Besarki: So, I whipped out a map before I wrote more than a single line in this chapter. Looks like I went the wrong way again so, as of now, Japan is officially north of Russia :) -Fails geography every year-

Concerning Yoh and Smart Angel's request: I can fulfill both of those. There will be a few more Yoh and Anna conversations, then there will be a chapter in YOH'S POV. Yes, you heard (read) me right. However, something will happen in that chapter which will prevent the Asakuras from talking again for a while. Oh, it's gonna be great!

You know what else is great? This little picture of Hana, Anna, and Yoh that I added a water reflection-animation effect to! It's so cute. -Watches Hana in the water- :) I have ADD. Have you noticed? No, I seriously do, though. That's why my stuff is so scatter-brained. Gahahaha. If anyone wants to see it, I'll put it up on photobucket. Tee hee. So cute.

Back to the actual chapter stuff.

Only fair to warn you: I said that my ancestors were Russian, but I don't know much about the place. So, sorry if I mess up. I'll keep description of the area to a minimum, though, so we should be okay.

I don't like this chapter at all. In fact, it'd be in everyone's best interest for me to just scrap and rewrite it, but I have issues with rewriting stuff. The first half is worse than the second, but they're both bad. So, I apologize, but this chapter sucks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No, you'll never be alone
When darkness comes
I'll light the night with stars
Hear the whispers in the dark

~Whispers in the Dark, Skillet

I shivered violently as we stepped onto chilled the land. Okaa-san pulled a blanket out of her backpack and placed it around my shoulders before speaking.

"We're in Russia, Hana," She said, crossing her own arms. The air was so cold that I could see the fog when she exhaled.

"And Russia is cold," I concluded. She nodded sagely.

"It only gets colder the higher up you go."

"Great..." I mumbled.

"Don't worry. We won't be here long."

"A few days at least, right? Russia is huge!"

Before Kaa-san could answer, a tall man in heavy clothing stopped before us. He had a big black beard and a funny hat on as well as a huge coat and gloves. As I looked over him, he scrutinized us both then barked something in a foreign tongue. Well, I guess it wasn't foreign here.

Kaa-san frowned and pulled me closer to her. Naka stood behind her, but the man clearly couldn't see him. Nor could he see Matamune who stood loyally at my side.

"Do you know any Russian, Matamune?" Kaa-san muttered under her breath. Matamune's ears perked.

"A small amount," He answered.

The Russian man was glaring suspiciously at us now. Kaa-san shouldn't have mumbled.

"Well, hurry up and tell me how to say something!" I hissed.

"What would you like to say?"

"Anything!"

Matamune shrugged and ran off some apparently Russian line which I quickly butchered, making the Russian man laugh.

With a big grin, the bearded man patted me on the head and went on his way.

"Er, Matamune? What did you just have me say?"

My nekomata spirit ally sighed. "I tried to tell you to say 'I'm from Japan and don't know how to speak your language' but you just said something about yellow sheep."

"Huh?!"

"You really killed that sentence, Hana," Kaa-san commended. She didn't look all that amused, but I bet she was. Always laughing at me...

At first I thought that they may have been just joking, but then I saw the man from earlier standing with a group of people, all of them laughing. Kami...

"Let's just go!" I growled, stomping away. My three companions exchanged smirks and glances then took off after me.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Russian days are cold, but they're nothing to Russian nights.

I'd been shuddering like freaking crazy for the past three hours, and I still couldn't seem to get warm, nor was I able to get any sleep. Grrr. How do people live up here?

I wish I was a polar bear.

"Hey...hey, Naka!" I half-whispered, half-yelled. The pinkish lid covering Naka-Oni's one eye lifted slowly, revealing the scarlet pigment underneath.

"Rrrrrr," He growled. The response may have sounded dangerous, but by now I knew that this was his only response, and that I shouldn't be afraid even if it sounded like he wanted to kill me.

"Get Kaa-san, will you?"

He stared at me for several seconds, then looked over at Kaa-san. She was sound asleep.

"Rrrrrrr..." He rumbled. Ha! Even Naka is afraid of my okaa.

