Author Notes: Aww! You guys are so nice.. sniffles to say that… sniffles third chapter was good. If you guys don't stop, you might get my self-esteem up. --;;
Thanks: To everyone who reviewed the previous chapters, placed me on their favourites list/author alert, and who are taking the time to read this chapter.
Fic Notes: A lot of this chapter are based on made-up myths, so be prepared! Some are factual, some aren't. Maybe I'll make a note of the difference… Very sorry if I happened to use an incorrect word to describe something totally different! I know it seems totally unrealistic that five-year-olds use this kind of language but... ermm.. please bear with me? But since their all shamans who've all led hard lives, they've all matured at an extremely young age. But seriously! They are five. That's why they can just say what's on their minds without worrying about anything. Isn't that great? And another note.. the fic does get slow and boring from time to time.. like I said.. I happen to like to explain things.. a little too thoroughly.. eheh. And now.. without further ado… the long awaited 4th chapter!
Start/Finish: 050404/063004
"Anna-sama. Please wake up."
"…No…" mumbled the sleeping girl, slapping away the hands that tried to wake her slumber. It was too early, too bright, too quiet, too peaceful, and too… perfect for sleeping in. She stuffed her head under the pillow, drowning out the voice.
"Anna-sama! You must eat and prepare for Kino-sensei's test!" Tamao shook the girl. "Come down and eat breakfast. Kino-sensei doesn't like those who are late."
And without another word Anna shot upwards in bed, still drowsy from the morning's effect. She let herself be pulled by Tamao into the dining room.
"Here you go. Eat well and relax during the testing. As long as you hang in there no matter how hard it gets, you'll do fine," the pink haired girl coached as she pulled a plate of food towards the older girl.
The corners of Anna's mouth twitched a little as she tried to smile, "Thank you, Tamao. You've been nice to me ever since I got here."
Tamao flushed slightly and returned the small smile, "Shamans have to look out for each other. Besides it's my pleasure because I've met a new friend."
The blond haired girl looked down in modesty, searching for the right words to describe how grateful she was towards her. She couldn't remember how nice people could have been if it weren't for them… Tamao… and Yoh. Something in her heart loosened a little when Anna was talking to them. 'It feels easier to breathe now…'
"But still…" the older girl started, "Thanks.."
"Yoh?" Kino knocked on the door loudly. "It's time to get up! Yoh!"
She slid the wooden door open with one quick motion with her wrist. There was a small bump under the covers and Kino didn't have to check to find out that her grandson was missing. A folded note lay on top of the bump. Hesitantly, she crouched down and grabbed the note.
I'm rescuing an important friend. Won't be back until at least 2:30 in the afternoon.
Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Wish Anna the best of luck.
Also tell her that I'll have a gift for her when she passes.
Yoh
"That Yoh. What in the world is he doing?"
"He left quite early this morning, Kino. He also seemed to very pleased with himself." A voice answered.
She looked up near the open windowsill to find a spirit leaning against it. Kino could never forget the face of her late-aunt whom she shared such bonds with as a child. "Aya-san. Did Yoh happen to mention where he was heading?"
"Now that you mention it, he mumbled about going to get something of Anna's. A cherished item, I would imagine."
Kino grunted softly in disapproval, "Without the consent of any of us?"
"He's a big boy now. Umm... Maybe," Aya smiled unsurely, "But if Yohmei can send him off to a place that's a good 4-hour distance from here and he returned home safe, then I'm sure he'll be fine. Though I think this idea is quite romantic… I mean, a young boy setting off to retrieve a girl's precious item? Don't you find it somewhat… sweet?"
Kino sighed as she rubbed her temple lightly, "I'm not sure how to take all this. He's only met Anna for a day or so and he's doing all these things for her… It just seems… like…"
"Something that Yoh would do?" the spirit finished with a slight grin, "He's a lovable boy. Your son and daughter have raised him up into a wonderful child."
"Sometimes Yoh can be a little too sweet. He's still inexperienced with what the world can do to him if he's not careful."
