Disclaimer-Shaman King does not belong to me.
"What?! I can't believe this! You actually consented to allowing Yoh to have a sleepover at the house tonight?" Manta shouted in disbelief.
Anna barely shifted her eyes away from the television set long enough to answer him, as she rested leisurely on her side.
"Don't be so surprised, shorty. I fiqure this is the least I can do for Yoh since he's worked so hard in the Shaman King tournament. After all, I have you and Ryu to cook for everyone, so I'm surprised you're not complaining." she told him.
Manta frowned at her remark, even as he shook his head in wonder at the changes that had been occuring in Anna's personality lately. She had been acting very differently around everyone, especially Yoh, since the day they had gone up into the mountains. She and Yoh had acted somewhat playful towards each other that day during the berry fight, and the pair seemed warmer towards each other than usual. He had casually questioned Yoh about this, and the dark haired shaman smiled at him with a quiet laugh.
"Not much to tell really. That's kinda between Anna and I." he told him.
Manta nodded, understanding completely. He knew that even though Yoh had orginally been opposed to having Anna live with him, he was now grateful to her for being such a demanding trainer and one of his closest confidentes in the Shaman fights. Even though she rarely showed it, she worried about him as much as the rest of them did, maybe more so.
"You need not worry yourself so much. Lord Yoh and Lady Anna have merely found a comfort level with each other that they've found acceptable. This allows all of us to focus our concentration on the battles ahead." Amidamaru told Manta.
"Yes. This sleepover tonight should be some great downtime for all of us." Manta replied.
Amidamaru and Manta both jumped, startled, as Anna walked over to join them just outside the dojo doors.
"Who says this is downtime?! I need you and Amidamaru to meet Yoh at the store in twenty minutes. He and the others should be finished with the errand I sent them on by then." she told them sharply.
"Yes, of course. We'll be back soon." Manta said, taking off quickly before incurring Anna's wrath.
Manta sighed, grateful for the chance to get away for awhile. He had been surprised when Amidamaru had stayed behind at the house, but Yoh had claimed that even ancient samarais needed rest too sometimes. He had no doubt in his mind that the warrior could make himself known by Yoh's side even if he was many miles away. Manta respected Amidamaru for his loyalty and devotion to his master, and for his calm, serene outlook on life outside of battle.
In that way, he and Yoh were kindred spirits. In his lifetime, Amidamaru had been a determained swordsman who was fiercely loyal to those he felt deserved such a honor, and had fostered deep friendships just as Yoh had.
Yoh had known from the start that he and Amidamaru were destined to be partners and because of this, they had both found in each other the destinies they sought. Amidamaru reviled in the camaraderie of Yoh's fellow shamans, and Yoh gained his guardian's ancient wisdom.
Smiling as he finally arrived at the shopping center where he was supposed to meet the others, Manta cocked his head at their friend Horo Horo, or Trey as he was called, who was leaning against the storefront window of a small department store.
"Hey Manta! What's up?" Trey asked him.
"I was just about to ask you that. You look like you're waiting on someone." he said.
Trey rolled his eyes. "I am. It's my sister Pirika. She insisted on looking at dresses to wear to the house tonight. She's normally not so concerned about her looks...I'll never fiqure her out." he complained.
Manta had to stifle a laugh. If there was an odd character out of the two of them, he would chose the high strung brother over his much more mild mannered sister any day. Horo Horo, or Trey Racer, as he was called by his friends, and Pirika were very nearly twin siblings. Trey had short spiky pale blue hair and Pirika had a long mane of pale blue hair that flowed down her back. The siblings had a very close relationship with each other, Trey being slightly overprotective towards his sometimes willful sibling.
"We look out for each other. That's what we're supposed to do." Trey would often say.
Pirika had only recently come into the picture after the others had befriended Trey sometime before. Dedicated to saving the enviroment and the lands that his own guardian spirit dwelled, Trey had been an undeniable presense in the Asakura household with his unpredictable digestion. Anna had quickly put the young shaman in his place by making him perform grueling hosehold duties for fouling up the air around them.
