Besarki: So you probably all looked at the title for this chapter and were like, "Prelude? But it's the middle of the fic!" Well, it's not really the middle, but whatever. Anyway, this chapter is sort of like a prelude to the major conflict. Get it? ...And I couldn't think of a good title so... -.-;

I got Mentalite/Mantarite! YAY! AND I WAS SO EXCITED TO GET IT, I TOOK THE HANA'S EPOCH CHAPTER AND MADE IT INTO A VIDEO! WOOT! I've already showed two people, and I'll show others (because I'm a glory hog. No, I just want people to see the video representation) IF you promise not to post it anywhere or go showing everyone. Oh, and I have to see you as trustworthy like with the other things I upload. If you've reviewed a few times or I've talked to you through PMs, and you strike me as someone nice and respectable, I'll show you, but ONLY THEN! The story itself is okay. It stars teen Hana, as you know, but Yoh and Anna aren't in it, which is a total bummer. They're probably a plot device. I hope, anyway.

This may be a little random, but does Anna III remind anyone of someone who would come out of a Final Fantasy game? Cause that's totally what she looks like to me. Bah.

Oh, and I'll be updating my hidden album with Shaman Files from Mantarite either tonight or tomorrow so look out for those, too. There's a TON of them INCLUDING...Damuko, little Horohoro, Hana, Men, Anna III, Rutherfor (Alien Patch), Hao with GS oversoul, and a bunch more. I don't think I'll take pictures of the angels, though. You've already seen them. They're just colored differently in this one. So, waste of time for those.

Enough of that, though. This chapter was posted on day 4 becaaaaause...YOU LOSERS TAKE TOO LONG TO MEET THE QUOTA! Every time I get an email that says someone put my story on their story alert list, I get irritated. -.- Sighhhhhh. But, quota was met, thanks to the usuals and someone new. SO THANKS!

So, this story is starting to get too long so I have officially slashed all procrastinating. No more wasting space. It's all business now! Why, you ask? Because the constant procrastinating is making me bored with this. Meh. Whatever. It's almost done so no worries, I suppose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before the worst, before we mend
Before our hearts decide
It's time to love again
Before too late, before too long
Lets try to take it back
Before it all went wrong

~Before the Worst, The Script
(I LOVE this song. It's absolutely beautiful, but you may notice that it doesn't have much to do with the chapter.
It's been a while so I'll help you out. For those who got the music clue back in chapter...13, I think? I dunno. Anywho, this is it. For those who didn't review for that chapter, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT! MUHAHAHAHA! In other words, I'll tell you in a few chapters ;) )

"You really have to go?" I asked, forlorn.

Redseb stretched and cracked his neck. "Yeah, I think that may be best."

Seyrarm squatted down to my eye level and smiled at me. "We have to get back to Japan, Hana. Keiko is probably wondering where we are." She ruffled my hair. "Plus, it's not like we're leaving for good--the eternal farewell or anything. We're just heading home. After you find your otou, you'll come back to Japan, too. We promise to come visit as soon as you return."

I crossed my arms, unsatisfied with that solution. Kaa-san punched me lightly on the shoulder. "These two delinquents will just slow us down, anyway. We can't be stopping every time they feel like throwing themselves in front of the gun."

That made me laugh. "You're right! These guys are nothing but trouble."

Redseb smirked. "You give us too much credit." I grinned back at him. "Oh, and by the way," He started, a mischievous look glued on his face, "when you get a little older, I want a go at fighting the infamous Asakura Hana, okay?"

Kaa-san rolled her eyes and I giggled.

"Okay," I agreed.

Redseb jumped on Shigaraki's back and Seyrarm on Imari's. "So, you better not go soft. I'll be looking forward to it." I didn't get a chance to reply before he opened his mouth and yelled, "Okay, Shigaraki! Hi-Yo! Full speed ahead!"

"Grraarrrrarrr!"

"Rrraarrrrarrr!"

The two mountain gods coiled and sprung, sailing in leaps and bounds over the eastern landscape. They were gone in seconds, Redseb and Seyrarm with them. I stared in their direction for almost two minutes more.

"Come on, Hana," Kaa-san urged, pulling me along. "We've got a lot of ground to cover." Naka nodded once as if to second the thought.

"How much is a lot?" I asked, curiously, turning away from the disappearing point. She immediately smirked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," She admitted. My jaw dropped.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I had to say, this whole 'going with the senses' thing was a little...peculiar. She said she could sense Tou-san? Well, then why couldn't I? I was a shaman, too, and I had this reishi thing and I'd trained under the Asakura teachings. So then why couldn't I sense Tou-san like Kaa-san could? Man, this was so unfair.

