little talk
I've updated my story now, so that you can search it under Characters: Tamao T.; Hao A.
Ame no Majo: not to worry, though I was thinking that Hao shouldn't really make any moves on her without knowing her first. (I can't think of any other way to phrase it for right now…)
Burura: now that you mention it, Hao really hasn't made a real move. Ha…
review lord: i believe the word for "anime knowledge man" is anime otaku
i believe the word for "anime knowledge man" isSo, anyway, a list from chapter 13: longbca, Reviewer, Lay girl, Kyuuka-Kyubi, winner-loser, person :D, sweet-but-evil, DFlame-Fan-Girl-For-Hire, Tsuki.Miko.Hoshi.Witch, Xbakiyalo, and Hao's#1fan
Disclaimer: i don't own Shaman King
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Moving In
Chapter 14
Knowing the Tao family you'd see, aside from ancient temples, a mass amount of wealth. Surprisingly, even though they have been excluded, by self or others, they've managed to gain an insurmountable prosperity alone. An amount of wealth that could moderately satisfy themselves for centuries.
Jun practically dragged Tamao along to the boutique.
"This place is absolutely wonderful. And a good sense of style, too. Did I mention?" Jun kept rambling on while Hao trailed behind them. His walk was smooth, looking very calm. Though it looked too odd, to see him normal attire. Wearing casual clothing, khakis, and a plain blue shirt. His hair tied, and a sports bag on his shoulder.
"Tamao, what color do you like? Or maybe a patterns, like floral?" Jun looked down at her, going through racks of dresses. She picked out a black strapped dress. "Mm…you don't really look the way Anna does in black. Maybe pink?" Jun asked, looking at her hair.
Tamao looked over her shoulder to see where he was. Hao was resting in an armchair in a corner. Though you couldn't really see him since the chair was facing the opposite direction. All she could see was a soccer bag by the chair, and part of his face which turned around.
Sorry, Tamao-chan. I have to go. said a voice in her head.
"Tamao, what do you think of this?" Jun held a clothes hanger excitedly (well, of course the hanger has a dress hanging on it). It was like shopping for a little sister. Tamao examined the dress. It was a sleeveless black dress with a floral print of magenta colored orchids, cutting off just above the knees.
"I couldn't find anything pink. They normally reserve that color in another section, for kids. But I think it'll look nice on you anyway."
"How much does it cost?" Tamao asked.
Jun didn't answer.
"It's not too expensive."
"Gomen-saaiii, Jun! Arigatou." Tamao sighed after the cashier did the routine, 'have a good day!'.
"Don't worry, Ren's going to pay for it, see?" Jun smiled, and waved a credit card with Ren's name.
"I-I didn't know he was old enough to get one!" stammering, again.
"He isn't." she replied. Justifying the point, "So I get to use it."
Isn't that illegal? Tamao looked around for him. She saw the armchair, and went towards it. "Hao, we're done shopping now…." Only that there's no Hao.
Her heart pounded wildly where did he go where did he go where did he go? Jun? Would you help me?…No. I've already asked too much from her. I shouldn't ask her. I'll find him, he could be home. Or….
"Jun, what time is it?" Tamao asked.
"About 2'oclock." Jun looked up from her watch. Other than spending time to find something for Tamao, she also went around the store for herself.
The soccer game started at one….
"Where's Hao?" Jun finally asked for the evil-doer's presence.
"I think he left…for that soccer game, you know." Tamao waved her hands in circles.
"Oh…well, then he'll be gone for a long time then. There are like, four quarters to a game, or something like that. At least half-time things…. Hey, do you want to go shopping?"
How did she do that? Just suddenly change the subject?…but, well, I'm not much of a shopper. I only buy things Anna-san tells me, which is just grocery shopping, and whatever she wants. And besides that she already bought me something…and poor Ren. His sister is spending his life-savings! (are they life savings?) I know she'll pay him back, but….
"Jun…I think I should go home." Tamao whispered quietly.
"Alright…I'll go call the limo."
The black, shiny front a car pulled in front of the Inn.
"Annnna! Visitors!" Yoh called out to her.
Silence.
"Oh, why hello, Tamao." Yoh turned around to look at her, "How was the game?"
Jun's chauffeur already zoomed away leaving strawberry in the dust.
"I missed it," she said rather sheepishly. Looking around the ground, noticing indents in the earth where Yoh had to slave away.
"That's too bad. Guess I'll just have to ask Hao--" he isn't too accustomed to call Hao his brother "-- Unless if Anna stops me, knowing the way she'd be."
"And what am I?" an wintry voice, in the midst of summer, didn't come from too far away.
