YES! IT'S FINALLY HERE!!! KIGALI'S A TEEN! YEAH!!!!!!

Disclaimer- This I don't own: Shaman King, Jansport, and Disney

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SIX YEARS LATER

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"Aunt Tabby!!!! Wake up! C'MON!!!!!!" I jumped up on her bed and bounced her off. Zoe barked and pulled on her covers.

"WHAT IS IT?" She mumbled in frustration.

"TODAY'S THE DAY!!!!!!! TODAY!!!!" I whirled Zoe around happily. She laughed and licked my face.

"Ok, ok... sure... I'll wake up. Now will you give me some room while I change???" She shoved us out the door.

"C'mon Zoe! Let's go wake up Blizzard!" We ran outside like two crazed idiots. Several villagers greeted me once outside.

"Hi Miss Kigali!"

"Good morning Lady Kigali!"

"Did you sleep well, Mistress?"

"Yeah! Like a rock!" I ran past the totem pole and stopped in front of the Elder's meeting place. The giant Anka was sleeping on the roof, she had chosen that place to sleep after many incidents concerning broken ceilings and cracked walls, but the Elder's cabin was strong enough to hold the massive animal. I whistled once at her. She opened one blue eye.

"Hey Blizzard! C'mere girl!" I baby talked her. She spread her wings and swooped down, butting me with her head. A few years ago I would have rolled off, but Aunt Tabitha's training had paid off. I hugged her big beak.

"Did you know Blizzard? Today's the day! Today! Can you believe it???" She looked at me intelligently and chirped twice. I laughed. Zoe climbed on her back in her human form. I followed and Blizzard took off into the morning air.

Six full years had passed since I had first stepped into my village and took the initiation as the goddess. Of course, I later found out that awful drink didn't just give me the blue markings, but also awesome powers I never even dreamed I had, like breathing underwater and walking on it, with some others I can't remember at this moment. Kinaki, the chief leader of Kovu, had told me that it didn't GIVE me the powers; it just awakened those I already had. She also invites me to tea every Tuesday.

Tabitha's training, too, helped me improve my powers. In fact, if it weren't for her trainings, I probably wouldn't stand a chance in the Shaman Tournament. But if you told me they were easy, I would probably faint in response. It was NOT easy training, but if I look back six years ago, I think it's definitely an improvement.

Two years ago, when I was eleven, Tabitha took me traveling around the world for a year. The main point of this trip was to gather spirits of animals from all around the world; I have a whole zoo in my veins, which I can call upon when I'm in need to shapeshift. But I also got to see lots of new things and meet tons of powerful shamans (and their trainings, to my dismay) and also many different places (How cold is Antarctica you ask?).

Tabitha also home schooled me so I wouldn't fall behind on my studies. She said that I'll probably won't need it, since I'll be a professional shaman, and if I'm lucky, Shaman Queen, but she also said that it's always nice to have a plan B to fall back on. It's one of her favorite quotes...

Sure, the free trip around the world was incredible. Good thing too, because that way it balances out the rest of her training. More than once I've been hospitalized. I practically have a bed with my name on it in the infirmary (And a nurse).

If you really want to know all the horrible trainings I've survived, you COULD ask Zoe. Tabitha made her train too, but the standard training was to run 50 miles before breakfast (Sound inhumane? Just wait), 500 pushups and sit-ups in the morning and in the after noon, shaman endurance training (also called 'see-how-long-your-Furyoku-can-hold-you-up-for-before-you-fall-down-in-a-pit-full-of-sharp-spikes' training), and besides all that, I've had to take meditation (NAP TIME!), mythology, shape-shifting, martial arts (Tabitha trained me in the ways of the ninja), swordsmanship, archery, Itako training (my class was beginner's priestess training, so I just know the basics), and one of my favorites; divination.

According to Tabitha, the art of divination was the special skill of the goddess of water and ice, so it was important to emphasize that skill in my training. I can read fortune in the sacred cards of Gali as well as normal tarot cards, crystal ball, and palm. But most importantly of all, I can read fortune in nature. In the water and the wind. In the earth and fire. 'A rare skill.' Said Aunt Tabitha. So that's how divination became my special skill. After shapeshifting, of course. But all that excruciating training had taken its toll. I ready for the Tournament, even though it starts in nine months. Right now it's autumn, the Tournament starts next summer, but recently (Zoe- "You mean for the past two years?") I've been looking forward to something else.

