Disclaimer: Shaman King and its characters belong to Hiroyuki Takei, not me. Inuyasha and its characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Author's Notes: At this point in time I have seen the entire Shaman King anime in Japanese with English subtitles and scattered episodes of the dubbed first season. I have read the first four volumes of the English manga and await the release of volume 5. I have visited countless spoiler sites and a lot of the information just doesn't agree from site to site. Most of my background information is based on the manga, such as the fact that the official start of the Shaman Fight was January 1, 1999. The rest of the information, such as the outcome of the Shaman Fight, is based on the anime. The reason behind this is mostly because my mind organized the information that way and it just seems to fit in well with my plans for this fanfic.
WARNING! There be spoilers ahead!
In Response to Reviews
To Black Dragon: The voice of England, huh? Lyserg do you get it?
Lyserg: (sweatdrops)
------------------------
To Zetsumei: I'll take that as a compliment coming from you. And yes, you are indeed the monk in question.
------------------------
To SailorLoneStar: I was making an effort to keep Hao in character until such time that he actually got some sense knocked into him.
Crystal: (is glomped) I'm starting to wonder exactly how long I'm going to be kept under this tree.
Hao: (is also glomped) It just goes to show that I have more fangirls than Yoh.
The Original Characters
Shiva
Age 17
Birthday: April 19, 1985
Star Sign: Aries
Blood Type: UnknownDetails: A lustful, food devouring monk that has recently become affiliated with Patch Village. Not much is known about him except that he would seem to be a descendant of Miroku and Sango. He also happens to be one of Crystal's friends at her High School, although she doesn't know about him being a monk... yet. Shiva, like other characters is based on one of my real friends.
Character Age List 2002
14: Tyriel
15: Pirika, Mari
16: Manta, Ren, Lyserg, Horohoro, Tamao, Chocolove, Macchi, Crystal
17: Yoh, Hao, Anna
21: Jun
22: Ryu
24: Kanna
30: Silva, Karim
36: Faust VIII
Prologue Five: Crystal's Oracle Bell
June 2002...
It had been Crystal's last day of school and now she was walking home from the bus stop. Her plan was to stop off for a quick snack and then take a little hike up to the waterfall to pay Taki a visit. The weather only managed to emphasize the fact that it was now officially summer vacation.
When she finally arrived at the waterfall, she was surprised to see her friend Shiva apparently waiting for her. She knew him as a food bandit and the sort of guy who would try to hit on any girl if he had the opportunity. She had never seen him in the attire of a monk before and was relatively certain she hadn't revealed the location of the waterfall to him. In her confusion, all she could do was stare in wonder.
"Sorry to surprise you," Shiva spoke politely. "I was told to test you."
Crystal raised an eyebrow looking down to Shiva from the top of the waterfall, "Test me?"
"Yes," replied Shiva. He reached into some random pocket and held out an electric blue Oracle Bell, "For this."
Crystal had learned about the Oracle Bells from Hao before the Shaman Fight. She dropped down from the top of the water, standing on the surface of the water in the shallow pool that made up the base of the waterfall. This didn't seem to make sense because the Shaman Fight had been over with for a considerable length of time and it just struck her as strange that Shiva seemed to have something to do with Patch Village. Again, she hadn't actually been there, but Hao had explained it to her.
"What's going on? I thought the Shaman Fight was over."
Shiva nodded, "It is. I'm here to test you, to see if you will be capable of helping your friends in the near future. An ominous force is coming. The Oracle Bell will connect you to the activities of your friends in Tokyo."
Crystal cast her confusion aside and settled for an amused look, "I guess I have no choice, but to accept this story as the truth. It's a little perplexing, but what is this test?"
Shiva grinned, "All you have to do is hit me once in ten minutes. Considering you were trained by Hao, I suspect you already know how to use your Oversoul."
Crystal nodded as she removed the dragon pendant from around her neck and held it out in front of her with one hand, still standing easily on the surface of the water. She looked around and called out, "Taki, whenever you're ready."
"As always," Taki materialized next to Crystal and quickly took on the form of a Spirit Flame.
Crystal took over from there, "Taki into the Dragon Pendant!" Her Oversoul at this time took on the form of a sword with a blade that looked rather like a dragon wing, which was in turn made of flames. Within a matter of seconds, Crystal had made a vertical slash in the air directing her Burning Wind Slash at Shiva who hadn't made any effort to move. The crescent blade of fire seemed to land its mark.
"Yoen-Uindo Surasshu!"
The dust settled and it turned out that Shiva had blocked the attack with what appeared to be an ordinary wooden bo-staff. Shiva smiled admiring her attack, "That was an excellent technique, but rest assured a half-hearted attack has no chance of striking me."
