Authoress' Notes: Happy New Year, everyone! Remember to work hard and persevere to make yourself proud of sticking to your resolution! My personal one is to get back into shape! I'm physically active but I'm weak for delicious snacks and sweets! Send halp! And a special shout-out to transcending love for inspiring me to update this fic with all of their wonderful support through reviews and fanart! If you're interested in beautiful, colored fanart of scenes from this story, please stick around for the author's note after the chapter is over! Without further ado, here is chapter 19!
Just A Typical, Obligatory Hot Springs Episode!
It's All Fun and Games Until-
Yoh smacked an open palm square against his chest and his shoulders hunched over as he breathed a comically deep sigh of relief after hearing Kagome's desperate and flustered disclaimer. Kagome stood before him with her dainty hands up in a defensive manner. Not only did he notice her deep expression of concern, but also the delicate pink blush spread across her cheeks. 'She's blushing over...Tao Ren...?' He wondered inwardly. However, his inner confusion was well hidden. "Well, that's a relief..." Yoh admitted openly before his lips curved upwards into his signature smile. The sight of his pearly whites sent a similar wave of relief over Kagome, causing her too to sigh then smile contently with the results. She was more than grateful that Yoh immediately believed her.
She then nodded and said with an uncharacteristic shy smile as she twirled a lock of her dark hair around her fingers nervously, "Yeah, you don't have anything to worry about..." That reassurance of her loyalty was rewarded with a beaming smile from Yoh and a visible bristle from both Ren and Bankotsu.
The latter of Yoh's romantic rivals then stepped forward to stand right next to Kagome. He placed a tanned hand on her tiny shoulder, which caused her to look up at him curiously, as he gave Yoh a rather serious look and greeted, "Yo."
"That's my name," Yoh responded cheekily with a grin while linking his hands behind his head.
Bankotsu, however, was not amused. He was typically one for jokes and laughs, but he was completely serious about competition of any kind. "What is your relationship to my Kagome-chan?" He asked quite bluntly without batting an eyelash.
Sango sighed aloud, knowing that another altercation over Kagome was about to arise. She was not jealous. But she sure was tired after the long night that she had. The Tao was too proud to admit it, but she was ready to catch up on some good sleep. Her eyes absently scanned the faces of her party of shamans, which seemed to grow larger and larger overnight. Kagome's sweet face flushed with embarrassment over the interaction between the grinning Yoh, serious Bankotsu, and silently brooding Ren. Shippo looked panicked and desperately trying to escape the tight cuddles of an enamored Pirika. The spirits were discussing the antics of their respective shamans. And HoroHoro was laughing at Kagome's expense again, but then, as if he felt her eyes on him, the blunette turned to make direct eye contact with Sango. The blunette boy immediately shot a toothy grin her way.
The unexpected eye contact and smile sent the blood rushing to her cheeks, but more from embarrassment about how he would misunderstand why she was looking at him than from her actually feeling attraction to him. The outgoing younger teen's grin only seemed to widen as he noticed her reaction to his smile. HoroHoro, feeling encouraged by her girlish reaction, held up his right hand and formed his pointer and middle finger into a "V-shape", mentally yelling at his crush, 'Peace on you!'
'Vi...victory?!' The Tao inwardly burned, unknowingly misinterpreting the sign that HoroHoro sent her way. She honestly wanted to call him out for being cocky and tell him that he had not won her over, but instead, she calmed herself with a deep breath. Sango scoffed at his actions, feeling annoyed with his straightforward and confident nature. There was no way that he was her type, she was sure of that.
After the commotion caused by the teenagers died down once again, on cue, a shiny and sleek limousine pulled up to the curb next to them. HoroHoro sweatdropped as his younger sister's eyes lit up in excitement and awe at the extravagant vehicle as she squealed and loudly explained to Kagome and Sango that she had never seen anything like it before. Sango merely chuckled at Ren's annoyed look as Pirika began to curiously poke the cool metal with her small lips shaped into a small "o". Bankotsu let out a hearty laugh as he pushed past Ren, who yelled a "What the- HEY!" as he tapped on a dark, tinted passenger window. "Yo! Open up!" He casually called inside.
