stronger," she explained.

Shilva looked interested. "Is that so?"

Yoh panicked. "Shilva…"

"I think Ms. Anna means well," agreed Karimu.

Shilva patted the boy. "Go with Ms. Anna."

"E-Eh?!! B-But…" He looked at her nervously.

"She just may do something to you that we weren't able to do before," smiled Shilva.

"Something bloody," muttered Amidamaru.

Yoh sighed, then looked at Anna, whose eyes were gazing at him narrowingly.

"Oh boy," was all he could say.

"You think we made the right decision by sending him away from our sight?" asked Karimu as they watched Yoh hurry after Anna. "Yohmei-sama and Kino-sama may disapprove of this."

"I sense that the girl will do him good," said Shilva. "Besides, I want Master Yoh to grow, just so when the time comes, he'll be strong enough to match skills with the Spirit of Fire."

"His brother, Hao Asakura."

Tsuzuku

Gotta run to school! See ya next chapter! Sorry for the shortness of the chapter!