"Is that so? Then I guess I better get serious," Crystal smirked faintly as she began channeling her Furyoku into her Oversoul without actually changing the size or shape in the process. She held out the sword horizontally in front of her and gave Shiva a warning look, "Just remember, you asked for this." She slashed the air in front of her causing a blade of wind to form along the curve of the blade, "Kaze-ken Dageki!" The nature of this Windblade Strike was that the windblade remained totally invisible to sight, but the damage it could do all depended on how much power she put behind it.
Shiva stood his ground and blinked in surprise when his bo-staff suddenly split in half and he was struck in the midsection by the attack. He was knocked into a tree located behind him and remained stunned for several moments before getting up again. He stared disbelievingly at Crystal, "You actually hit me!"
"You said that was what I had to do," replied Crystal indifferently, resting her Oversoul sword on one shoulder.
Shiva nodded, "I didn't think you'd actually go through with it, but I under-estimated you." He tossed the Oracle Bell over to her, "We'll have to spar again sometime." With that he immediately vanished from the vicinity of the waterfall.
Crystal caught the Oracle Bell in her free hand as she also released her Oversoul. That had been an unexpected turn of events. Taki manifested in her humanoid form and watched as Crystal attached the Oracle Bell to her right arm. It had been two years since either of them had been involved in anything Shaman related.
"Well that was weird," noted Taki.
"Very," agreed Crystal. She was concerned about the ominous cloud that Shiva had mentioned.
Prologue Six: A Shaman Called Hex
July 2002...
Several weeks passed before Crystal made a return trip to the waterfall. Although it was summer, she had her backpack with her and the old plastic sword attached to her belt. Her plan was to meet up with Taki and return to Funbari Onsen to visit her friends there. She could stay the entire summer if she wanted to, because her family was presently under the belief that she was going to sleep away camp.
As she took the detour from the trail down into the creek where she would travel downstream to reach the waterfall, she was struck with a terrible sensation of dread. This was a feeling she was not familiar with because it was the first time it had come over her. She shrugged it off and continued on her way to the waterfall, although the feeling persisted.
There was someone else there. She dropped down from the top of the waterfall, coming to stand on the surface of the water that collected at the base, to investigate this stranger. He appeared to be several years older than her. She would have asked him what he was doing there, but another wave of dread swept over her. She collapsed to her knees, no longer able to remain standing on the surface of the water.
"You must be Crystal," the boy spoke in a cold and ruthless voice.
The malicious emotional energy that he rated caused Crystal to become completely stunned. She absolutely could not bring her body to move from where she was kneeling in the water at the base of the waterfall. She could still move her mouth though. Since she didn't seem to have much choice in the matter, she answered him.
"Who are you and how do you know who I am?"
The boy smirked at her obvious discomfort, "My name is Hex. I'm a Shaman." He added with a more cocky tone, "I have a little score to settle with Asakura Hao. I need to borrow your body."
"Huh?" Crystal stared back at him with a mix of fear and disbelief.
Hex seemed to smile, "It won't hurt a bit. Of course, you might feel a little strange afterward, but that really isn't my problem."
A fresh wave of that malicious emotional energy caused Crystal to collapse altogether as it felt like a thousand tiny knives were stabbing her from all directions. Her consciousness fading from the pain, she tried to will her body to stand up. She still couldn't move. Hex approached her with a spirit ward in hand. He attached it to the back of her tank-top so it would be easily hidden from view under her hair.
Hex easily lifted Crystal's limp body from the water and slung it over his shoulder. He glanced to the girl's unconscious spirit still collapsed in the water and smirked, "You'd do well to stay out of my way." With that he vanished into the sky, apparently materializing a pair of black, feathery, demonic wings.
Prologue Seven: Attack on Funbari Onsen
"Hao get down from there! It's your turn to do the shopping!"
Hao was laying on the roof watching the clouds pass overhead. Instead of his old cloak, he had taken to the same kind of open, button up shirts as Yoh. He seemed to have storehouse of those pants of his and as such still made a point of wearing them. His hair was just as long as ever and his earrings were still present as well. His gloves and lego-style boots were not.
Upon hearing the voice he sat up and slid over to the edge of the roof to look down at whoever was shouting at him. As he had suspected, the person in question was Anna. With that in mind, he dropped down from the roof and landed lightly in front of her with a perfectly innocent smile on his face.
"I thought it was Yoh's turn to do the shopping."
Anna looked back at him indifferently, "Well you thought wrong. Now get going."
"Of course, Anna." With that Hao made his way into the building that was Funbari Onsen. As he stepped out the main entrance he slipped into a pair of sandals, casting a brief glance to his lego-style boots. Those would not be necessary for a task as simple as going to the store.