"There are times… where it is still better to run in with your eyes closed and meet what may await you head on," Aya remarked.
"And when are these times?"
"Life is all about running in with your eyes closed. But … also… when you're in love," she simply replied. Aya flashed Kino another smile before drifting away from the window.
The two young girls walked along the wooden pathway to the main house where Anna's test would take place. Even with her stomach full, Anna clutched it lightly with anxiety. Her heart raced along each stride she took.
"Ummm… Anna-sama?" Tamao asked as she clasped her hands tightly.
"You don't have to add –sama to my name. It doesn't seem right… Especially now that we're friends," the older girl replied with uneasiness.
"I will insist on calling you with the honourable suffix attached… or else it wouldn't seem right for me. But… I just want to wish you good luck. I have a feeling you'll definitely beat the part of the test I failed on."
"Eh? You took the test too?" Anna questioned with a slight hint of surprise.
"Yes. Though I can't tell you what will be on it because she changes it for each person especially. But the one I had was extremely difficult. Kino-sensei told me that I didn't pass the test because I wasn't meant to become an itako."
The blond-haired girl sighed in relief, "So you don't have to pass after all… What a relief. But how can I even pass if I don't even know what an itako is?"
"An itako is someone who summons a spirit no matter where they are – that includes the heavens. Even if you don't have to pass the itako test… you must pass another one," the pink haired girl paused before continuing, "Each of the Asakura family members, not including Yoh, all set tests for shamans who wish to receive training from them. Each test is very different and some can't be taken until you're at least 12 years old. If you don't past any tests, you can continue to train until you pass one of them… although you may have to plead your case." 1
"You're kidding… " Anna could feel the knots in her stomach tighten again. She didn't even notice that they've arrived until a familiar voice shook her back to reality.
"Thank you, Tamao. You can return back now," Kino placed a hand on Tamao's shoulder before the girl turned away.
"Good luck, Anna-sama," she smiled before hurrying back towards the serving room.
Anna waved before turning around to meet Kino's dark eyes. She gulped, wondering if she should say anything.
"Are you ready?" her stern voice asked.
The young girl exhaled as she met her gaze, "Yes. Yes I am."
"Then follow me."
The train seemed to move faster in the morning, as if it were running from the direction of sunlight, racing to see who would arrive in the west first. Yoh slouched in his seat, yawning as he turned towards his side. His eyes refused to open to the bright atmosphere that was waiting to blind him. It was getting darker and darker as each second passed. There was a lady loudly mumbling above Yoh, causing the boy to stir a little. He covered his ears as a series of loud thumping noises passed by him.
'So noisy in the morning…'
Just before drifting back to sleep, the mortuary tablet in his pocket began to shake, ruining his second opportunity to regain his energy.
"Yoh-dono. We're here. The train has already stopped and all the passengers have already left." Amidamaru mumbled loudly under the boy's jacket.
Reluctantly and lazily, Yoh slid down his seat to the floor of the train. "It's still too early…"
"You can sleep on the return trip... But for now, how are we going to find Anna's bear?"
The shaman scratched his head, "That's a good question… I never thought about that before…"
Amidamaru popped out of the tablet in disbelief. "EH! You don't know? …You've got to be kidding…" His hand rested on his temple.
"Don't worry! Things will work out. Don't they always?" Yoh grinned nervously, "Look on the bright side, it's a small town... maybe we'll see the landlord."
The spirit sighed, "You mean hopefully." Yoh laughed as he headed towards the station exit. He hummed a tune as they headed towards the town.
Amidamaru smiled fondly as he thought, 'It's just like you to get so caught up in doing something good for someone else… Yoh-dono. So caught up that you forget to plan ahead of time what to do… But there's no other shaman I would consider to serve under… experienced, well-trained or what not… It is your kind heart that I admire. Even in a bleak situation like this… it's hard not to hang on to that last bit of hope when you are around.'
"Look at all this junk she left behind! Useless child." The man bitterly spat out to the empty room. He rubbed the bandaged area on his head. "The two must have been plotting against me all along. Why… if I saw that little runt again… let's not even get me started." The landlord shook the large bag until the opening was wide. He stuffed everything in his sight into it without a second glance.
