Besarki: Sorry that this one took longer than the others. My computer crashed -.- . I think it was that April Fools virus. So I had to fix it then switch over to firefox -misses IE- and then...yeah. I also read vol 27 (or at least I tried to. Does looking at the pictures and translating a few little characters count?) which didn't just throw a wrench in my plans, but threw one at my head. I'm not saying it wasn't good, cause it totally was. Epically awesome is more like it. But it was way different than I thought it would be (I thought Yoh would die then be resurrected). I had to beat myself with several projectiles to remind myself that this is a fanfic and isn't supposed to follow the plot of the real series exactly. Amidamaru being Hana's spirit ally made things a little difficult, but since Anna's was never revealed/never determined, I was able to get by.

BUT ANYWAY! Only one person guessed Anna's spirit ally. A lot of you were INSANELY close, but props go to xmegaminoaix. Good job!

Also, thank you xmegaminoaix and Smart Angel for reviewing for one chapter more than once. -Is happy-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Around the world
Around the world

~Around the World, Daft Punk

"Hey, Kaa-san," I said, offhandedly. Her head turned the slightest bit to look at me.

"Yes?" She replied. I sort of wished I hadn't said anything. No doubt she'd make me feel kind of dumb for bringing this up again.

"Um, you said you were in Aomori before you picked me up, right?"

She frowned, evidently confused by the direction this conversation had taken. "Yes, and...?"

"Well, I was just wondering why."

"Hana, I've explained this at least three times now."

"Yeah, I know, but..."

"I needed to stop at Osorezan before I picked you up," She said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, you told me that much, but you never told me why."

"I just did. To check on things. Make sure everything was okay."

"In Osorezan? Nothing is every okay there."

"Yes, I know."

"Then--"

"I meant, as it should be," She amended.

I shot her a weird look. This wasn't making any sense to me.

I wasn't completely ignorant. I knew that Okaa-san was abandoned on Mt. Osore when she was little. I also knew that she and Tou-san almost lost their lives there back when they first met, though I admit that I was never brave enough to ask how.

In fact, I'm still not. "Whatever you say, Kaa-san."

Because trying to get her to explain would be futile and a total waste of time, I turned my thoughts to the journey ahead to kill time. We were going to through all of Europe rather than just crossing the Pacific Ocean because, for some reason, Okaa-san's "boat" refused to cross the Pacific. Kaa-san says that there may be something hiding in its depths, and she didn't want to take any unnecessary chances.

Personally, I think that we should just chance it. If whoever is resurrecting himself is resurrected and we aren't there, we're in big trouble. It's not like we're dealing with some gigantic water demon, right? So then, crossing the Pacific should be no big deal. Kaa-san wasn't having it when I told her that, though.

"Caution is vital. Those who aren't careful get killed," She had said.

I knew nothing about caution, to be brutally honest. My whole life had been spent on the edge. Caution to me was running out there and not looking back.

When I told Kaa-san that, she hit me.

"Idiot! I can't believe you survived my absence!"

"Ow! That hurt!" I screamed, clutching my cheek. Okaa-san was scary when she was being protective.

"Baka! Life isn't just game that you can reset when you mess up!"

"I know that!"

"Obviously not. And Tamao and Ryu let you get away with living like that? I'll kill them!"

"Hey! Be nice to them! They took care of me while you were off doing kami knows what!"

"How dare you talk to me like that! Respect those older than you."

"Ha! You're like only ten years older!"

"Sixteen!"

Our screaming contest somehow ended with me asleep in my mother's arms as she walked down the coast of Japan. It's funny how things work out.

I was pulled away from my thoughts by a strange sensation in my feet. When I glanced down, I saw why.

I was up to my knees in water.

"Crap!" I yelled, jumping back about a foot and dragging nearly a gallon of saltwater with me. (AN: He's exaggerating.) "Why didn't you stop me?!"

Kaa-san shrugged. "You seemed content in your own little world. I didn't have the heart to interrupt." Liar. This was just her idea of revenge for my stupidity earlier.

I stuck my tongue out at her and stormed off in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going, Hana? Europe is this way."

When I turned around, I glared at her. "Why didn't you say that before?"

"You think I just stopped here for nothing?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Precisely, now stay back for a second."

"But-"

"Stay back," She repeated, scarier this time.

"Okay, okay. Fine," I said, holding my hands up as a sign of surrender. She didn't see them, though, as her attention was focused on a more peculiar scene than my raised hands.

