A/N: Okay, time to keep the fic rolling. Yeah! WOO!!

Banjo: (is playing PS2) You do that.

Kazooie: (is watching him) Yeah, whatever.

Hey, is that the new Crash Bandicoot game?

Banjo: Yep, Crash Twinsanity.

Kazooie: (bursts out laughing) Crash is riding Cortex like a snowboard! XD

XD Yeah, that's a kick-butt game. Well, anyways, here's the chappie!

I didn't know what that meditation did to me,

But I wanted more.

I craved for more magic.

I had to ask her…

The Amethyst Shamans: Chapter 5: A Small Request

Banjo strolled through Jinjo Village with a bag of groceries in his paw. He didn't care in the least that it was raining. He thought positively, knowing the rain would only help plants grow and clean the air. He took a few breaths of the fresh, clean air in content.

"Hey, Banjo!"

The bear turned to find Bottles, Mumbo, and Wumba all huddled underneath a large umbrella. He flashed them a good-natured smile.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted cheerfully.

"What crazy Banjo doing in rain!?" Mumbo cried.

Banjo looked up as if just noticing the drenching rain. He shrugged casually. "Just out running some errands."

"Oh…"

"Bear could get big heap sick!" Wumba exclaimed in concern.

"I'll be alright. What'd you think all this fur was for, anyway?"

Bottles looked at him like he had grown another head. "Right. Anyway, we were just gonna apologize for yesterday…"

"Don't think nothing about it," Banjo waved a careless paw. "It's in the past, don't worry about it!"

"Uh… okay…" Bottles responded uncertainly. "If you say so…"

"You guys can meet Kyra later tonight," Banjo said as he started his stroll. "I'll see you guys then!"

The three watched him go oddly, then exchanged hesitant glances.

"Banjo acting very strange…"

"Mumbo right. Big heap strange…"

"Something really weird is going on…"

----------

Banjo promptly returned that morning with his groceries in hand: a carton of eggs, a loaf of bread, a couple sticks of butter, and a pack of batteries.

After breakfast, the rain stopped, much to everyone's delight. Tooty and Kazooie went outside to play, slipping around in the damp grass in glee. Kyra stood at the doorway and watched in amusement, that is, until a paw gently placed itself on her shoulder. She turned and looked down at Banjo (who was noticeably shorter than she was).

"Kyra?" he asked softly. "I…need to ask you something…"

She nodded and followed him back inside the house. They sat down together on the bed and looked carefully at each other for a while until Banjo cleared his throat.

"Th-this may sound a little strange, but…" he started nervously. "… I was wondering… Is it possible to… y'know…"

"Yes?" Kyra sat very patiently.

Banjo gulped and mustered up his courage. "Could you teach me a few of your magic abilities?"

Kyra's immediate reaction was one of shock, causing Banjo to flinch and lower his gaze in embarrassment.

"N-never mind, I shouldn't have asked…"

"Why do you wish to learn my powers?" asked Kyra, honestly curious.

Banjo bit his lower lip, then answered, "Well, I… was exposed to a lot of magic before… And now that I thought about it, I… was curious as to… how it felt to actually use it…"

He expected her to be offended or angry, but she smiled softly, and asked of him, "Do you know of a 'spirit-call?'"

Banjo looked back up at her and shook his head.

"It's the ability to speak to each other through our minds," she explained.

Banjo nodded in understanding. "Oh, like telepathy?" When given a puzzled look he continued, "Y'know, the sending of messages from one mind to another, without actually talking?"

"Oh, yes, yes! That's the idea!" They both chuckled lightly before Kyra went on. "Well… If we move to the right environment, I can give you the ability to use spirit-call."

Banjo's face brightened as he nodded eagerly. "That'd be great! Thank you!"

Kyra nodded as she stood and began to gather the things she needed. "The environment we need is one of peace, tranquility, and isolation. A place where nothing can disturb us."

Banjo thought for a moment, then grinned and realization. "I know of a place!" He took her by the paw. "Come on, I'll lead you there!"

And with that, they stepped outside into the clean, fresh, late morning. Before embarking to their destination, they approached Tooty and Kazooie.

"Hey, girls!" Banjo called out. "Kyra and I'll be out for a bit. Tooty, you be good for Kazooie, alright?"

"Okay," Tooty responded, knowing very well that whenever Banjo stepped out, Kazooie was in charge of the household.

"Where're you going?" Kazooie asked skeptically.

"Out," Banjo simply responded. "We'll see you later!"

Kazooie watched them go through the entrance to the rest of Isle o' Hags suspiciously. But her look softened when she noticed the happy look on Banjo's face and their comfortingly-entwined paws as they strolled along. Kazooie had never seen Banjo this truly happy before, and it looked as if Kyra was the cause.

Still, Kyra looked awfully suspicious. She never wanted to say anything, not wanting to spoil Banjo's new-found happiness, but still, someone had to talk to him. Kazooie then decided that she had to have a talk with Banjo when they came back. A serious talk.

----------

Gruntilda turned one of the many B.R.Y.A.N.s over in her warty hands in boredom. Sighing in frustration, she stood and approached the cauldron once again.

"I wonder if that lady's doing her work…" she grumbled, looking into the slime. Hearing her coarse words, the goop rippled until an image of Banjo and Kyra traveling through Isle o' Hags appeared.

"Huh? Where the heck are they going!?" The response was their soft voices echoing from within the pot.

