Miraculous Taboo
A fanfic by Setsumi-san
Chapter Nine: Lions and Labor
"Who? How far away is this person?" Ren asked.
"He's my former mentor who lives on the other side of this range. However, I must warn you that he…er… might not exactly invite you in for a cup of tea," Sheng Ju answered.
"Hermit?"
"Yes. It took a year and a half of begging and stubbornness just to get him to take me under his wing."
"Peh! I don't beg; I threaten."
"You say that, but-"
Before he could finish Ren snapped his fingers and two horse kyonshi galloped toward them with loud whickers. The shocked astrologer steadied himself against a rock and wondered how someone barely over twenty could summon such powerful animal spirits with a mere gesture. Such power was almost unheard of these days!
"Well? Get on and lead the way! We don't have all day, you know!" the scion snapped.
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Meanwhile, Pyron was attempting to bring down a banana tree outside of the cabin using nothing but his daodan-do moves. Although thousands of blows rained on it he hadn't managed to do anything more than chip the bark a little. Did the trunk even have a weak point? He paused and rubbed his fist thoughtfully.
Sometimes an opponent's greatest weakness is invisible to the naked eye: like a phobia. Trees can't get scared, but there must be some faulty spot I'm overlooking. How can I get to the root of this problem? To…to the root! he realized triumphantly.
He pictured himself as a missile and destroyed the sandy foundation with one mighty huo jian kick. The banana tree's leaves and fruit scattered everywhere as it toppled over with a groan. He smiled. It was just a practice exercise, but the fact that he accomplished something new was reason enough to be happy.
Just then he heard his love clapping behind him. He felt his heart melt and bowed politely. Was there any better audience?
"Well hello," she said flirtatiously, "I'm a big fan."
"Likewise, miss," he replied, kissing her hand.
"I just came to tell you that I've thought about the lagoon incident five weeks ago, and decided to leave at the end of the second trimester so I can get proper medical care. I hate to lift the spell early, but I can't give birth here."
"Good for you. I was going to bring that up anyway."
"I used to be nervous about En, but whenever I think about Wan Mei and Zhen Zhu now I…I become a lioness. If he even thinks about touching them… I'm afraid I'll have to add him to my kyonshi collection."
Her tone was the same eerily smooth one she had used when she was ready to kill Yoh. If Pyron had seen a glimpse of the old Jun at any other time he would have feared she would completely regress. Now her fierce maternal instinct filled him with pride. Her bravery was just one of her endlessly loveable traits.
"Yes. We'll protect and nurture them together as lion and lioness," he agreed before pulling her into a passionate kiss.
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Ren and Sheng Ju, who had been traveling all of that time, were presently drinking tea in a low altitude campsite under the stars. Perhaps the climate was taking its toll, but the younger man was beginning to doubt that they would reach the hermit tomorrow. Not an insect stirred on the mountains, so how could a shaman survive out there alone? Of course he could, but he was the mighty Ren Tao.
"You are extremely powerful for someone your age," said the astrologer, "Please tell me who taught you these techniques."
Ren shifted his eyes down in embarrassment for a tiny split second before he replied, "I don't want to admit it, but it was one of my first friends ever. We started out as rivals and I made the mistake of believing he was a lazy weakling. When he defeated me in a Shaman Fight match he taught me the value of friendship and knowing your limits. Heh! I never imagined getting along with someone like him."
"Did he teach you to increase your furyoku so massively as well?"
"Ha! That comes to the Taos naturally. I have enough furyoku stored within me to support half of the universe if I wanted to."
Sheng Ju was so surprised that he choked on his drink.
"Tao?! You're part of the-hack-Tao family?! N-No wonder you're so strong. Why didn't you tell me your last name before?"
"You didn't ask."
Out of nowhere he bent his head and shook as uncontrollably as an epileptic. He slammed his hands down so hard on the ground that they bled. The golden-eyed shaman's heart jolted with dread. Shit, was his guide going crazy?
"Sheng Ju? Snap out of it, you fool!" Ren demanded.
He shook him with all his might, and when that failed he shot him into their tent with a left hook. Eyes rolled back, he groaned and asked Ren what he just did.
"That's what I'd like you to tell me," he snapped.
"I-I was in the middle of a vision. For months the stars have sent me grave recurring images of a yin-yang splitting in half and then burning. Now I fear it means two of your family members may separate and d-die shortly afterward," he stammered.
"Dammit! Big sister or her children could be-Wait a minute. How did you figure out my family's symbol?"
"Well… ah…any cleric worth his salt knows that a yin-yang either symbolizes Daoism or the most powerful shaman clan in China. The vision's meaning makes sense now that I know your history. Fate must have chosen me to warn you."
Ren's face contorted with frustration and monstrous anxiety as he clenched his fists. He could see snow clouds slowly censoring the starlight. Perhaps a freak blizzard was coming. Of course, he was worried more about a delay than his health.
Big sister, he silently swore, I will find out where you are by tomorrow come snow or fire.
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Jun sighed loudly. It was four twenty-three A.M. and her lower back felt like a snake was constricting around it painfully slowly. She'd tried sleeping on the couch, in the tub, and even standing up. What was wrong? Nothing she'd read stated that such symptoms occurred in the second trimester.
Oh, I wish I had had a doctor during the last two months. Books can only do so much, she thought.
Suddenly, a watery substance gushed out of her vagina! Dread twisted around her gullet and she turned on the light. To her horror, the liquid was crystal clear. No! It was too soon for her water to have broken!
Wham! The first contraction was two steel balls of agony rolling from her back to her stomach. The dao-shi dug her nails into her palms and dropped to her knees. She tried to shout, but the room was spinning.
I can't believe it! I'm going into labor three months early on a deserted island! she panicked.