Will-o-the-wisps--tons of them--were suddenly appearing in front of her. Though she wasn't facing me, I could see the blue light coming off her eyes as she mentally forced the spirit fire together.

Several seconds after they appeared, the will-o-the-wisps merged--joining together and taking the shape of something horrifying.

My curious breaths turned into petrified gasps as the creature before me took shape.

A single, yet humongous horn on its face with a set of smaller versions on its hands. Bizarre floral patterns on its diseased-looking pink skin. Jagged teeth, warped eyes. A slick tail that curled around it. The essence of danger. The embodiment of fear.

One minute, it was me and Okaa-san. The next, it was me, Kaa-san, and a monstrous Oni-demon. (AN: Yes, this is redundant, but I think it sounds better)

Matamune was out of his memorial tablet without me even calling him, hissing and shrieking at the demon in front of us. I don't know why, but he seemed particularly wary of this spirit.

"Don't," My mother warned. "This one's different."

"Different?" My nekomata spirit ally questioned, suspiciously it seemed. Regardless of her assurances, though, he didn't lower his guard. "How so?"

"This naka-oni is made of only one soul. Those weren't demon sprites you saw before, but pieces of his soul joining to recreate himself."

"What?" He asked. "Is that even possible?"

"It's the reject oni. In fact, you can hardly call it an oni. It's just one human--or animal--soul that became horribly twisted in hell. This is his way of repenting and returning to the main branch of the Great Spirit."

I, for one, had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. However, I was scared stiff by the presence of the oni and my mouth and brain couldn't seem to work well enough to form a single word, let alone a logical question.

"...How can you know this?" Matamune asked Kaa-san, breathless but utterly curious.

For a moment, my mother's eyes burned.

Matamune's eyes widened in that second. "You still have it," He said, shocked.

When she blinked, the fire vanished.

"Only at a fraction of it's former power. I can control it, but it's not as strong. It doesn't always work."

At that moment, I suddenly got my voice back. "AHHHH! SEA MONSTER!" I yelled, running around like an idiot. For once, Kaa-san didn't smack me. I still got reprimanded, though.

"Stop, Hana. He won't hurt you."

"Rrrrrrrrrr..." The oni growled. His words spoke louder than hers.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAA! IT'S GONNA EAT ME!!"

"Hana!" She shouted. It wasn't her voice that made me stop, though. It was the huge demon hand that came crashing down into the sand. Nearly gave me heart failure.

Truthfully, I think it nearly gave Kaa-san and Matamune heart failure, too, and one of them was already dead.

The Naka-Oni ripped his hand out of the ground and crossed it over the other one like an X over his chest. It was a strange sight, but I think that was his way of saying sorry.

"Um...um..." I struggled to say anything, but nothing came out.

Kaa-san's hood was up when she came over to me, and I'd bet money that it was because her face was completely white, and she didn't want me to know, which I obviously did.

Ha! Who'd have thought it? Kaa-san as terrified as me for once. Hahaha. Haha...ha...

I guess it would've been funnier if it had been for something other than me nearly dying.

Gah. Oh well. A scare is a scare. Shit happens.

Besarki: So yeah, the real reason that they're going through Europe instead is because when I first started this, I forgot about the Pacific Ocean. Yes, I know. I'm an idiot. But it's a good thing, in a way. If they just crossed the Pacific and arrived in the US, then the story would be like, 8 chapters max.

About the naka-oni: Yes, it's different from the one in the Osorezan Revoir arc. I changed it's design the slightest bit to show that it really isn't like those other demons. By the way, for those who don't know. Naka-Oni is the Japanese name of Medium-Sized Demon. I used Naka-Oni instead of Medium-Sized Demon for several reasons. The biggest one being that Medium-Sized Demon sounds retarded.

Also, this chapter starts out crappy because I had a different start originally, but I didn't want to completely erase it so I edited it to make it work.

Anyone noticed that the chapters are starting to get shorter? Heh heh heh. This might be longer than last chapter in body because most of the word count from last chapter was sadly from my guidish thing at the top, but whatever.

Next chapter will either be a chapter titled Definition of a Demon or will involve a certain someone that you've all been asking for. Either way it will deal with someone's who's dead since 4 is apparently pronounced the same way as death in Japanese. Oy vay. Tell me which you'd rather see in a review.

KAYTHANKSBYE!