¤Aniki¤

Disclaimer:::

Me no own SK. I do own some original characters (Though I just realized that they are original characters I is stupid) so ask permission if you wanna use them ok.

Legend:::

(.…bla bla….) Is thoughts

"….bla bla…." Is normal speech

{….bla bla….} Is notes/signs/etc.

….bla bla….Is memories

…bla bla.. Is sound effect

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Chapter 12

Day 4

Change-they say it is the only constant.

A lot has happened, much more in this week than in his entire life. It all started when he was beaten up and tossed around by a mad boy-band/X-Laws member. Then he was mildly cared for by a cousin, who had made a deal with Anna to train him. The number of odd training sessions had been hell. Plus, he had endured numerous spontaneous fire-balling sessions by said cousin and miraculously survived to this day.

But what has changed his life most were the revelations. Of the time before he lost his memory. Thinking back now, perhaps it was the truck accident that had triggered the appearance of the dream-like memories. The memories had confused him at first, but gradually they began to fit together like the pieces to a forgotten puzzle.

From what he had concluded so far, he had been, as a child, kidnapped and sold off to a foreign family in America. He grew up there, went to a school there. He had a foster brother who also went to the same school as he did. Then, one day when he was about five, his house had burnt down. His foster parents had died in that fire, leaving only him and his brother. After that, it was a blank until the day the Asakura Clan came for him. He was then rescued and taken back to Japan. His brother seemed to have perished that very same day of his rescue.

How much different his life was now…

Asakura Yoh looked up into the wide blue sky of the Americas and sighed. Even it was of a shade different than that in Japan. Barely hours from it and the boy was already missing his homeland. More so of his friends and his mochirei. Yoh had been looking forward to seeing them again.

"I wonder if Ren and Horo had killed each other off yet." The shaman voiced out in amusement.

His mock concern was met with silence.

Hao had shape shifted into his avian form earlier and had flown to who knows where his wings had taken him. But since the Spirit of Fire was still flying with Yoh in one of its hands, the other shaman couldn't be very far away in order to keep up the oversoul.

Which in Yoh's opinion, was far longer than he had expected and could ever hope to accomplish.

The tired shaman got up carefully and stretched his aching joints which had been left inanimate for too long a time. He gave out a cry of relief as a muscle popped silently. The SOF swayed a fraction when Yoh had uttered that sudden sound, as if it was startled.

Yoh managed to contain his balance -since he was still standing- only to find the SOF staring at him with blazing eyes. It was as if it was demanding to know if something had happened.

Yoh seemed to realize this and immediately began waving his hands in front of him while laughing nervously.

"Ehehehe. Daijoubu. Everything's fine." Yoh frantically reassured the giant spirit.

The SOF stared at him for a stretching minute and then looked ahead again, giving out a grunt of annoyance.

Yoh blew out a breath he had been holding. From his stand on the spirit's palm, the jagged landscape passed below him in a steady speed, the cooling but dry wind blowing against him. He observed mildly as a herd of wild mustangs raced freely across the open terrain, kicking up dirt and dust from the parched land.

The young shaman swept a trickle of sweat from his brow. The sun was without mercy. The day was getting hotter and hotter as noon approaches.

Feeling bored without company, Yoh jumped up onto the shoulder of the SOF and sat down beside its head. One of its burning eyes turned to glare at him before reverting to its forward gaze.

Yoh used his unearthly huge amount of free time to study the spirit for once instead of falling asleep like he usually would in these situations. Something in the mannerism of the spirit reminded him of something. All he could think of was those mesmerizing but familiar blazing red eyes. They held a certain arrogance in them, a wild untamed spirit that bowed to no one's will.

"Yet it bows to Hao's will." Yoh said to himself absent-mindedly.

As soon as those words left his lips, the SOF let out a most horrible screech that just about made his eardrums burst at its sheer intensity.

"Grreeaah!!" It screamed.

