Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King or any of its characters.

Destiny's Game

Chapter One: Resentment

Horohoro ate the food prepared on the dining table hungrily, his focus completely directed at the dishes in front of him. Beside him, Pirika was fidgeting nervously while their mother, Aiko, had to gather all her self-restraint in order for her not to 'accidentally' blurt out something to her son.

The only person who seemed perfectly relaxed in the dining room was Takeshi, their father.

He was acting as if nothing was wrong at all, and though they knew that it was probably the right way to act, both Aiko and Pirika couldn't help but feel rather annoyed at him.

He was the one who planned it all, so why were they the ones who were feeling all the stress and tension? It just wasn't fair!

"Pirika?" Horohoro, noticing his sister's sudden quietness, frowned in confusion. Normally, she just wouldn't shut up. Whether it was about his next training schedule or about some other gossip that she'd managed to find out, she wouldn't stop talking about it at all. For her to suddenly turn silent like that was quite… disturbing, "Are you okay? You aren't eating much."

"Huh? Oh…!" As if she had just noticed the bowl of rice that was served in front of her, she grabbed her chopsticks and began eating, "Of course I'm alright, oniichan! Itadakimasu!"

"Umm… okay, then."

Aiko sighed. If there was someone that she and Pirika truly need to be sorry for, it was Horohoro. Even if they were feeling extremely nervous and uneasy, at least they knew what exactly was going on. Horohoro seemed completely lost and confused that she just couldn't help but pity him. He had absolutely no idea on what lay in store for him.

"Horokeu," Takeshi said suddenly. Pirika held her breath and Aiko pretended not to care (but failing quite miserably), both of them expecting the worse, "Can you pass the soup, please?"

Pirika stared at her father in disbelief. Just how long was he planning to keep it from his brother already? He'd have to know sooner or later, and Akira had promised her and her mother that he would tell him all about it that day!

Actually, he said the very same thing the other day… and the day before that… and also that other day too… but still!

"Otousan!" she frowned, glaring at her father, but he simply shrugged and smiled at Horohoro, who was looking from his sister to his father, thoroughly puzzled.

"Am I missing something here?" he asked suspiciously, but Aiko shook her head a little bit too quickly.

"Of course not, dear. Why don't you just ignore them and finish your meal?" Aiko said to him gently while shooting daggers at her husband, who, like always, shrugged it off.

There was silence in the dining room for a while, and Horohoro found himself wishing that Pirika had something to talk about. He wouldn't even mind if she'd go on and on about it. He wouldn't even mind if she would talk about a new training schedule for him! He just wanted to get rid of the tension in the air at that moment.

Pirika and Aiko, however, were just wishing that Takeshi would hurry up and let it all out instead of 'searching for the right moment' – which was another way of him saying 'I'll tell him some other day.'

At last, when Takeshi had had enough of all the frowning and glaring that he received from the women, he opened his mouth to say something, and Pirika and Aiko waited in anticipation.

"It's a nice day today."

Horohoro, obviously used to his father's random sentences, nodded absent-mindedly while Pirika gritted her teeth, gathering every single ounce of her self control to stop herself from practically screaming at her father.

Luckily, Aiko managed to find a topic that had something to do with what they wanted to tell Horohoro.

"I heard that Yamashita-san had gotten married a few days ago," she said, trying to seem as though she mentioned the topic off-handedly.

"Yeah, he was pretty excited about it."

"I see… and how old was he again?"

"Eighteen."

"Ah…" Aiko nodded in understanding before throwing in her next question, "And how old are you?"

"Eighteen," Finding this conversation to be a bit suspicious, Horohoro raised his eyebrow questioningly, "Okaasan, is there something that you want to tell me?"

"Oh, not at all!" Aiko answered, laughing nervously, causing Horohoro to raise his suspicions, "I'm just thinking that, well, he's the same age as you and yet he's already married. It's a bit… unbelievable, if you know what I'm saying."

"I thought getting married at that kind of age is usual for the Ainu Tribe," Horohoro stated, and Pirika finally decided that she had just about had enough of it already. It's been almost a month since she discovered about it from her mother, and she was sick of waiting for her parents to tell Horohoro about it.

"What she's trying to say is…" Pirika struggled to find the right words, "Aren't you planning on getting married anytime soon?"

A slight blush appeared on Horohoro's face as he pondered about Pirika's question. He should have known that they'd ask him about it sometime soon. After all, Aiko had behaved strangely when she heard that a friend of his was already married. And Takeshi had been watching romance drama more often than usual.

All of those are obviously signs that they were expecting him to tell them about something… or more specifically, someone.

The problem was, he didn't have anyone on his mind at the time. Sure, he'd been attracted to a few girls before that, but he hadn't actually been in a relationship or the likes.

"Well, I'm not really… I mean, there's nobody in my mind right now," he admitted. To his surprise, his mother sighed in relief… It was as if she was glad that he wasn't with someone then. But… that wouldn't be right. Most of his friends' mothers had been pestering their sons to go get married and have some children. Why should his mother be any different?