"But Annna, it's so hot out here! Don't you know that song?" Yoh turned up the volume of his headphones, "It's getting' hot in here, so hot! So take off ---!"
"TWO-HUNDRED LAPS, NOW!"
He runs off.
"Tamao, since when did he listen to American music, or just…that? I mean, sung in English?" Anna leaned against a porch post.
"I always thought he did." Tamao came up the steps, and took off her shoes at the entrance.
"I couldn't tell what it was, but the way he was dancing…" she blushed, " It was disgusting."
Tamao stared at the itako, wondering what she should say.
"Tamao, go clean the rooms, will you? Yoh will mop the floors." Anna quietly walked away without waiting for an answer. Tamao didn't hesitate to obey the orders of the Queen, she went into the laundry room and got out a broom.
Brushing along the dusty, unused hallways. Eventually brushing the dirt off the pavilion. In passing rooms, there's always one that gives a tense, apprehensive feeling that radiates down the hallway. It wasn't always like this, but now. Only one person uses this room, and this is the only room being used for the entire hallway. The only person who would dare pass by this room is Anna. Everyone else pass only when it is necessary.
Tamao sweeps through the other rooms, leaving the one room last. Turning the cold, metal knob of the door she enters. Everything is neat, clean, dust-free. The bed is already made, and everything arranged perfectly on the desk. The desk. Tamao raised her had in front of her, palm facing out. There was something strange about that desk, no doubt.
She walked to the desk which was at the far corner, opposite of the door. Gently leaning the broom against a small bed post, she sits down in front of the desk. I feel something…powerful. Her hand skimmed the handles of top, and bottom drawers. It can't be the Tome of the Shaman. Anna has that, isn't that right? What could be so…. Her hand shakes, but grabs firmly to the bottom left drawer. She opens it effortlessly. Inside it is empty except for one dust covered box. She lifts it out, and sets it on the desk. She whined, waving her hands around her as to keep the dust from flying into her face. Once it settles, she uses her fingers, slowly, to wipe off the many layers of dust still on. Why is it so dusty? How is it that even in a closed area it has this much dust? She brushed her hands together, and let the dust fall to the floor.
The cover of the box had a simple design of white, and pink flowers. On the side of the dark, wooden box there was a T-shaped metal sticking out. She opened the box. Half-way through opening it a small sparkling song started to play. It was a jewelry box. On the back side of the cover there was an oval mirror, and a ballerina centerpiece. It twirled slowly with the tune.
There was only one thing inside that box. It was a picture, like one of the Polaroid kinds where the picture rolls out of the camera, and takes a while to develop. Though it was only one half of the picture, apparently someone else had the other half. There was a young girl in the picture. She had pink hair, and magenta eyes. She wore a sincere, shy smile.
Me…?
"It's a beddie!" shouted one voice behind her.
"Ooooo, oooooo, ooOOOOooo!" came the other.
A raccoon, and a fox danced on the bed behind her.
"One, two, twee, four, I wanna play a thumb-ble war!" Conchi let out a hysterical laughter.
"Nooooooo, let's play tweee lil' monkeys," the other, Ponchi, wailed, "TWEE LIL' MONKEYS JUMPIN' ON THE BED, ONE FELL OFF AND BROKE HIS--"
"HEAD!" the fox, and raccoon cried in unison.
"You two…" Tamao nearly jumped out of her chair, she spoke meekly. "You really shouldn't be jumping on the bed." She hastily placed the picture back into the box, and laid it back into the bottom left drawer.
"Awwww, but Tamao-chaaaan! You know I've always wanted a bigbigbigbig bed!" Conchi wiggled his foxy-tail.
"NO LIL' MONKEY JUMPS ON THE BED!" Ponchi continued on, "ONE LIL' MONKEY JUMPING ON THE BED, HE FELL OFF, AND BROKE HIS--"
"HEAD!" the two critters cracked into laughter.
"But if Anna--" Tamao began, but there was no need. The only name powerful enough to silence these two troublemakers. An awkward silence.
"So, uhhh, where were we?" Ponchi asked.
"Uhhh, right." Conchi answered. Then asked Tamao, "Is this really your bedroom?"
"Um, n-no. It's--"
Ponchi and Conchi gasped, and interrupted her, "A BOYYYYY'S ROOM!"
"Anna told me to go sweep the house--"
"Naughty, naughty. I never thought you'd stoop this low." Conchi wiggled his finger at her as she got up from her chair.
"Did you go check out his stuff?" Ponchi asked.
I don't want to know what he means by that.
"EW, Ponchi, you so pervy!" Conchi cried.
"eW, Conchi, you so foxy-lady!"
"I'm no lady!…But I am foxy--"
"You two be quiet." Tamao evenly said each word.
