Chapter 7: Shamanic Madness
The very next day the whole temple was covered with deafening silence, the whole temple was back into it's natural 'stillness', even the gang were in the temple the whole household was like a ghost house, not just literally. The gang had eaten breakfast, Anna told everyone to rest from their chores that day to unwind a bit. And all of them were on their own; Most of them went to the woods to take some nature tripping.
Manta was inside the house and using his laptop, Tamao with Pirika and Jun with Lee had taken a short walk in the main temple. Chocolove who loves the two pesky animal spirits were in the patio of the house and planning to pull some pranks and merrily laughing. Horo-Horo was out of sight no one knows where he was and who was with him, he maybe with his spirit, Kororo. Anna who was alone was inside the house too but no one knows what she's up to.
Meanwhile in the heart of the woods, Ren and Yoh were taking a short walk with their spirits.
"This is the spot!" Yoh exclaimed with amusement.
"If sleeping is what you meant, you can sleep inside the house," Ren said to him with disgust on his friend being lazy. Yoh was always like that he much like to sleep all day than to do something important in his life, he watched carefully his friend put out a cloth and rolled in the grass.
"Come on. I can't sleep peacefully there."
"Anna won't disturb you; she didn't mention your training."
"Oh, yes, she didn't mention that after we arrive here in the temple, even she made a new schedule of my trainings." He replied with a wide grin in his face. "And I just want to have a different environment, that's all."
"Yoh-dono, this place is really peaceful." Amidamaru shriek in joy.
"Fresh air, green trees… This is a paradise." Bason replied, a spirit warrior of Ren agreed. Ren sat down beside his friend and muttered "you always do this when you were young?"
"Yes, if I had escaped from my training sessions." He said with a grin. Ren's eyes softened and close it to feel the morning breeze of air. Yoh just watched him as he appreciate the nature, the happiness of life. Ren had never felt such happiness in his heart when he was young and had brainwashed by his father, he had experience a bad childhood, and always the family depends on him for he was the heir of the Tao family.
Maybe they were some kind of similar in their childhood, he then experience being discriminate in the school for he was a shaman, he had hardly friends when he was elementary, he usually stay in the corner of the classroom talking to someone that none of his classmates can see. This year was very great to him, he had gain true, loyal and trusted friends and he will be proclaiming the new shaman king in no time. Ren had not gained friends in his childhood that's why he got along to him perfectly. His life was been planned by his parents and grandparents, like Ren. Except he was not engage with a woman like Anna.
Anna's name struck his mind like a lightning bolt, he then remembered what Anna had told him last night, and he too had experience an odd spirit but lied to her. He was confused that evening, they both felt it, but neither of the whole gang didn't, is there something that was going on that they were the only ones who had the power to sense it?
"You know when we are in the backyard yesterday I had experience a funny feeling." Ren broke his thoughts.
"You what?" he uttered in surprise. What was that Ren had experience or felt yesterday, is what he and Anna felt yesterday is what Ren had experience?
"I had sense an odd spirit. Have you?" He was dumbstruck, so it was not just them. He was right, Ren had sense it yesterday.
It took a moment for him to gain his cool again, "Funny though, I had felt it too." He confesses the truth to his friend.
"Do you think…?" Ren asked him but Yoh ignored his question and asked him instead
"How come you didn't tell me yesterday?" Yoh asked him as if Ren didn't ask him, "Anna had felt it too…"
"She what?" Ren's mouth fell open, he can't believe what he had heard, she, Anna had felt it too? He again thought that Anna was really powerful she can open a portal and sensing an odd spirit she can't do? That was really stupid. "She felt it too…" he continued.
"So…how did you know? You asked her?"
Yoh shook his head, "She asked me last night when everyone was asleep."
"What did you tell her?" he demanded a question.
"I told her that obaasan told me that it was just a lonely spirit who visits in the house." He answered.
"And she buys that answer?" Ren said ridiculously. "You told her that it was just a wandering ghost in the temple, who was lonely?"
Their spirits listens to their masters intently and in silence.
"Yeah, that's the only reason—n" before he could finish his sentence Ren interrupted him,
"Reason? You know that there's another!" he said hissing, "You know that he's not dead!"
"What do you suppose to mean he?" he asked his friend as if he doesn't know the answer to his question.
"You know who I am referring to."
"Is that mean Master Ren…" Bason joined them with the air of worry. Amidamaru shook his head slightly and said nothing.
"But if you felt it too, how come you didn't told me about it?" he again sprang his question a while ago.
"That's because…" Ren started without fear.
"That's because we are sensitive enough not to spoil the celebration for the new proclaimed shaman king." Horo-Horo had appeared to the bush behind them. Ren and Yoh both jumped to his presence.
"How long had you been there? Popping around as if you are a ghost." Ren accused him with narrowed eyes.
"Long enough to hear you two had felt a spirit yesterday." He said with proudness and also sat next to Ren, "That I happened to felt it too."
