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

Author's Note:

Enjoy the story everyone. Things are starting to get interesting, eh? …I hope so. Anyway, please read and review!

Chapter IV: The Year of Darkness

Dinner ran its usual course, with the exchange of stories, bizarre encounters, and even minor "friendly" criticisms between my mom and Mr. Tao. And as always, Zane and I didn't say a word to each other, though we often exchanged glances.

There was, however, one difference. The same difference that had tainted the joyous tradition for the past seven years: the unoccupied seat. Of the Tao family, the only one who wasn't present was Mrs. Yumi Tao. She had gotten into a car accident seven years back. It devastated the family, and forever left a tragic impression on Zane that he would carry with him until now.

Mrs. Tao was certainly a woman to be admired. She was of a prominent background, though humble and not at all conceited. With high self-esteem, she carried herself with a great sense of dignity and pride. Her bell-like laughter was the most memorable aspect about her. Often, she laughed out of politeness; but, if you listened carefully, there was a degree of sincerity in her laughter, of a hidden wisdom that only she possessed.

After dinner, everyone retired into the living room, where desert was served. At that point, the conversations began to get redundant and Zane had wandered off to who knows where. With boredom closing in, I quietly excused myself and went to look for Zane.

I soon found him in the garden, leaning against the railing of the bridge over the pond. As I stepped outside, I took a deep breath of the crisp night air. A haze of clouds floated in the dark, starry sky, partly obscuring the crescent moon, while the crickets sang their nocturnal tune.

"Hey, Zane," I said, approaching him.

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "Hey," he greeted with little enthusiasm in his voice.

I frowned. Sure, conversations between me and Zane usually consisted of no more than five words, but whether we wanted to admit it or not, we were comfortable around each other. We had developed an undeniable bond of mutual respect that went beyond that of verbal communication. But even then, he could at least attempt to make small talk. His indifference really did get on my nerves sometimes.

I suddenly felt another presence nearby and glanced down to see Kiba headed in my direction. Panic coursed through my veins as I tried to shoo away my unearthly friend. Kiba didn't quite get the message though, and continued to approach me.

Zane soon took notice of my lunatic behavior. With a questioning glance, he asked almost irritably, "What the heck are you doing?"

I gazed up at him for a moment, asking myself the same question. The last thing I needed was a patronizing reaction from Zane Tao. At length, I stood up and chuckled nervously.

"Uh…nothing!" I exclaimed. "Heh, you know how those darn mosquitoes can be."

Zane didn't look convinced. No doubt, I sounded like an idiot.

Then, to my surprise, he glanced down and asked, "Since when did you get a cat?"

I blinked, then looked down to find Kiba purring at my feet.

"Wait," I said, picking him up. "You can see him?"

By the look on his face, Zane was either concerned about me or he thought I was the craziest person alive.

"Of course I can see it."

"Him," I firmly corrected. "His name is Kiba."

Before I could explain further, Jun appeared at the doorway.

"Could you two come in for a second?" she called. "There's something important we need to discuss."

We traded uncertain glances before following Jun into the living room, where our parents sat with quiet anticipation.

"What's this about, Mom?" I asked, taking a seat on the couch.

"Listen, there's something you need to know about by now. Both of you." She gazed and me and Zane to make sure we were paying careful attention. "And it has to do with that friend of yours."

I looked down at Kiba, who was cradled in my arms. "What about him?"

Her reply was totally unexpected, as she bluntly said, "He's dead."

"What?" I asked with disbelief.

This time, Mr. Tao answered. "You're looking at a purebred cat demon from the spirit world."

I was speechless and even Zane seemed a little surprised. After the initial shock had passed, I glanced down at the creature in my arms. He just titled his head and looked up at me with his big crystal blue eyes.

"But," I started. "I don't understand. How–"

My dad smiled. "We've never told you this, Akira, but I was once a shaman. And your mother over here was a spirit medium."

"Jun and myself, as well," Mr. Tao confirmed.

"As a shaman," my dad continued. "You basically have the ability to see and communicate with ghosts and spirits, just like Kiba."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A shaman? Ghosts and spirits? How was any of this possible?

"So why tell us this now?" Zane asked.

"We didn't think there was any reason to tell you," Jun explained with a meek grin. "But that may be our mistake."

By now, my mother had taken a seat across from us. She was about to begin a tale that Zane and I, without thinking, leaned forward to hear. In my lap, Kiba had curled up into a ball and was sleeping. With my hand, I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest and I wondered to myself how something dead could feel so alive.

"Several years ago," my mom began. "When you two were probably still too young to remember, the Year of Darkness had passed. For any regular person, it was just another year, but for a shaman, the sky was blood red everyday and spirits were everywhere."

I felt a chill run down my spine as I listened to her. My mom paused for a moment as if to recall her memories, and then she continued.

"Then, one by one, the spirits began to disappear, until by the end of the year, they ceased to exist on Earth."

"What happened to them?" I asked.

"We don't know," answered Jun. "But the world of shamans has been unstable since. We were, however, left with one prophecy."

Into the darkness

One brave soul

Shall journey through

The endless hole.

Triumph through

The greatest plight

And in the heart of darkness

There will be light.

"It sounds like a fabricated nursery rhyme to me," Zane scorned.

My mom narrowed her eyes at him. "Think what you want, but the fact that Akira has been having those dreams is telling us that something big is about to happen."

"So, what are we supposed to do about it?"
Jun smiled knowingly at her nephew. "You're going to go on a little quest."

It took a while for me to realize that all eyes had turned on me. I jumped out of my seat and started backing away, shaking my head.

"Oh no," I said. "You don't actually think that prophecy is talking about me, do you?"

My dad laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "It makes sense. Besides, we've already had our time." He moved his gaze from my mom to Mr. Tao. "Now, it's your turn."

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That night, as I lied restlessly in bed, I had another dream. Only this time, it was different, like a lost memory. I was surrounded in a ring of fire. Before me was a towering tree ready to fall. But, as it was falling, the dark silhouette of a four-legged creature caught the toppling giant; its eyes were crystal blue. The last thing I heard was the panic-stricken voice of my father calling out what sounded like a familiar name: Amidamaru.