"Curiosity killed the cat." I stopped and pointed at Matamune.

"Well, the cat is already dead so you have nothing to worry about." Her lip turned up the slightest bit, and for a second, I thought she was going to laugh. She didn't.

"Clever, Hana, but I'm still not telling you."

"AHA! So you know!"

"Never said that."

"Agh!" My frustration seemed to amuse her.

I sped forward. Darn it. I had to take a different approach.

"Okay, Kaa-san. Where did you find Tou-san the first time?"

She peered down at me. "I didn't. If I'd found him, I wouldn't still be looking now."

"You know what I mean," I said, blatantly. She picked then to stop beating around the bush.

"I've already told you that I don't know."

"Do you know what was around it?" I asked, imitating an investigator. Kaa-san's expression told me that she found this hilarious. However, she played along nonetheless.

"Hmm," She hummed, crossing and uncrossing her arms. "There was a big field with nothing in it."

I was tempted to whip out a pencil and a notepad, but even if I wanted to, it's not like I had them with me. They weren't exactly on my going away list.

"Actually, there were a few really big rocks, but, besides that, just dirt and dead grass."

"Really..." I frowned, trying to imagine it.

"So, what's the verdict, officer?"

I stuck my tongue out at her. "You're mean."

She only snickered.
---0---0---0---0---0---
Hao

"Welcome back, Ohachiyo," I greeted, calmly.

My ageless friend reached up and pulled himself onto the block on which I sat. He was a short fellow, and I would have laughed at his struggle would he not have taken much offense to such a thing.

"Hao-san," He replied, sitting beside me. He laid his scepter down on the stone before us. I paid it no attention.

"I see you delivered the message. Well done."

"Forgive me for not following your orders exactly," He apologized, bowing his head.

I chucked lightly to myself. "I'm not angry. I knew you would slip up a little. That Hana is very difficult to dissuade."

"He's your nephew, isn't he?" I nodded.

"Yes, though you'd never know. Though he doesn't show it often, he's very against fighting. He's quite inept at it, anyway." I paused to think for a moment. "Actually, that may not be an accurate statement. Hana is against fighting for big reasons. He's like Yoh in that he thinks that major conflicts should be solved with words. Only himself, myself, Anna, Yoh and now you are aware of that, though.
"You see, Hana will fight because he's angry, but he doesn't believe in war. The Asakura are all that way nowadays. They'd all rather sleep--even Anna."

"The violent hippie woman," Ohachiyo assumed. I laughed.

"Yes, that's her." I sighed, then. "But I suppose my warning was all in vain. The gathering has already broken. With just the two of them, they don't stand a chance. They'll be slaughtered before anyone is resurrected."

Ohachiyo stared at me strangely. "What exactly is this gathering you've been going on about, huh, Mappa Douji?"

I smiled at the odd little demon. "You've changed, Ohachiyo."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

I patted him on the head, attempting to be reassuring. "Before, all you wanted to do was play around and cause trouble, but now you're completely serious. It's an odd thing for you."

"Don't be ridiculous. Demons don't change," He insisted.

I cocked my head. "Don't they? But what of the Oo Oni? Did he not become peaceful and harmless?"

"He was a demon created from a little girl's fears and insecurities. He wasn't a true demon. His power only reached the ends of that girl's mana."

"Aren't you the same way? I revived you using my mana. You live off it."

"But I haven't always been that way. The creature has. He lived off Anna's ever-increasing, almost limitless mana until Sati came around and linked him to hers. It's how he stays solid and protected from what lies in hell."

I nodded, considering that. "That doesn't make the Oo Oni a fake demon, though. Just one that was created in a different way."

Ohachiyo was crossing his arms, frustrated.

"What's wrong?" I asked. A moment later, I laughed. "Don't tell me you have some pride for being the way you are."

"Of course not. A demon is a demon," He yelled, trying to defend himself. I knew he was lying. I didn't mind. Ohachiyo was free to feel however he liked.

Still, there was a point to be made. "There, see? Demons are all alike in the long run. "

"That's not what I meant."

I chuckled. "Answer this for me, Ohachiyo."

"What?" He interrogated, still a little irritated. I found this funny in a way.

"A Grey Wolf and a Golden Retriever are very different, aren't they?"

"Yes...?" He answered, terribly confused.

"But aren't they both canines?"

"What?!" He jumped up, astounded. "What kind of comparison are you trying to make?"

"Just listen. Oh, and sit down." He grumbled, but obeyed.

