Everyone was eating breakfast peacefully that next morning when they were disturbed by the sound of someone calling.

"Hello? Anybody homeeeee?"

Tamao was about to stand up when Horo Horo held her down. "Continue eating. It might just be another reporter wanting to interview Izumo's handsomest, richest, and most eligible bachelor."

"B-But Horo…"

Ryu stood up. "My Tamao, I'll answer the door for you." He stood up and opened the door. "Nosy reporters, bill collectors, tax collectors, milk delivery boys, girl scouts selling cookies, real estate agents, church solicitors, vacuum machine agents, apple peddlers and/or gooey dumplings dealers looking for Horo Horo, he's not here. Come again another day, thank you very much!" he ranted in a single breath.

"Er…do you accept husband applicants?" asked a voice.

Ryu looked at his left and right, but found no one. He rubbed his head. "I knew I heard a voice…"

"Er…down here."

Ryu looked down and found a cute adorable midget looking up at him with his big puppy eyes. The man squealed in delight and huggled the staggered stranger. "You're so cute!!!" gushed the Wooden Sword.

"A-Ah…p-please put me down…I came here for the ads…" the boy mumbled.

Yoh appeared from the doorway, Anna leading him by her itako beads. "Someone responded to my ads already? Where is he?" She then noticed the waving midget Ryu was cuddling in his arms. "Where did you get that stuffed toy? It's so ugly! Throw it away!"

"Whaa-" The boy's face turned pale.

"Ah! Ms. Anna, this is the husband applicant…for the ads you published," said Ryu, pinching the boy's cheeks.

"What?!" she exclaimed. She inspected the boy intently.

The boy cleared his throat and held out his tiny hands to her. "Um, I'm Oyamada Manta. N-Nice to meet you."

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Look, are you sure you've even graduated from prep already? You don't look a day older than 5! And I'm telling you, I'm not a cradle snatcher."

He winced. "T-That's too much. I…I came here like a civilized person to ask your hand for marriage, not to be insulted."

Yoh nodded sympathetically. "He's right, Anna. Be less harsh."

Her eyes narrowed at her bodyguard. "Harsh?" She yanked on her itako beads, slamming Yoh's face on the floor.

Manta's eyes widened. "I-Is she…always like that?" he whispered fearfully to Ryu.

"Why yes! You should ask Master Yoh yourself. He is often the recipient of her…um…" His voice dropped into a whisper as Manta nodded comprehendingly.

Anna paused from dragging Yoh up to slam his jaw. "You two are gossiping again…about me, no doubt!"

"No, Ms. Anna!" Ryu saluted.

"Hey, what's all the racket in there?" Horo joined them outside followed by Pirika and Tamao. Pirika and Horo then noticed the little boy cuddled by Ryu. "Kororo!" The two exclaimed at the same time.

Ren arrived, on his shoulder was the earth spirit who was snuggling on his neck. "Are you talking about this midget?" he asked, trying to push away the earth spirit. Behind him, Bason was gushing on how cute the power spirit was.

"Eh? Then who-" Horo Horo peered at the boy. "Um yeah, this isn't our Kororo."

"Hey, what are you doing to my Kororo?!!" Pirika turned to the spirit. "Give it back!"

"I'm not taking it," said Ren, rolling his eyes.

"Aaw, it likes Master Ren!" gushed Bason, clasping his hands together.

"Shut up!" snapped Ren.

Pirika grumpily took Kororo then looked back at the stranger again. "Are you a shaman too?"

"Er…no…."

"So why did you come here when I said that only shaman kings are allowed here?!!" screamed Anna.

"Waaah!!!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!" cried Manta, clamping both of his hands over his ears, making everyone sweatdrop.

"You see, my butler said that you will be an able woman who can give direction to my life," began Manta when they were all seated in the living room of the house. "And you can be trusted to help run my family's business."

"How can your butler deduce all that when he hadn't even met me personally?" asked the itako, disbelieving.

"My butler is pretty sharp when it comes to those things," explained Manta.

"What's your family's business?" asked Horo Horo.

"Er…nothing much. Just a supermarket, a couple of restaurants, a golf club house, a lending corporation, a talent and modeling agency, a beverage company, and a hot spring hotel," said the midget shyly as everyone's eyes widened.

Anna perked up. "A hot spring hotel?"

