Mikau: Hello! I'm really missing being able to respond to reviews. I miss talking freely to you all! Sigh…Oh well. Right now in school, I'm in a musical. I don't know how often I'll be updating.
Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.
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Meeting By Chance
I set off for town with Isabelle trailing not too far behind me. She had promised to show me all of her favorite hangouts, and all the best spots to visit. I was determined to have fun if it killed me. It was still really early—only 6:15, so I was surprised to find anything open. Isabelle pointed out some of her favorite little sushi stands giving out free samples to extremely early customers. She took me around to the little shops and outdoor markets, not yet open. I was practically the only human out on the streets that early, but I had a great time, regardless.
At about 6:36, Isabelle led me to the local graveyard: The Karasumori graveyard. I hopped the fence, ignoring the KEEP OUT signs, and wandered around the graveyard freely. Then I heard the voices. Not ghosts' voices, but humans. I wasn't the only one still alive in that graveyard.
I peeked out from behind the little building standing on top of the hill, and looked across the bridge at a group of three teenagers, two boys and a girl, standing under the huge tree in the center of the graveyard.
The one I noticed first was clearly not a Shaman. He was waaaaay too short. He was about 80 cm tall, short and stocky, and didn't look ghost compatible. He had sandy blonde hair down to around chin length, bright green eyes, and glasses. 'Shorty' wore blue jeans that looked as if they would be shorts on anyone else, plain white tennis shoes that I'm sure were really baby-booties, and a shrunken blue T-shirt that read in bright red letters: "A Life? COOL! Where Can I Download One!" Strapped on his back was what looked like a black laptop carrying case.
Next, my attention zeroed in on the girl. Her bright blue hair was messily done up in spiky pigtails with long, shoulder length bangs, and she had gray eyes like I had never seen before. She wore a navy blue headband with Ainu designs in silver, white and blue tennis shoes, long light blue stockings up to her mid-thighs, and a black mini skirt with blue trim also decorated with block-like Ainu patterns. Her T-shirt was plain white with the words in blue: "My girlfriend wouldn't like you hitting on me." Her clothes were really tight, but they looked good on her hourglass frame.
The oldest looking of the three was also the most attractive: he stood about a head above the 5 foot 4 girl, not including the spike of his hair. He had dark violet hair with some bangs hanging down in his ice blue eyes. His hair was speckled with bright blue, and it came to a point, making him seem a good six inches taller. He wore tight black pants, and a black jacket with no shirt. Black combat boots adorned his feet, and a chocker with a cross made out of nails on it, hung around his neck.
The three seemed to be debating about something. I got as close as I could without being noticed, and listened in.
"He's late." The purple-haired man growled. "Again. How did I know he was going to be late?"
"Chill dude!" The blue-haired girl slapped her friend on the shoulder. "I'm sure Hana will be here any minute! Right Makoto?" The bubbly teen glanced downwards at the tiny blonde.
"Hmm?" The short one, Makoto, looked up from the book he had just been reading. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What did you say Ivory?"
"Dude, that's not cool. Pay attention next time when I'm talking. I asked if I was right that Hana would be here any time now." The girl, Ivory glanced downward again at her companion.
"Oh, yes, sure!" Makoto agreed with Ivory. "Don't you think so Akira? He couldn't be that much longer; he's already fifteen minutes late."
'Akira', the violet-haired one sniffed indignantly. "The buffoon probably isn't coming at all."
"Who's not coming?" A friendly voice called, mere feet from where I was standing. Thankfully I was well enough hidden, and wasn't seen by any of the people.
"Oh, look who showed up." Akira glared at the new comer.
"Hey buddy!" The new arrival smiled goofily back.
"Hello Hana-kun." Makoto put away his book and smiled back at his friend.
"HANA-KOI!" Ivory ran across the bridge to greet this 'Hana' person, and when she got in range, she pounced upon him, encircling her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist.
"Uh…hey Ivory." Hana gently pried the girl off of him. "Makoto. Akira." Hana crossed the bridge and greeted his friends individually. The new boy had his back to me the whole time, so I didn't get a chance to look him over and study his features.
"It's not fair. Why does Hana get all the girls?" Makoto sighed in the general direction of Akira. "Even the lesbians…"
"I have no idea why that foolish bi-sexual cousin of mine is attracted to him. I personally don't see it. We Taos are heterosexual, and haven't got an eye for such things. Insanity must run on my mother's side of the family."
Makoto puzzled this for a moment before stating, "Your mother? But Pilika is perfectly sane."