"To the same extreme, aren't reishi-born onis and demons born of dirty human souls essentially the same? A demon is a demon, isn't it? The same goes for humans, animals, plants, everything, really."

"You look at things too simply, Hao-san."

"Perhaps," I allowed with a smile.

The rabbit demon sighed, leaned back on his arms, and gazed up at the stars. I gazed with him for a moment, and then removed my attention from the void.

To be like the sky... I shook off the thought.

"Oh, and Ohachiyo?"

He glanced over at me, curiously.

"People may think that that girl's mana is limitless, but it is not. There is no such thing as limitless mana. Even my own will run dry if I use it recklessly. Do you understand?"

"I already know that." He threw me a strange look. "Why are you telling me this?"

I smiled genuinely at my old friend. "So you are prepared."

"For?" He urged.

Again, I laughed. "If I told you, then what would be the use in preparing?"

He could only stare in wonder.
---0---0---0---0---0---
Hana

Three days passed without much happening. We ran into some locals who Kaa-san was able to talk to a little, but her accent was pretty heavy so most of them couldn't understand us. Those who did usually didn't know what we were talking about when we asked things like the location of a big open field. Those that did, and they were little in number, pointed us west.

"Wasn't our description a little vague?" I asked Kaa-san. She shrugged.

"Maybe, but it's not like we have anything else to go by."

"Besides your super senses," I pointed out. She hit me. "HEY!"

"It's not a joke, Hana. Keiko and Tamao already think I've lost my mind."

I crossed my arms. "Since when do you care what they think?" I glanced back up at her. She was frowning.

"I don't, really. It's just aggravating." She gazed straight ahead for a few seconds, then turned and smirked at me. "Though I suppose you know all about that."

I grunted, grimacing deeply. "Too well." I could tell that this amused her, but she didn't say anything to give such a thing away. Typical Kaa-san, right there.
---0---0---0---0---0---
"Are we there yet?" I growled. It was every parent's worst nightmare: a child that asked the single most obnoxious question every three minutes. I wasn't trying to be annoying, but I was miffed. Kaa-san had said that we were almost there, and that we only had to travel for a few more days.

It's been a week. A WEEK! Why the heck was this taking so long?!?!

"Does it look like we're there yet?" She wasn't too creative when it came to answers. This was her reply every time.

"How should I know?"

She gritted her teeth. "I'll tell you when we get there. Until then, quit asking." She glared. "What's your hurry anyway?"

My eyes bulged out of their sockets. WHAT'S MY HURRY?!?! What in Shamash's name had gotten into her? "MY HURRY?! You're the one who's been rushing this entire time!" I jerked to a stop and faced her. "You've been acting really weird lately! Up until we got here, all you did was hurry. Now, when we're almost there, you want to take your time? WHAT THE HELL?!"

"How dare you raise your voice!" She retorted, equally enraged.

"You raised yours too!" I couldn't believe this. "What's your problem?"

She stared back appalled. "My problem is that my son is an impatient brat who can't hold his tongue."

I jerked back like I'd been electrocuted. A brat? Tears stung my eyes.

Her outburst had given her away, though. She was without a doubt keeping something to herself, and it was tearing her apart from the inside out.

I wasn't stupid. I knew that it was human nature to fight sometimes, and, shamans or not, we were still controlled by human tendencies and instincts. There wasn't a family alive that never fought--ours was no exception. Kaa-san and I had had disagreements before and we'd argued, but it had never been like this.

Whatever she was hiding, I was now absolutely sure that it was bad. It was really bad.

I bit my lip and fought the tears. "I don't care what you call me, but I do care when you keep secrets from me. You're not telling me something."

I could see her eyes out of the corner of my own. She regretted calling me that, but she wasn't taking it back. There were important things at hand. "I have no need to. There's no reason for you to know. I don't care how mature you may claim to be--you're still only seven. Act your age."

"Hiding things isn't nice. You shouldn't keep things from people close to you."

"There are a lot of things I don't tell you, Hana." I have a feeling she didn't mean to tell me that. "And besides, you keep things to yourself, as well."

I glared. "No, I don't. You have reishi. You can read my mind." Tiny flames danced in her eyes as if to illustrate my point.

"As do you."

"Mine isn't as strong. I can't just decide to use it like you can."

"No, you can. You just haven't figured out how yet."

I fumed. "That's beside the point! We shouldn't even be having this conversation! What're you not telling me? Is it about Tou-san?" Her eyes narrowed as I said that, but I could detect a hint of sadness in those burning eyes.

