A/N: Haha! Nothin' to rant about in this chappie! I want to get it right on! Except for the fact that it took me so long to update because of my Mom's work… But it's ok!

Yume: O.o She sure is happy today.

Isha: Yep… she is… Hehehe...

PH: So… guys- Wait a sec, where did you guys come from?

Isha: Can I say it? Please?

Damian: Can I say it with her?

Isha: Where the hell did you come from, 'Lil Bro?

Damian: I… I actually dunno…

PH: Er… If you really feel like it you can say it… O.oU

Isha and Damian: Yey! On with the Disclaimer!

Disclaimer: (KT an Miko) PH would like to say that she does not own anything of Shaman King, she only owns the OC's (Lun-Lun, Grandpa, Lian Tao, Kino, Xiao Li, Uncle Japoy and Lian's mom) and the plot!

Chapter 8: Lost Souls

Yoh and Anna jumped out of the window and found themselves being cornered by a mob of angry Ainu together with Jun. Uncle Japoy led the back and gritted his teeth angrily at them.

"I trusted you!" He bellowed and the others began to shout too, "You desecrated our village by pillaging Kino's shrine!"

"But it was for a good cause-" Jun cried, but some men grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.

"You!" Uncle Japoy pointed at Jun, "Tao scum! You will pay!"

"Anna! Let go of my girl!" Yoh kicked the guy who tried to grab Anna, "Time for some action, Jun!"

"Li Pai Long!" Jun yelled and Pai Long suddenly appeared out of nowhere, "Fury Cutter!"

"Amidamaru!" Yoh cried and Amidamaru appeared as quickly as Pailong did, "Into the Spirit Sword!"

Li Pai Long released a series of furious kicks onto Jun's captors and Yoh slashed at Anna's. The men tried to restrain them but they were only beaten into a pulp. Anna watched in boredom, clutching Kino's stuff. She kicked on the shin a guy that was about to grab him.

"Wait a sec!" Anna cried, "Where did your Guardian Ghosts go? Why didn't they just show up before?"

"Er…" Amidamaru and Pai Long looked at each other

"Forget that! We need to get out of here right away, Yoh!" Jun yelled over the commotion.

"Not so fast!" Uncle Japoy blocked their path to Jun's Range Rover, "If you're Shamans, so am I! Japoro, into the water gun!"

A Minution that looked a lot like Kororo suddenly appeared and united with the water gun that Uncle Japoy clutched. The townspeople held their ground behind him and the three held their breaths. Uncle Japoy's water gun suddenly illuminated a bright blue light and fired a shot of ice that missed Jun's head by centimeters.

"Go Jun!" Yoh told them, "I'll take care of this."

"No," this time, it was Anna who spoke, "I won't leave you."

"But you have to," Yoh poised himself in fighting stance, "Every minute we're wasting here is putting Pirika's life in the balance. You have to trust me."

"Let's go, Jun," Anna turned her back and whispered, "I trust you, Yoh. Be careful."

Anna and Jun made a run for the Range Rover with Pai Long covering their backs. Yoh grinned at Uncle Japoy and lunged himself forwards.

"Celestial Slash!"

Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Mommy's gonna buy you a mockingbird…

If that mockingbird don't sing,
Mommy's gonna buy you a diamond ring…

Ren glanced at Pirika in alarm, she had suddenly sat up and was wearing a dazed expression. The singing voice continued in the air. Even Horo and Lun-Lun, who were sleeping on the floor, were wakened by the incessant singing. Pirika suddenly gasped and turned pale; there were tears in her eyes, but she wasn't sobbing.

"Are you ok, Pirika?"

"If that diamond ring turns brass,
Mommy's gonna buy you a lookin' glass…

If that lookin' glass gets broke,
Mommy's gonna buy you billy goat…"

"Pirika?" Horo came up to his sister and shook her, "What's going on?"

Pirika was whispering the lyrics of the song, her singing intensifying with every line, getting more and more in tune with the woman's voice. Horo backed away from her slowly as Ren tried to snap her out of it, shaking her gently at first and then more vigorously. Pirika shot him a really angry look and slapped him away with more force than she usually had.

"What's going on?" Lun-Lun asked blindly as the others watched Pirika speechlessly.

Pirika rose to her feet and looked at Ren again with the same anger-filled eyes. She lifted her hand towards Ren and made a swishing action. At that moment, Ren was carried by an unknown force and was sent slamming into the wall.

"Don't try and stop me!" Pirika shrieked in a voice unlike her own, "If you do, I will kill you!"

"Onii-chan! Snap out of it!" Horo tried to grab Pirika, but was thrown into a wall as well.

"Pirika…" Ren groaned as Pirika exited the room.

Ren tried to get up and walk. He crawled to the door and caught a glimpse of Pirika making her way to Lian's bedroom. Ren suddenly forgot all the pain and hurried to the room, Horo and Lun-Lun trailing behind him. Pirika was sitting on the bed and tears were once again falling down her cheeks. As soon as Ren stepped in the room, the same icy gusts were felt ans Pirika stared at him wide-eyed.

"Fetch my Kwan Dao, Lun-Lun," Ren said simply.