"So, what are you doing out here?" Manta asked him.
"All that girly stuff was starting to make me sick. I fiqure she can manage without me." he told him.
"Hey guys! I thought you'd never make it!" Yoh shouted, walking up to them with a great deal of grocery bags in hand.
Manta began to offer to help but resisted, knowing that this was probably another one of the ways Anna wanted Yoh to build himself up in his training.
"Good evening, Lord Yoh." Amidamaru greeted him.
Yoh smiled. "Good evening, Amidamaru. Man, I can't wait to get back to the house. I'm starving! Ryu said he has some interesting ideas for dinner tonight. I can't wait!" he said.
"It was very generous of Mistress Anna to allow us such a great deal of funds in which to make this feast. I am grateful to her as always." Ryu said, coming up behind them, with twice as many bags in hand.
Manta's eyes widened. "Aren't those bags heavy there, Ryu?" he asked him.
Ryu laughed. "No need to worry, little man. I am much stronger than I appear. The only part of my body that strains right now is my empty stomach." he told him.
"I'm ready to go whenever you are." Pirika told all of them.
"Finally! You have very good timing, Pirika. Did you find what you were looking for?" Trey asked her.
Pirika looked down at the department store bag she was carrying as the two of them followed behind the others and blushed in spite of herself.
"Yes. I only hope that it's suitable for the sleepover. I want to look nice for tonight." she said.
Trey cocked his head at her. "You always look nice to me, Pirika, so what's the big deal about tonight? I don't know why you're blushing all of the sudden. I mean, these guys are like family to us." he told her.
"We feel the same way. You're always welcome at mine and Anna's house. The more, the merrier. That reminds me! Did Ren ever respond to the invitation Anna sent him?" Yoh asked.
"Surprisely, yes. After everything the two of you have been through, it's a wonder that he would accept at all." Ryu said.
To Trey's surprise, Pirika blushed again. Why would my sister blush whenever that kid Ren Tao's name was mentioned, he wondered. It wasn't as if the Chinese shaman was even that close a friend to the rest of them. The stubborn shaman with the thick english accent had just recently began to accept their friendship for reasons unknown even to himself. Yoh had fiqured it was because that all of them had accepted him at face value outside of just his warrior abilities like everyone viewed him, while Trey believed it was just because Ren wanted to think of himself as superior in the presense of others.
"He thinks he's so high and mighty just because his family has more money than the rest of us. I'm not impressed and neither is my sister. Isn't that right, Pirika?" he asked her.
"You shouldn't be so mean, Trey. Ren should feel as welcome as anyone else is." she told him.
"When did you start defending him anyway? You've been acting really strange lately." Trey told her.
"Trey! I just want everyone to have a nice time." she said.
"That's the spirit! We're going to have a full house too, with Yoh, Anna, Ryu, Trey, Pirika, Ren, Jun, Li Pailong and myself there. Not to mention Bason, Amidamaru and Kory there as well." Manta said.
Ryu laughed. "Well, I'll be too busy cooking to notice so many people. As long as we have some music while we work, I'm sure we'll have a great time." he said.
" I was hoping that Jun would allow Pailong to show me some of his legendary martial arts moves. I want to be able to hold my own in a fight just in case." Manta laughed.
Yoh laughed too. "I'm sure she won't mind. She's much more laid back than Ren is. That's why I wanted to make sure they came to the party." Yoh said.
"So, what did you buy in that store anyway, Pirika? You sure took a long time choosing whatever it is." Trey said.
"It's just a dress I saw in one of the catalogs at Yoh and Anna's house. Anna offered to lend me the money to buy it, but I used my school field trip money instead." she told him.
"I'm sure you'll look very nice, Pirika. Maybe they'll encourage the rest of us to dress a little nicer too. I don't mind since it's a special occassion." Yoh said with a smile as they finally arrived at the house.