So everyone had felt it, Yoh concluded in his mind. It was not just him or Anna, everyone and everyone was gone to nuts to tell or open it to all.
"So, I think everyone had felt it, huh?" He spoke to Horo-Horo. Ren uttered words to himself that sounds as 'so you are spying on us'.
"Well, perhaps… half correct, half wrong…" he answered back his friend, "We, had felt it… three of us… but the others don't, like the girls…" and throw a dark look to Ren "Like Pirika, for example, she remained her carefree attitude, so it means only us… we three and Anna had felt it."
"How good you Horo-Horo to notice it." Amidamaru said dreamily.
"Yeah, and I never saw you in a serious situation." Yoh said and fighting the urge to laugh.
"That was not funny, Yoh-kun! I am trying my best here to portray a serious image to the lot of you and you thought I was not serious all along!" Horo-Horo said to him.
"Don't say you are serious even before we met you?" Yoh again let out a giggle.
"Of course I was serious even that day!" He yelled to him but not in an angry tone.
"Cut it out you two!" Ren break them.
"So… you reckon… that he's back?" Horo-Horo asked Ren.
"Most certainly, he is, there is no proof that he was dead." He replied to him as a matter of factly.
"And he can reincarnate by himself!" Horo-Horo added.
"But he can do that only by 500 years!" Amidamaru insisted to the two, the two shot a death glare to him that makes him to hide behind his master.
"He has a point." Yoh agreed to his spirit and got to his feet and tap his pants with dust.
"Goodness!" Ren shake his head with what he had just heard, Horo-Horo gave him a vague look.
"What do you think Yoh-dono?" his samurai spirit asked him.
"I think, obaasan was right, it was just a mere spirit who was wandering in the temple." He said shortly.
"A spirit? An ordinary spirit! Are you mad? You know that he was that yesterday!" Ren said ridiculously as if his friend got the point.
"Yeah, obaasan was always right." He retorted calmly.
"What if she was wrong this time? Everybody can commit mistakes!" Ren said now beginning to loose his nerves.
"What? So you will tell me he was alive?" still in his calm tone.
"What? Who do you think who was that?" Ren let out a shout, "DO YOU THINK THAT HE WAS NOT OUT THERE? LURKING AT US!"
"He maybe not."
"HE MAYBE NOT! WHAT IF HE WAS! IF HE WAS OUT THERE, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?"
"If he's really out there, we can't make a move, we will wait."
"WAIT FOR WHAT!" Ren shouted to him and completely lost his temper, while Horo-Horo's mouth fell open.
"JUST WHAT I'VE SAID, THERE'S NO PROOF ON HIM DEAD! HE'S OUT THERE!" Yoh watch Ren yelled at him.
"AND WON'T HESITATE TO KILL EVERYONE TO GET WHAT HE WANTS!" he added catching his breath.
"Will you two keep it down…?" Horo-Horo insists to settle down the argument.
"I know what he wants…" Yoh finally spoke in a low voice completely ignoring Horo-Horo.
"Me." He added.
"WELL AS IF HE CAN JUST TAKE YOU! HE'LL MAKE REVENGE!" Ren again roared, "YOU KNOW HIM! HE WAS THE DEVIL HIMSELF, HE'LL KILL EVERYONE WITH A BLINK OF AN EYE AND GET WHAT HE WANTS!"
"WE MUST SAY THIS MATTER TO ALL… NOTIFY THEM, HIS COMEBACK!" Horo-Horo became dumbstruck for Ren's yelling.
"No, we are not that sure… and think how they can react to the situation."
"GOOD! AT LEAST THEY CAN REACT BEFORE THEY WERE EXTINGUSHED WITH HIS FIRE!" he yelled with all his might. "AND THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THIS IS TO SAY THIS MATTER TO EVERYONE!"
"Say it to yourselves!" Yoh said to him, he often shouted his friends like that, not now. "I know him, like you said… if he's really out there, he will first appear to me. As long he doesn't, we wait."
"But Yoh… what if…" Horo-Horo said with worry.
"While we wait…" he said with gritted teeth, "I'll prepare myself for our last encounter."
"Yoh! This is completely dangerous! Are you mad enough to sacrifice the other's lives?" Horo-Horo hissed.
"I don't agree to your plan." Ren again joined them, "It is better to tell everyone and to prepare…"
"NO. It is against me and my brother. I know he is really strong enough for me…" he said gapping to Ren who was shaking with fury, "but patience will lead us to success…"
Everyone became quiet, if their worst enemy was not dead how could they celebrate? How could they fight him again? Is waiting the only solution to stop him or is there anything they can do aside from waiting? What if Ren was right, Anna can help, and Kino and Yohmei were the ones can help him about that matter. But what if it was just a bizarre madness, he was just afraid that he, was alive, Ren said there was no proof he was dead, that's because he was crushed by his furyouku, how can they see his corpse? Any bits of him were unseen or discovered.