Today was the day we left for the Sahara Desert, where I would meet my teammates for the shaman fight; the goddesses of air and wind, and the goddess of earth and stone.

Of course I hadn't forgotten Anna. Not by a mile. One of my goals in this crazy getaway was to find Anna after six years. Am I really as crazy as Zoe says I am?

"KEY!" Zoe snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Where were you?"

"Oh—off in dreamland."

"Come back to Blizzard and me. Look at where we are." I did, and I didn't notice anything peculiar.

"What is it?" I asked. Zoe sighed.

"Each day we go closer the coast." She accused.

"Zoe! You know that the ocean calls to me." I said poetically.

"Yeah but remember to keep your mind on firm ground when flying. The ocean is your place, freedom calls from there, I know, I hear it too, but people need you here. We can't let you be swept off to the sea with all your dolphin friends... that settles it! From now on, I'm calling you 'Ariel the little mermaid' Awww! Isn't that cute?" She teased. I pushed her off Blizzard and she fell a few twenty feet before flying back up in her blue wolf form.

"I HATE it when you do that!" She complained.

"You deserved it..." I replied, pretending to be offended. Zoe didn't fall for it. We've been inseparable since I was seven. Now I was thirteen... I turned fourteen in May, but it was still October, so I erased all thoughts of presents from my head.

"Let's head back to the village." Called Zoe.

"Gotcha!" I whistled three sharp blasts into the rushing wind and gently tugged Blizzard's feathers. She did a loop in the air and headed back to the Kovu Village.

We landed in the middle of the center, by the totem pole. I jumped off Blizzard's back, followed by a very playful kangaroo.

"Zoe! Jeez! You ALWAYS choose the wrong shapes for the right moments! Right now, you COULD be something a little more helpful... like a monkey... WITH OPPOSABLE THUMBS..." She giggled and turned into a beautiful golden tamari, and then climbed on my shoulder as I entered Tabitha's cabin. She met me with toast in her hand.

"Coffee?" She asked as I took the toast.

"Coffee me no likee" I answered, wolfing down the toast.

"You should start packing, we're leaving the village in a couple of hours."

"Sure, I will. But who's paying the plane there?"

"The military. Sort of like a 'present' for the avalanche commotion. You can get a lot by threats." She said, flipping a page of her book.

"We KNOW that don't we Key?" whispered Zoe.

"I HEARD THAT!" She hurled an unbuttered toast at Zoe, who dodged it. "Now go pack or we'll be late!" I climbed the stairs two at a time and barreled into my room. I didn't have that many personal belongings, but I had enough so that I couldn't take all of them with me. "Pack lightly when you're gonna be walking" was another one of Tabitha's favorite quotes. Zoe digged a blue Jansport backpack out of the closet, and then started handing me the objects I asked her to.

"Ok, I'll need 3 of my Kovu outfits, my 15 feet rope. Yes we'll need it. My camera... my blue dress. You know! The one that's blue... up to you ankles with white fox fur on the rim. That's the one! Ok... what else... take two Kovu headbands... don't forget a comb, brush and scrunchies... toothbrush... three pairs of jeans... the black one shoulder shirt... the blue one... the T-shirt with the star... my blue towel... that bikini. Hey! It might be hot! Those sandals, those tennis shoes and... and those two skirts. No it's not slutty. Oh! Forgive me for not taking your expert advice on skirts Zoe. No I was being sarcastic. Anyways, bring the star earrings. Oh never mind, I'm wearing them. Uh... Oh yeah! Binoculars. And... that's it?"

"Don't forget the REAL important stuff."

"No way I will. I was just keeping it for last. Ok, the sacred cards of Gali... the lucky winged wolf... and that's it! No, I'll wear the Nevermeltice and the hoverboard. It won't fit anyways." We gave my room one more look.

"It sure looks... empty..." said Zoe sadly.

"I'm gonna miss this room." I said as we closed the door and went downstairs. Tabitha was waiting impatiently by the floor of the stairs, suitcase in one hand and a black box with a handle on the other.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the box.

