I'm really sorry I took so long to update! Me and my stupid writer's blocks. Haha. Just last week, my phone lines crashed. NO INTERNET! SOBS. But its ok now, although I still don't know what happened. My dad called the phone company, but HE doesn't know either… -.-"
YAY!!! 100 reviews! Thanks for supporting me thus far! I hope that I will continue to produce work that is to your liking and which meets your expectations!
Oh yea. Just in case you guys are confused, Ren's birthday passed a few chapters ago right? Well…He was 16 when the series started, so he's 17 now. Yoh is still 17, cos his birthday has yet to come, and the rest are the respective ages.
Kaede is 16, Lyn is 15.
Ooh. Another song from Inuyasha I like! It was an insert song in episode 124, "sayonara wa ashita no tame ni".
Ok…on with the chapter! I hope you guys like it! And thanks to all who told me their definitions of love. It was really nice reading all the different perspectives people have. Haha.
Chapter 23- MemoriesShinn grimaced as he tried to bear the impact from Ren's attack. Wasn't rage supposed to cloud a person's mind so that he could not think clearly and leave him defenseless and thus weaker?
So why did it seem, that all of the Chinese shaman's weaknesses had been eliminated by his rage?
His speed and his strength were in a totally different league from before.
Even so, Shinn should have been more than capable of handling him. So why did it seem that Shinn was weaker?
It was almost as if he was reluctant to kill the Tao.
Shinn snorted, his snort turning into a grunt as Ren launched yet another attack on him. He had just killed his own sister. He had killed his parents. All with his own hands. What was there to be reluctant about now?
I can't turn back now.
I will see this through to the very end.
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Lyn wrenched her hair in frustration. Try as she might, she simply could not call to mind memories of that strange girl.
She had searched through her memory banks for clues to that girl's identity, but every time the answer seemed just within her grasp, she would run up against a blank wall.
It was as if all her memories involving that girl had been wiped out. And where she still had her memories, there were huge loopholes in them.
It wasn't just the girl. Lyn felt as if she had forgotten many other things, and some of extreme importance.
And that boy with the purple hair. Who was he and why did images of him keep flashing through her mind?
As Lyn considered this, she felt a strange elation rising within her. Something that made her want to laugh.
What is this feeling?
It makes me want to keep living.
Who is this person, of whom the mere thought can give me such strength?
That old man was right. I can't die yet.
I have to go back.
I feel like I have something important to complete.
Not just that. I feel that I have left someone very important behind.
Someone I made a promise to.
Who?!
I must remember.
I must open my eyes, and remember.
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Flashback:
"Promise me something…"
"Promise me that you will never ever leave me alone in this world? Don't die before I do…and promise me that you will always be smiling?"
"I'm just worried…I've been having weird dreams lately…"
"Alright. I promise."
End flashback.
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Yoh's face was grim as he slashed at his opponent, sending the blonde man flying back. He cast a glance towards Ren, who was in a heated duel with Shinn. He whipped his head back around as he heard the sound of running feet, and brought Harusame up in time to block the man's attack.
Yoh set his jaw determinedly. He didn't have time for this. Ren was fighting a senseless fight, something Lyn definitely would not have wanted.
It was time to test his powers as Shaman King.
Yoh gathered his furyoku, and was taken aback by the seemingly infinite flow of energy within him.
It was nearly the same as that time, three years ago, when he had fought Hao.
The energy from everyone. It had felt this exact same way.
Yoh smiled. He had a good feeling about everything.
It WILL all work out somehow. I know it will.
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I promise…Lyn fingered her lips thoughtfully. That voice had definitely been her own. But who had she made that promise to?
That boy with purple hair?
Lyn bit her lips. She couldn't seem to remember who that boy was and what he was to her.
She had to remember, somehow.
But this memory is not the most important one.
There's something else…
Something more important…
If not in value, then in sentimentality.
It's almost as if, that promise were the key to everything else.
I can't give up here.
I have to keep remembering.
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"ARGH!!! Just fuck off already!"
Yoh grinned in amusement at his opponent's frustration, showing clearly in his language. This fight had been easy ever since he performed his ultimate oversoul. He hadn't even broken a sweat.
But it was time to end this.
Yoh raised Harusame above his head, preparing for an attack which would render his opponent unconscious.
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Flashback:
Lyn clambered out the window of her room and onto the roof, lying down and enjoying the view of the clear blue sky.
A cold wind blew, and Lyn shivered, drawing her robes closer to her slightly wet body. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to come out immediately after her bath. It was not yet winter, but winter was drawing closer, and the autumn winds weren't exactly gentle.
Lyn grinned, ignoring the cold as she bathed in the bright light of the moon and enjoyed the crisp brightness of the stars.
The stars always brought back so many memories, happy ones and sad ones alike. Of course, Lyn preferred to look at the happy memories. There was no point dwelling on the past.
