Chapter 5: Chained Tales
'I am going to slee—p…' he mumbled under his breath. It was exhausting he felt he was going to faint and spew out all the food he had in his stomach in dizziness. As if it was the end of the world… he never would like to take a trip again using a portal… it will surely drive him to madness! But sure, Anna had really shown how powerful she was. She can open a portal, no ordinary individual can do that, and even ordinary itakos can't. Luckily she had survived the trip… or what will be the circumstances if she lost her delicate life.
'Ajar!' Anna's voice echoed like droplets of water to a calm spring to his ears. He suddenly thought of Anna, where was she? He doesn't know where she was or even where he was. He began to open slowly his eyes. It was a dream… he was just slept. 'So all of those were just a mere dream…' He had just conjured up those things, it hadn't happen in reality. But it was just felt true. He saw a pleasant light in the room, indeed it was his room in Funbari. '7:00' he glance to the wall clock.
'So, it was just morning… We are just going to Izumo today.'
'Funny dream.' He muttered to his mind. He began to sit in his futon and yawn widely.
'Opening a portal is a tiring process…' here it goes again, Anna's voice. He looked everywhere in the room, Anna might be pulling some pranks to him. But Anna never does that, she doesn't like joke or even to smile.
'It can drain all your energy, worst it can drain your soul…'
"Who was that? Anna are you out there?" He asked calmly and softly talking to the paper door of his room. No one answered. This is mad! He thought.
'OUVERT!' Anna's voice yelled at his brain.
"What the?" he exclaimed and jump onto the futon. He was startled. It wasn't funny though, he thought. Anna might like him to be awake for the journey. Manta might be downstairs waiting for him. He slid his door onto the side to open it.
As he step to the empty hallways of their house he notices that somehow their house is a bit different, the hallway, the room decors, everything. But it's like he was home. Then a barrage of laughter echoed through the infinite hallways, he searched for the noise and saw a lighted room in the extreme end of his left.
'Manta might be in there' he muttered to his mind dreamily. But he thought also that Manta had a companion, who was he laughing at? Is it Anna, Anna never did laugh with Manta, even to him so Anna might not be Manta's companion. Who would that be? Everyone was not in Funbari. He's still confused but started to drag his feet through the wooden floor of the hallway.
It was again… the loud laughing… 'Who could that be? Laughing out loud early in the morning with Anna at the house?' As he draw nearer the room the laughing doesn't come to an end.
"Then as we open our door to our house a big blast of white fat envelopes zoomed inside! As if there was a stampede!" A familiar voice of a man was heard in inside the room. Everybody in the room laugh out loud.
'Who was that guy? He was kind of familiar… I had heard that voice before if I am not mistaken.' He muffled in his mind. A girl now spoke and he sticks his ears in the door.
In a matter of seconds everyone sounds as if they were given a present. Then the door opened without warning and he was seen by the people inside the room caught in the act eavesdropping in the door.
"Master Yoh?" the pink haired girl who opened the sliding paper door startled by his presence.
"Tamao?" he finally spoke reddening with embarrassment and took a short glance inside the room. "What are you doing here?"
"Yoh-kun!" a spiky blue haired boy came rushing to him to wrap his arms to his neck that really made his neck in pain. He wore some kind of a native clothing and keep on sniggering while breaking his neck.
"Are you going to kill the owner of this house oniichan! That is not a good welcome to him!" a blue haired girl now spoke and gave a big lump to his brother who let go Yoh's neck.
"It's okay Pirika, Horo-Horo just misses me much, hehehe." Yoh said and gave her a wide grin.
"Did anyone says MEASLES!" a dark boy with funny clothing bark in the corner of the wooden table.
"Don't dare try to make funny again!" a Chinese boy growled at him and put out his spear to threaten the dark boy. "I had enough boring jokes for ages!" he continued and glared at him.
"Ren, its okay we could have a couple of laughs… even it was corny." Yoh said to him.
"Master Yoh, you are awake." Tamao spoke again in front of him.
"Yes, Tamao… by the way what are you doing to our house?" he asked without hesitation.