"Your obaasan can handle this situation… even just her… tell her." Ren suggested and beginning to gain his cool again.
"Your obaasan surely knew who that was… if he was that…" Horo-Horo added to him
"She also knew what to do."
Yoh think for a moment, there were a bit right, his obaasan can handle that, and she can surely and guaranteed knew how to solve this riddle. But if she'd knew, she will definitely be disappointed about a new problem rises before his proclamation. Horo-Horo said they don't want to spoil the celebration, but if they tell her, the celebration will surely be spoiled and ruined.
"If we tell to obaasan… the celebration will be a big disaster, she was looking forward for this moment." He again spoke after a long silence. His spirit stared at him.
"FORGET THE CELEBRATION! HOW COULD WE CELEBRATE IF THERE WAS A BIG THREAT TO OUR LIVES!" Ren again shouted again, his spirit tried to untense his rage.
"IF YOUR OBAASAN WAS REALLY HAPPY, YOU BIENG A SHAMAN KING, HOW WILL SHE BE IF SHE KNEW THAT HIS GRANDSON WILL NOT MAKE IT TO HIS CEREMONY?"
"HAO WILL RUIN EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING! YOUR HAPPY MOMENTS, YOUR LIFE!"
Yoh's heart skip a beat hearing the word 'Hao' he hadn't heard that name for a month and after a whole month of no news and carefree life he finally heard that devilish name again thru his friend's own mouth. Maybe his other self was right; his other self believed to Ren that he was back in track and plotting something not nice. He feared him, and doesn't know why, not just taking his soul and body, he was ready for that months ago. He feared that he was plotting something worst, worst than death and soul wandering.
"Yoh, please listen to us, there is a good solution to this, which is to tell and prepare. We know how you feel, but please." Horo-Horo pleads to him like a sheep.
"I know Horo-Horo…" he finally spoke to him. Horo-Horo gave him a warm smile.
"But I decided to keep this matter as a secret." He continued.
Ren just shook his head and looked defeated; no wonder Yoh was really hard-headed. But what are the circumstances of what had he just done risking their own lives just to make everyone happy.
"Okay, you win, we'll wait…" Ren said gaining his natural cool again, "but one thing… after the celebration, he doesn't show up… he maybe dead… but if he showed up…"
"You must tell us first…" and he gave him a smirk.
Yoh nodded in agreement.
"Good."
Horo-Horo burst out laughing; Ren shot a glare to him.
"I can't help but to laugh, seeing you two having a go to each other."
"Hey! Wait a second! I still hadn't asked you why you are following us!" Ren hissed and Horo-Horo just laughs heartily.
So all of them decided to keep that a secret, even Anna, Kino, Yohmei, and Mikihisa was not notified in there big hunch. But still their hearts were full of fear that the evil shaman might be back and cause another disaster and worst destruction of the world.
After three straight days without odd situation going on the Asakura temple were startled with Tamao's prediction. "Three ugly blokes will do everything to make…oohhh!" Chocolove said imitating a fortune teller, "Their way to the Asakura temple…"
"Yes! I got it! Hold on!" Horo-Horo also imitates more correctly than Chocolove said, "And this blokes will enchantly bring home some… oohh…"
"Dung gifts!" Tamao blushed with embarrassment. Horo-Horo received a lump to sister for it.
"I think Tamao's prediction was true." Manta defends her, "When we when here she had predicted that we will came."
"I think you are right." Ren agreed.
"We are only joking… sorry Tamao." The Ainu apologized to her and took a quick glance to Ren.
"Well, if there's anyone coming, they would not be welcomed if they were not invited." Anna said shortly. Next to her was Yoh who looked pale and anxious in something.
…TBC…
A/N: Well, it was kinda short chapter but it was full of information isn't it?
Who are the people coming to the Asakura temple? Will it be Yoh's worst nightmare, or it was the other way around, just tune in to this fic and you'll know the answer.
And oh! Next chapter I will be revealing a teaser! I hope you guys were darn thrilled what I had said last chapter. Well… next chapter will kinda long than this one… and
Not just long, it was informative too…
Shaman community will experience another season of celebration for the coronation of the king, just a few chapters away!
ANOTHER!
Feel free to express your feelings! You like my fic or hate it just sign your reviews and I will surely take it without grumble! Unlike the other fics this fic don't follow the reader's or reviewer's plot, couple…etc. but if you review I will surely continue to write.
URGENT!
For next few months I will have a short break into writing… to gather more reviews if you guys want me to continue… I know this sucks but okay… I will soon upload the chapter 8: The Unexpected Visitor in June or July because I had something to do in the next few months , but don't worry I am just kidding, I will continue my writing, this is my past time!(so why stop?) it will just take time to update again.
To all my readers…
SARANG HEYO!
JE T'AIME!
WO AI NI!
TE AMO!
AISHITERU!
I LOVE YOU!
Vienne louis jean Spellman