"What?! I can't believe this! You actually consented to allowing Yoh to have a sleepover at the house tonight?" Manta shouted in disbelief.
Anna barely shifted her eyes away from the television set long enough to answer him, as she rested leisurely on her side.
"Don't be so surprised, shorty. I fiqure this is the least I can do for Yoh since he's worked so hard in the Shaman King tournament. After all, I have you and Ryu to cook for everyone, so I'm surprised you're not complaining." she told him.
Manta frowned at her remark, even as he shook his head in wonder at the changes that had been occuring in Anna's personality lately. She had been acting very differently around everyone, especially Yoh, since the day they had gone up into the mountains. She and Yoh had acted somewhat playful towards each other that day during the berry fight, and the pair seemed warmer towards each other than usual. He had casually questioned Yoh about this, and the dark haired shaman smiled at him with a quiet laugh.
"Not much to tell really. That's kinda between Anna and I." he told him.
Manta nodded, understanding completely. He knew that even though Yoh had orginally been opposed to having Anna live with him, he was now grateful to her for being such a demanding trainer and one of his closest confidentes in the Shaman fights. Even though she rarely showed it, she worried about him as much as the rest of them did, maybe more so.
"You need not worry yourself so much. Lord Yoh and Lady Anna have merely found a comfort level with each other that they've found acceptable. This allows all of us to focus our concentration on the battles ahead." Amidamaru told Manta.
"Yes. This sleepover tonight should be some great downtime for all of us." Manta replied.
Amidamaru and Manta both jumped, startled, as Anna walked over to join them just outside the dojo doors.
"Who says this is downtime?! I need you and Amidamaru to meet Yoh at the store in twenty minutes. He and the others should be finished with the errand I sent them on by then." she told them sharply.
"Yes, of course. We'll be back soon." Manta said, taking off quickly before incurring Anna's wrath.
Manta sighed, grateful for the chance to get away for awhile. He had been surprised when Amidamaru had stayed behind at the house, but Yoh had claimed that even ancient samarais needed rest too sometimes. He had no doubt in his mind that the warrior could make himself known by Yoh's side even if he was many miles away. Manta respected Amidamaru for his loyalty and devotion to his master, and for his calm, serene outlook on life outside of battle.
In that way, he and Yoh were kindred spirits. In his lifetime, Amidamaru had been a determained swordsman who was fiercely loyal to those he felt deserved such a honor, and had fostered deep friendships just as Yoh had.
Yoh had known from the start that he and Amidamaru were destined to be partners and because of this, they had both found in each other the destinies they sought. Amidamaru reviled in the camaraderie of Yoh's fellow shamans, and Yoh gained his guardian's ancient wisdom.
Smiling as he finally arrived at the shopping center where he was supposed to meet the others, Manta cocked his head at their friend Horo Horo, or Trey as he was called, who was leaning against the storefront window of a small department store.
"Hey Manta! What's up?" Trey asked him.
"I was just about to ask you that. You look like you're waiting on someone." he said.
Trey rolled his eyes. "I am. It's my sister Pirika. She insisted on looking at dresses to wear to the house tonight. She's normally not so concerned about her looks...I'll never fiqure her out." he complained.
Manta had to stifle a laugh. If there was an odd character out of the two of them, he would chose the high strung brother over his much more mild mannered sister any day. Horo Horo, or Trey Racer, as he was called by his friends, and Pirika were very nearly twin siblings. Trey had short spiky pale blue hair and Pirika had a long mane of pale blue hair that flowed down her back. The siblings had a very close relationship with each other, Trey being slightly overprotective towards his sometimes willful sibling.
"We look out for each other. That's what we're supposed to do." Trey would often say.
Pirika had only recently come into the picture after the others had befriended Trey sometime before. Dedicated to saving the enviroment and the lands that his own guardian spirit dwelled, Trey had been an undeniable presense in the Asakura household with his unpredictable digestion. Anna had quickly put the young shaman in his place by making him perform grueling hosehold duties for fouling up the air around them.
