Disclaimer: Shaman King and its characters belong to Hiroyuki Takei, not me.
Author's Notes: If you want to see my long, drawn out explanation of things, take a look at the Chapter 1 Prologue. I don't feel like repeating myself and I'm sure you don't want to read it again if you already have.
WARNING! There be spoilers ahead!
In Response to Reviews
To Cat Silver: Darn it, now I've got Anna lurking around to make sure I write the next chapter of the Fanfic!
Horohoro: I want a cookie... (pouts)
Chapter One, Part One: Breakfast
Yoh sat nervously at the table, much like he had the previous day except that this time around it wasn't because he had gotten up late and attempted to cover it up by serving leftovers from the day before. It wasn't because of Ren's surprise visit during dinner the night before either, although that was about when this feeling had come over him. Manta had gone home and Yoh assumed that his friend was safe because there hadn't been any bad feelings during the course of the night. This was about something much more perplexing: what had inspired Anna to start cooking?
Ren sat at the table and seemed to be amused by Yoh's discomfort. Somehow this only managed to make Yoh even more uncomfortable. As such, Yoh started fidgeting around with his chopsticks to distract himself.
"Breakfast's almost ready," Anna's voice filtered through the kitchen doorway. Yoh's hand tensed and his chopsticks snapped. Ren burst into a fit of laughter.
"It isn't funny," Yoh protested.
"I'm afraid I must disagree," countered Ren. "Watching you this morning is incredibly entertaining."
This was one battle that Yoh knew he wasn't going to win. He sighed, "Ren, you've got to admit that it's a little surprising... yesterday Anna was clearly mad at me because I woke up too late to make a proper breakfast and then I come home to find her making dinner."
"She probably doesn't want to scare away potential customers with your inability to cook anything edible," noted Ren.
Yoh blinked, "You think this could be part of her Funbari Onsen plan?"
"Probably," Ren shrugged. "You ought to be happy that you have a fiancé who knows her away around the kitchen."
At this point Anna came in and set out breakfast. Somehow Yoh didn't feel nervous anymore, but he didn't have time to admit that Ren was probably right. Being nervous wouldn't earn him any mercy points with Anna anyway, so Yoh settled for something that could.
"It looks great Anna."
"Don't think that sucking up is going to make your chores any easier," replied Anna.
Yoh sweatdropped, "... of course not."
Chapter One, Part Two: An Abnormal Afternoon
"I was a little surprised when I found out that Anna made dinner last night," said Manta as he and Yoh took their usual route toward Funbari Hill Cemetery.
Yoh grinned, "If you think that was surprising... she made breakfast today too."
"Seriously?" asked Manta.
Yoh nodded confirmation, "Ren said that I should be happy that I have a fiancé that knows her way around the kitchen. Somehow, I'm just glad I don't have to re-cook every meal fifteen times."
Yoh and Manta both laughed.
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It is rather difficult to consider a particular aspect of a cemetery strange. This afternoon however, there was certainly something different about the Funbari Hill Cemetery. It was quiet, because the usual assortment of ghosts didn't come out until the middle of the night, but there was someone else there. A girl dressed in blue jeans and a silver tank top appeared to be sleeping soundly up in the tree in the middle of the cemetery.
"It would appear that we're not the only ones here today," said Yoh stating the obvious.
Manta nodded, "That's certainly strange. Normally we're the only people that come here at this hour."
"I don't think it's a spirit," said Yoh curiously. "She must be human, but even I couldn't sleep this late into the day."
At the base of the tree a cute little kitten with gleaming fangs hissed at the intruders. Manta took a step back and hid bravely behind Yoh's leg. Yoh observed the threatening feline with mild interest and smiled, "How cute."
Takikoneko blinked in surprise and reverted to her humanoid form with the fuzzy cat-like ears, "You can see me then?"
"A shape-shifting spirit?" Manta stepped out into the open for a closer look.
Taki called up to Crystal, "I think we have finally found someone who can help us!"
"Actually, we're the ones that found you," corrected Manta.
"Whatever. You don't have to be so literal," replied Taki.
Crystal stretched and rolled as though she was getting out of bed. This resulted in her falling out of the tree. She quickly remembered herself and where she was, allowing herself time to re-position her fall so that she landed lightly on her feet when she hit the ground. Yoh applauded while Manta sweatdropped and laughed nervously.
"So, these guys are able to see you then?" Crystal still looked like she was half asleep.
Taki nodded, "I think I gave the little guy a scare."
"If it's for your own amusement, I know you try to scare people," replied Crystal indifferently.
Yoh decided to step in and change the subject, "If you're here for the Shaman Fight in Tokyo, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you it's over."