"What!" Horo yelled at him, "Are you going to turn my sister into a Kebab or something!"

Ren kept silent and approached Pirika. He sat down beside her and took her hand. Pirika gave him a confused look.

"Wo ai ni," he whispered, "I'm sorry if I hurt you tonight."

Pirika pulled her hand away and reached under the bed. She pulled out an ancient chinese dagger. Ren was taken back by this and Horo gave out a cry like a wounded dog's.

"Master Ren!" Lun-Lun had arrived and with her was Manta, Ryu, Anna and Jun.

Pirika backed against the wall, her trembling hand still clutching the dagger. Anna emptied the bag she was clutching and out poured Kino's stuff.

"Kino…" Pirika cried, "Don't try and stop me! I will be with him soon! Wat for me Kino!"

Pirika raised the dagger above her throat and was about to bring it down when Ren and Horo suddenly tackled her and brought her to the floor. Pirika writhed and struggled as Manta and Ryu came to help bring her down.

"Let's do it, Anna," Jun nodded.

Anna took off her Mala and started to chant in an ethereal voice.

"One I place for my father…

Two I place for my mother…

Three I place for my brothers back home…

Here I offer my flesh to aid your soul's release…

Hear my voice at world's end and arise…

Hear the sounds of my prayer beads and draw nigh…

Ghost of the spirit! Let the dead take flesh!"

Anna raised her Mala and Kino's stuff started to wiggle and writhe.

"Integration!"

Anna suddenly touched the nearest boy with her Mala: Ren.

"Lian," Ren's eyes suddenly became soft and gentle, very unlike his own, and spoke in a mild voice, "Lian, it's me."

"Don't come closer!" Pirika got free from the boys' grasp and suddenly used Furioku to lift herself up the air dangling the dagger threateningly centimeters above her neck, "Let me be!"

"Lian, it's me… Kino…" Ren looked up at Pirika, "Stop this now… Please don't do this… We'll be together soon, I promise…"

"No… No…" Pirika started to sob, her lovely blue hair in disarray.

"Lian, if you love me, please stop this!" Ren exclaimed as the others watched in horror as Pirika lashed her arm softly.

Blood began to trickle from the spot where Pirika had lashed it. She began to laugh in a shrill, high-pitched shriek that freaked out even Anna. Ren went down on his knees and said a prayer in Ainu language.

"Lian! Stop! I'm begging you…" Ren raised his hands up, "We'll never be together if you're like this… She's innocent, Lian, you know it… Where has your soul gone? Your spirit may be here, but not your soul!"

"Kino…" Pirika suddenly softened and began descending, "I just want to be with you… Forever…"

"We will be," Kino told her as Pirika completely landed and embraced her, "Thank you, Lian."

"Ok, guys," Anna told them, "It's time for you to get outta there."

Both of them nodded and the spirits left Ren and Pirika's bodies. Pirika swooned and fell to a faint, blood trickling from her wound. The two spirits floated above them, embracing tightly. One was of a beautiful Chinese girl and the other was of a burly Ainu man.

"How can we ever-" Lian began but was interrupted.

"NO! I WON'T ALLOW THIS!"

Grandpa had suddenly appeared on the door, looking very much in rage. His eyes were foggy and creepy as one stared into them, unlike his usually kind ones. He spoke in a woman's voice, a very angry women's voice.

"Grandpa!" Lun-Lun cried, "Oh no…"

"Look what I got from the village, your scum of a friend!" Grandpa brought a fainted Yoh in the room, full of bruises, "I guess he wasn't expecting a master miko to attack him!"

Anna rushed to Yoh and a few unstoppable tears fell from her eyes. Grandpa laughed a cruel, high-pitched woman's laugh.

"Stupid Yoh," she muttered, but the tears still fell.

"What's going on?" Pirika had stirred from her faint.

"YOU WILL NEVER BE TOGETHER!" Grandpa suddenly collapsed and a spirit of a terrible-looking Chinese woman appeared before them, "I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!"

The spirit began looking for the weakest person in the room. She shifted her eyes from Manta to Pirika and smirked.

A/N: Evil Cliffhangers rule! smirks at Chonki Guys, I'm concluding the story in the next chapter! Yep, I know it's short, but it did make a lot of sense somehow! I'm sorry that I won't be replying to your reviews today, I think something's wrong with my ISP or something... Here's the scoop though: I have a new story and it's gonna be really crazy! It's about Hao being Cupid, but he gets a love spell wrong and ends up swapping Yoh and Anna's spirits! But there's a warning though, there'll be Yaoi (RenxHoro), but it was a challenge by Chonki, so I won't refuse! Here are the pairings:

-AnnaxYoh

-HoroxRen (still working on this one… and it'll take a lot of work…)

-MantaxTamao (cute… heheheh…)

-JunxRyu (Jun'll be the one in love with Ryu… hehehe… just read…)

-HaoxPirika (this is a new one, isn't it?)

Guys, tell me what you think about the idea… I'll be posting my next chapter in a few days and the first chapter to my new story together with this! Keep on reviewing! You guys rock!

Damian and Isha: This chapter is for our Daddy! Rok' on, Dad!