"So, what are you doing out here?" Manta asked him.
"All that girly stuff was starting to make me sick. I fiqure she can manage without me." he told him.
"Hey guys! I thought you'd never make it!" Yoh shouted, walking up to them with a great deal of grocery bags in hand.
Manta began to offer to help but resisted, knowing that this was probably another one of the ways Anna wanted Yoh to build himself up in his training.
"Good evening, Lord Yoh." Amidamaru greeted him.
Yoh smiled. "Good evening, Amidamaru. Man, I can't wait to get back to the house. I'm starving! Ryu said he has some interesting ideas for dinner tonight. I can't wait!" he said.
"It was very generous of Mistress Anna to allow us such a great deal of funds in which to make this feast. I am grateful to her as always." Ryu said, coming up behind them, with twice as many bags in hand.
Manta's eyes widened. "Aren't those bags heavy there, Ryu?" he asked him.
Ryu laughed. "No need to worry, little man. I am much stronger than I appear. The only part of my body that strains right now is my empty stomach." he told him.
"I'm ready to go whenever you are." Pirika told all of them.
"Finally! You have very good timing, Pirika. Did you find what you were looking for?" Trey asked her.
Pirika looked down at the department store bag she was carrying as the two of them followed behind the others and blushed in spite of herself.
"Yes. I only hope that it's suitable for the sleepover. I want to look nice for tonight." she said.
Trey cocked his head at her. "You always look nice to me, Pirika, so what's the big deal about tonight? I don't know why you're blushing all of the sudden. I mean, these guys are like family to us." he told her.
"We feel the same way. You're always welcome at mine and Anna's house. The more, the merrier. That reminds me! Did Ren ever respond to the invitation Anna sent him?" Yoh asked.
"Surprisely, yes. After everything the two of you have been through, it's a wonder that he would accept at all." Ryu said.
To Trey's surprise, Pirika blushed again. Why would my sister blush whenever that kid Ren Tao's name was mentioned, he wondered. It wasn't as if the Chinese shaman was even that close a friend to the rest of them. The stubborn shaman with the thick english accent had just recently began to accept their friendship for reasons unknown even to himself. Yoh had fiqured it was because that all of them had accepted him at face value outside of just his warrior abilities like everyone viewed him, while Trey believed it was just because Ren wanted to think of himself as superior in the presense of others.
"He thinks he's so high and mighty just because his family has more money than the rest of us. I'm not impressed and neither is my sister. Isn't that right, Pirika?" he asked her.
"You shouldn't be so mean, Trey. Ren should feel as welcome as anyone else is." she told him.
"When did you start defending him anyway? You've been acting really strange lately." Trey told her.
"Trey! I just want everyone to have a nice time." she said.
"That's the spirit! We're going to have a full house too, with Yoh, Anna, Ryu, Trey, Pirika, Ren, Jun, Li Pailong and myself there. Not to mention Bason, Amidamaru and Kory there as well." Manta said.
Ryu laughed. "Well, I'll be too busy cooking to notice so many people. As long as we have some music while we work, I'm sure we'll have a great time." he said.
" I was hoping that Jun would allow Pailong to show me some of his legendary martial arts moves. I want to be able to hold my own in a fight just in case." Manta laughed.
Yoh laughed too. "I'm sure she won't mind. She's much more laid back than Ren is. That's why I wanted to make sure they came to the party." Yoh said.
"So, what did you buy in that store anyway, Pirika? You sure took a long time choosing whatever it is." Trey said.
"It's just a dress I saw in one of the catalogs at Yoh and Anna's house. Anna offered to lend me the money to buy it, but I used my school field trip money instead." she told him.
"I'm sure you'll look very nice, Pirika. Maybe they'll encourage the rest of us to dress a little nicer too. I don't mind since it's a special occassion." Yoh said with a smile as they finally arrived at the house.