"Okay then… let's assume that we do have someone. What'll you do if things are that way?" Pirika questioned him, and again, he found himself pondering over the question.

"To be honest, I haven't really thought about that. I sort of thought that I'd think about it after I found someone, you know… special," Horohoro's face turned redder, and Pirika stifled a laugh.

"What if I said that you've been betrothed to someone at an early age?"

Silence.

Pirika couldn't seem to keep her calm as she watched her brother trying to decipher the sentence that Takeshi had said. Aiko looked at him expectantly when Horohoro's face showed an expression of disbelief. Perhaps she thought that he'd be happy with the last statement.

She couldn't have been more mistaken.

"WHAT?" was all that he could say when the fact finally got through his mind, and there was a flash of anger in his eyes, "What do you mean I've been betrothed to someone?"

"Oh, but you were betrothed to someone, Horokeu," Aiko replied calmly, though she was a bit taken aback by her son's response, "You have been ever since you were only a year old. And I honestly think that it's a good idea."

"Besides, this would make things easier, wouldn't it?" Takeshi agreed with his wife, "Then you wouldn't have to busy yourself trying to find that special someone, because you already have one!"

"But I want to make that decision myself!" Horohoro shouted at his parents, scaring the hell out of Pirika. She had seen him being mad at people lots of time, but never was he this mad, "You can't decide who I'm going to marry!"

"Apparently, we already did decide it, Horokeu. We had even set the date when you're going to get married," Takeshi replied, an annoying smile on his face.

"You set what? You did that without even talking to me about it? What if I disagree with you on this subject?" Horohoro had never felt more tempted to shout in his life. In fact, the only reason why he didn't shout was because Pirika was in the same room as he was, and she already looked frightened without him raising his voice.

"You wouldn't. We just know you wouldn't." Aiko said simply, and Horohoro glared at him, very much annoyed at her calm behavior. Why wouldn't she just cancel the whole thing, anyway? It was easy to see that he clearly wasn't enthusiastic about the idea.

"I'm not doing it!" he said finally, "You can just tell whoever it is that I won't do it. There's absolutely no way that I'd get married to some unknown person who may also have a very… weird personality."

He was thinking about Anna as he said that, but no one needs to know about that, of course.

"But we can't cancel it now! Not when everything's all set. All that's left to do now is the wedding dress, the wedding cake, and a few other things, but other than that, all of the things have fallen into place!"

"Why do you think I'd care about that?"

"Now, now, Horokeu. You can't be such a selfish person. The girl had already agreed on this marriage."

"She agreed? What sort of idiot would agree to this kind of thing?"

"She's not an idiot. She's smart enough to know that you can't cancel a betrothal."

"Plus, she's also a shaman. An itako, to be exact," Pirika finally found the courage to say something to her brother, but she still didn't look at him in the eye. Perhaps, she was afraid that he would hate her for siding with their parents.

"I couldn't care less who she is! You can't decide these kinds of things for me. I think I can find a girl on my own, thank you!" Horohoro retorted, but even he could see that it was no use. It was three against one… and when his parents wanted something, they'd make sure that they'd get it; no matter what the cost.

"Fine…" he sighed in resentment, giving up. And who knows? Maybe he was betrothed to a girl that he knew and actually got along with, "Who's this girl, anyway?"

"I was hoping that you'd ask that!" Takeshi said, getting cheerful all of a sudden, "Her name's Kirihara Kasumi. I'm sure you both would get along well."

Horohoro blinked.

"WHO THE HELL IS THAT!"

'I am so not getting married to this girl.'

That was the only thought playing on Horohoro's mind as he stared at the seventeen-year-old girl in front of him. It wasn't like she was hideous or anything… it was just that he still didn't agree on his parents' decision. He sure wasn't willing on spending the rest of his life with a girl that he barely even knew.

And, judging by the look on the girl's face, she wasn't too fond of the idea either.

"Well then, I'll just leave the both of you together to know each other better while I talk about the wedding plans with Kirihara-san, alright?" Aiko said happily as she went closed the door behind her, leaving the two teenagers in the room alone.

"Hajimemashite, Horokeu-san. My name's Kirihara Kasumi. It's a pleasure to meet you. I guess your parents had already told you about all the things concerning us, haven't they? Anyway, dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu," Kasumi bowed slightly to the spiky, blue-haired boy in front of him.

Even if she wasn't too happy about what her parents had told her a few weeks ago, there was nothing she could do to change their minds about it, so she might as well do as they say.

"Let me get this straight. Our marriage is totally arranged by our parents, and I have nothing to do with it," he stated bluntly.

"Of course," the girl replied, and Horohoro glanced at her in utter annoyance.

Okay, so maybe he knew that she wasn't very responsive from the way that his mother described her. She had told him that Kasumi was a sort of quiet girl who didn't speak very much, but that was all he got? 'Of course'?

"And I haven't got any feelings for you, either, so don't get any wrong impressions," he said again.