"My cup is half-full. The good things outweigh the bad by far…"
Stars held so much meaning. Too bad many failed to see that special, unique meaning which each individual star held.
The night sky had been filled with bright, sparkling, jewel like stars when she had first met him.
Lyn frowned thoughtfully at this. Sure…it had been a starry night, after the finals of the Shaman Fight. But not enough for her to describe it that way.
That thought had just popped into her head, without any prompts needed.
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"May I join you?"
Lyn looked around with a smile, although she didn't need to turn around to see who the owner of the voice was. She could recognize his voice anywhere.
"Sure!" She smiled, watching as he sat down to her right. She noted that he, too, was dressed only in his robes.
"Aren't you cold?"
Lyn looked at him in surprise, then laughed softly at his expression. They had each asked the other the same question at the exact same time.
Lyn sat up and leaned forward, hugging her knees. "Nah…I'm fine…What about you?"
He nodded silently, his face remaining straight and serious. However, Lyn noticed that his cheeks were tinged with a slight blush.
For a moment, Lyn wondered what he could be thinking about. As realization dawned on her, she raised her fingers to her lips and gently fingered them, her cheeks reddening rapidly. Within seconds, her face had turned scarlet.
He looked at her, and then let out a nervous chuckle. It seemed they had both been thinking of the same thing.
The kiss they had shared two nights before.
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Lyn snuggled towards him, and laughed softly when he shifted in surprise. That was one of the things about him which was so endearing. He was so awkward in expressing his emotions, so shy when it came to showing his feelings, and yet, he always wanted things to be perfect.
It was her turn to be surprised when she felt his arm slide around her waist, pulling her closer towards him.
She had to admit thought…It was comfortable that way. She could feel warmth emanating from his body, a feeling which made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
Lyn yawned, and then snuggled closer towards him. She knew that it was alright even if she fell asleep here. He would bring her back to her room.
Lyn felt her eyelids drooping, and she fell asleep with a peaceful smile on her face.
After all, she was in safe hands.
End Flashback.
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Yoh's eyes widened as his blonde opponent was sent flying, landing unconscious about a meter away.
"No one tells my Yoh to fuck off, you hear me?"
Yoh released his oversoul, scratching the back of his head. "Uh…thanks, Anna…I"
Yoh gulped, biting his tongue in mid-sentence as Anna turned around. She looked really angry.
To his surprise, she gave him a small smile. "Go on. You've got more important things to do, don't you?"
Yoh blinked in surprise. Things were getting really strange. Anna, being nice for a change? And for no reason whatsoever?
Perhaps this was a test of some sort.
"Yoh. You had better go there and knock some sense into the Tao right now, before I decide to do it myself. He is getting on my nerves with his stupidity."
Upon hearing the tone of Anna's voice, Yoh decided she was serious and meant what she said. He hurriedly got up and ran towards Ren.
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Lyn felt a wave of emotions surging within her. Memories of that boy with purple hair were flooding her mind. She could feel all the raw emotion in those memories, and knew every single memory to be genuine.
How could she have forgotten?
Their promises to each other, how safe she felt in his arms, how much he meant to her.
How could she have forgotten all those?
But even now, when those memories were all returning, there was something missing.
She still could not remember his name.
And that strange girl. She still could not remember anything about how she was related to that girl.
Think…A memory that goes back to the very beginning.
A memory which was erased.
I have to find my lost memories.
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Such hatred.
I haven't felt like this since I defeated my father.
But this guy…he killed Lyn.
His own sister!
I have to make him pay…
It's time to use the great spirits' strength!
Ren gathered his furyoku, and was nearly overwhelmed by the fury of the power flooding him. It felt as if he was caught in a tsunami.
If I let my guard down for so much as a split second…I will be swept away to this power.
I have to keep fighting this force.
I will be in control.
A Tao will not lose to something like this.
A bead of sweat rolled down Ren's forehead, and Ren gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to just throw up.
"Why, Tao. Are you tired already?" Shinn asked in a mocking voice.
Ren replied with a smirk. So this guy was immune to an oversoul? Well, there were other ways to use furyoku, other then using it to form an oversoul.
Oh, there were so many ways.
Ren concentrated his furyoku at Horaiken's tip, and then released it to create a powerful shockwave.
He smiled. It was over. The attack would be a direct hit, and its effects would be similar to that of a physical attack.
Would this be considered a cliffhanger ending? Oh well. I love cliffhangers. –Grins- I can't stand the suspense, but that's what makes it so fun!Just to let you guys know, chapter 24 was supposed to be part of this chapter, but I decided to break it up into 2 separate chapters. And no. I haven't started on chapter 24, but I have a rough idea of what's going to happen.
Is there anything wrong with having plot twists towards the end of a story? Hmm…