The purple-haired shaman rolled his icy eyes. "I meant my mother's brother: that Horo Horo idiot."
Ivory leaped at Akira in a maddening rage. "Don't you insult my father! He's a great man, and we Ainu are accomplishing more with our Coltsfoot fields than you Chinese ever could!"
"I'm half Ainu too, you dolt!" The spike of Akira's hair grew another three inches. "So I guess the problem is with your mother!"
"My mother is perfectly sane!" Ivory got ready to tear out her cousin's vocal cords.
"Actually, Tamao is a little off." Hana sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I know from experience."
Ivory whirled around and smacked Hana right across the face. This little squabble was getting to be interesting.
"Hey! Why'd you slap me?" Hana whined, his eyes shining with the beginnings of tears.
"Why do any of the women in your life slap you, Hana-kun?" Makoto sighed lightly, shaking his head. His sandy hair rustling in the wind the shaking motion created.
"You're right! All the women in my life slap me! Let's see, there's my mother," Hana started to count out on his fingers as Akira and Ivory started a Shaman Fight in the background. "Tamao, my mother, sometimes Ivory, my mother, I think Ivy hit me once, and…Oh yeah, did I say my mother already?"
By that time Ivory and Akira had finished with their little scuffle, and were ready to start a new fight. "Hey, shrimpy, I've always wondered, why are you such a midget?" Akira teased, grinning evilly.
Makoto turned his nose up at Akira. "We Oyamadas have always been on the short side, so don't you dare try to pick a fight with me. I'm not a Shaman, so I can't have a Shaman battle with you."
"All right, guys. Enough fighting already." Hana, the seeming leader of the group tried to keep the peace.
"Fine. I'll stop fighting if Akira stops making fun of bisexuals and my family." Ivory gazed at Hana, clearly infatuated with him.
"Only if she stops getting on my case about the Chinese people." The Chinese shaman spat back.
Hana sighed, "The only problem with having ethnically diverse friends is when they all start acting racist…That, or when China vs. Japan in the International Soccer Championship…"
"Nicely put Hana-kun." Makoto smiled up at the leader. "But didn't we all come here for something?"
"Oh…yeah!" Hana started to dig around in his various pockets. "I swear it was in here when I left the house…but now it's gone!"
"Which reminds me, why were you so late? You didn't get sweet talked into doing an errand for your aunt again did you?" Akira spit annoyingly.
"Actually, I was helping my aunt clean the kitchen, and kind of lost track of time…" I didn't actually see Hana smile since he still had his back to me, but I could here the sheepish smile in his voice. He reminded me a lot of my uncle Yoh.
"Dude, your aunt is soooo hott!" Ivory chipped in to the conversation.
"Figures." Akira went on, ignoring Ivory's statement. "You always do that! You always have to help other people even if it's out of your way! My father says it runs in your family and that your father was the same way."
"But isn't it a good thing to help others?" Hana tilted his head to the side slightly and questioned innocently.
"Yes, but the way you do it so frequently…Hana, you must understand that you can't help every stray dog in the world." Akira's tone lightened as he tried to explain to his slightly younger friend.
"I've never brought home a stray dog." Hana insisted, taking Akira literally.
Makoto took a chance at helping his thick friend understand. "What Akira means is by 'stray dogs' he's referring to all the people off the street that you help. You try to help every single person you see."
"I don't see anything wrong with that." Hana still wasn't really getting it. I had to admire him for his helpfulness to strangers though. Helping people you didn't even know had to be a hard job.
"Well, anyways, I probably dropped it when I hopped the gate. I'll go find it and will be back in about ten minutes at most. Let's go Amidamaru." Hana motioned to his samurai spirit, walked back across the bridge, and down to the cemetery gate to look for the item he had dropped.
"Oh my God! It's Amidamaru!" Isabelle exclaimed.
The three remaining teenagers heard her exclamation and started to walk over to my hiding place to investigate. I quickly sealed Isa inside her memorial tablet, sat on the ground, leaning up against the small building I was hiding behind, and pretended to be asleep. Maybe they would just leave me alone?
"It's a girl." Makoto's voice hovered inches from my right ear.
"I can tell." Akira slipped off my jacket. "She looks unconscious; she probably passed out from the humidity of the air or something, and needs to get rid of some of those hot looking clothes so that she can cool down and regain consciousness."
"PHFFT! We all know that you're just using that as an excuse to undress her, coz! There's no way that she could be overheated in those paper thin clothes." Ivory tilted my head from side to side, observing me. "Though I don't blame you; she's almost as hott as Ivy. Let's do her! Me first, then Akira, then Makoto, and then if she hasn't woken up by the time Hana gets back, he can have a turn."