"Yoh-kun? You haven't remembered what happened?" Manta finally spoke, who was next to Anna.
"Happened? What happened?" he asked again and made his way to the rectangular wooden table, were the others were using.
"I'll get Master Yoh food, he must be hungry." Tamao insist and went out of the room.
"Its okay, Tamao, I am not yet hungry." Yoh said to her with a smile. "You can sit here for a while. Tamao blushes to Yoh, offering her a sit and she made her way next to Yoh and sat in a futon.
Ren burst into laughter that everyone notices, then Horo-Horo join him in laughing. Yoh stared at them with questioning eyes that said why-are-you-laughing.
"You, know Yoh… I never thought you won't be starving after you all arrive here in Izumo."
"Izumo? Izumo?" he muttered to Manta who gave him a wince. So this is Izumo, they had arrive to Izumo… when… so it was true, it was not a dream, they really travel to Izumo thru the portal… how brilliant!
"Yes, we are here in Izumo… it's our second day of arrival here." Anna said coldly to him. He was not fascinating… but… second day? What the heck is all about; it was just yesterday… how come she said second day.
"Anna… it was our second day here?" he asked again not believing his own ears. Anna nods in agreement.
"Yes, Yoh-kun, it was our second day here… They said we are sleeping the whole day yesterday." Manta said.
"Plus… the day you lot arrive here." Horo-Horo corrected.
"We arrive here the day before yesterday… and we all sleeping since we arrive here!" Yoh yelled with surprise.
"Yes, Master Yoh, I had found you lot in the bush in the woods when I was picking up flowers for the vases…" Tamao joined with reddening face, "You were all sleeping like dead!"
"Sleeping?" he again blurted with surprise. Yes, he remembered… after his foot landed on the grassy ground he felt dizzy and spat and he felt he was going sick and fall in a deep sleep. But two days? Two days of sleeping, no eating or even drinking… he hadn't done that before… Anna never permits him to.
"Did I tell to you that traveling thru the portal is a tiring process?" Anna said sarcastically.
Traveling thru the portal is a tiring process. He remembered what he had heard… does Anna want him to remember what happened or it was just his pure imagination. He was now confused.
"Tell me Tamao, how did you found them." Ren asked her, "So, Yoh would believe that he, had drowse off for two days in a row."
Tamao blushes deeply and cough. "It was a bright day… the wind blew cruel icy breeze that day…" she started.
"Tamao… Yoh's friends had arrived…" Kino told Tamao in the stairs of the temple.
"Master Yoh's friends? They are here… this early, Kino-sensei?" She asked her with disbelief.
"I had sent them letters of invitation for Yoh's ceremony… Yoh would like to see his friend in the ceremony, I guessed." She muttered to her, "I want you to welcome them and pick them a cozy room."
"Hai! I will do it Kino-sensei." She shouted with agreement and fled to the gates of the temple.
Her spirits fly through her running in the huge grounds of the temple. 'They were here… Master Yoh will be coming soon too.' She muttered to her mind, 'I am really excited.' She arrived to the main entrance of the temple and saw the familiar faces of their friends walking to the gate, The Chinese black haired boy, Ren Tao still has his coolness of being a warrior, next to him his older sister with long green hair, Tao, Jun with her power spirit, Lee Pailong, The funny Ainu siblings with colorful clothings are also there, the blue spiky haired guy, Horo-Horo, the blue long haired girl, Pirika, she uses to talk to her because Anna usually don't talk. The guy they met in America in the tournament, the dark guy with funny clothes, Chocolove.
"Konichiwa, Tamao-kun!" The girl greeted her brightly. Ren smirk and mumbled that sounds like 'At last!'
Tamao nodded to her a sign of greeting. "How was the trip?" she asked.
"It was fine." Pirika answered to her and slams her luggage to the sandy ground.
"Is Yoh here?" Ren started to her and scanning the whole place as if he hadn't been there. Tamao gave him a shook of head that means he wasn't there.
"May I lead you all to your room?" She offered again.
"Wow! Brilliant!" Horo-Horo exclaimed with excitement when he opened his room, it was cozy… very relaxing… the colors… the soft futon… the portrait of the temple was hang in the wall. "Thank you Tamao." He said and got inside his room. Tamao gave him a soft "its okay." And leave him alone.