"It has nothing to do with him." She was a horrible liar, but I went along with it to see if I could find anything else out. Luckily, she didn't catch on to my plan just yet, though, no doubt she would eventually.

"Hao, then?"

"Ha! What could possibly concern me that involved him?" Her voice was firm and sure. She was telling the truth.

"Then it must be about me." It was a shot in the dark, and I didn't really believe it did. However, she did something weird this time.

For once, she didn't answer.

My anger turned to overwhelming confusion. And back came the voices.

He's so strong.

With or without us...

He'll be alright.

He can survive this.

He's so strong...

Why is he...zoning...out...oh god, no.

WHAP!

I was thrown sideways from the power of my mother's lethal signature slap.

"OW!" I cried, clutching my cheek as always.

She was positively livid. "I do my best to stay out of your head. Stay the hell out of mine!"

"That was all you...?" I asked, my face scrunched in pain. "But there were so many voices at once." Given, they were all the same voice. "Can you think that many things at once?"

She shook with rage. "No, I can't. You were going through things I've thought in the past few minutes. You shouldn't be able to do that, but if you dare try it again, you'll be in for a lot worse than this." She snarled, pointing at my reddened face.

"I didn't do it on purpose," I whimpered. It stung horribly. "Ow, that really hurt..."

She glared for only a few seconds longer, then quickly turned away, surely trying to avoid looking at me. With how pathetic I looked then, my expression could have dissolved anyone's anger.

Kaa-san stood firm for a while, but I could tell she was wavering. Somehow, I couldn't feel mad at her for hitting me. It was the strangest thing...

Her hands shook, and she finally broke. She ripped her rosary from her bag and swung it around her. "Come to me," She called. Naka's spirit flames joined behind her and Naka appeared with a quiet hum. "Pick him up," Kaa-san ordered. "He's all beat up. Just carry him for a while."

I stared at her back as she took her first few steps forward. "I'm still angry, but I shouldn't have hit you," She said. It was Kaa-san's way of saying I'm sorry.

I gazed at the ground scornfully. A few more tears leaked from my eyes, but they went alone and unrecognized.
---0---0---0---0---0---
Anna

There aren't words to describe how horribly guilty I felt about slapping Hana just now.

It would be wrong to blame my actions on anything other than my own selfish reasons, but I still almost did.

The stress of everything was just...too unbearable for any one person to take. It was like the feeling that came from my accursed gift all those years ago, only worse.

I couldn't tell Hana. If I did, he'd try to convince me to think of something else, but there wasn't time for that. What would happen was set in stone. It'd been divined, foreseen by spirits, and even conveyed by Hao. There was no changing it, no way around.

I told Hao not to tell Yoh about any of this, but I'm sure he did judging by the fact that I never heard from Yoh anymore. He probably got tired of talking in riddles all the time and just came out and told him. Or showed him.

Yes, that was my doing as well. Though I wasn't a big fan of Hao--he was an egotistical jackass who loved showing up at the most inopportune times--I still spoke with him after he and Yoh passed. I never looked forward to those conversations because they usually just involved depressing things or ridiculous taunting. However, Hao could take more sorrow than Yoh could, so he was better to ask about some things.

This, for instance, wasn't something I could discuss with Yoh.

When I first suspected it, I didn't pay it much heed because it seemed unlikely, but after the fight with Turbine, I became slightly worried. My fears worsened with the loss against Zang-Ching and flat-out skyrocketed with Opacho.

They had all somehow gotten a lot stronger in a very small period of time.

At first, I suspected it to be Hao's doing, but assured me that he hadn't provided assistance to anyone other than Opacho. He had given her the oni she now used, but that alone shouldn't have made that much of a difference. Hao insisted that he hadn't done more than that, but I'm not sure that I believe him.

Hao likes to play games with people's lives. I wouldn't put it past him to take chances with ours--family or not.

I swore to him that if anything happened to Hana, I'd find his soul and destroy it. He and I both knew that this was an empty threat. I might've been a bit of a dark horse, but we were both perfectly aware that, despite my mana value, I stood no chance against him if he wasn't holding back.

Yoh was the same way, but I didn't have to worry about a fight with Yoh.

Yoh...

How would this knowledge affect him? With his gentle nature and limitless heart, would the outcome drive him to madness? I hoped not. I missed him dearly, and Hana needed him.

I hated the way fate worked. There was nothing crueler than fate, nothing even remotely close, in fact. I knew that fate was just sitting around waiting to tear our family apart. Waiting for the right time.

And it was so close!

Why? Why did this have to happen?