The window then slowly slid down to (unsurprisingly) reveal Jun's smiling face. "I figured that you all would have tired from your matches so I'm here to give you a ride," she explained while looking at her younger brother. Her chocolate eyes quickly scanned the rest of the faces before her and she added, "Will your guests be accompanying us, Renny?"
Ren visibly twitched and his cheeks lit up at the embarrassing nickname. "O-Onee-san!" He chided and shot her a glare that just screamed 'How could you embarrass me like that?!'
"Renny...?" Yoh repeated aloud as he blinked as his brain began to process what it heard. Within seconds, an identical expression of pure mischief spread across Yoh's, HoroHoro's, and Bankotsu's faces. Once again, Ren found himself annoyed and embarrassed as HoroHoro slung his arm around his shoulder in a chummy way while giving him a huge grin.
"Renny, huh?" The blunette asked as he obviously struggled to keep a straight face. "Cute."
"HEY!" The young Tao bellowed when the much taller Bankotsu scruffled his hair as if he were a mere tike.
"You should answer the question, Renny!" Bankotsu added in with a huge grin of his own.
Yoh bent backward a bit in a stretching motion as he casually agreed, "She's right, I'm beat. I could use a ride...
...Renny." A small smirk at his lips.
Ren's cheek went ablaze and his tongari stiffened as he shouted with balled up fists, "THAT'S IT! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" He lunged at the closest person to him, which happened to be Yoh.
The Asakura, despite being tired and lazy, still had good reflexes and ducked behind Kagome for protection, his knees bent a bit to be hidden by her smaller form and his hands lightly on her shoulders. "Eek! Kagome, save me!" He squeaked out with a playful grin.
Ren managed to catch himself mid-lunge just before his body smashed into hers, he almost tripped from trying to stop his own momentum. He openly scowled in response to the one that Kagome gave him, hers accompanied by an admonishing expression. She placed her hands on her hips and commanded, "Don't bully Yoh like that!"
Her command caused Ren's jaw to drop in disbelief. He then shook a fist at her, "Don't bully Yoh?!" He almost spat out the brunette's name, his tone incredulous. "What about me?!"
Ren's eye twitched at the sight of Bankotsu, HoroHoro, Yoh and grinning and silently exchanging hi-fives behind Kagome's back as she tilted her head to the side with a look of confusion on her face. "What about you?" She asked before quickly following up with," I thought that your skin was much thicker than that...
...Renny." A small smirk at her lips.
"YOU'VE BETRAYED ME TOO?!" Ren's red face and roar were rewarded with collective laughter from all of the teenagers, including his own kin. Sango then walked over to Kagome with a proud grin on her face as the slightly older girl raised up her hand. Kagome nodded happily and responded with a light slap to Sango's open, flat palm.
"They're all against me," Ren grumbled to himself while folding his arms and huffing as he watched the crowd of teenagers into the limousine. He shut the door behind him before looking up at the sight before him. The limo was primarily a dulled red and velvet in the interior with the finest of black, leather seats. His unintended group of passengers took up the entirety of the rare seats. This particular set of seats was actually one long, plush U-shaped cushion that was complement by plenty of leg-room, which was fortuitous for the relatively tall Bankotsu. The unofficial seating order began with Mukotsu, whose nervousness about entering the car of a stranger was literally pushed aside and inside by his taller, but younger brother. He was followed by Bankotsu to his immediate right, then Pirika, HoroHoro, Sango, Kagome, Yoh, and finally Ren took the opposite end of the U and had about a third of a meter between Yoh and himself.
"We certainly have enough room to house you all for a short rest," Jun stated as she looked over at the younger teens from her place in the row of seats in front of theirs. "However," She covered the lower hand of her face with an intricate, paper fan to hide a twitching smile, "You reek so we'll have a short stay at a small inn that I rather fancy~"
"If a bath, sleep, and meal is free, I'm all up for it!" HoroHoro shot back with an excited grin.
