Disclaimer:::
Shaman King iz not mine. I only own the rest of the world! Muahahaha! Thank you Hao-chan!.. =P
Legend:::
(.…bla bla….) Is thoughts
"….bla bla…." Is normal speech
{….bla bla….} Is notes/signs/etc.
….bla bla…. Is memories
Dedication:
To Jessica and Cessniper23 for help on the 'oversoul' principle. This chapter's battle is dedicated to you. I tried hard on it, I really did! (Hope it's not too bad)
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Chapter 6
Asakura Yoh absentmindedly fingered the line of his hidden scar.
"You must have had a hard fall getting that prize."
The more he thought of it, the more he didn't want to. For one, a dull pain started in his chest whenever he did and for another, he only vaguely remembered something that had happened when he was young. He had had an accident, it had seemed, but only a minor one.
"You fell from a tree, my son." His mother had said. "Trying to get to the kite you were playing with that had gotten stuck in it."
"When you did, you hit your head on a rock nearby. You were lucky it's just a short fall and there were leaves to cushion it. That's why other than your memory loss and a few scratches, you weren't hurt at all. You just fainted when you hit your head." His father had added.
Yoh felt his eyebrows narrow together as he thought in frustration. For as it is, he could remember nothing more about falling and getting that scar. And if he did get it by falling off that tree, why would his parents not have told him? Were they afraid that he would be upset? Or had they simply forgotten?
Another mystery to add to the world of Asakura Yoh and one which is not important enough to be worth the headache he's having now. His felt like his head was going to split into two. Literally.
But Yoh was lucky in a sense, because the pain was almost immediately replaced by another one.
"Téme! Stop daydreaming Yoh!" Anna growled after giving Yoh a knock on the head. "I don't care if you start jumping around singing or dancing, just focus! Do you think you can do that?"
"Oh right. Sorry." Yoh said quickly getting back to the task at hand.
The task at hand? You'd never guess. Catching butterflies. Yes, that's right.
"It is an important part of your training." Anna had said.
"It is an old method guaranteed to sharpen your accuracy and agility while testing your endurance. Passed down from one generation to another, it is an Asakura top secret training technique. Kino-sama didn't want to recommend it on you for reasons I don't know, but I think it would do you some good."
(Sure, why not?) Yoh thought. (Let's go catch some butterflies. Gotta catch'em all!)
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Butterflies are evil.
Indeed they are demons in disguise. They flap their cute little wings and fly around looking innocent when actually, they do this to taunt you.
Yes. Yoh concluded. It is an undeniable fact. The little buggers are servants of the Devil himself. And at present they are torturing him. Horribly.
Here he was, alone in a wide, open field surrounded by dense bushes on one side and a main path on the other. There are no trees and the sun had been merciless. Granted it was beginning to get cooler with the coming of dusk, Yoh was sweating like he had gone through the fires of Hell and back. His workout shirt was drenched as if he had been swimming instead of running around in circles, catching minions of evil.
He was tired.
He was hungry.
He was only one short of these creatures of darkness. The training required him to capture at least 25 and after a few hours of running around Yoh managed to catch that much. He knew no warm meals would welcome him if he went back home with what he had now. Sure, Ryuu would have cooked something for him, but Anna would be guarding it like the lost treasure of Atlantis.
Yoh growled out again when a beautiful red and black one flew past successfully avoiding his net. Yoh swore that it actually stuck out its long tongue at him when it escaped his net.
"I'll never get home like this!" Yoh cried.
The young shaman panted as he collapsed onto the grassy plain, out of exhaustion and out of frustration.
But as he lay there gazing at the darkening sky, he began to appreciate the meaning behind the seemingly ridiculous idea.
Butterflies are fragile creatures. If you apply force on it by even a fraction more, you would shatter its wings and therefore kill it. Yoh learnt this the first time he managed to catch one. He had been too rough. The butterfly was crushed by the sheer force of the net. Yoh believed this trained his ability to be accurate. To be able to judge where he should be, when he should be. He had therefore learnt from his previous mistake from the death of the first butterfly he caught. May its soul rest in peace.
But then again, they are servants of evil. So maybe not.
Butterflies as their names suggest, fly. And fly they do, out of reach, as soon as Yoh managed to get near. He had to flex his muscles and watch his speed to keep up with the butterflies' random flight patterns. It is here that his agility is tested.
And as Yoh's heart began to slow down to it's normal beat, he could clearly see how this training tested his endurance.
Yoh laughed heartily to himself. He wouldn't admit it though. It may had been hard and tiring but it had also been the fun. Much more fun than the normal running he had been doing. He had actually lost track of time trying to catch the critters.