Had the mastery of the Itako arts not taught me to rule over my emotions, I'm sure I'd be a nervous wreck now. That would worry Hana and everything would spiral downhill from there.

Naka-Oni knew. He was a good confident even though his voice often failed him. When Hana told me that I should teach him to talk, I was dangerously close to laughing. What would he do if I told him that he already could?

Another fact kept safely away from my son. Just as Naka-Oni grew ears and a tail, he also acquired a voice. When I'd first heard it, I thought that he might have regressed, but since that was the only human quality he has ever gained since then, I guessed not.

Naka-Oni's growling means nothing to me, either, but I asked him not to speak while Hana was around. This was nothing against Hana or Naka-Oni, but my demon spirit ally had a very demonic and evil sounding voice. I wasn't sure that Hana could handle that, so I asked that Naka-Oni keep his speech to simple growls while Hana was nearby. The agreement was easy to settle as he agreed with my logic.

However, none of this would matter soon.

My thoughts trailed back to Yoh, but I yanked them away. I tried not to think of him as much now because of how much it hurt. Talking to him in my dreams gave me a slight outlet, but now that he had stopped contacting me, it was easier to just not think of him.

That was my plan but I still thought about him almost every waking moment of every day. He and Hana occupied the majority of the space in my mind. I thought of them almost obsessively, despite how unhealthy it was. Especially now.

I shook my head. I had to stop torturing myself with this.

"Rrrrrrrrr," Naka-Oni growled. I glanced over in his direction and saw him gesturing ahead, over the cliff side where we currently stood.

I sighed gravely and looked to where he pointed.

And there it was: The giant field, empty of all but dying grass and jagged rocks. There was no one here yet, but the silence wouldn't last long.

I balled my fists and swallowed. My eyes narrowed challengingly.

It was time to change history--time to defy divination and messages from the gods.

I had studied the signs carefully, searching for loopholes or alternatives. Everyone had said that there was no way, but I couldn't accept that. I worked sleeplessly, checking every detail and all the fine print. They said it was impossible, but I had found a way to change the future. I knew what to do now, and I also knew that doing this, this which Hao and I alone had foreseen, had a one in a million chance of working, and no matter how it turned out, there would be hell to pay. However, I didn't care. This was something I was going to do no matter what.

Because Hana's life wasn't something I'd give up so easily.

Besarki: WHEW! Almost all of that in one sitting! *Falls over and dies* It's no Vesuvius, but it's still crazy long, don't you think? ... *Dies again* Seriously, look at the author's notes on most chapters. They're the bulk of the chapter. NOT THIS TIME! Okay, sort of this time. But only sort of.

So, there were like, a thousand different POVs in this chapter. More like three but whatever. This wasn't the POV chapter in my poll. I just wanted to throw a billion POVs in here.

Waah...I can't write anymore x.x My head it hurts from all the thinking...I rewrote the ending almost five times...death. I kinda like the way it looks this way, though. MEGA CRAZY FORESHADOWING! If I did that anymore, I'd pretty much be summarizing the story. Hehehe. Though I probably do already -.- . Sigh.

Speaking of which, I'm honestly curious as to what some of you think will happen. Some have already made guesses and told me. A few people got part of it, but no one got all of it. If you don't want anyone else to see your guess, PM me. *Love getting mail* So, yeah, let's hear those guesses! Can anyone guess my diabolical plan? I DARE YOU!

Blah. I have this huge list of stuff to do. I have that oneshot I'm working on (temporarily titled Kokkuri Angels. It's a crack fic about Anna, Tamao, and Jeanne watching the show), that spin off thing, and my joint project. Plus, I'm graduating tomorrow and I've had all sorts of prep stuff for that. Ah, oh well. I'll get everything done eventually.

Anywho...ow...can you tell I'm in dire pain...REGARDLESS, bring your tissues! Next chapter will be sad. Noooooo! Next chapter: The Resurrection. There's going to be a big fight (which I'm probably going to mutilate), lots of bloodshed, and someone standing alone. Sound familiar? YEP! It's Yoh's vision. For everyone who has been waiting patiently (and not so patiently) you only have to wait a little longer. Hooray!

I shall give you a hint! I was torn between two songs to use for the next one. This is the one that didn't make it, but it's a big hint. Guess away! BUT YOU'LL NEVER GET IT! Actually, this time you should. I've all but written it in red paint. You should get this one for sure, but remember, nothing is ever as it seems! Hehehe.

Later, Munchies.

We're never gonna win the world
We're never gonna stop the war
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for

What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?
Belief can, belief can
What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand?
Belief can, belief can

~Belief, John Mayer