"When will Yoh arrive here?" Ren asked next to her.
"Maybe a couple of days from now… Kino-sensei had just ordered a spirit to send him a letter." She responds to him and starts walking and stops to the next door. "Here you go, Ren-kun, it is your room… just leave your luggage there… Kino-sensei wants to greet you and have a word to all of you."
Ren nods and got inside and slid the door soundlessly. Without a warning, Horo-Horo rushes to her and knock her off to the wooden ground of the hallway.
"Are you okay Tamao" Horo-Horo asked her with worrying look.
"She wasn't okay!" Pirika appeared behind him and gave him a strong punch in the cheek. "Why are you rushing to your life with?" she again spoke to his brother as if she was the older sister.
"That hurts! You are my little sister! You should not shout at me like that!" he yelled, "And punch me like there was no tomorrow." He added and held a smile.
"It was okay." Tamao said with a force smile, Horo-Horo is really clumsy; he was that ever since she met him. "What have you seen? I suppose you are not afraid of ghost?" he snorted.
"That's silly! I am a shaman for ages and afraid of ghost!" He retorted a laugh, "I was curious if you are going to the kitchen… you know… I really love your boat tarts, I mean… can you teach me how to bake it?" he said with a big wide smug in his face that looks like he was thinking not nice.
"BOAT TARTS!" Chocolove bark at them from the backside. Everybody jumped to their feet.
"Can anyone just give a warning before popping out of nowhere?" Tamao said scowl in her face. She doesn't do that always.
"Boat Tarts!" Chocolove said again and waling towards them, "you all mean the tart that can use in traveling thru water?"
"No. The one that can travel thru the air." Horo-Horo said to him sarcastically, "It was a staff of life, you bubble brain!" he added.
"Maybe, I'll make tarts… when master Yoh arrive here." She said it with a flaming red face. Horo-Horo stared at her with suspicion. "Oh, well, Kino-sensei is waiting for lot of you downstairs in the room; she said she would like to talk to all of you."
"A cup of tea?" Ren emerge to the sliding door, who had changed his clothes. Everybody jumped to Ren's presence. Tamao sighs and led them to Kino's room.
"This is Kino-sensei's room. Come inside" she insist and opened the door. It was a large room full of prayer accessories, portrait of past residences of the temple, the floor was made of shiny woods and the ceiling was pure white. The aroma of the incense was lingering the room, lit candles are in the cabinet with Japanese characters, that says Successors of sabbatical land. In the center of the room, a short but wide table was seen; a short old lady was sitting in the pillow seat and having a tea.
"They are here, Kino-sensei." Tamao finally announce to her master. She spun around and found the four young guests.
"Come, have a tea here." She said with her old voice. Everyone walked towards here except for Tamao who remained in the door. "You too, Tamao dear." She added. Tamao quickly came to her.
"Ah!" She started, "Nice to see lot of you here to support our very own grandson." She spoke brightly, Tamao had not seen Kino that happy seeing Yoh's friends in the temple, for years Yoh hadn't brought friends when he was still not in Funbari, he was lonely, he hardly had friends.
She held the kettle full of steaming o-cha and pours it to the cup next to her. Everyone was gone silent, even the noisy and nosy Horo-Horo and Chocolove didn't dare speak, they knew that Kino was Anna's itako trainer, since she was an itako too, they were afraid of her that she might bite like Anna.
After of a long silence and sipping their tea, Kino spoke to them. "Listen…" Everyone caught their attention, they looked at her intently. "I want you lot to organize a party for my grandson… after the ceremony."
"A party? Does the Great Spirits would not throw a victory party for him?" Ren finally spoke.
"They would not, unfortunately. But we are, I want you to all give him a welcome to his new duty."
"As a new shaman king." Ren retorted while Chocolove and Horo-Horo still gone silent.
"Yes, I want him to feel that he was really fit to be the new shaman king." She said shortly.
"That was brilliant, I really want to throw a party for Yoh, but I haven't got much money for the party… if all of us would organize it, it will be more terrific!" Horo-Horo bursted.