"Meal?" Pirika gave her brother a deadpanned expression. "You just got a free one, Onii-chan." Before HoroHoro could explain that he was already feeling hungry again after eating only three bowls of ramen (which was Ren's treat), Sango suddenly yawned from behind her hand. Sleepy tears formed in her eyes as she unintentionally growled and scowled.
Her Tao pride would not admit that she was becoming grumpy from the lack of sleep.
That was when Kagome gently patted her hands on her legs as she offered Sango, "Hey, Sango-chan, if you're that tired, feel free to rest your head on my lap~!" She beamed.
Sango's mouth slightly became ajar before she asked in her sleepy haze, "You sure?"
"Mmhm~!" Kagome chirped with a simple and straightforward nod of her head.
"Well, if you'd be so kind," Sango mumbled back as politely as possible as she leaned her body to her right until her side was against the rather comfortable seat cushion and her head was cozied up in Kagome's lap. The younger girl's legs felt just as expected, soft yet firm, just right for her purposes. "Thanks a lot..." She whispered as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep at a speed that shocked HoroHoro and Pirika. However, there was no time for the Usui siblings to express their shock-
"N-No fair!" Yoh openly whined with an expression that was a mixture of shock and pouty jealousy. Not only did Sango get to rest her head in Kagome's lap, but the young girl smiled tenderly and gently stroked Sango's hair as she slept. He had never thought of it before using Kagome's lap as a pillow looked like a dream!
"Eh?" Kagome blinked with a nervous, half-smile.
"I agree," Bankotsu chimed in with a neutral, calm face that did not suit his normal demeanor. "Where and when can I get some of that?" He asked.
"You two..." Kagome blinked slowly, unsure if she was interpreting Yoh and Bankotsu correctly. "...want to rest your head in my lap too?" She finished her inquiry, inwardly hoping that she was not jumping the gun and that she was not about to embarrass herself in front of everyone. But instantly, her nervousness was calmed by a curt nod from Bankotsu and a swift sequence of nods from Yoh whose fists were balled up. A small blush and shy smile crossed her lips as she averted her eyes from both of their directions, "Well, if the opportunity arises...sure, why not?" she almost whispered. Her surprisingly affirmative response caused Mukotsu's, Bankotsu's, and Yoh's eyes to widen greatly, each of them imagining their dream scenario with her.
In Mukotsu's fantasy, they were in his room, chatting like good, old friends on his bed. It was a gloomy, rainy day with clouds that suddenly began darker and darker. The dim room that they shared suddenly lit up with a flash of lightning that caused Kagome's eyes to light up delightfully. "Wow, it's so cool~!" She marveled at the sight. "Eh? Mu-chan?" She asked as her eyebrows furrowed with worry after noticing Mukotsu visibly shaking in fear. "Are you...afraid of the storm?" She asked. He nodded as his large eyes filled with tears. "Here..." She whispered to him in the sweetest of tones as she patted her lap. "Rest your weary head, and rest assured that I'll always be here." Mukotsu gave her a watery smile and obliged.
Meanwhile, Bankotsu's fantasy was the complete opposite. The weather was warm, sunny, and fair. Kagome was sitting in a field of daisies in their old middle school uniform while he was just approaching her with a log that seemed to be cut down by Banryuu over his shoulder. He placed the log down next to a work-in-progress Western-style cabin and then winked as he walked over to her, "Sup, babe?" He asked casually. "Oh, nothing much," She replied with a smile. "I was just enjoying the weather and waiting for you, Ban-chan~." "Thinking of me the whole time?" He lightly teased with a cheeky grin as he sat down in the field next to her. "Always," Kagome replied with a sweet smile. "You're the cutest girl in the world, you know that?" He asked her as he took the liberties of laying back and resting his head on his lap. Kagome blushed in a maidenly way before she replied shyly, "And Ban-chan...is the coolest."