"Actually I'm here to find someone, but I came in early this morning and didn't have the energy to look for a hotel, so I found this place and I must say it's pretty comfortable in that tree," Crystal explained.
Taki took a closer look at Yoh and began making frantic noises and gestures, attempting to get Crystal to talk to her in private. Crystal waved her off passively, "Not right now."
"Maybe we can help you find who you're looking for," Yoh volunteered. "But first... you said you needed a place to stay, right?"
Crystal nodded, "While I'm here, I guess that would make sense."
"Lucky for you I happen to live in a hotel," said Yoh. "I'm sure you don't mind if there happen to be ghosts inside."
Manta shook his head, "Do you think Anna is going to approve of this?"
Yoh shrugged, "She wants to reopen the hotel as the Funbari Onsen, so she's going to have to deal with the possibility of customers eventually. It's more fun to bring in friends though."
"This is really working out better than I thought it would," commented Crystal. Taki made several more frantic noises and gestures before following after the three humans as they left the cemetery.
Chapter One, Part Three: Naivety Knows No Bounds
"Who are you looking for anyway?" asked Manta as the newly formed group entered the house/hotel that was the Funbari Onsen.
Crystal thought carefully. She didn't really want to get these nice people involved if she didn't have to. Taki sighed in exasperation at how Crystal seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that this Yoh did look a lot like Hao and that he was most likely the very same person they were supposed to be looking for.
Crystal stretched idly, "I don't really know how to put this without causing trouble, but it seems like a friend of mine is convinced he's having problems with a doppelganger. It's kind of silly I guess, but I'm supposed to be looking for someone that looks like my friend, but isn't."
"Yoh, get away from them now! They work for Hao!" Ren had noticed the bracelet and had already drawn his Kwan Dao.
Crystal blinked, "Oh, so you guys know about Hao... that makes things easier. Then maybe you can tell me where I can find Asakura Yoh."
Taki facevaulted, "You've got to be kidding me... you mean you haven't figured out that that guy who brought us here IS Asakura Yoh?"
"Seriously?" Crystal looked Yoh over one more time and her brain finally seemed to make the connection. "I guess it must be the headphones, because I honestly couldn't tell."
A vein throbbed on Ren's forehead, "Why don't you quit fooling around with us and just get on with the attack?!"
"That wasn't really what I was going for," Crystal laughed nervously.
Yoh and Manta had moved away from that part of the room. Despite the bracelet, there really didn't seem to be any reason to fear Crystal, but it was always a good idea to stay out of Ren's way when he got like this. Considering Ren had already used his Oversoul and his Kwan Dao was now glowing, this was probably for the best. Taki observed this fact and sighed, "It doesn't look like we have any choice in the matter, Crystal."
"Well in that case," a goofy grin appeared on Crystal's face as Taki prepared to work with her Oversoul. Crystal drew the plastic sword from its plastic sheath on her belt and combined Taki's power with her own, "Oversoul! Rabid Bunny Attack!" The form emanating from Crystal's weapon materialized itself in the form of a cute little pink bunny.
Ren sweatdropped, "If that's the best you can do, I don't know why Hao even bothered sending you." He stepped within striking range and prepared to use his Vorpal Dance to be rid of this threat as quickly as possible.
"Just wait, the best part is about to start," Crystal smirked knowingly. The cute little pink bunny opened its mouth to reveal dozens of gleaming pointed teeth. Crystal snapped her fingers as a signal to begin the attack. The teeth seemed to extend into some kind of flexible needles and came at Ren from all directions. When the dust cleared, Ren was unconscious and Taki was standing beside Crystal again.
A look of horror appeared on Yoh's face. Manta spoke what he and Yoh were both thinking, "... Ren was beaten with a single attack..."
"He should regain consciousness in about ten minutes," supplied Crystal restoring her plastic sword to its plastic sheath. "That was just my immobilization technique for dealing with those too stubborn to listen to words."
Yoh blinked in confusion, "You mean, Hao didn't send you here to kill me?"
Crystal raised her hand to her forehead and sighed, "I'm being totally honest when I say this, but I don't work for Hao. I know a little about the Shaman Fight and what happened, but that really had nothing to do with me. Hao asked me to go to Tokyo to deal with you, and I agreed not because I'm one of his loyal followers, but because I'm trying to be a good friend, even if his intentions aren't necessarily good."
Anna's voice came from the doorway behind Crystal, "It sounds like this might be a long story. Why don't you stick around and explain yourself?"
Chapter One, Part Four: Questioning History
"Amazing... Hao tried to kill you and you still offered to be friends," Yoh was somewhere between impressed, surprised and confused.
