Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Shaman King.

Chapter 2: Cemetery Kitten

The next morning, as I was walking to school, I stopped by the cemetery. Standing before the tarnished metal gates of the burial ground, I scanned over the rows of tombstones jutting from the unkempt lawn.

"Geez, they really let this place go," I said to myself.

Just as I was about to leave, something suddenly caught my eye. In the distance, atop a hill, I thought I had seen the flicker of a white tail from behind an olden tree. For a moment, I felt the urge to enter and cemetery and investigate. But that feeling quickly faded, as I decided against it and headed for school.

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I met up with Mimi and our other friend, Rei, at our usual spot at the courtyard. It was a tradition we had recently developed, to eat breakfast together every morning under the shade of the cherry tree. It gave us a chance to catch up, since we hardly saw each other during the day.

"Don't look now, girls, but guess who's coming this way?" Rei whispered, her eyes gleaming with girlish anticipation.

Mimi and I followed Rei's gaze to Zane Tao, the school's number one heartthrob. Or so they say. Unfortunately, his fan base didn't quite know him as well as I did. And if anything, Zane wasn't always the deadpan, solitary pretty boy he made himself out to be. At least, I thought so.

His dad, Len Tao, and mine were best friends, so it goes without saying that Zane and I had known each other since birth. Okay, so maybe I over exaggerated, but it might as well have been that long. Ironically enough, we hardly ever talked to each other, save for the occasional "hi-how-are-you" conversations. And with Zane, the "how-are-you" part of the conversation was almost always overlooked.

So, naturally, my reaction was, "Believe me, Rei, there's nothing to see."

Just then, Miss Congeniality herself, Rita, came flaunting by. Upon seeing Zane, she called out to him and flirtatiously wrapped her arm around his. I was about ready go gag.

"Hey, Zane, I was wondering if you'd want to get together for a study date later tonight," Rita suggested, batting her long, dark eyelashes. Who was she trying to fool?

Zane must have seen me from the corner of his eye, since he turned his head in my direction. For a moment, we made eye contact, and I smiled amusingly at him, realizing the situation he had found himself in. One whole night with Rita Kinomoto. Was there anything more agonizing than that?

Apparently, Zane didn't think so, as he turned to her with unmoving eyes and monotonously replied, "Sorry, but I don't like to waste my time with people like you."

Rita's jaw dropped at the unexpected answer, while the girls and I tried to contain our laughter. Her expression was priceless, and yet, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. Soon after, Rita stalked off and Zane had long since disappeared into the crowd of people nearby.

"Wow, talk about rejection," Mimi said. "Even Rita didn't deserve that."

"Yeah, that was a bit harsh," Rei agreed.

I just shrugged. "She wasn't his type anyway."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and you would know?"

I merely smiled, and started to get up. I wasn't one to deny Zane's good looks, but knowing him for as long as I did, I tended to see him in a different light. He certainly took after his mother, attributing her sleek sea green hair and dark, gleaming eyes.

Soon enough, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of yet another long, tedious day at school. Maybe it was just me, but as a gust of wind blew by, I could have sworn I heard the faint whisper of my name.

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That afternoon, Mimi decided to stop by the grocery store to pick up a few things for her mom, leaving me to walk home alone. I didn't mind since I figured this would give me a chance to see what was in that cemetery.

To my dismay, though, I had jangled the gates only to find that they were locked. I sighed. Just my luck. Scanning the surrounding area, I soon found a layer of thick vines that draped over the brick wall. With swift, agile movements, I ascended the wall and jumped over to the other side.

It was like I entered a whole new world with my first step onto the ethereal sanctuary of the dead. The silence was almost suffocating and the stillness ominous. Tombstones stuck out from the ground, overgrown with moss and undergrowth. Nearby, a leafless tree with its claw-like branches swayed in the wind.

I approached the hill I had seen earlier, and climbed up to the top, where I found an old, abandoned shrine. I didn't know why, but this place seemed so familiar, as if I had been here once before.

Suddenly, I heard the faint rustling of leaves close by. I quickly spun around, only to find myself still alone.

"Hello?" I called. "Is anyone there?"

I started to move towards the tree near the shrine, and looked around it. Nothing. I sighed. Maybe I was just imagining things, after all. I turned to leave, but just before I reached the bottom of the hill, I heard a sharp hissing sound behind me. With my heart racing, I glanced back.

Before me was a cat-like creature, the size of a small kitten. It was snow white, with two bushy tails and black stripes across its body. With a menacing gaze, it bared its fangs at me. But its most striking feature was its crystal blue eyes. They almost looked like that same eyes from my dream!

Reluctantly, I bent down and extended my hand. The creature took and step back and hissed.

"Don't worry," I whispered. "I won't hurt you."

At first, the feline eyed me warily, but soon after, it approached me. I smiled as it welcomed my touch with a friendly purr.

"So, it was you that I saw earlier this morning, wasn't it?"

The creature just looked at me with big, curious eyes. It was then I realized that somehow, it almost looked like it was glowing. As I held it in my arms, the tiny feline appeared of something translucent, like a ghost, and yet it felt of something real and alive.

"Do you have a name, little guy?" I asked, holding him up in the air.

The cat-like creature just titled its head to the side and gave a soft meow.

I laughed and cradled him in my arms. "Alright, it's settled then. I'll call you Kiba. Do you like that?"

He obviously had no owner and I didn't have the heart to leave him behind. And so, with Kiba cradled in my arms, I left the cemetery. But somehow, that same restless curiosity was still with me as I headed home. But, I couldn't think about that then; I had to find a way to explain Kiba to Mom and Dad. Come to think of it, Mom was never really a cat person.