Simultaneously, Yoh was having his own daydream. Kagome had been waiting for him under the starlight on the hill in Crow Cementary, where they and Manta used to spend so much time together. As he trekked up the incline, Yoh could not help but notice how beautiful Kagome looked everywhere that she went. "Yo, Kagome~!" He greeted her with a relaxed smile and a small wave. She smiled at him as he made his way to her side, "Yoh, you finally made it, you knucklehead!" She teased with false anger. He scratched behind his head, "Sorry, did you wait long?" He asked the two of them moved in perfect unison and took spots on the soft, dry grass. "Nah, don't worry about it," She replied as the two of them gazed up at the stars, twinkling down at them. "Besides..."She whispered suddenly as Yoh suddenly found his field of vision changing in a blur. Kagome blushed as she gently placed Yoh's head in her lap. "I'd wait for you...forever..."
Unknowingly, everyone except for Ren was sweatdropping at the three boys. Mukotsu was crying tears of joy; Bankotsu was chuckling mischievously to himself; while Yoh's face went bright red before he paled and slapped his hands on either side of his head with an expression of sheer terror on his usually tanned face, "Anna would kill me!"
Kagome then looked at Ren, hoping that he would have answers for her, but she was surprised to find that his face appeared frozen in a comical expression: jaw dropped, eyes wide as saucers, and red-faced. "Ren?" She asked while waving her hand as close to his face she could manage from her place on the U, which was the middle part that connected the two parallel ends. "You in there?"
Pirika watched the entire exchange, she may have been the youngest among the teenagers there, but even she could see the chaotic love triangle that was unfolding. She was going to whisper a comment to her brother about it, but her eye twitched when she found that he too was in a blissful fantasy. A wide, goofy smile across his lips with his eyes closed in pure bliss.
"HoroHoro-kun..." Sango whispered through lidded, violet orb. "I'm so...sleepy..." She admitted to him. They were in the back of the limousine, but everyone else had seemingly disappeared. HoroHoro swallowed a nervous lump in his throat and a bead of sweat ran down his forehead as Sango scooched closer and closer to him, closing the distance between them willingly but at the same time, with that soft, vulnerable expression her face. It was an expression of desire - for either him or sleep, he could not tell. "Could I possibly...?" She asked him as she leaned closer and closer. "Y-Yeah," He managed to choke out before the girl passed out, her head falling directly into his lap. 'L-Lucky!' He shouted inwardly as joyful tears streamed down his face.
Pirika huffed and pouted, she crossed her thin arms, feeling left out from the loop of love. She let out a frustrated sigh, "It's not fair... I want to be loved too," She was able to whine aloud since most of the others in the group were daydreaming, or just dreaming in Sango's case.
Jun giggled behind her paper fan and turned to look at Pirika from over her shoulder, "Don't worry, my dear. You're still so young, you haven't begun blossoming quite yet. But I can already tell that you're going to become quite the beautiful young lady~."
Kagome smiled and gave Pirika a reassuring nod, "and for what's it worth, you're super cute already so you have nothing to worry about."
Pirika's eyes twinkled a bit as she cupped her hands together, "You really think so?!"
To her delight, the two older girls happily continued to encourage her about her adorable, dollish looks and sweet personality for quite a while.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
"You deem Tao Ren's victory over Shichinin Bankotsu's legitimate?" a muscular, brown-skinned man with a rough-face and wavy hair asked his companion who sat at the opposite end of the small coffee table in their shared apartment located in downtown Tokyo. He crossed his tanned, muscular arms across his chest, a grave expression appearing on his face. "I may not have been there, but I felt the power that Higurashi Kagome emitted in that fraction of a second," He explained as his eyebrows furrowed. "The power that Tao Ren used to conquer Shichinin Bankotsu was not his own. You must admit this, Silva."