Kasumi raised her eyebrow at this sentence, but then she decided to ignore it and gave him a nod as an answer to what he said.

Horohoro sighed quietly so that the girl wouldn't hear. Were those kinds of answers the only thing that he was going to get from her?

"And… well…" Horohoro began hesitantly, "I was wondering whether… even after we got married and everything, that we wouldn't… well, act that way? I mean, I barely even know you, much less love you, so…"

"It's a betrothal. Sort of like a prearranged marriage. Of course we don't know each other… And if you don't want me to act like your wife or have an intimate relationship with me in the future when you get married, then I'm okay with that," she replied without bothering to wait for him to finish his sentence.

"You are?" Horohoro asked in surprised, and when she nodded, he continued, "But of course you have to act like one when we're in front of people. We can't let them think that we're not getting along or anything."

"Acting in front of our parents and friends so that they wouldn't suspect anything… I understand, Horokeu-san."

"Horohoro… Just call me Horohoro."

"I'm sorry, but if we're going to simply act like we're a couple when we get married later, then I'd prefer to only call you by your nickname in front of other people."

Horohoro frowned at her cold demeanor and shook his head. When his father said that they'd get along with each other, he was obviously wrong. How could he ever get along with such a serious girl, anyway?

"Well… okay…" He couldn't find anything else to say, so they kept quiet for a moment.

Then, the silence was finally getting on his nerves.

"Listen, I'm supposed to be getting to know you better. So… what're your hobbies?" he asked, more to break the silence than anything else. Besides, he really did need to know something about her, since her parents would probably ask about her sooner or later. Lying might have worked, but he'd feel better if he just told the truth.

"I don't know… I guess I'm not interested in anything," Kasumi replied.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. You must be interested in something! Alright, what do you always do during your free time?" he asked again, hoping that she'd be able to give him some straight answers.

"But I really don't have any interests…" she confessed, "Snowboarding…"

"You like snowboarding? I do, too!" Horohoro exclaimed enthusiastically. At least they have one thing in common!

"Well, no. Actually, I'd rather not go snowboarding. It's too troublesome for me. I was just looking at that," she stated, pointing at the snowboard which he was holding.

Again, there was silence. Horohoro was starting to think that she wasn't in the mood to talk to him at all. Maybe she was mad at him for saying that they wouldn't have a serious relationship even when they're married…? Or perhaps, maybe she was just the kind of girl who preferred to stay quiet.

"You really don't mind us acting like this the whole time…? Even when we're going to share a house together… I mean, don't all girls want to marry someone they love, and not some guy that she just met a few weeks before the wedding?"

"Why are you asking me these questions, Horokeu-san? I thought that if we're going to maintain a formal relationship, then we're better off knowing nothing about each other," Kasumi said, frowning.

"I wouldn't mind having you as a friend!" Horohoro argued, but all he got was a piercing glare from the girl in front of him.

"Friend, Horokeu-san?" she questioned him, a small smirk on her face, "You don't have to pretend in front of me, you know. I know you hate me, and the only reason you're talking to me is that you don't want to lie to your parents when they ask you something about me."

"It's nothing like that!" Horohoro denied, but he didn't say that with complete confidence.

Maybe he did hate her a little bit… because… well, because of her, he wouldn't have any freedom in choosing who he really wanted to marry. And she was so different from him, too. There was no way that they would get along… he wasn't even sure if they could become friends!

"Fine then," he said finally, his voice turning extremely cold, "If that's how you want it to be, then fine. But we have an agreement, don't we? That we'd remain in a… formal relationship… even after all this is over."

"You have my word for that. But Horokeu-san… I think you're mistaken…" Horohoro looked at her in the eye, demanding an explanation for what she had said, "This isn't the way that I want it. This is the way you want it…"

"I don't think I told you that I wanted it to be like this, did I?"

"You did so at the very time that you told me that you wanted me to act in front of people. That's the same thing as saying that you don't want the marriage to be real… that you want it to be just some dream that you'd forget when you wake up the next day. Let me remind you, Horokeu-san, that this is not a game. Marriage is usually a lifetime commitment, however if you choose not to have it like that, then I wouldn't complain."

And with that, she went out of the room, leaving Horohoro to think over her words carefully.

Dear Diary,

Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right decision. Do I really want this marriage… because Horokeu-san obviously doesn't want it. I used to have the impression that marriage was supposed to be the happiest day in a girl's life, but now I'm not so sure anymore. I don't think Horokeu-san would give me what I dreamed of.

He seemed to have developed quite an unusual hatred for me. The funny thing is, he didn't think I knew anything about him before I met him at his house the other day.

If only he knew…

-Kasumi

A/N: Is the first chapter weird? I don't blame you if you think so… but it'll get better in future chapters, I promise. Oh yeah, and by the way, the pairings for this fic are Horohoro/OC, Yoh/Anna and Ren/Tamao. Oh yeah, and this takes place after the anime.

R & R please!