Old reference books… "Why would the bothersome child need these? It's not like she'll go to school in her lifetime."
Ragged clothing… "Ungrateful… these clothes are good enough for the likes of her. But nooooo.."
Old newspapers… "She shouldn't even belong in this world.. yet she wishes to learn about daily events? Hmmf. Maybe she could have been the cause of all those tragic incidents… with demon-like powers.. I wouldn't be surprised at all!"
His hand stuffed the old blankets into the bag and threw the pillow along with it. To his surprise what he found under the pillow, as the next to-be-discarded item was a dusty white bear.
"And what have we here… stealing from an innocent child? That no good demon raiser… She should be glad to have received these hand-me-downs. Clothes are so hard to find these days... yet she still resorts to these acts! Thank goodness she's left... her an-and her strange… tree-hugging friend. Keh. ..Talking about treating rags with respect and everything with care. I'll be glad never to see them again!"
Throwing the final item into the sack, he grabbed the edges of the bag and tied them into a knot. Once he was outside, the landlord threw the bag into the garbage can and rushed home to wash his 'dirtied' hands.
Somewhere in town…
"Achooooo!" Yoh sneezed. His nose tingled as his eyes began to water.
"May the Great Spirit bless you," Amidamaru beamed.
"Thanks. I wonder if someone was talking about me just now…" Shrugging the thought off, the two continued their way… until…
"Ah!" Yoh stopped abruptly. He raised his hand up to his chin as a thinking pose.
"What's the matter?" the spirit asked with a hint of concern.
"I wonder how Anna is doing on her test. It should have started already, right?"
"I'm sure she'll do very well. She doesn't seem to be the type to give up so easily… unlike a certain… someone…" he rolled his eyes as an added hint.
Yoh laughed, "You're right. Anna will be just fine. All we have to worry about now is finding Fozzie so when she does pass the test, we have a gift!"
The morning winds blew past Anna's light robe, sending shivers down her body. It didn't help that she was also a step away from an icy waterfall nonetheless wearing absolutely nothing but the flimsy fabric.
"First off, the purification ceremony. It cleanses both the body and mind. It helps relieve one's mind from excess stress," Kino explained, "Do you see that large rock in the middle? Climb up and sit there for a bit, focusing on nothing but relaxing your mind."
Anna nodded as she took her first step into the cold pool of water. 'It's cold! Really… really.. cold! It feels like I'm walking on ice…' She winced as she continued. She could feel her feet grow number with each stride. It was like walking on sharp spikes that bit into your flesh, freezing motion for seconds at a time.
Just before submerging herself into the waterfall, Anna held her breath, grasping for something to boost her up. Her senses were giving out on her – one by one. Her sight was blinded by the cold gushes of water above her. Her eyes were frozen shut. Her sense of hearing was washed out by the crashes of water hitting the earth once again. She couldn't even tell if her hands were touching rocks or if they had become ice cubes.
She tried to lift herself on to what she thought was a large rock but her fingers slipped on the surface, sending Anna into the pool of liquid ice. Her hands floated to the surface, searching for something stable to grab on to. Each part of her body felt as if knives were attacking it. She wanted to scream in pain, if not for the water that would immediately flow into her mouth. Was she going to drown just like this? So easily… The test hasn't technically even started… and she had failed already.
'Why am I doing this anyways…? Why… should I torture by body like this?'
But she already knew the answer.
Her hands grasped on to the rock, once she had a firm hold on it, she pulled herself up. 'Now.. for the big one.. I won't fail. I won't let myself fail… because…' she told herself. She tightened her right hand into a fist trying to gain whatever senses remained. Grabbing the edge of the large rock, she pulled herself using every bit of strength she had left to the top.
'Because… I want to stay here with Yoh…….and Tamao.
With my friends...'
She crawled forward until she could see Kino-sensei. The older woman's expression remained the same as before, no sign of relief or a smile of congratulations for getting on the rock. Anna was starting to get used to the frost biting her flesh. She sighed as she closed her eyes.