Ren didn't say anything, but he looked pretty angry. This was probably because he was aware that by all accounts a cute little pink bunny had defeated him. Even if that cute little bunny had extendable, flexible, pointed teeth that didn't make it any less of a cute little pink bunny. Ren let out an annoyed sigh and headed outside to chill out before he broke something.
"Maybe I overdid it with that attack," Crystal knew she was responsible, so she felt bad about it even though from her perspective it had been in self- defense. After having nearly been roasted alive by the Spirit of Fire, she knew that not everyone would refrain from violence just because she asked them to.
"More like under did it," said Manta. "I think Ren feels insulted about having been beaten by something he considered weak more than he's actually upset about being defeated."
"Are you sure it isn't because he was defeated by a girl?" asked Taki.
Yoh nodded, "Considering Anna and his sister, I doubt he has the mind to consider girls weak... I think he's more upset about having been defeated by a cute little pink bunny."
Taki sweatdropped, "I was light red, not pink."
"I can see why Hao would have been interested in Crystal," said Anna. "She seemed to be an ordinary human, but when he went to attack her with the Spirit of Fire she was saved by another spirit and at the same time he was unable to read her thoughts. Such an unpredictable life form would be very interesting to someone who generally knows everything about their surroundings."
Yoh nodded, "A surprise factor to add confusion and spark curiosity would certainly be something unexpected."
"I'm still here, you know," Crystal sweatdropped.
Anna spoke seriously, "At any rate... you said that Hao wanted you to come to Tokyo to deal with Yoh, but you don't think he intended for you to fight."
Crystal nodded, "I know it seems kind of weird, but the way he talked about the fact that he thinks Yoh is the only person that can stop him from re- attaining the power of the Great Spirit... it made me think that maybe that's what Hao really wants. Considering he's now been defeated in three consecutive Shaman Fights even though he seems to have this unmatched power seems to suggest that deep down he really wants there to be someone who can stop him from achieving his goal. At any rate, that's why I think he actually sent me here to warn the lot of you... so that you know that he's still around and intending to cause trouble."
Yoh had a sudden sinking feeling as Anna reached her conclusion based on the information, "Well then, it sounds like there is still a use for my special training program after all."
Chapter One, Part Five: Departure
"So, you really have to leave? You could stay here and help us, you know?" Yoh spoke while enduring his Electric Chair training.
Crystal had already made the preparations for her return trip, "I already did by warning you about Hao's intentions... don't take this the wrong way, but I can't fight Hao... I won't fight against my friends. That means that I won't fight you either."
"What do you plan to do then?" Ren had more or less recovered after the week that had flown by after the initial shock from the Rabid Bunny Attack. As such, he was now on more positive terms with Crystal and Taki.
Crystal shrugged, "I guess I'll just return to the neutral headquarters that is my house and just return to my ordinary life."
"Well, don't hesitate to come back for a visit," said Yoh. "There are plenty of others that drop by here from time to time that you ought to meet."
"I'll certainly keep that in mind," agreed Crystal. That would have to be after she came up with a story to tell her friends and family about why she had gone missing for a week. The old getting lost in the woods story really wouldn't cover it considering she knew those woods like the back of her hand, having grown up there her whole life. She could always tell the truth, but there weren't many that would actually believe her back home.
Taki sighed, "You don't really want to go back to that life, do you?"
"Not really, but I have to... I've worried them enough back home as it is," replied Crystal.
Yoh blinked, "You mean they don't know about your powers?"
"Well, that is to say the ones who can't see spirits certainly don't," replied Crystal. Taki took on her cat form and followed after as Crystal started on her way. Then both of them were gone.
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"Do you really think it was a good idea to let her leave just like that?" asked Ren. At this point he along with Yoh and Manta was in the bath/hot spring.
Yoh shrugged, "I don't think she's an enemy if that's what you mean."
"Actually, I was thinking about the fact that Hao might not exactly be happy about the information she provided us with when she gets back," replied Ren.
Yoh looked confused for a second and then smiled, "I know things will turn out alright. Besides, if she was telling the truth... he shouldn't be able to hurt her anyway."
"That carefree attitude again," Ren shook his head. "It really does suit you."
"Some things never change," Manta sweatdropped.
To Be Continued...
A Word From the Characters
Ren: (twitches) I refuse to accept that I was beaten by a cute little pink bunny!
Taki: Not pink, light red.
Horohoro: I still want a cookie...
Taki: (materializes a cookie for Horo-chan)
Horohoro: Yay!
Yoh: It's nice to know that I'm still the good guy in this story.
Hao: Yoh, you really wouldn't last as a villain even if you wanted to.
Crystal: Once again, the insane authoress is more inspired to update when she receives reviews, the sillier the better. Anna can't always be hanging around to make sure she writes.