Asakuras come out with the strangest ways to do the simplest of things.
Whoever invented this method must be clever. And a little mischievous too.
"I wonder who thought this up." Yoh said to himself.
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"Achoo!" Asakura Hao suddenly sneezed.
He looked around puzzled, and then shrugged.
"Someone must be talking about me."
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Yoh sighed as he laid on his back and closed his tired eyes. He thought of giving it up and camping out. There underneath the wide open sky he began to dream.
He was in a field. It looked almost completely different from the one he had been in. He looked down onto his hands, which were quite small and stubby like the ones of a child. He observed his surroundings with keen interest, trying to memorize the beautiful landscape. He saw the gigantic cherry tree and wide opening sky in the middle of a surrounding virgin forest. He smelled the fragrance of the blooming lilies and the fresh grass. He heard the song of birds and the running waters of a nearby stream.
He started running when he saw a bright yellow butterfly fly past him. He tried hard as he jumped up as high as he could but it just flew higher and higher away from him.
Yoh gave one last jump which failed to catch the elusive insect, and his legs gave way as he fell down to the ground. Yoh burst into tears as the scratch on his knee stung.
Then he realized that he was not alone like he was before. Someone was with him. Someone he knew well. Yoh felt his heart warm up all over as he turned to face this unknown person. But his eyes saw nothing but a blur. An outline of a person but nothing more. A mist that spoke as it held out a helping hand.
"Come on Yoh, you can do it! Try harder!"
"De~mo.. Me so tired… Can we do this tomowwow?" Yoh heard the voice come out of his mouth. He sounded so young.
"No Yoh. We have to finish this today. Come on, one more butterfly and we can go home."
"Pwomise?" He asked uncertainly looking at the ground.
Laughter at his insecurities.
"I never lied to you before, now have I?"
"No…"
A sigh.
"Yes, I promise. I'll even help you with the last one ok?"
"Ok!" He smiled.
He put his hand in the other's open palm. It held him in a firm yet gentle grip.
And all is right in the world.
Yoh's eyes slowly opened to meet the starry night sky. A smile crept into his face as he sighed at the beauty. Somehow instead of feeling bothered by the strange dream, he felt content. He could not even think why.
Then he felt a shiver down his spine. At first he thought it was the chilly air of the night but somehow it was different. That was when Yoh knew, someone was watching him.
A shaman.
A shaman with strong furyoku.
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"Hao-sama! Hao-sama! Opacho has something to tell!"
The long-haired shaman looked up curiously from the parchment he was reading towards the short child running towards him.
"Hmm? What is it Opacho?" Hao looked at his little companion in amusement.
"Hao-sama's 'tõto is in trouble."
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Kyouyama Anna stood up abruptly from her usual pose in front of the television.
"Okami. You felt it too. What is it?" Ryuu asked with wide eyes.
"Yoh." Came the reply.
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"So you are the famous Asakura Yoh."
The drowsy shaman stood up wearily and looked towards the source of the voice. Hidden in the shadows, behind one of the bushes was a solitary figure.
"Hello? Who is there?" Yoh asked curiously.
Yoh watched as the shadow materialized, lit up by the moon's soft rays to reveal a boy who looked to be about his age. His face was grim and almost of anger as he stared at Yoh with cold emerald green eyes. He wore a green cloak which looked western and his hair, like his eyes and clothes, was green as well. If not for the tense atmosphere, Yoh would have laughed at how well camouflaged he seemed against the equally green bushes.
As it was, Yoh merely looked expectantly at the other shaman for an answer. He was curious. It was against his nature to be suspicious.
The green eyed stranger took another step until he was in full view and answered,
"I am Lyserg Diethel of the X-Laws. "
"X-Laws?" Yoh asked puzzled. (Is that some kind of boy band or something?)
Lyserg ignored his question. "I am here to test your skills."
"Huh?" Yoh said intelligently.
Before the brown-haired shaman could mutter a single protest, Lyserg charged at him with great speed.
Yoh's eyes widened and his whole body became instantly alert. He managed to sidestep successfully avoiding a head-on collision with Lyserg. But he failed to realize the weapon the other shaman had strapped to his arm.
A shiny crystal pendulum whizzed by from behind and managed to lodge itself into his left leg. Yoh couldn't help but mutter a cry of surprise as a wave of pain washed all over him. He stumbled for a fraction of time as Lyserg pulled on the cable connecting to the pendulum and removed the sharp object from his leg.