"Kalim," Silva began his response. "This world is full of many shades of gray, correct?" He asked of his close friend. A curt head nod accompanied by an affirmative grunt was his response, so he continued to speak, "What I witnessed was not of this world. Indeed, Higurashi Kagome interfered with the match. However, I can confirm that the power that Tao Ren used was indeed his own."
"What are you saying?" Kalim asked as he racked his brain for an explanation of the occurrence. He knew what he felt: a flare of immense spiritual energy followed quickly by a flare of Furyoku.
"I cannot explain the method behind it..." Silva admitted humbly as he closed his eyes and elaborated, "But Higurashi Kagome did not simply offer her own energy or power to Tao Ren... Rather, she used an ability to replenish Tao Ren's natural reserves of Furyoku... Or, she increased his capacity of Furyoku," he surmised as he leaned forward and rested his chin beneath his interlocked hands.
"No matter how it is explained, it is an ability that is not of our natural world," Kalim countered in a calm manner. "You are saying that she created energy out of nothing?"
"Correct..." Silva replied. "Or at least, that is my best explanation for now."
"She is one of your charges, Silva," Kalim pointed out. "You need to keep an eye out on her...and keep her under control. We cannot have more occurrences like this or else, the honor and responsibility of Shaman King could depend on the mood of a child."
"I would not call her that so lightly," Silva replied as he unfolded his hands from under his chin without losing the thoughtful expression on his face. "That girl is an anamoly...an exception amongst exceptions. I've never met or heard of an individual with her capabilities before."
"A priestess and a shaman...who can harness demonic energy... and has the ability to create energy from nothing...and to top that off, the trees and other plant life that was destroyed by Bankotsu's unruly rain of fire attack was restored to full health when she healed him." Kalim listed what they knew about her so far. "Should we report this to the others?"
"...no. Not yet."
Kalim was not surprised at Silva's response.
He was always the type who liked to look before he lept.
Both of them wanted to discretely find out if Higurashi Kagome was a friend or foe.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
"Here we aaaaare~" Jun nearly sang in happiness as they pulled up to their destination, a fairly large structure stuck between two more staggering skyscrapers. This time the Usui siblings mouths opened quite agape but they seemed to have lost their voices in the awe that struck them at the sight of the building's splendor. Despite being located in the middle of downtown Tokyo, the building resembled a larger version of traditional country-side bathhouses for weary travelers. "Please," the young woman said with a polite smile. "Feel free to enjoy yourselves to the fullest. All expenses to our stay here have been paid for."
HoroHoro grinned. He did not need to be told twice. Without hesitation, he ran through the entrance, ripping off his clothes and tossing them into the arms of an attendant who happened to be passing by. "Woohoooooo!" was his exuberant call as he ran completely naked to the male side of the bathhouse, leaving mixed expressions on faces of the party that he had left behind. Ren, Bankotsu, Yoh all looked agitated, a collection of their hands covering Kagome's eyes as she protested and struggled to escape their manual blindfolds. Pirika looked extremely exasperated and embarrassed that she was related to the exhibitionist. Jun tried to offer Sango a reassuring smile as the brunette looked about ready to scold the younger teen again.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
After folding their clothing and placing them in the designated individual hampers, the girls happily filed into the women's bath area. "Waaaaaaaaaaah~!" Pirika openly marveled at the interior design with wide, sparkling brown eyes. The atmosphere was simple and tradition, but elegant nonetheless. The walls were made of seemingly authentic wood logs to emulate the bath houses of natural hot springs in the mountains. The floors were hard, rock, almost like cement. The perimeter of the bath itself was adorned with boulders placed in convenient spots to become barriers for privacy, support for leaning patrons, and even seats for some. The water was a murky, pale blue from the heat and water jets that gushed high-pressured water for people who preferred a massaging simulation. "This place looks like a natural hot spring!" She spoke what the others were thinking.