"Yeah, I know. Just wake her up. I'll take the blame for it."

Naka's eyes returned to me where they remained for at least three minutes. After that, though, he went about ignoring me and curled back up, going back to sleep.

"Hey!" I whisper-yelled, though he paid no heed. With a grunt, I angrily dropped back to the Earth and burrowed into my sleeping bag.

Twenty minutes passed. I still couldn't sleep. I bet I just have too much energy. Maybe I should...

I immediately envisioned Kaa-san furiously screaming at me, and cringed.

Kaa-san is the ultimate authority.

I banished the idea from my mind, but it somehow snuck back a few minutes later.

Just a little walk. I wouldn't go far, and I'd take Matamune with me! I'd be fine if I had him, right?

...Even though he's sleeping, too...

But just having him should be enough. Plus, if we got into trouble, he'd wake right up!

I think...

Every moment I thought about my plan, it just got more and more flawed. Crap. If I don't hurry up and go, I'll be stuck lying here all night!

I quickly squirmed out of my sleeping bag and tiptoed over to Matamune.

"Hey...Matamune! Wake up!" I whispered.

"Zzzzz..." Mission failed.

"Matamune!" I growled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naka staring at me again.

"Rrrrrrr."

"Shhhh! I think you were right before. Waking Kaa-san up is a bad idea."

"Rrrrrr."

"Quiet! I'll be right back, I swear!" Before Naka growled even louder and woke Kaa-san up, I quickly grabbed Matamune and carried him off with me.

As I fled the campsite, I heard Naka's growling gradually increasing in volume. I also heard a muffled, "Shut up, Naka-Oni." Which assured me that my mother suspected nothing.

Good.

"Zzzzzz." I started having second thoughts about bringing Matamune. His snoring was getting kind of annoying. Maybe I should drag him instead of carry him. That would wake the old cat up, wouldn't it?

Ha. No kidding it would. Too bad I couldn't do that. I'd feel way too bad about it afterwards.

-------

Anna...

-------

"Whoa! Check out this lake!" I yelled, standing on my toes in order to see over the railing. I hadn't been looking for this. Honestly I hadn't, but when I saw something shiny, I just had to check it out, and here it ended up being a huge body of water. And so, without thinking much about it, I propped Matamune up against the black fence and stepped up onto the divider.

The lake was huge! It must have been the biggest lake I'd ever seen, and the moon's reflection looked so cool on its surface! The detail around it was just as incredible. All these flowers and shrubs I'd never seen before lined the entire perimeter. It was one of those sights that you only see a few times in your life.

"Matamune, wake up and look at this!" I urged, though Matamune of the cats just kept on snoozing. My face scrunched up with my frown. "Old bat," I muttered grudgingly.

-------

Anna...wake up...

-------

A weird looking bird cawed and crowed as it quickly dove down to sit on the water. Its beak plunged into its feathers as it washed its body with the chilly water. It made a racket, but Matamune still didn't awaken. I shouldn't have been surprised.

The bird paused in its bathing and glanced up to stare directly at me.

"Matamune, check this weird bird out!" I quipped quietly.

"Zzzzz..." A big frown crossed my face as I glared at him. Honestly, what was with this guy? He slept even deeper than Kaa-san, and that's saying something.

I shook my head and crossed my arms. Oh well. I'd rather he be a deep sleeper than someone who never slept.

For a moment, I imagined an insomniac, coffee-charged Matamune who bounced off the walls and never stopped talking. The thought made me laugh.

-------

Anna...you have to wake up...Anna, please...

-------

I crouched down in front of Matamune and grinned.

"If I offer you coffee, would you be able to drink it? Or at least feel the effects of it?"

"Zzzzzz..."

"I'm gonna try it. I'll give you twenty cups! You can't refuse an offering, right? I'll drink some with you so you don't feel too bad, even though I hate coffee. I wonder if Kaa-san has any. I doubt it. She doesn't seem like the type who'd like coffee."

"Zzzzz..."