Yoh had to keep himself from dropping out of the sky and shortening his shamanic career when the SOF jerked from side to side as if trying to toss him off. The startled anxious boy immediately tried to calm the frenzied beast. He stroked the nape of its neck slowly, all the while whispering gentle words of assurance. Yoh winced in pain as the spirit blazed momentarily, burning his hands. The creature seemed to relent to his ministrations after some time, slowing down to its previous steady position.

When the SOF went on as if nothing had happened, Yoh gave a huge sigh of relief and sat down slowly in caution even if he wanted nothing more than to plop down tiredly onto the shoulder and take a nap. When he was safely seated, the shaman gave the spirit a nervous glance. The creature looked deep in thought, if such a thing was plausible, and had seemingly forgotten about his existence for now.

Yoh returned his attention to the matter at hand, wondering what had set the spirit off into that frenzied manner. However, his thoughts were disrupted when an eagle, so black that it could be mistaken for a raven, soared out of the sky and onto the SOF's shoulder right beside him.

In a short second, the eagle was nowhere in sight and in its place stood its human counterpart. Hao looked down onto him and asked,

"Did anything happen?"

Yoh paused. The screech from earlier on must have brought the other shaman back.

"Um, no. Of course not." Yoh answered despite himself. For an unknown reason he felt that he should not tell Hao about the SOF's actions yet.

Hao's equally midnight eyes held him in a scrutinizing gaze that sent a shiver down his spine. After a year-felt minute, they were averted down to his slightly scorched hands. Realizing this, Yoh quickly hid his hands behind his back and flashed his companion a toothy smile. Seeing his actions only brought suspicion to the long haired boy, and Yoh wondered what he would accuse him of doing.

Instead, Hao just looked away.

"Of course." He said. After a while he added, "We should be able to arrive at my base in about three hours' time. But before that, we will make a detour to the Cave of 1000 Souls."

Yoh made an inquiring look.

"You shall see." Hao said before he managed to ask why.

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Dark, dank and dreary.

They were what best described the Cave of 1000 Souls. Yoh managed a gulp as he hesitantly braved a step towards the gaping mouth of the cave. The short-haired boy stared in reluctant awe at the intimidating opening.

"Ne, Hao are you sure we have to go into this place?" The shaman asked, glancing nervously behind him.

The long-haired boy looked back at him from his perch on the giant boulder near the cave. There was a slight smile on his face, as if finding amusement in his own private joke.

"No. We don't have to go into the cave." Hao said earning him a sigh of relief from the other boy.

However, his relief didn't last long when the older shaman added cheerfully, "Only you will have to go into it."

At that time, the size of Yoh's gaping mouth must have rivaled that of the cave when he heard Hao's announcement.

"B-b-but…" Yoh said with an excellent impression of a fish out of water.

"It is an ultimate test of will, Yoh. Many shamans have yet to overcome the obstacles that lie within. Very few of my followers have gone through this part of shaman training and even fewer managed to succeed in it. Those unfortunate souls who have failed, they add to the number of spirits already in the cave."

The voice of the long-haired shaman seemed to darken with every word spoken. Yoh couldn't help but to gulp noisily at his solemnity. Hao paused to stare at him with those intense black orbs of his and then continued on, looking away.

"The spirits can read your thoughts and your feelings. They will strive to make you lost. You can hear them whisper words of seduction, promising you the deepest of your desires. Surrender to those temptations and you'll surrender your own soul. This is a fight where you are your own enemy."

"Uh-huh." Yoh said intelligently. And then he added, "What am I supposed to do again?"

Hao was on the verge of lifting the boulder he was sitting on and banging it against his brother's skull. He had the biggest suspicion that Yoh hadn't taken in all of what he just said. With gritted teeth he continued.

"Seek out the main spirit guarding the cave and request from it a 'Crystal Tear'."

"Eh?" Yoh's head tilted in curiosity.

The older shaman sighed and went into another round of explanations. "Only those acknowledged as shamans worthy of the Great Spirit will be given a Tear by the guardian spirit of this Cave of 1000 Souls. It would mean a high boost in shamanic abilities and major furyouku level ups."