Her mind came back to the very day she met Yoh. His carefree attitude, his quick acceptance of her, his sincere smiles… just everything about the boy.
"Anna is important to me and I will protect her."
"Because… You deserve happiness."
"You won't regret it. I can promise you that."
Anna couldn't resist the smile forming on her face. "I don't regret it... Asakura Yoh… Not one bit."
Kino watched as the younger girl frowned, then smile, then frown once more. She didn't bother to ponder what could have caused the sudden joyful expression.
"It took an unmotivated Yoh at least 3 days to get his body used to the coldness. Yet it took her only moments. Such a strong and dedicated will she has. The purification ceremony for first timers tests one's willingness to train. Maybe… just maybe… Yoh was right about her. I look forward to see how you will handle this test… Anna."
Kino cleared her throat then announced, "You can come down now and begin the first part of the three part test."
Surprisingly, coming back down to the base of the waterfall was easier than she had expected. As she walked through what she once thought as a stream of ice, she noticed that everything seemed much warmer now. In no time at all, she met face to face with the itako.
"Follow me," the older woman commanded as she headed towards a forested area.
Anna sat on the tree stump as she was told. She clasped her hands together in anxiety, wondering what the test would require her to do. She watched as the older woman placed a leaf on the stone in front of her.
Kino stepped back and nodded, "Here is the first of the 3 tests. Summon a ground spirit. Relax your mind and focus only on conjuring these spirits. There are no step-by-step instructions on how to summon a spirit. You have to figure that out on your own."
She turned her back and began to walk away, leaving Anna in a confused situation.
Meekly, the girl asked, "Umm… Sorry if this comes out as rude… but aren't you going to watch me?"
"Watch you? It is not something you can accomplish in just an hour… nonetheless in several minutes. I shall check up on your progress in 2 hours. Good luck… though luck isn't what you should depend on."
With those last words, Anna watched as Kino disappeared from her sight. "This is... just great. How am I supposed to know how to summon a spirit?"
The landlord bit the tip of his pipe, pointing to the apples in the box. "Could I get 6 of those please?"
A rounded middle-aged man smiled, "Sure thing. Don't have the helper to do your chores today?" He gathered the apples and placed them into a bag.
The landlord took the bag and threw the coins on the wooden stand, "Don't mention that hellish girl again. She took off… that… bi--"
"Even if she may be dangerous to the townspeople… it's another thing to call her names. She's still a child. I'll bet she doesn't even understand why she's being treated this way. Take that vulgar language somewhere else," the younger man pointed towards his exit.
Scoffing while his eyes narrowed at the market man, the leaner of the two men took his leave.
The landlord blew his pipe smoke out to the air, not caring if he was contributing to the destruction of clean air. His white hair swayed as a breeze blew past him. As he headed down the market place, his dark brown eyes suddenly widened in delight when he found his favourite bakery just ahead of him.
"That sweet jelly-filled doughnut…" he almost drooled at the thought of the red jelly pouring into his mouth. Hurrying towards the bakery, the landlord didn't even notice a familiar brown haired boy walking into the store.
"Could I get one of those jelly-filled doughnuts? Wait make that 2!" Yoh eagerly poked the outside glass. The woman smiled and pulled out the two doughnuts and dropped them into a paper bag. She was used to seeing the bright faces of children when they were awed at how large the shop was. Her husband was right in investing so much for this bakery.
"Is that everything?" she asked.
Yoh nodded, "Yep!"
"That would be 88 yen," the woman replied, pushing the paper bag towards him. 2
The boy placed the change on the counter and headed for the door, "Thank you!"
"It's my pleasure," she answered as she waved goodbye.
Yoh waved back and hastily pushed the door open, unaware that there was someone behind it.
"Watch it! You…" the landlord rubbed his head and turned to see Yoh's innocent stare.
"Sorry! I didn't see that you were behind it," Yoh bowed several times in front of the man. As he rose after the final bow, he recognized that it was the landlord who was standing in front of him. "Hey! You're that old man from yesterday! I was looking for you!"