I snorted. I was glad to have Matamune as my spirit ally. Sure, he was more or less an old fart (AN: Forgive me), but he was still cooler than any living cat. He could talk! And sleep through demolitions! Hehehe.

I glanced through the railing bars once more, and then sighed. "We oughta head back soon," I suggested, pulling my coat tightly around me.

Matamune twitched a little bit, but didn't really give any hint of having heard me.

I smirked a little as I picked him up and started carrying him away. "It's too bad you didn't get to see that weird bird. It was pretty cool."

"..."

Nekomatas... I mused. I found myself chuckling as I marched off into the darkness.

-------

You're running out of time...wake up...

-------

This is the third time I passed that bench...

"Darn it..." I muttered to no one in particular. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

There was now no moon(AN: Cloud cover). There were no street lights. There was no one around. No Kaa-san, no Naka. Nobody but me and a sleeping ghost cat.

In the mute darkness of the Russian night, I could tell only one thing:

I was lost, and there was no one here to save me.

"Matamune!" I hissed. "Get up! Come on, wake up already!"

"..."

"Shoot!" If I yelled for Kaa-san or Naka, I could attract unwanted attention, but if I didn't...

Darn it! What was I supposed to do? Did I call for them? Did I keep walking and hope I found my way back? Did I stay here and hope Kaa-san found me?

This was bad. This was really bad. I had to figure something soon or--

"Lost, little one?"

-------

Hana needs you...

-------

I don't know what scared me more: The sudden, unfamiliar voice, or the fact that this voice spoke in a language I could understand.

I dropped Matamune, and whirled around as fast as I possibly could.

There was a man behind me. He was dressed in a long white robe with random gold threads and a strange contraption on his hands. Though his mouth was hidden by the sheet on his face, he seemed to be smiling. Unfortunately, it wasn't a peaceable grin.

"Who are you?" I demanded, stomping my foot on the ground.

The mystery man laughed. "You bear a great resemblance to Hao-sama. Just like your wretched father."

"Hao-sama?" I questioned, suspiciously. I had a sinking feeling that being near this man was putting my life in grave danger.

The Arabian-clothed man merely smiled.

"Look, I don't know who the hell you are, but you better not come any closer or I'll...I'll..."

"You'll what? Sic your cat on me?"

"Don't make fun of Matamune!" I seethed.

"Hmm...?" Came a muffled and sleepy voice. I could have cried with relief.

"Matamune! You're awake!" Matamune glanced up at me with a frown on his face.

"Why all the commotion?" He asked.

I pointed accusingly at the creepy stranger. "That guy!"

Matamune turned from me to the cloaked man, his frown still in place. "He is a shaman."

"Yeah, but I think he works for Hao!" The strangest expression crossed his feline face. It wasn't one of fear or defiance like I would have expected. It was so unusual that I couldn't accurately explain it. "Matamune?"

He quickly shook his head. "Forgive me, Hana." He abruptly stood, his eyes blazing. "Forgive my temporary lapse in judgement."

I grinned, suddenly confident. "Okay, then! Matamune--Hyoui Gattai!" In an instant, Matamune turned into a spirit flame and joined with me. A moment later, a huge sword with diamond-shaped designs on its hilt appeared in my hand. Despite its massive size, it felt light as a feather to me.

"Heh. What's that supposed to be?" The masked weirdo annoyingly asked. What a jerk!

"Oni Goroshi," I replied. "The sword that destroyed Hao in the Shaman Fight five hundred years ago!"

The man's smile faltered, and fell. His now disgusted eyes rested solely on the sword.

"Then I shall have to destroy it so that it can never repeat its actions, now, won't I?"

"Ha! Back off or I'll kill you!"

"Will you?" He taunted. A malignant grin overtook his face, changing it from rude to downright deranged.

He took two steps and then broke into a run. I swung Oni Goroshi, but he dodged it easily. I swung it again, and again he dodged.

He snuck up behind me and raised his arm. This time, I got him.

Oni Goroshi struck him in a strong, clean hit, throwing him backwards.

"Take that!" I yelled, victoriously.

