A/N- Another nice long chapter for ya'll!

Chapter 14

The next day I got up bright and early to get the house ready for my parents' arrival. Yolei had come overnight. We set up streamers along the stairwell and corridors and blew up balloons. On the front of the door we had a sign that said 'Welcome Back' in big, red letters.

At around 11:00, cousins and other relatives started coming.

By 12:00 our house was packed.

At 1:00pm a grey Landrover pulled up outside our house. And out came Gendou and Yumi.

Yolei and I were the first to greet them as they came out of the car. We made our way inside through the bustle and into the living room. They looked the same they had when they had left.

We sat on the sofa and they told us of they're travels and where they have been.

So far they had visited Alaska, Vancouver, California, New York, Montreal, Atlanta, Paraguay, Italy, Nice, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Germany, France, UK, Poland, India, Maldives, Malaysia and Russia. And they still had more to go.

"Oh it's absolutely thrilling to visit all those places!" Yumi said.

"So where are you going next?" Yolei asked.

"Oh we've got China, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, Greece, Korea, Taiwan and a few places I can't remember."

Then my cousins, Yoshio and Hiei, started playing some music and turned it up to the max and getting everyone to bop to it.

"Why don't you come with me to the kitchen," my dad said getting up, "so we can catch up."

I was only happy to.

"Oh yeh! I've got to tell you something dad!" I said as we entered the kitchen, "I'm a shaman!"

"I know darling." He said.

"Y-Y-You do?" I said, confused. How could he possibly have known?

"I can see it in your eyes. You're to go far. And I don't think you realize just how powerful your guardian ghost is."

"H-How do you know?"

"Well there's a little fact that she's right behind you."

"Oh."

"Master Gendou," Callisto then appeared and bowed on one knee, "It is both and honor and a privilege."

"W-What? Huh?" I said, confused.

"I thought you seemed familiar Karuri," Callisto said, " You might not realize it but you have a powerful line of shaman behind you. Your bloodline is one of the very few that have ever come close to beating Hao." Callisto explained.

"I see. I keep hearing about this Hao but I got no idea who he is."

"We will meet him one day. That I have no doubt. And if we're lucky it might be closer than we think."

Everyone was so cryptic it was giving me a headache.

Then my dad gave me a pendant he always wore around his neck. It was shaped as a small, silver circle.

"It represents the circle of life. Keep it with you all the time to remember that I am always with you and you can use it when the need arises."

What did he mean by 'when the need arises'? What would I need it for?

Then he kissed me on my forehead. I put it round my neck and vowed to myself never to take it off.

When we got back to the living room, Yoshio and Hiei had gotten everyone into a conga line.

"Those two," Gendou chuckled, "they haven't changed a bit."

It was 2 am before people started leaving and most of them would come back tomorrow.

It was when the last person left and my parents and Yolei were in the living room that it happened.

I closed the door and heard a huge explosion and the ground rumbled as if in an earthquake.

I rushed to the living room where it was now blazing in an inferno. In the middle of it was this guy with his back to me. He had hair like Yoh, a shawl and looked pretty powerful. He was facing my dad who was in spirit control and was in a fighting stance. Yumi and Yolei were in the far corner, trying to stay away from the flames.

Then the guy turned around and he totally looked like Yoh!

Callisto suddenly appeared.

"Quick! Spirit Control! It's Hao!" she shouted, performing Oversoul.

So that's Hao, I thought as we attained spirit control.

"Ah so this is the daughter," Hao said approaching me.

'Lightning strike!' I heard my dad say as he sent an attack at Hao, but it had no effect.

"Run Karuri!" Yumi shouted.

"And the guardian ghost," Hao continued, turning his head on the side a little. It scared me that he looked so calm.

Then all of a sudden a sudden burst of flame caught me off guard and I was flung to the floor.

I felt fingers wrap around my neck and pull me up, lifting me off the floor.

"Now it's your turn." The voice says.

"I was going to destroy you but…I think we can work something out."

He let go of my neck.

"Oh yeh?" I said, holding my shuriken in front of me as defense.

"I have an offer you can't refuse. You become my queen when am Shaman King, or, I take out your parents."

"W-When you say take them out…d-do you mean take them out to dinner? Cause if you do-"

"You KNOW what I mean!"

I gulped.

"C-can I get back to you on that?"

Hao smiled.

"If you want to save your parents," he said, "You'll seriously consider my offer."

"I don't really have a choice in the matter."

"Tomorrow Karuri. Tomorrow."

And with that the fire gained intensity and totally encircled Hao. I shielded myself with my arms and stepped back from the heat.

When I looked back up the fire had dispersed and he was gone. The raging inferno was now a few flames here and there.

However, the carpet and sofa were totally black and charred. I was INCREDIBLY RELIEVED to see the TV unharmed.

I went over to mum, dad and Yolei.

"Mum, dad w-what should I do?" I said.

"Sorry pumpkin," Yumi said, putting her hand on my shoulder, "You'll have to do this on your own."

"B-But I don't know what to do!"

"Being a shaman isn't easy," Dad said, "there are many tough decisions. But remember, there's always a way."

A/N- What will Karuri do? Is there any way she can save her parents AND get rid of Hao? It's not looking good. Find out in the next exciting chapter of First Encounter! (cue chessy theme song)