"Wait. That's not we're here for." Conchi paused.
"That's right!" a light bulb lit beside Ponchi.
"WE ARE SORRY." the two spirits kneeled, and bowed in unison. "WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO OFFEND YOU."
Tamao just blinked, and picked up her broom.
"Wait!" Ponchi grabbed ahold of her broom.
"Wait!" Conchi landed on her head. As though their weight combined would slow her down.
Futile.
"Why did you leave us with Kino-sensei?" cried Ponchi.
"That was too cruel!" Conchi cried into her ear, "What did we do to deserve it, Tamao…sama?"
Tamao sighed, and sat on the bed. "Ponchi…Conchi…--"
"Ey! Why'd you say his name first?" Conchi piped out.
"When I used to have both of you around, I was having a lot of dreams," Tamao ignored him, "Mostly about people I didn't even know, or something close to that. Since you two were around me, I guess other spirits were attracted, and decided to visit me in my dreams. And I couldn't really help them much since they were already…dead. And besides that, I had a dream about Kino-sensei, so I decided to leave you with her."
"Sounds horrible. Inhumane, cruel, and unusual punishment." said Conchi.
"That's confusing." said Ponchi.
"Forget it," Tamao tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "I still need to sweep the floors for Anna-san." She got off the bed with the two critters hopping along behind her. Sweeping the last of the dust on the floor, she brings the grit into the hallway, and closes the bedroom door behind her.
"Eek," the two squeak together, "Master Zeke!"
"Y-you were in Master Z-Zeke's room!" Conchi stuttered.
Hao looks up from walking down the hallway. Dirt and grime edge around his uniform, and his hair is mess. Not the normal collected impression.
"Oh, you two," he looks up, dazed, "You've been watching too many T.V. shows. My name is Hao. Hao." The fox, and the 'coon tremble as Hao's voice gains more substance. "Tamao," he looks at her with tired eyes, "What were you doing in my bedroom?" He asks with a slightly defensive tone.
"Anna told me to clean the house," she made her statement as quickly as she could so that Ponchi's and Conchi's eyes wouldn't stay permanently popped out after this.
"Oh…I understand," he said, though his actions said differently. He eyed the two shaking critters, their eyes still bulging. Hao's eyes inspect them, as though he could see right through them. "Just cleaning…?" he turns to Tamao, more relaxed now.
"Just cleaning." she half lied.
Hao seems satisfied, and enters his room. Tamao motions for her spirits to follow her, and they do so willingly.
"Both of you," Tamao pleaded to the two as they walked down the hall, "If I give you a room with big beds, and everything will you promise me not to cause any trouble?"
"PROMISE!" both chimed in at once.
"Say it."
"We promise not to cause any trouble, we love you Tamao-chan!"
"Good…." She reached for the door of the room next to her bedroom. It was haunted, of course. But Ponchi, and Conchi are sure to have a good time.
"We love you, Tamao-chan!" they both said before she closed the door behind them.
Tamao rushed into her own bedroom. She searched it. Looking for the one thing she treasured most. A part of her memory. And alas, she found it in one of the most simplest hiding places: in her pencil box. The pencil box that she no longer used that is. There were many memories in there but she was only looking for one. And she found it.
It was a picture, like one of the Polaroid kinds where the picture rolls out of the camera, and takes a while to develop. Though it was only one half of the picture. There was a boy with tan skin, and dark brown hair. Longish, dark brown hair. He smiled just like any other kid, just plain happy.
A nostalgic feeling. Red bridge over a creek in a forest, nearby out where I trained.
While still on training grounds, the boy with brunette hair said, 'let's go out for a while before Sensei comes.' he laughs.
'To where?' I ask.
' It's a secret place I found. C'mon, before Sohmei and Kino-sensei have found out we're gone.' he grabs my hand, and starts running. A camera hangs around his neck.
'Where is Sohmei and Kino-sensei?' I ask.
'They're busy with guests.' he says.
We run for a long time, and stop at the red bridge. I don't remember what we talked about. Mostly of how things were going.
'Tamao-chan,' he says, 'I'll miss you.'
'What do you mean? You're training with Sohmei. That's not far away, Yoh-kun.' I see him wince slightly.
'A part of me is with Sohmei, another part of me is elsewhere, wherever he wants to be.' he smiles.
We take a picture, and play by the creek. That is as much as I remember.
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For a girl, I don't go shopping much (More like a few times every two years. Mama shops for me:) ). So sorry if this chapter sounds sort of funny. I think I know what a floral print is.
I read somewhere that Ponchi is the raccoon, and Conchi is the fox. And that they're perverted. (- -)