"Good, I wouldn't like to plead to all of you." She said with her old voice and held a forceful smile. "Have you like our place?"
"Yeah, but a bit old… but it was fine." Ren snapped.
"I want you all to feel free in our house, Yoh's friends are also our friends." She said.
"Yoh's grandma was not that bad than I thought." Horo-Horo whispered to Chocolove who was next to him.
"Yeah, I thought she was kind like Anna." He responds to him with a soft voice.
"Well then that was all I want to say to all of you." She said. Everybody got to their feet and got out of her room.
"I never thought Yoh's obaasan was not like Anna, grouchy…" Chocolove said as they walk in the stairs to their room.
"Would you care to join me to a stroll in the woods Pirika?" Tamao asked her with a small smile. Pirika looked at her and didn't think and say 'yes'. The guys thought it was a 'girly bonding' and didn't join the two and instead they gone up to their rooms and take a little nap for they were tired in the trip.
The woods in the temple was not that full of trees, actually it has more bushes and high grass like bamboos, the air was still chilly, still cold but they wouldn't mind. They walk thru a little lagoon and went straight to the flower patches of the woods.
"How was the tribe?" Tamao said dreamily.
"It was fine, oniichan and I was busy planting Kororo's plants." She replied with proudness. Tamao held a smile, even the annoying Horo-Horo was light-hearted inside, and he really cared for that Koro-Pokuru in the north.
"Hey! I want to pick those flowers!" Tamao cried as she point the beautiful chrysanthemums in the bush. "I want to put those in the vase." She said as she rushes to the bush.
Without a warning a loud cracking sound echoed through the woods and ground-shaking feeling was felt that was very strong that they both fall to they knees in the ground.
"What the heck was happening?" Pirika yelled at her, that she hardly heard with the earwax-falling noise everywhere. She hardly sees what was happening for the shaking of the ground. She prayed that it would stop.
After a few seconds, the chaos stopped dead. Pirika rushes to her like a baby with fear. They crawl to the bush with the chrysanthemums and heard common voices to the other side of the bush.
"Were here." A girl spoke in a cold tone but somehow sounds weak. "In Izumo." She continued.
'Ma'am Anna? Is that you?' Tamao asked herself and wind the bushes and found three people, Manta, Anna and Yoh lying in the ground.
"That was awesome!" Horo-Horo barked with amusement to what had heard, "Loud noises, earth-shaking feeling! I want to travel to a portal."
"You wouldn't like if I tell you that it was really feeling sick if you travel to the portal." Yoh snapped at him. Horo-Horo smirks.
"Plus, who would open the portal, you? Give me a break." Anna said with sarcasm.
Ren spit out a laugh, "Anna was right; opening a portal is a risk-taking process."
"Risk-taking? Ha! That's good one, you won't bring me down." He replied to the Chinese boy.
"Risk-taking means you would risk your life in opening such gateway, even you can travel thru the long journey." Ren said to him as a matter of factly. "But I never thought Anna could open a portal, usually, wizards, warlock, sorcerers, and witches are the ones can open a portal not shamans."
Anna spun herself around them so everyone can't see her face. "Are portals made of bright flashy lights?" Pirika joined to them.
"Yes!" Manta yelled with excitement, "It was splendid! I never seen those lights before, it was very extraordinary!"
"Wow!" Pirika let out a wide eye with her excitement as if she had picture out what a portal may look like.
"Ma'am Anna had not used that before." Tamao interrupted the two. Anna was still silent. Indeed Anna's abilities was very far behind her, she had not even knew how to use a medium, well, she was not an itako but she was indeed Kino's best student for ages. How she wish she was.
"How were you when the letters had not arrive to you lot?" Yoh asked them and elbowing the table infront of him.
"Us!" Horo-Horo asked, "We had a great time in the north…"
The field of the northern hemisphere of Japan was icier than in Izumo, people usually wear thick wool of animals as protection in the nature's icy breath. The Ainus, the native tribe in Japan was the oldest tribe in the country.