Blood began to flow from his wound as Yoh immediately turned to face his opponent. He began to study the emerald-eyed boy's movement and expression in an effort to predict his next attack. Surprised yet again, Yoh found not a smug face but one which is expressionless and cold. Almost as if he wanted to get his task over with and not to gloat over victory. It made Yoh wonder if he was really just another one of those shamans who wanted to get rid of early competition like Yoh assumed he was.
But the injured boy did not have the time to ponder this longer. Without his main spirit to back him up, Yoh was at a serious disadvantage. Obviously Lyserg doesn't have this problem. His spirit must be inside the pendulum Yoh deducted.
And all Yoh had for a weapon was a crummy little net.
Then Yoh felt his mouth curl up into a smile when he realized that a net was perhaps all he needed.
The brown-haired shaman crouched low in a ready position, the pain in his leg already forgotten as he focused all his attention on the swinging pendulum hanging from the cable attached to the boy's right arm. There he stayed motionless, waiting for Lyserg's next move.
Lyserg acknowledge his challenge and raised his arm towards his adversary.
"Morphin!" came a shout.
The pendulum seemed to glow brighter and shot out towards Yoh in a burst of speed. The cable trailed out in jagged lines behind it as the spirit maneuvered the pendulum like a finely tuned airplane right towards his face.
Yoh maintained his position still. And when it looked as if the pendulum would hit, he jumped right out of the way at the very last second.
"Who knew catching butterflies would be so helpful?" Yoh said as he rolled to his left and avoided another attack.
Yoh felt that he was more agile than he was before. His timing was almost perfect and it looked as if he was dancing to an unheard rhythm. To him the pendulum was just another butterfly. Now instead of catching, he was evading. The crystal gave out a whizzing sound as it flew past his ear leaving a trail of burning pain. A few more inches and Yoh would have some difficulty listening to music later.
With the net in his hands, Yoh managed to dodge most of the attacks so far as he slowly made his way nearer to the other shaman. Lyserg looked puzzled and was not about to stand still for long.
As quickly as he could, Yoh held the net at a ready as the pendulum moved in and then. Success! Yoh caught a butterfly.
He jammed the sharp point of the crystal into the ground as he twisted his net to prevent the pendulum from escaping. With the weapon stuck to the ground, Lyserg was open to a direct assault.
Or so he thought.
Yoh dashed top speed at Lyserg who was caught with surprise. He managed to land a hard blow to the green-eyed boy who staggered backwards after being thrown of balance by the blow.
Being hit seemed to anger the shaman a bit and his hand tightened at the cable as Yoh pulled back his fists for another punch.
Too late had Yoh realized that the cable was part of the 'oversoul' as well. Even though he managed to avoid getting entangled in its snare, he was not fast enough to evade the sharp pain as it lashed at his arm. A crack was heard and his right arm fell uselessly to his side and he fell hard to the ground.
Yoh lay there huddled in a heap, exhausted and in pain. His couldn't feel his hand anymore and his leg was still bleeding as he gasped for air.
"Asakura Yoh. I am impressed. Even without your spirit, you were able to land a blow on me. Jeanne-sama was right about you."
Yoh merely looked up at the boy with a pained expression.
"Join us. Join the X-Laws."
"What?" Yoh said incredulously. (First he beats him up, then he asks him to join his little group. The world is getting stranger by the day.)
"Join us. Or die."
Lyserg Diethel looked very serious when he said those words.
"You must be joking." Yoh coughed out.
"Your decision."
"No."
A silent pause.
"So be it."
Yoh looked at his foe's grim face and knew that Lyserg meant what he said. Painfully he gathered all his strength as he stood up and prepared to guard himself. If he was going to die, he won't be doing so without a fight.
"This one will be quick. You will feel no pain."
"Why do I feel so relieved?"
Lyserg ignored the sarcastic remark and aimed his pendulum straight at the shaman's heart.
And away the crystal flew.
But it never reached its target.
Lyserg looked in horror as his pendulum burst into flames just inches from Yoh's heart.
"Morphin!" Lyserg shouted in panic.
The tiny fairy-like spirit managed to escape and flew to his side in an instant.
"How senseless of you boy." Came a dangerous voice from behind him.
Lyserg's eyes widened in recognition and his face sported an expression of pure hatred and anger as he turned to meet the person he despised most in the world.
"Hao!"
Asakura Hao stood there with an expression almost equal to Lyserg's as he stared at him with piercing midnight eyes.
They stood there facing each other motionlessly, without saying a word. Then Lyserg made a move to charge at Hao. At the same time, the grass in between them burst into flames creating a barrier between them.
There behind its master, the Spirit of Fire stood in all its glory and it made Lyserg think twice about attacking.