The older man almost gasped at the sudden sight of him. He swallowed hard and growled, "What a coincidence… I was looking for you as well," he gripped his cane hard, "Time to settle our score."
The boy backed away, "Looks like you've got your hands full with all those apples you got there... I didn't come here to fight you… I just want to know where Fozzie is."
"Who in the name of whatever is Fozzie? If you're playing some kind of trick on me.. it's not going to work!"
"Where's Anna's.." Yoh started wondering what to call Fozzie. 'I can't just say friend… he wouldn't understand… but… teddy bear would seem kind of rude… but at least he might understand.' "…teddy bear?" he finished.
The man laughed, "You came back for a teddy bear? Tough luck. Where's the girl? I'm going to give her a piece of my mind when I see her."
Yoh scowled, "I came alone. What did you do with Fozzie?"
The wind blew past them, carrying old newspapers and dust along with it. The white haired man inhaled his pipe smoke then blew it at the younger boy's face. Yoh held his breath but he couldn't hold it long enough. He coughed as the foul air entered his lungs.
"You won't be a man if you can't handle this smoke. But if you really want the bear back… I bid you bad luck… because I threw him out along with the rest of her junk. The garbage collectors have probably gotten it… and with luck, incinerated it."
Yoh bit his lip. 'Crap. Did I come too late?'
"But you're a lucky one," the man pointed behind him.
As if on cue, a large green truck drove past them, releasing dark smog into the air. Its large wheels mashed the newspapers that had once flown in the winds.
"If you want the bear… it will probably be in that truck… accompanying it's other trashy friends. Get it? Trash? Trashy?" he laughed at his own joke.
Yoh growled then placed the paper bag into his mouth, biting on it to make sure it wouldn't fall out. He ran after the truck, mentally pleading for it to stop.
"Better run fast! The truck won't wait for you!" the landlord chortled, watching the boy slowly disappear from his sight.
"Ugh…" Anna groaned as she let her body plop down to the ground, "I can't do this!" She placed both her hands over her face, rubbing her closed eyes with her fingers. She didn't know how nor why her body was covered in sweat when all she did was stand and focus on a tree leaf. Even if her mind was set on taking on this challenge, her body was already giving out. Anna sighed, letting the rest of her body relax on the grassy field. An hour had already gone by, she was sure of it. Slowly, she closed her eyes, letting her senses adjust in the wilderness. She listened intently to the sounds of bushes rustling, birds chirping and even the faraway waterfall she was at earlier.
"Summon a ground spirit. Relax your mind and focus only on conjuring these spirits," the words of Yoh's grandmother echoed in her mind.
"Easy for her to say," the girl grumbled as she slowly got back on her feet. She closed her eyes and reopened them as if expecting the leaf to move. "One more time…"
She tightened her right fist and made a hand gesture with her left. Taking a deep breath, Anna let the peaceful sounds of her surroundings take over her mind. She could feel something tugging inside her. Her left hand tightened into another fist as it began to shake violently.
'Is this what it's supposed to feel like?' she thought as her body grew hotter, 'Come on spirit… let me… summon you…'
A strange emerald glow began to consume parts of the leaf while a small gust formed above its surface. Anna could feel her head spin from the overwhelming fatigue that continued to set on her.
'… I won't faint again.'
Shaking her head to sharpen her blurred vision, Anna blinked to see what was in front of her.
It was a small greenish figure with small white eyes. The tree leaf now resided over what would have been a mouth. With horns, arms and legs, the spirit sat there… staring back at its conjurer.
-(TBC)-
1 - Totally... Totally... Not true. If I was miraculously right about how each member of the Asakura family gives tests… then… cows are flying.
2 - Estimation.
I won't say anything bad about this chapter... X because no one will believe me --
ANYWAYS, I'll try to work faster on the fifth chapter… but don't expect it soon! Update progress can be found on my author page. (Scroll to the top and click on my penname) Like always reviews/flames/comments/concerns/anything else can be directed to me by reviewing or emailing.