"Surprise." We walked outside and headed to the center of the village. There, to my surprise was what seemed like the whole village. They all shook my hand and/or patted me in the back and/or ruffled my hair. Some even cried. The kennel man even brought Winka to say goodbye. Finally, Kinaki parted from the crowd to say goodbye.

"My girl! My Kigali! Oh, how you've grown!" She exclaimed, giving me a bear hug. "You've become such a beautiful young lady! And an excellent shaman! Tabitha's best disciple! You have made this village proud and honored to be the home of the future Shaman Queen. You'll return and visit won't you?"

"This is my home." I promised. She laughed a wrinkly smile.

"Of course! Of course! You have changed this village. Tala would be so proud of you! Now go! Claim your throne!" I walked away awkwardly, waving every now and then. Zoe strutted on my shoulder as a colorful macaw. Blizzard walked ostrich-style beside me, chirping contently.

"How are we getting to the plane?"

"It will be on a village nearby. We'll take a dog sled. Someone will go there to pick them up after we leave." Surely enough, at the edge of the village, there was a man waiting with a dog sled and a team on nine dogs. We took the sled and glided across the tundra.

"Key! Look!" A wolf Zoe pointed her nose at the sky as she ran by the sled. I looked up and sighed. The northern lights flashed in the sky above.

I felt a tear slide down my cheek as the northern lights danced and tinted the sky a beautiful variety of colors. The north was my home. I would miss the howling of the wolves, and the nights where the aurora borealis danced with the stars. I would miss the wild call of the ocean against the untamed tundra. I would miss the north more than I had thought.

"We're here." Said Tabitha gently, probably aware of my sadness. We slid down the main path of the tiny Alaskan village. We stopped at the kennels and dropped off the team, and then walked to a gigantic shed. An old man with aviator goggles greeted us cheerfully and led us to our plane. It was... cozy. And small... and old... Tabitha laughed nervously.

"Umm... are you sure this thing will fly...?"

"'Course. Flew for 25 years. Don't worry about a thing. This baby took on the most dangerous blizzards with err... minimal damage."

"Oh. That is very reassuring." Tabitha trembled as we climbed the stairs to the plane. I laughed. I liked planes, because I absolutely LOVE to fly, but Tabitha is afraid of heights. She doesn't trust planes, and of course she had a hard time when we traveled around the world. Half the time we flew from one place to another. Half the time she ended up puking on the plane. Very gross. The plane vibrated as the old man started the engine.

"Buckle up!" We quickly obeyed as he rolled the plane out of the shed and then into the sky. Blizzard took off next to the plane. They were about the same size. I signaled her to fly higher than the plane and to stay out of sight. Zoe curled up in my lap as a fuzzy raccoon. Tabitha looked for a barf bag.

"Hey Tabitha, are we going to the Sahara in this little plane?"

"NO! I- I mean, no, Kigali. We'll stop at the Juneau international airport and take a REAL plane to Cairo." She said. Later on she fell into an uneasy sleep, but I didn't. I just watched the snowy ground from my little window and fingered my itako bead bracelet sadly. Zoe just snored loudly.

We landed on Juneau an hour later, but didn't get to go out and play tourist. We made a connection flight to another plane, to Cairo. It was very crowded in the airport. Zoe had to hide in my pocket as a mouse, because animals weren't allowed loose in the airport, and even if she became invisible to humans, one never knows if there is a psycho police man nearby with a bit more sixth sense than the rest. Better safe than sorry. Yup, you guessed it; another one of Tabitha's quotes. It took a long time to get on the plane. We had to wait for a whole hour to get on the plane, and the waiting room was crowded. AND Zoe was being annoying.

"SHUT UP ZOE!" I whispered forcefully.

"Well, you're not the one that's stuffed in a tiny pocket."

"Key, I'm going to the rest room. Do you need to go?" asked Tabitha, breaking up the argument.

"Been there, done that."

"Ok, I'll be right back." She got up and walked away, soon swallowed by the crowd.

"Hey Key? There's some guys looking at you funny." I followed her gaze and saw a group of boys around my age walking over to me, malicious smiles on their faces. I sighed as the 'leader' sat beside me.

"What's up sweetie? All alone?"