------------------------
When Hao returned he set about putting the groceries away responsibly, so as to make sure Anna wouldn't have an excuse to bother him again. As he made his way to the backyard again he was surprised to see Yoh greeting a visitor who wasn't Horohoro. Yoh seemed to notice him standing in the doorway and waved him over, "Guess who finally decided to drop by for a visit."
Hao didn't need to guess. Something seemed rather strange about Crystal, but he couldn't quite place it until a stranger's thoughts revealed themselves to his mind. Now that Hao is here, there's no reason to keep up this act. I better get this over with and finish him off while he doesn't suspect anything. Hao shouted at Yoh, "Stay away from her! That isn't Crystal!"
Yoh blinked in confusion, "What do you mean she isn't Crystal?" Yoh could barely believe the scene that played out in front of his eyes. Crystal's hand immediately reached for her plastic sword and within seconds she had slashed horizontally at Hao. Several more seconds passed as some kind of unseen force knocked Hao backwards through the doorway to crash into a very surprised Horohoro who had been sprawled out on the couch.
"Just as I thought. This body still remembers the skills of the spirit that originally resided within it," the voice that spoke through the shell that had been Crystal's body was dark and cruel, clearly not Crystal's voice.
Hao had recovered from his little flight and stepped outside again. Horohoro stepped out after him, snowboard at the ready. Yoh looked back to Crystal, then over to Hao and Horohoro looking totally at a loss as to what the heck was going on. He was snapped out of his confused thoughts as Anna tossed Harusame over to him from the doorway. He caught the sword and moved to join Hao and Horohoro, "I guess there really isn't much choice except to fight first and ask questions later."
Prologue Eight: When in Doubt, Find a Way
What happened to me? Why do I feel so light? Crystal's forcefully removed spirit was propped against a tree as Taki, in her humanoid form, watched over her with a concerned expression. She had seen the whole thing and had been unable to do nothing. This was going to come as a shock to the poor girl and Taki didn't particularly want to be the bearer of bad news.
Vague images flashed through Crystal's jumbled semi-consciousness. She saw herself sitting alone on a bench on the playground when she was eight years old. She had tried to fit in with her classmates, but in the end she had been left to her own devices. She saw herself a year later on a different playground surrounded by other children. This was the time when she had found her place among those who were a year younger than her. Then she saw herself at age ten surrounded by more children. This was when the game group had been at its peak with herself and her friends who were a year or two younger than her. Then she saw an image of herself encountering Hao at the waterfall for the first time.
That's right! That guy is after Hao! Crystal's eyes snapped open. She made a move to get up, still unaware of the severe lack of her physical body. She noticed that Taki was looking at her in concern and blinked, "What's the matter Taki? We need to warn Hao about that guy."
Taki frowned slightly. This was going to be incredibly difficult to explain in words. Then an idea occurred to her, "Try waving your hand in front of your face."
Crystal was surprised by Taki's comment, but she did as Taki had suggested anyway. She stopped her hand in front of her face and stared through it. She performed a double-take. Yes, she could most certainly see through her hand. She lowered her hand as realization suddenly dawned on her, "I'm a ghost... right?"
"In a matter of speaking," replied Taki hurriedly. "That guy didn't actually kill you, so your body is still technically alive... you're just not in it."
Crystal raised an eyebrow, "In that case, I'd like to go retrieve my body. I have a feeling we'll find it where Hao is, at Funbari Onsen."
"Wait a second. You've only just become a ghost and now you're wanting to try flying to Japan? Do you even know the way there?" Taki couldn't believe how well Crystal was taking this situation.
Crystal smiled, "I was hoping you'd come with me."
"You want me to come with you? I couldn't even do anything to protect you from that guy and you still want me to come with you?" Taki went from frightened to surprised.
Crystal nodded, "I have a plan that should work. However, I'm going to need your cooperation to pull it off."
"Alright then. We're off to Funbari Onsen to get your body back and warn Hao about a potential assassin who can make you completely helpless. Just another of your crazy adventures, right?" Taki still couldn't believe the way Crystal was taking things.
Crystal shrugged, "I never said it was going to be easy."
To Be Continued...
A Word From the Characters
Manta: Does anyone else find this whole mess a little creepy?
Lyserg: Just who is this guy Hex anyway?
Ren: Wouldn't we all like to know...
Taki: (dangles a Hao voodoo doll in front of Lyserg)
Lyserg: (dives for it and crashes into a tree, joining the other unconscious cast members)
Ren: I wonder which will run out first, our supply of cast members or Taki's collection of random objects to distract them with.
Taki: As always, the insane authoress feels more inspired to write when she gets reviews, the sillier the better.