"Y-Yes. Izumo's one and only onsen inn."

She crossed her arms elegantly. "Hmm…you may not be a shaman king…but if you do own a hot spring inn…"

Yoh sighed, relieved. At least he didn't have to battle strong foes anymore.

Ren stood up. "Hey wait a minute! With my money, I can build you two onsen inns!"

"What money?" chorused Horo and Ryu.

"You even had to beg to eat here," said Pirika, eyes narrowed.

The Tao crossed his arms in front of his chest smugly. "Well, my family has been rich for centuries already…unlike you, nouveau riche."

"Huh? Hey, speak in Earth language!" protested Pirika.

Manta laughed. "It was said in French, meaning someone who just got rich recently."

The girl's eyes widened. "Wow, you know French!"

Her admiring eyes made the midget blush. "Er…yes. I studied that when I stayed in France for some months."

"You've been to France already? Wow! And what other languages do you speak?"

"Some German, some Portuguese, decent Spanish…Japanese and Chinese, of course. And a little Italian." He shrugged modestly. "Whenever I visit other countries, I try to learn about their cultures."

Pirika clasped her hands together in total admiration for the boy. "You've been traveling around the world already ever since? Oh wow, that's so cool!"

Manta looked flattered with the attention he was being given. He rubbed his cheek shyly. "If you want, I can teach you…"

Ren rolled his eyes. "Really now, I don't see why you should make such a big deal on him. Fine, he's multi-lingual, but so is a DVD."

"Oh, mind your own business!" cried Pirika. She turned to the midget again. "Stay for the day as Ms. Anna decides. Teach me how to speak other languages."

"It will be my pleasure, if it will be fine with your housemates."

Pirika turned to her brother. "It will be alright to have him with us for the day, right, Onii-chan?"

Horo Horo was still in daze. " A supermarket…a couple of restaurants…a golf club house…"

Tamao smiled. "I think that's a yes."

Shilva finished the last of his opponents as Karimu dusted his coat.

"I think the Prince Hao is underestimating our abilities as former court priests," said Karimu. "These assassins were helpless! So weak!"

"For the time being, we must not be too cocky," said Shilva. "We need to find Master Yoh and give him the book as soon as possible. Let's just be grateful that Hao is making things easy for us."

"You have a point." Karimu looked on. "Are you positive about those reports we got regarding Master Yoh's whereabouts?"

"It was Master Mikihisa himself who gave me the reports."

"So are you going to pick him already as your husband?" asked Yoh as he and Anna were sitting by the garden.

"I am tempted," she admitted. "I want to be the mistress of an onsen hotel. But…"

His grin weakened. "Um…uh-oh…"

"I have to stay true to my duties in finding the shaman king." Anna released her hair from the bandanna to retie it.

Yoh was about to protest, saying that he might not be strong enough to face all those who would ask her hand for marriage, when he paused.

Anna was unconscious of his gaze and was busy combing the silky strands of her golden hair with her fingers.

He felt his throat go dry. There were times when Anna would let down her guard –like this time- and he would lose himself to her quiet grace and beauty. He liked looking at roses and petals of cherryblossom carried by the light summer breeze, but Anna to him was a different flower. She was a reluctant bud who would not show to the world the beauty that lies within the folded petals, the fragrance that was trapped in her curled lips. She was a rose that refused to be picked by any man – one that bares her thorns hoping to scare every Adam away, as if only taunting them. But a rose all the same, one that would only thrive when touched lovingly by a gardener and kissed by sunlight and poured affectionately on by water.  

Anna at last noticed his intent gaze. "What are you looking at?" she snapped.

He winced. "Sorry." He silently wondered who would be the gardener that would dare to touch her, and not get frightened by her spines. He sincerely hoped he would find her that gardener soon. He hated the thought of Anna suffocated with her own thorns.

She tied her bandanna again. "Let's start that training again-"

Suddenly, a jaguar landed beside them, followed by an African boy. He jumped down on the grass, posing. "Hear ye, Hear ye! I've come for my shaman bride!"

Anna's forehead creased. "Huh?"

"I'm looking for a certain woman looking for a shaman king husband so…" He flexed his muscles. "I am here." He looked around. "So where is she?"

Anna looked like she wanted to tear her hair out. Why did she keep on getting losers to respond to her ad?