Jun merely smiled while chuckling at the younger teen's child-like demeanor, "Well, of course. It had better be for the pretty penny that I spent here." The group of young girls walked towards the shower area, where it was customary to clean yourself before enjoying the bath. Pirika, being the young and free child that she was, excitedly ran over to the area as naked as the day that she was born. Kagome was close behind, just as nude, as she felt at ease with sharing the private area with the other girls. Jun and Sango, both being raised with Tao traditions, opted for walking over with towels covering their frontal treasures.
"Onee-san," Kagome smiled as she knelt down next to a stool used for sitting. "I want to thank you for all that you've done for me and my friends. Can I wash your back for you?"
Jun blinked in surprise at the offer. 'Just like a real little sister would...' She mused inwardly. The green-haired teen then returned Kagome's smile with one of her own and nodded, "Of course, I'd be honored~." And with that Jun sat down on the stool as Kagome got to work.
"Sango-neesan," Pirika cupped her tiny hands together and gave her a sweet smile, much like Kagome's, "I can wash your back too~!"
Sango was taken aback by both the sudden offer, and being referred to as a sister by the younger girl who she had just met overnight. The first thought that crossed her mind was of how shocking or disgusting her scarred up back would come across to Pirika, who did not know of her history with the Tao family...
"Ah..." She opened her mouth, "That's okay... There's no need. I'm used to washing my own back." The branch-family Tao explained with a smile that was supposed to project appreciation but Kagome and Jun clearly saw the melancholy behind it. Although her red lips were curved upwards, it was so ever-so-slightly and her eyebrows were downturned.
Much like her brother sometimes misread body language when excited about something, Pirika shook her head as her smile widened, "Say no more! I really have to start treating you right since my big brother likes you so much!" With that said, the blunette would hear no more of it as she took a surprisingly firm grasp on Sango's forearm and dragged her over to the shower stool and forced her into the proper sitting position. "I've got you, no worries! It's no problem at all!" Pirika insisted.
Sango hummed an unsure "mm" but did not bother resisting anymore. Pirika's innocent enthusiasm was too much for her to challenge for much longer.
The blue-haired girl smiled happily as she washed Sango's back by gentling gliding her soapy sponge down the long, smooth valley of skin. She stared at Sango's back in almost wonder and awe, "Wow, Sango-nee~ Your skin is so lovely and perfect! Not one blemish in sight!"
Sango winced at the compliment, thinking back to the hideous scars from the punishment given to her by the Tao family in the past. "You..." she whispered back, feeling her mood dampen a bit, "Don't have to be so kind," she told the younger girl. "I know how ugly they are."
The blunette then blinked as a befuddled look appeared on her face, one that Sango did not see. "Huh? What do you mean? Your skin is flawless!" She insisted with a pout. "People who don't realize how blessed they are, only make others feel bad about themselves!" She lightly chastised while wagging her pointer finger.
"I appreciate the sentiment," Sango looked over her shoulder at Pirika with a wistful smile. "But you don't have to be so kind. The scars on my back are not beautiful. They're not meant to be."
Pirika frowned, feeling utterly confused, "What scars are you talking about, Sango-nee?"
"What?!" Sango scrambled to her feet and ran towards the changing area, almost slipping on the slippery rock floor in the process. But she continued to make haste until she found herself in front of a full-body mirror. The teen quickly turned away from the mirror and looked over her shoulder, only for her eyes to widen in disbelief at what she saw. The long, deep scars that marred her back were replaced with skin as smooth and pristine as a newborn baby. "W-what's going on...?" She whispered to herself in a shaking voice.
"No matter how ugly they are, they serve as a reminder of how wretched the Tao's are," Sango stated, her voice going cold and grave.
Sango stifled a surprised scream when suddenly she was almost knocked off balance by Kagome nearly launching herself onto her back as she cried out, "No!" The younger girl wrapped her arms around her friend and held her from behind. "I'm sorry but I disagree," She said in a more calm manner than her initial outburst. "I think... that they're a reminder of your strength."