The whole tribe was living peacefully in the woods with thick ice when winter but it other seasons, it seems that winter didn't leave them for the breeze were as cold as winter season.
"Oniichan!" Pirika cried as she sat into the plowing machine and having a little tantrum. Her brother dash towards to her to see what was the problem.
"What was that Pirika?" he innocently asked her sister. Pirika eyed him for a second and let out an outburst of cry. Kororo comforted her by tapping her shoulder. "Pirika? Are you alright? Are you tired…? I'll do the plowing and you can do the seeding." He insists so that his sister would stop crying.
"NO!" She let out a cry again, "The machine! It won't work!"
"The plowing machine? How come… it was bought just last week and it wasn't working, come, let me see." Horo-Horo pulled the long string to start it but it uttered a funny noise. He kicked the machine. "This is wicked!" he mumbled now he was having a tantrum too.
"Oniichan, what shall we do? Should we inform this to mother and father?" She asked her brother with no hope of the machine working. Horo-Horo stares at her for a minute and looked again the machine.
Pirika, too looked at the machine for a while and found something in the machine, a red circle with red pointed arrow points to some kind of a number, '0' "It was out of petrol!" she yelled to her brother, "You didn't put petrol in the machine this morning!"
"OH! I… Forgot!" Horo-Horo yelled with surprise and embarrassment. "Oh, what shall we do now… the store was way far here… and our stock of petrol was gone out?" Horo-Horo said with a sigh and fall in the ground.
"What seems the problem?" A voice of man asked them.
The two jumped to the man, he was wearing some kind like a singer… Elvis Presley to be exactly… and he wore a pompadour in his jet black hair; he holds a motor bike helmet and set his bike to the ground.
"Ryu?" The two muttered, Ryu had not gone to north, he was living in Funbari, why was he here?
"What are you doing here?" Horo-Horo asked his friend with disbelief. Ryu retorted a laugh.
"Is visiting friends, bad?" Ryu said as he let out a smirk.
"Ryu? You are visiting us? How did you found our place?" Pirika joined them Horo-Horo stared at Ryu.
"I heard you two are having a problem to your plowing machine, you had gone out of petrol." Ryu said as he walk towards the two and scan the machine.
"Yes, we are gone out of petrol and the store is far far way." Horo-Horo explained to his friend.
"Actually I had found your place just coincidentally; I was looking for my best of place and didn't notice that I was going to north so I pass by here in the Ainu tribe." Ryu retorted a laugh.
"So, it was accidental." Horo-Horo looked at him with narrowed eyes. Ryu was still looking for his best of place. He was looking for it ever since he had met him in Funbari.
"But luckily I saw you two, I really miss you all guy after the tournament we had not seen each other for a while." Ryu said as he crush the two's ribs in hugging them with enthusiasm. The two were in pain but was really happy seeing their friend after almost a month.
"Hey! Fortunately I had bought an extra petrol in my bike!" Ryu said as he releases the two and got the container of petrol to the two Ainus.
"Is that okay? I mean what about you, Ryu?" Pirika asked him with concern. "What if you're out of gas… you should not give that to us." She refused.
"It was really okay ne? Just give me a cup of tea as a welcome." He replied with a wink. Horo-Horo didn't like Ryu winking his sister, actually he don't want anyone to wink at his sister, for him it was a sign that he was thinking some thing not nice to his sister, even he was an annoying guy he still loves and protect his only sister and sibling.
"Alright! A cup of tea may do, but don't do that, that's disgusting." He said to Ryu.
"I am just practicing how to wink a girl if I met a beautiful lady." Ryu explained.
"How long are you staying in our tribe, Ryu?" Pirika asked him as she pours Ryu's cup a tea.
"Just a few days or I'll be leaving tomorrow." Ryu answered.
"Why won't you stay for a couple of weeks, you know, we won't mind you are here." Horo-Horo said with glee. "By the way, how's Yoh?"
"Master Yoh? Well actually I had not visited him after the tournament and go on in finding for my best of place." He told the two who was watching him intently.
"Ow… So you had not talk to him, I really want to know how he was."
"I think he was just darn fine there, with ma'am Anna would do all her best to train master Yoh."