Yoh smiled. "The one you're looking for is here beside me. This is Anna Kyouyama, an itako."

Choco grinned. "A tic-tac-toe?"

The two sweatdropped.

Suddenly, Anna lifted her beads and was about to kick his ass when Yoh intervened, apologizing profusely for the laughing clown.

Pirika and Manta were seated together by the coltsfoot field as he taught her Spanish.

"What is 'I love you' in that language?" asked Pirika.

"Te amo." Manta grinned.

"Te amo…hmmm…so romantic-sounding." She smiled dreamily. "French and Italian are so elegant too!"

The midget smiled at her. "You sound good when you speak French phrases."

"Really?" asked Pirika, thrilled. She cleared her throat. "Bon voyage!"

Annoying laughter made her stop. Ren was sitting on a treetop, not too far from them. He was eating biscuits.

"I demand to know what's so funny!" she said, hands on her hips.

"You, of course," said the Tao. "You sound irritating when you speak European languages. Why don't you try Chinese?"

"If I irritate you, then why don't you leave us alone? You have been following us for the past three hours!"

Ren paused, then laughed sarcastically. "I like seeing you do something stupid."

"Hmp!" She turned to Manta. "Teach me something Chinese, preferably profanities. I'll show him!"  

"Er…"

Ren straightened up. "I dare you to tell me this."

Pirika turned to him, and she saw something Kanji that he spelled on the bark of the tree with his spear. Having no knowledge about it, she blushed embarrassedly. Fortunately, Manta came to her rescue.

"Wo ai ni," he whispered fiercely.

She didn't know what it meant, but she crossed her arms smugly and said proudly, "Wo ai ni."

Ren smirked. "I can't hear you."

"Wo ai ni!"

"A little louder please."

"WO AI NI! WO AI NI!!!" she screamed.

The Tao looked immensely pleased as Bason snickered.

"W-What did I say?" she asked, feeling stupid. She turned to Manta. "Did I pronounce the words right?"

Manta sweatdropped. "Er…"

"What does 'wo ai ni' means?" asked Pirika helplessly.

Before the midget could reply, Ren had jumped down from the treetop. "Allow me to say what you've just said. Wo ai ni means…" He gave her a cat-ate-the-fish smile. "…I love you."

"Jeanne?"

The girl looked up, blinking. Lyserg was gazing at her with concern. "Y-Yes?"

He stopped eating. "Ever since I arrived home from the university yesterday, you started being quiet again. Did something happen while I was gone?"

She played with her spaghetti. She didn't think she could tell him about the mysterious man who called her 'Jeanne-sama' and had asked her about the X-Laws and Hao. She didn't want him to worry any more than he was worrying about her now. "It must be the weather," she said quietly instead.

He reached for her hand. "No matter what, I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm here for you."

"H-How can you commit yourself to me that way…when you barely know me?" she asked.

"But I do know you, Jeanne Diethyl. I know you're sweet, kind, and lovely. I know you care about other people a lot. I know you are close to God, because you always are in the chapel when we go out. I know you love ferris wheels and other carnival rides. I know you have something in your past that may be undesirable, but I don't care," he said firmly. "The moment I gave you my family name, I committed myself to you. Do you understand, Jeanne?"

She nodded, a little tearfully even. "Yes, Lyserg." And in broken speech, she told him about the stranger clad in white, hair golden, eyes sharp. She told him how he urged her desperately to remember the X-Laws.

"You are the Seraph, and you must gain your memory back. It's the only way to defeat Hao."

It was his last statement before he walked away, promising that the next time they meet, she would come with him already.

Lyserg's fists clenched. "You won't go with anyone against your will, Jeanne, I promise you that."

She nodded, then continued eating, a little more energetically than awhile ago. He smiled at her fondly.

No one can take you away from me, Jeanne. I promise you that.

Hao looked at his map, then sighed. He should have taken his Spirit of Fire along, but then, his road adventure as a common peasant would lose its thrill. Life in the Asakura Court could be boring at times, and from time to time, he goes out in disguise just to entertain himself.

"Coltsfoot area…" He shrugged. He'll find that place sooner or later, even without his furyoku.

"How I hope that the girl is worthy enough for this trip," he grinned.

Tsuzuku

I had to cut the fic short…I'm late for class again! .