"Really!?! Cool." Yoh said excitedly. If this training can help him become more powerful in preparation for the Shaman Fight, then he would not hesitate anymore. It's just that… "Do I really have to do this alone?" he asked hopefully.

"For God's sake YES!!! Now go! I don't have the time to sit here and talk to you all day!" Hao scowled.

"H-Hai!" The younger twin exclaimed in a hurry.

"And you'd better not fail this training Yoh. Because if you do, I will personally hunt your soul down and kill you myself for wasting my time and effort in training you. Understood?" Hao warned in a poison-dripped voice.

"H-HAI!!" Yoh shouted in reply and dashed towards the looming entrance.

As his brother's shadow disappeared into the darkness of the cave, Asakura Hao suddenly felt alone. A shiver ran down his spine despite the relatively warm air as he gazed pensively into the wide open sky.

"Be careful. I do not wish to lose you again." Came a sliver of a whisper barely audible in the empty atmosphere.

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The American airport was bustling with people from all walks of life. Kyouyama Anna watched with uninterested eyes as a girl ran up to her boyfriend and showered him with hugs and kisses. The couple walked past her chattering happily and the itako surprised herself as she let out the breath that she didn't realize she was holding back. Anna would not admit it but she was starting to miss her lazy-assed, no good excuse for a fiancé shaman.

With a sigh at her own nostalgic nonsense, she headed towards the airport cafeteria where the short boy had ran off to earlier saying that he was starved while Ren and the others went off to find out more about the Shaman Fight. Which was fine by her since Manta, her gracious benefactor was treating her to lunch-whether he wants to or not.

As the itako reached the general area of the cafeteria, her nose was assaulted by a mass of delicious mouth watering aromas. Anna tried to block out the overbearing noise that also accompanied it while searching for the little chibi.

(A task which is virtually impossible.) Anna thought as her eyes skimmed through the sea of people in the cafeteria.

Then by luck or the grace of Gods, she spotted him on tiptoes, stretching his arms up towards the high - to Manta - counter which held his tray of drinks. Shaking her head, she headed towards him and managed just in time to prevent the tray from toppling over due to his clumsy efforts.

"Ehehehe, thanks Anna-san." Manta said gratefully. Pausing awhile to get a firmer grip on his tray, he then glanced up at her and asked, "Did you get anything to eat yet?"

"No." Came an irritated reply.

Manta sweatdropped. "Er-r then why not try the 1901 Hotdogs? My American pen friend says they're the best."

The itako raised an eyebrow at that but said her approval and followed the short boy when he started to move in the opposite direction.

The pair reached the said stall with little effort and Manta placed an order of two 'Minnesota Twins' when he began to notice a certain familiarity in the blond stall keeper.

Oyamada Manta's face turned stark white and his mouth hung open wide enough to fit a train. The blond adjusted the pin on his shirt that read 'Faust VIII' and smiled pleasantly.

"Would you like drinks with your hotdogs?" The necromancer asked with a hand holding a speared hotdog in the air.

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At first he saw nothing but infinite darkness. It reminded him of the time when he trained in that cave to prepare to battle against Ren. The battle with Faust VIII had made him weary of the lack of power that he had. He swore to himself that he would never be that weak again. To protect his friends, he would be strong.

#As he walked deeper and deeper into the cave, Yoh began to notice a white shroud forming around him. Pure white mist yet in it there are shadows that lurked and leered. He heard the lost spirits whispering pleas, sensing just on the edge of feeling a fading world behind and a growing world ahead. The shaman gasped as something lashed at his ankle, but passed through like a shadow. That gasp left his lungs burning and head swimming. The air was getting thicker, and it was getting harder to breathe.

Then ahead he could see a white doorway. His palm was already soaked with sweat.

"Little Yoh" wheedled a voice in his ear. "Please come to me little boy…Don't leave me here…"

He turned slightly and immediately felt he was being tugged back, ghostly claws curling around his shoulders and waist, trying to pull him down.