His head whipped up to glare at me. "Insolent whelp!" He screamed. Rather than rush me again, he coiled and sprang into the air where I couldn't reach him, and, I assumed, he couldn't reach me. For a minute, I thought he was retreating, and then...

He outstretched his left arm and clutched it with his right. The mechanism on his hand glowed as his wild eyes stared insanely at me.

I wasn't prepared...

"BEAM!"

Immediately, a huge glowing beam of energy shot from his hand and closed in on me.

Hana!

Matamune took control of my body then, and held Oni Goroshi in front of me. The beam hit dead on, but Matamune's sword took the heaviest part of the blow. The force of the remaining energy threw me several feet back where I slid across the concrete pavement that ripped my clothes and scraped my arms and legs.

In my shock from the pain and the brute power of the attack, I dropped Matamune's bear claw necklace and Oni Goroshi dematerialized. Matamune's spirit flame left my body and fell in a heap beside me.

I was too inexperienced. I couldn't handle it. I...

As I struggled to stand, the beam man stalked toward me.

"Asakura Hana: Son of Asakura Yoh and Kyoyama Anna. The heir to a long line of powerful shamans. So where's your power? Where's your strength descendant of Hao?"

"Back off!" I threatened. He and I both knew it was empty, but I couldn't help it.

He laughed. "Asakura Yoh was a thorn in my side for far too long. Even in death, his power tormented me. Then, when I had finally been reborn into this new body in a new day when there is no Asakura Yoh, she came along," He spat. His eyes held an unusually large amount of hatred. Hatred I didn't understand. "Your mother, Asakura Anna isn't like your father. He would have rather just avoided conflict. She goes looking for it. Every goddamn time she met us, it meant a fight, and just like with Yoh, we could never win."

I smirked. No kidding. Kaa-san could beat this guy any day.

"Wipe that smile off your face!" He commanded, furious.

"Well, there. You just beat me. You must feel accomplished for defeating an Asakura!" I teased.

His eyes were wild. "Don't play me for a fool! You're a child! An infant who hasn't even mastered the oversoul. I feel no pride in defeating you."

Now I was confused. "Then why'd you pick a fight?"

A small smile formed. "A person's spirit is often easier to eradicate than his, or in this case, her body." I frowned, still utterly confused. He appeared to appreciate this and so he delved further. "Once upon a time, there were three Asakura. Two of them died, and then the third gave birth to a fourth." He smirked. "Along with the first and second Asakura went the only person capable of physically killing the third, which became a problem for us. And so we, followers of the first Asakura, searched for a way to rid ourselves of the third. For a long time, we found none, and then, with a threat directed at the fourth Asakura, we found it."

My face probably had absolutely no color at that point.

"We cannot kill Asakura Anna with our physical or mental strength, but we can kill her by putting an end to yours."

His eyes shone with excitement as he raised his hand and faced his palm at me. The light that flickered in the device reflected in my own eyes. I had no way out.

The cloaked man opened his mouth and prepared to speak the words that would launch his most deadly attack.

"MANA BEAM!" Both of our heads jerked upwards, for the voice we had just heard did not belong to the cloaked man.

Suddenly, a massive technicolor beam soared over my head and impacted the cloaked man.

"AGH!" He cried out, the blast carrying him clear across the entirety of the concrete flooring and leaving him to collide with a tree.

I was looking over my shoulder before I had consciously decided to do so. If I had cried with relief over Matamune waking up, I would have screamed with it now.

Behind me stood none other than Okaa-san looking absolutely lethal. She was without a doubt oversouled, but it wasn't a type of oversoul I'd ever seen before. For one, her hands had been replaced with something similar to Naka's claws, only a little bit different and with a crystalline orb in the palm. She also had black lines around her eyes and in several areas of her face. The amber pigment in her eyes had also been replaced with a solid black.

Across the field, the cloaked man was sputtering with rage. "You! How did you--"

"Leave us be, or the next beam will be more than a fourth of its normal power."

His teeth clattered and he glared. He wasn't running. Not now.

"BEAM!"

"MANA BEAM!"