"Leave. I do not have time to deal with your stupidity." Hao said with an edge in his voice.
Realizing that he was at greatly overpowered, Lyserg gritted his teeth in frustration as his hands curled up into shaking fists. He had no other choice than to retreat if he wanted to live another day.
"I'll get my revenge Hao. Just wait and see."
"I look forward to it boy."
Then he disappeared.
Hao watched the retreating figure into the darkness and slowly approached the figure lying on the grassy plain. Sometime in between him appearing and Lyserg leaving, Yoh had collapsed unconscious to the ground after his strength finally gave out.
Hao looked at the condition his brother was in and his heart, if he had one, nearly broke. Yoh looked terrible, his arm in an odd angle and his leg bleeding from a gaping wound. Not to mention the random slashes all over him.
Hao removed the cloak he usually wore and tore away a piece of it. He carefully bandaged up his brother's leg to stop the bleeding. He then moved to wrap the remaining cloth around Yoh when a shrill cry caught his attention.
"Yoh!"
Hao looked behind him to see a blond girl running up to him, followed closely by a much taller man in ridiculous clothing and a samurai spirit, Amidamaru he realized. He recognized the blond as Kyouyama Anna, a powerful Itako and future bride of Asakura Yoh from his routine checkups on his brother. The other man had the aura of furyoku. Another shaman.
He watched silently as Anna came up and saw the state Yoh was in. She looked at him with accusing eyes and shouted at him furiously.
"Who are you?! What have you done?!"
"I am no one. I have done nothing."
She stared at him in incredulity, obviously not believing what he had said.
"You did a bad job in training him Anna-san. If he were much stronger, this wouldn't have happened."
"He was unarmed! I don't think his strength had any to do with it." The other shaman protested.
"I care not for what you think. Yoh needs to be stronger and he will not be, staying with you people. "
"What are you saying?" Anna said slowly, fearing his answer.
"I will personally see to his training." Hao said while adding softly to himself, "Like I have done so long ago."
Anna protested loudly and moved in to attack the person who had hurt her fiancée but as before a barrier of flames cut her off. Anna, Amidamaru and Ryuu could only watch as Hao bundled up his precious cargo gently.
And in a sudden burst of flame, both of them disappeared like spirits in the night.
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Ok, this chap is where most of it is AU.
Everyone is still in Japan.
Lyserg never met Yoh-tachi before. He had already joined the X-Laws and is one of its strong members. He still keeps Morphin as his main spirit as well as his Angel (I don't remember its name)
Well this certainly is my longest chap. It's a new record for me!
And it contains my first real battle scene. Hope I didn't mess up too much.
I seem to torture Yoh-kun a lot, don't I? (Runs away from angry Yoh fans)
Ano ne, sorry bout the butterfly crap..hehehe. It just came out of the blue…^__^
Wai~After two days of completely blank, ideas came pouring in. So I'm one day late! (Or is it two?)Forgive me? ^__~
Thank you sooooooooooooo much 4 reviewing!! **glomps everybody**
Special thanx to those who wished me well in my exams. Hope yours will be too. ^__^
KiraX105, Kitsune Asakura, Amethyst Bubble, winky golden, Jessica, AKIDA Yamakusa, piti opacho, Kaori, mi-chan, Hao-sama rulze thew world, angelic sinner
unpredictable.l~~Yes I have heard it. I went and downloaded the song when you recommended it. And it was creepy how it fits ;; Ne, if you wanna write a songfic on it, go ahead. I don't mind. You're not bothersome at all. Ask me a thousand times I'll tell ya the same a thousand and one times. Aah..Rurouni Kenshin, it's a classic. I love that anime. I've seen a bit recently. They're reairing it on TV. Why do ya ask? Did you see a connection?
Goku-chan2002~~My A-levels were so so. Hope yours is much better than mine. I'll try ta make the future chaps longer. (This one is.^__^ Hope that cheers you up)No promises though. ^__^
Sweet Anime Fan~~Hmm..Yoh will remember Hao, but not anytime soon. =p
tone~~ Mou! You found out! I was abducted by aliens, and they told me an idea for a fanfic they had in mind. After finishing Aniki, I must write it for them. Kowaii;;
Quote of the day:
Kyouyama Anna, she says
All play and no work, makes Yoh a lazy jerk. --__--*
Ps: Anyone interested in some theories about Hao and the whole Shaman King system, could visit this site www.geocities.com/yamakusa/SK/ and perhaps leave some comments.
That's all for now…
As always I'll try to update in three days
See you then,
~¤CrimsonFlame¤~