"Stay…I'll give you power…Strength to be the greatest Shaman King of all…"

Yoh struggled hard and staggered free, running through the suffocating mists towards the white door, the image of the destination burning in his mind.#

And what greeted him beyond the blinding door was a surprisingly bare and ordinary cavern. It wasn't very large as Yoh could see to the whole of it through the dim light reflected off the walls. The steady and melodious drip of liquid echoed off the cavern's rocky surface providing the only sound in the deafening silence of the space.

That was when Yoh finally caught on to its presence. He heard it first before actually seeing it. A soft almost inaudible hissing reverberated in his ears and his midnight eyes caught some movement between the jagged stalagmites that decorated the cave floor. The shaman involuntarily took a step back as the shape unfolded itself before him. Forcing a gasp down his throat, Yoh unwillingly studied the beautiful radiant creature that was in front of him.

A huge silver snake with ruby red eyes and golden patterns that adorned its mile long body bathed in the glory of an absent moon, luminescent overlaying its dark background. Its forked tongue flicked out at the barest of seconds to taste the change in the air and slowly the serpent averted its gaze towards a certain shaman.

Yoh couldn't help feeling like a small mouse right now. A stupid rodent who had walked in for dinner. One where he is the dinner. Perhaps he should ask for Kiba's help. Sweat broke all over his face under the scrutiny of those crimson orbs. And before the shaman decided to run the hell out of there, the silver reptile spoke in a flurry of hisses.

"Child…Why have you disssturbed my ssslumber?"

At the sudden question, Yoh could not do anything but to stammer and babble uselessly as he stared down nervously at his interesting shoes.

"I-I aah…You see I was err…Umm, I was s-supposed to find this ah…guardian and uh, get a crystal something." Yoh stole a glance at the serpent who was looking at him impassively. "So um, do you know where I can find this guardian so I can get what I want?"

With his question hanging in the air, the intimidating creature continued to gaze at him with cold eyes that made him shiver. Then, it slithered close to him towering over his relatively small frame. The magnificent silver head of the serpent drew near to his face till the tips of their noses were almost touching. Seeing the creature so up close was overwhelming and Yoh could feel his heart beat faster in fear. The snake then slithered around his head until it is side by side with his face.

"Aah but I know what it is you really desssire, young Asssakura." It whispered seductively into his ear.

The said shaman felt shivers run marathons up and down his spine. Unable to say anything as the serpent flicked its tongue across his cheek, Yoh had to battle every instinct in his body that told him to escape from the deadly embrace.

"To always be at eassse. To be accccepted by everybody. To be everyone'sss friend. Is this old Ssshin-yuu not accurate in her wordsss?"

Yoh looked at the snake confusedly. How did it know his last name? And how did it know what he had always wanted?

"I sssee you lack any objectionsss young ssshaman. Do you believe that you have achieved what you wished to posssesss? Friendsss?

Yoh smiled at the question, not noticing the sly curving of the serpent's mouth and said confidently,

"Yeah I have friends. Anna, Manta, Ren and the others. Even Hao."

"Aah I sssee." Shin-yuu gave a brief nod and unwound from his head. The luminescent creature then slithered away from him. With her back facing him she asked in a slow and deep voice.

"Are they really your……friendsss?"

"Of course they are. What are you talking ab-?" Yoh started, confused at the seemingly ridiculous question.

However, the sudden voices that began to cut him off before he could complete his sentence.

"Yoh will become the Shaman King and I, his bride will be able to lead an easy life."

Anna's recognizable voice was heard crystal clear and Yoh spun around behind him, expecting the blond itako to be standing there. Yet, there was no sign of the girl.

"One a dominating betrothed……" A hiss in his ear.

"If I stick close to Yoh, people will not disrespect or bully me again because I'm his friend."

The shaman spun around again towards Manta's voice. His heart was beginning to beat faster and faster as the words he had heard began to sink in.

"The other an opportunissstic thinker……"

"I'll use Yoh to train myself to be stronger and become Shaman King myself."

Ren's deep tone echoed off the hard walls. Yoh was breathing hard now, an ache in his pounding chest, his eyes wide open as if trying to escape a bad dream.

"And another…an obsssesssed opponent."