"Hana would never do something like that." Makoto stood up for his friend.
"Yeah, he doesn't have to. All he would have to do is just wait until she woke up and then talk her into sleeping with him." I could sense Akira rolling his eyes. "Ivory may do as she wishes with her. I for one don't want to watch. We Taos don't work that way, and I don't want her after Ivory is done."
"Suit yourself. More for me!" The smile in Ivory's voice was enough to make me sick. I could feel her straddle my outstretched legs, and I didn't dare wait another minute to oversoul Isabelle and draw my gun.
"Ivory don't!" Makoto protested.
My left hand cocked my trusty gun, 'Jack', as I held it to Ivory's head. "If you do, I'll kill you." I slowly slid my eyes open, letting them fill with hate.
"Leave my cousin alone, you!" Akira whipped out what looked like nunchakus, only instead of two, there were three held together by linking chains. The gun flew out of my hand, and went off as it hit the ground. The rubber bullet stung me in my left calf. I struggled to stand, and reached out for my gun, but Akira flicked it out of reach with his weapon.
"Bastard!" I glared, heavily leaning on the back wall of the building for support while clutching my leg.
"You little…" I hardly saw him move as I felt something jab me in the stomach. I sunk again to my knees, and he came in for a second attack, this time targeting my head. I felt woozy, like I might pass out at any second. My vision faded in and out, then everything went out of focus. It started to rain. Hard. I lie on the ground in a daze, closing my eyes, and let the rain's coolness swallow me.
I faintly heard frantic footsteps approaching, and someone called, "GUYS! IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT! I HEARD A GUNSHOT!"
"Everything is…fine Hana. Everything is…fine." Akira sounded just as dazed as I felt.
"Oh. My. GOD!" Hana rushed to my side, and held me in his arms, shielding me from the rain.
"You sound like your aunt." Ivory meekly joked, not sounding bubbly or peppy anymore.
"What did you guys do!" Hana sounded angrier than anything, but there was a hint of fear evident as he spoke.
No one made a noise. "Help me carry her. We're taking her home with me. Faust will know what to do." No one moved to help Hana; they were too scared.
"Help me!" He glared up at his friends.
"I-I'm fine." My eyes flickered open. I got my first glimpse of Hana.
He was a good two inches taller than me, but he didn't look that old. Maybe only a year older than I was, so about seventeen. He had beautiful black eyes that looked like shiny slabs of freshly cut marble. His dirty brownish blonde hair was unruly, falling in wisps all over the place, but most of it resting on his shoulders. His nose was small, but perfect, his eyes were also just the right size. I spent a little extra time gazing at his mouth, slightly open in shock. He wore black sweat pants with a single orange stripe running up the side of them, and a black tank top with a picture of a cartoonish-looking sun on it.
I swear my heart stopped beating.
"Are you sure?" He blushed slightly down at me.
I snapped back to my senses and fought to stand. Eventually I made it to my feet, and bolted, ignoring the pain I felt consuming my body. I ignored the rain as I jumped the graveyard fence, and almost slipped on the wet pavement.
"Hana! What are you doing!" Akira called after Hana as the younger of the two ran after me.
"I'm not leaving her like this: she could die!" Hana called over his shoulder before disappearing over the cemetery gate.
"You see, this is what I'm talking about. SHE'S A STRAY DOG, HANA! STRAY DOG!" Akira called over the sound of the rain, but Hana was long gone.
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Mikau: I have no idea…I really like this chapter…It was fun to write. I hope you guys like it. I'm not exactly sure of Hana's character in the manga, so I'm, just making him a little like his father, and a little like his mother. Actually he's turning into more Yoh than anything else…Oh well; I'm still pretty happy with my interpretation of him.
Thanks to: Hemila-Rose, LisaTheHedgehog, Andrea Nefisto, Strawberry, MaiValentinefan, KaZuYa MiNeKuRa, morgan000, animeren, cutie1789, DarkPisces33, Kiva Kyoyama, hmmmm…., ChibiAzn3, Danny, yo wuz up, glitter galz, HAO-Addictive, and MiStraLL.
To Strawberry: If you have a windows media player, (if you don't have one you can download one for free somewhere) then you can go to this site: http // www dot getitfido dot com / pafiledb dot php? action category &id 58 and download SK episodes for free.
PLEASE REVIEW! I just wanted everyone to know that I do read all my reviews, and appreciate them greatly.