The blasts collided, but Kaa-san's was clearly larger and stronger than the masked creeper. The colored energy beam broke through the pure white one after a minute and devoured it.

"BEAM!" He tried again.

"MANA BEAM!" She countered. The result was the same once more.

The cloaked man tried three more times before Kaa-san got fed up with his antics and chased him away, leaving an exhausted me and an unconscious Matamune behind. I wasn't dumb enough to make the same mistake twice. This time, I sat there and waited for her to return.

I felt almost incapable of grasping what had just happened. I almost died. I had really almost died. If Kaa-san had showed up a minute later than she had, I probably would have.

The sensation snaked up my spine and made me shiver for reasons other than the cold wind that whipped past me.

Ten minutes later, I heard footsteps in the distance. I looked up slowly, but other than that, didn't move.

It was Kaa-san with Naka. There aren't words to describe how angry she looked.

When she stood less than two feet in front of me, she stopped. I stared at the ground.

"What is wrong with you?!" She shrieked.

"Sorry..."

"Sorry? Sorry?!" She looked like she might blow up at any moment. "Do you realize just how close that was Hana?"

"I said I was sorry," I pouted.

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it. Not even slightly." She heaved a disgusted sigh. "And look at you. You're all bloody and...ugh!"

"I said I was sorry!" I repeated, frustrated.

"Don't you dare raise your voice, Hana!"

I shook with fury. How was I supposed to apologize if she wouldn't let me?

Angry and exasperated, I tried to stand, only to find that the pain in my legs was searing. I fell back down again.

"Don't try to get up. You look like shit," Kaa-san said disapprovingly.

I didn't want to answer for the sake that I say something mean to the person that had literally just saved my life.

"You're a mess, Hana," She said, softer, but still a little bit miffed. I was thankful that my appearance was able to at least slightly extinguish her anger.

Kaa-san sighed, then kneeled down to pick me up. "Naka-Oni, carry Matamune."

"Rrrrrr." The oni's huge claw came down and retrieved the nekomata from the ground.

Though my injuries still stung horribly, exhaustion suddenly seemed all that more potent. Eventually, I caved.

For the second time that month, I fell asleep in my mother's arms.

Besarki: I am obsessed with energy beams. Deepest apologies. -.- As I said before, I don't like this chapter at all. It's awkward and unkempt. I probably could have redone it, but I'm in the middle of translating the shaman files from volume 27 so I don't have time to revise chapters right now. I'll be able to again once I've finished. As you've probably also noticed, I suck at writing battle scenes. Like, honestly, this was probably the best battle I've ever written and it was preposterous. Nine out of ten times, there will be a time lapse and you will miss the actual battle. Sorry, that's my style. Takei's too, so you should be used to it.

Does my use of both English and Japanese terms irk anyone? Like, I use Hyoui Gattai rather than Integrate for the spirit unity thing. I use Integrate with Anna's Oni-Oversoul. Ha. That sounds cool. But anyway, I read the Japanese scanlated to English version first so a lot of my terminology, with the exception of a few (like mana rather than furyoku), is from the Japanese version. If that seriously bugs any of you that I use both, it shouldn't but to each his own, then tell me. I'll see what I can do about going completely Japanese. Otherwise, I'll continue to nihonglish. Hehehe. Ripping off Spanglish, one language at a time.

I made that lake up so don't go off about how there is no giant lake in Russia. For some reason, I think I'm obsessed with water and trees. Yeah, I don't know why, but there seems to be an alarming amount of lakes and forests in all of my works. Meh. Whatever, it could be worse.

I'm sure you all figured out that the bolded and italicized voice was Yoh. That was no one's POV. He was obviously talking to Anna because he knew that Hana was about to be in big trouble. What a good father!

Also, I'm sure you all figured this out, but that "masked weirdo" was Turbine.

Anyway, even though Russia is gigantic, I don't want to spend much time here. In fact, I may even be leaving, or already left next chapter. The former more likely than the latter.

Bah. Whatever. Tell me what you think of my horrible, yet excruciatingly long chapter! WAHAHAHA!