Shin-yuu gave a hiss that sounded like an amused laugh. "I do not sssee any ssso-called friendsss. It ssseemsss you have been missstaken child."

The weary shaman shook his head continuously, "No! No! They're not like that!"

Shin-yuu lifted the tip of her tail and circled that wavering chin. Using her tail as if it was a human limb she tilted the boy's face upwards towards her own. The serpent grinned in satisfaction as she saw desperate denial in those lovely dark eyes that the young human child bore.

"Ooh, how are they like then?"

"They're…they're…" He stammered.

Yoh felt like crying. He couldn't answer her. He couldn't think of what to say. Perhaps he had believed in what the serpent had said. Then came the words that finally broke him down. Old familiar voices saying words that he feared ever having to hear again.

"...You're weird."

"You are not normal."

"Weirdo. Weirdo. Weirdo."

The chants repeated in his head until they were all that he ever hears. Yoh felt himself fall to his knees, his tired legs no longer able to withstand his weight. Tears began streaming down his face in a steady flow, him not having the strength to hold them back any longer. Tiny sobs emerged from his throat with his head bent down in defeat. His body trembled and shivered in despair while he wrapped his arms protectively around himself.

"There there, you poor thing…Do not cry, dear child…" The serpent began to coil herself gently around the shaking boy, this time hissing in a soothing, almost motherly tone.

"Forget them……Forget everything…"

Shin-yuu felt the young shaman begin to respond to her warm embrace and gentle words. Yoh's body was becoming more and more relaxed and his sobs were fading away into quiet 'hics'.

"SSStay, young one…I will be your real friend. You will be happy here."

At those words, Yoh gazed up and asked in a hopeful voice.

"R-really?" He rasped out hoarsely.

The serpent almost winced at the innocent expression, starting to feel a little guilty for putting him through the agony before.

"Yesss…"

Shin-yuu looked on, burdened with more guilt as the young human gave her a sweet and pure smile of happiness.

"Okay…I wanna stay here…" The shaman whispered softly.

The tired boy snuggled on the serpent's body as if he were on a soft mattress.

"Nmh, it's warm…" Yoh muttered.

The silver snake that is the terror of those who were unfortunate enough to wander unknowingly into the cave, stared unbelievably at the child that fell asleep in her embrace. Being reduced to a bed was something she would never have thought of.

Shin-yuu, the eternal Spirit Guardian of the Cave of 1000 souls, smiled warmly at the slumbering boy nestled within her coils and for the first time found a reason to contradict her name.

"Good night my child."

Translations

Mochirei - Main Spirit

Daijoubu – It's ok

Furyouku – Shamanic power (?)

Hai –Yes

Itako – Spirit medium

Chibi – Small; Midget

Shin-yuu - Deep sadness

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#Excerpt modified from novel 'Waywalkers' by Catherine Webb. Go read it if u can. 0 The author is a teenager who published her first book at 14I'm so impressed 0 Sugoi ya.

I'm really sorry to all you wonderful reviewers out there. I really don't deserve your nice comments, sniff sniff. GOMEN NASAI. m -- m

I've started University in February this year. Between moving to a new city, and limited internet access and THE ENDLESS NUMBER OF ASSIGNMENTS!!! I haven't been able to find time to write my fics. Sigh……

So I hope you'll forgive me for the major lack of updates. I am determined to finish this story, so I SWEAR I WILL NOT DROP IT as long as you guys still wanna read it.

One note: I haven't seen Shaman King for months now, so my facts are a little,(very) blur. Sorry if I made any mistakes on the charas.

I also would like to thank Sugarfree for still drawing for this humble and painstakingly slow fic of mine.

Thanx a lot everybody for all your support!

Quote of the Day:

Faust VIII, he says

"To those who didn't realize there was no 'Quote of the Day' in the last chapter are eligible for a free eye exam in my clinic."

Eliza, she says

"Terms and conditions apply."

Shiroi Ai: ;; Oi, it's supposed to be a quote. Not an advertisement.;;

WITH BEST REGARDS,

SHIROI AI aka CF

Review desu, Onegai……