"Not anymore..." I rolled my eyes. He reached for my hand, but I moved it away and smiled at him.

"Look, dude. If you don't scram right now, I'll have to hurt you." He laughed. His friends joined him.

"YOU! Hurt ME??? You little beauties aren't strong. Quit bluffing." Zoe snickered at his misreading. He grabbed my hand forcefully and pulled me to him. I immediately crushed his hand with mine. He yelled out in pain.

"OW! You bitch!" His friends reached for me, but found an empty seat.

"Where did she go???"

"I'm behind you morons!" They turned towards me, but found a bloody nose instead. They yelled out in shock and bolted off. I sighed.

"I wish they would have left when I warned them."

"What was their problem anyways?" asked Zoe, grooming her mousy hair.

"Whose problem?" Tabitha was back.

"Oh... uh... the flight attendant... yeah... um... never mind." I laughed nervously. Tabitha shrugged her shoulders.

"Ok. Come on, military got us first class seats. We get to enter the plane before anyone else." We walked through the boarding tunnel and into the plane. Definitely an improvement. Leather seats, crystal glasses, gourmet food, TV choice... TV yeah. Tabitha had a TV, but no cable... or satellite, so we only had five channels. I watched cartoons and Disney movies for the first four hours of flight, then I fell asleep, but I think Zoe watched TV the whole 14-hour flight. Talk about cartoon obsessed.

Tabitha shook me awake as people were getting off the plane.

"Key! We're here, Kiddo. Zoe! For goodness sake, TURN OFF THAT TV!!! We're in Cairo! Come on people! We don't have all day! Do you want me to carry you off the plane?"

"That would be sort of nice." I said as I grabbed my backpack and climbed off the plane, still half-asleep. As soon as I got out of the airport, I was hit by a wave of hot air. Yea, it's Egypt all right. I took off my cloak and stuffed it in my backpack. Tabitha did the same, and then called forwards a Taxi.

"We want to go to the west wing of the air port." She demanded to the driver.

"Wha...?"

"Would you rather walk?" I shook my head no. "We need to catch a helicopter. Let's just say that the Leppa Tribe lives deep into the Sahara Desert. A helicopter will get us there in half an hour."

We climbed on the helicopter, which took off in noisy commotion.

"Hey! Aunt Tabitha? Where's Blizzard?" I asked, looking out the window. "I sense her, but I can't see her."

"Well, you DID tell her to stay out of sight. She must be above the clouds, away from sight. And heat." She added, wiping her brow. I shrugged my shoulders and looked out the window. We had left the urban part of Cairo and were quickly nearing the vast deserts. It was very different from the tundra.

"A lesson I might not have taught you too well is to keep an open mind," stated Tabitha, "You are extremely adaptive by nature, but you don't accept most change without a fight, and a good one at that. Sometimes you can be very stubborn, Kigali."

"Gee, thanks."

"Just remember that change is like the ocean. It slowly, but surely bashes against the rock, therefore changing it. One cannot stop change; one cannot run away from it. If you do, it will catch you later on in your life."

"I don't run away from change."

"I know. You fight it. But the best way to deal with change is to flow along with it. And to relax. You are too tense, Kigali. I know it was difficult leaving the village. It is your home. But many good things are on the way."

"And bad."

"Is the glass half empty or half full?" She asked rhetorically. I thought about it.

"Half full."

"Then everything will be OK. Don't worry Kiddo. You're an optimistic child. Just remember to see the silver lining in all those gray clouds" She patted my head. I hate it when she does that.

"Miss? We're getting ready to land." The pilot announced.

"Perfect. Land in the center square." The pilot nodded and pulled down on the flight control. Tabitha turned to me. "Here, put this on." She handed me a silver chocker-necklace with a sapphire in its center. I thanked her and put it on. I looked out the window, expecting to see more deserts, but instead, I saw a gigantic oasis, with sparkling water and green foliage everywhere. There were tepees set up all over the place with gold markings that glinted in the hot sun. It was like a jewel.

"Welcome to the Leppa Village." Announced Tabitha.

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So? How was that? Yay! Kigali's grown!

Next chapter she meets her Shaman Tournament partners. Tell me what you think!

Next Chapter- The Reunion of the Goddesses