Horo-Horo gulped, he thought that too, Anna was still Yoh's fiancée, no matter what she will stick to her 'hell trainings'. And speaking of trainings, Pirika uses to train him in the shaman tournament, how he wishes she would not do that again, it will surely drive him mad!
"Trainings? After the tournament? Well if Miss Anna trains Yoh, then oniichan would do that too, ne?" Pirika blurted. Horo-Horo was gone deaf for his sister what had said, this was hell! Because of Ryu his sister had remembered trainings!
After a week the plants were sprouting and some even are tall enough for the Koro-Pokuru to use as an umbrella or house. Kororo was really thrilled in the outcome of the two Ainu's hardwork; Ryu had gone to the tribe a week ago so he had no chance to see the beautiful green plants of the north, and how they wish he was still there to celebrate their hard work in planting the green plants.
It was a sunny morning a new day of caring for the plants as the Ainus made their way to the patches they spotted some kind of white things to the patches as they both draw nearer they saw white envelopes all over the field of the patches.
"What are those?" Pirika yelled with surprise, those white envelopes are covering the plants's sunlight.
"Envelopes! Had you got a pen pal?" Horo-Horo asked his sister with suspicion and cast a look to her that means don't-dare-say-yes.
"No!" she answered with no hesitation, "I don't have pen pal, and excuse me! I think you have one!"
"What!" he can't believe it; his sister is accusing him having a pen pal? How she would think of that, "I don't have!" he snapped to her and got one of the envelopes. He opened it and saw a piece of paper with some kind of foreign handwriting. He tired to read it but it was not readable. Pirika approached him and looked at the mail, she didn't understand the writing, and who would an idiot write to them with foreign language?
"That was funny, for a second I thought you had just forgotten to read!" Pirika said to him dreamily.
"Mother! Father!" They both yelled at the top of their voices and holding envelopes in their hands. They opened the door and piles and piles of white fat letters emerge to the door.
"What on earth is this! Horo-Horo explain yourself!" His mother let out an outburst of anger.
"I didn't do that!" he said shortly.
"I didn't do that either!" Pirika added that her mom might accuse her.
"Alright then, who did this?" His father asked.
"We don't know, some one had send mail to us with foreign language!"
"Foreign language!" His father said without believing the two and opened one, indeed it was, "It was Italian!"
"No! It was Korean!" Horo-Horo corrected his father.
"I think all of these letters are composed of different languages."
"I'm sorry Horo-Horo for the trouble, I suppose it was Carlx who wrote to you… he was a bright spirit, and he knows almost all the language in the world including the insect language."
"It's alright; it was not your fault. Even mother and father gave us some punishments."
"So, Ryu hadn't got a chance to notify about the celebration."
Horo-Horo let out a nod and, "We don't have any form of communication to him…"
"So much for story telling, I am starving!" Anna complained.
"Oh! Sorry, Miss Anna, I was kinda relaxed… I'll get the breakfast."
"No. its okay we all go to the dinning room."
Tamao held a small smile to her face and all of them ate breakfast.
So Ren, Jun, Horo-Horo with Pirika and Chocolove had arrived too in the Asakura temple, but Ryu, Faust and Lyserg had not yet seen or not yet notified about Yoh's ceremony…
…TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: On my first chapter I had warned you all that this is not a good fic so just stop your reading and find other fic that might interest you, I am just saying this because I don't want to put blame in your action, ok?
But if you are that keen, well continue… I had many scenes in my mind for those who really love shaman king in action…
Sorry for those who really like romance because I am concentrating in the general story of the shaman king, which is to amaze you all! Romance is my second genre and it will turn to loving couples for a few chapters, (am I spoiling you or what?) Don't worry for those who love anna and yoh together… but I didn't say they will be together in the end…
The fic will be in the romance genre when everything will go to the wrong way.
I want to know how you guys feel about my fic, praise, comments, suggestions, flames are welcome as much you can express your true feelings, thank you to those who had reviewed my fic, and I really absorb what you had said.
Next chapter will be… just guess hehehe (am I a cliff hanger or what!)
Ta-ta! And see you in the next chapter!