"Where are we going, Banjo?"

"Where you said before: a place of peace and isolation!"

"But where is that?"

"You'll see! Trust me, you'll love it! And no one will be able to find us! It'll be perfect!"

Gruntilda grinned wildly at this, cackling. "Ah, yes, perfect! She's leading him away! That'll give me the chance to attack the rest of those mangy animals!" She turned away from the steaming slime and called out, "Oh, KLUUUUNGOOO!!!"

Grunty's right-hand minion staggered in, holding an ice pack to his poor, abused face. "Yesssssssss, Misssssssstresssssssss?" he moaned.

"Get ready to drink some more of that potion, 'cause you're going out again!" she ordered haughtily.

"Aw, but Missssssstresssssssssss!" he cried. "Bird'sssssss blasssssssting eggssssss hurt poor Klungo'ssssssss face!"

"Suck it up!" Grunty snapped viciously. "Now's the perfect chance for your revenge on that stupid bird! Think of it that way!"

Klungo thought about that for a long time, than grinned. "Oh, you're right, Misssssstressssssssssss! Thank you, Missssss…"

"Yes, yes, just go!"

----------

"Down there?"

"Yep!" Banjo grinned as they stood on the rocky, jutting platform that stuck out into Jolly Roger's Lagoon.

Kyra looked into the sparkling waters, glancing below and beyond the surface. "It looks so deep…"

"Not a problem! Mumbo Jumbo cast his Sunlight spell on it not too long ago and oxygenated the water, so we can breathe underwater here!" Banjo explained.

Kyra looked up at him in wonder. "Really? That's amazing!"

"Come on!" he beckoned, then took a running dive and splashed into the water. Once under the surface, he turned and flashed her a smile, gesturing her to jump in herself.

Hesitantly, Kyra swallowed nervously, then tightly closed her eyes and leaped as gracefully as a deer into the water. Once under the surface, she refused to open her eyes or release her breath, fearful of drowning. She then felt a pair of paws grasp her not too tightly at the waist, and from within the heavy ripples of sound that echoed in her eardrums, she could hear Banjo's voice in a soft, echoing tone.

"Go on, Kyra, don't be afraid."

Slowly, she cracked her eyes open and let out the breath she was holding. Looking around, she could see the fish swimming by, and the sun created a kaleidoscope of light from the surface of the water beaming down on them. Banjo was at her side, a smile on his face and his fur and clothes floating wildly in the churning waters. She herself felt her own fur, hair, and attire hovering gently in the waters.

"See? Pretty neat, isn't it?" Banjo spoke again, his voice echoing in the water's waves.

Kyra didn't answer, feeling the joyous beauty around her. "It's…incredible…"

Banjo grinned in glee. "Come on, follow me."

He kicked his feet and swung his arms in large strokes as he swam downwards into the deep underwater cavern below with Kyra following. They swam until they reached the sea floor, bathed in soft sand and algae green stone. This alone looked incredible to Kyra, but it was nothing compared to what was on the other side of the tunnel they swam through. At the end of it, she froze as she gazed in wonder at this new place.

A magnificent aquatic realm lay out before them in the form of an ancient submerged city. Many of the buildings were somewhat preserved in the rock, parts of their marble formations worn away, and in their place were a few spots of colorful coral. Statues and pictographs of fishes and mermaids were scattered around, laying out the ancient ruin of a once great civilization.

"This… is Atlantis," Banjo said with a smile, looking over at Kyra, who simply looked on in amazement.

"It's…beautiful…" she whispered softly.

He gently took her by the paw. "Come on, this way."

After swimming into one of the mighty structures' entrance, they emerged inside where it was dry. Much of the foundation had worn away into dusty, crumbling rocks, held together by seaweed.

"This is what's called the Ancient Swimming Baths," Banjo explained as they climbed the small flight of stairs up to a higher level. "No one will bother us here."

Kyra smiled. "It's perfect."

A few minutes later, the two were sitting apart from each other on the stone ground, and a few incense burners lay beside them, their silver smoke twisting and curling around them gently.

Banjo's acute sense of smell caught something interesting in the smoke. "This is a different scent than the one you used before."

"Different kinds of incense are used for different purposes," Kyra explained as she lit the last one. "The one I used before, named Night Spell, is the kind I use for meditation. This kind, named White Jasmine, is used for special purposes."

Banjo nodded slowly in understanding as he settled into the cross-legged position. He looked up expectantly at Kyra, waiting to be instructed on what to do next.

Kyra sat in the same position and looked up at him softly. "Now we shall begin. Let your mind unfocus and open the door to its deepest corners. From then on, I shall take care of the rest. Do you understand?"

Banjo slowly, almost hesitantly nodded, sort of knowing what she meant from slight experience, but still quite baffled. Either way, it wouldn't be too complicated…

With that, Kyra placed her gentle fingertips on his brow, burying them underneath his thick locks of fur. With this connection, both passed into a spiritual trance, and thus it began…

A/N: Dang… this chapter is freaking long…

Banjo: (still playing) Your loss. O.O; WHAT!? GAME OVER!?!?

Kazooie: XD

Okay, anyway, sorry about the lack of updates. My computer's internet connection is so screwed up, I'm updating this chappie from the school computer.:( So yeah, this is the way I'm gonna update things for a while. I'm just glad my Speech class lets me use the computer at lunch! XD Review, people!