The older girl closed her eyes for a moment and smiled. She did not know what it was but a warm, soft feeling suddenly overcame her. At first, it felt like it came from within. But then she realized that even though she felt the warmth inside of her, coursing through her veins and even in her very soul, she was not the source of the warmth. It was the embrace of the girl who looked up to her and stood up for her so much. "Thank you" ...
'That has to be it...' Sango concluded. 'Kagome healed my scars back then... But how?' She pondered as she stared down the blank skin that seemed foreign to her body. 'I know that priestesses can heal and stabilize wounds and illnesses... But... scars? Is that normal...?' Sango shot a worried look over to Jun and Kagome who were both giving her expressions of concern due to her outburst and panicked run to a mirror.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
To say that the atmosphere within the male's bath was awkward would be an understatement. Four of the five young men were all romantically interested in the same girl...and the two that were most aware of it filled every meter of the space that they shared with tension as thick as a cheese wheel. HoroHoro, still feeling energetic and excited, ran past the showers and a "No Diving or Jumping At Any Time" sign and jumped right into the bath with a bellow of, "Yahoooooooooooo!" The subsequent splash of hot air drenched and lightly scalded Ren in the face, causing his skin to redden up.
"HEY!" The instantly angry Tao yelled out to HoroHoro who began swimming around the spring like a maniac. "This isn't a public pool, watch you're doing, idiot!" He spat out to the blue-haired teen, causing HoroHoro to stop mid-swim and scratch the back of his head with a cheeky grin.
"Ehheh, sorry 'bout that, but you should chill out!" HoroHoro replied in a casual tone.
Bankotsu then walked by Ren to head over to the showers, but he could not resist the urge to pass the Tao with a smirk shot his way, "The blue boy is right. Kagome-chan would be upset if you started another fight."
Ren bristled at Bankotsu's statement and huffed, sticking his nose up in the air while replying in a haughty tone, "As if you know anything about her, you're an outdated, obsolete old friend who's been doing nothing but pining for a girl who didn't respond to his sexual harassment."
Bankotsu's eyebrow twitched, and he turned around so quickly to glare coldly down at Ren, "What did you say...little man?" The much taller and tanner teen stepped up to Ren and puffed out his chest unconsciously, making himself look even larger than before.
Ren, however, was not daunted by their size difference. "Heh," A rather cocky smirk spread across his face as he challenged Bankotsu's attempt at dominance with direct eye contact. Sapphire blue clashed with molten gold. "Looks like size is all that you've got going for you. Tall. Broad chest. Long hair. Big sword," He listed casually, "...makes me think that you're truly compensating for something," he suggested with briefly glancing down at Bankotsu's towel-covered nether regions.
"You little..." Bankotsu seethed between clenched teeth. "Whip yours out right now, and we'll see who's truly trying to hide something!"
Yoh, who really wanted to just enjoy a relaxing soak in the hot spring, finally decided to step up to the two rather intimidating shamans. "Now, now..." He interjected with a dismissive waving hand and a nervous smile. "There's no need for that," He told them in a somewhat shaky voice. "Besides, Kagome probably doesn't care about things like that," the brunette then added for good measure, "She's the cutest girl in the world after all."
"Hold up!" HoroHoro cut in, a determined face as he jumped out of the hot spring, "I'll stop you right there, Yoh," he stated with grand conviction. "Kagome-chan is cute and all, but my Sango-tan is the cutest girl in the world!"
Ren's eye twitched, "Your?"
"-Sango...tan?" Bankotsu finished while raising an eyebrow.
'This guy is the worst!' The other four teens, including the rather shy and self-conscious Mukotsu thought in perfect unison.
Yoh then blinked, his expression changed from a blanch that he shared with Ren and Bankotsu to one of shock and outrage as something just clicked inside of his brain. The brunette pointed an accusatory finger at HoroHoro, "Wah! Wait a minute! Aren't you supposed to be Kagome's boyfriend?!"
In unison, both Bankotsu and Ren dropped their composure as they turned deathly pale and their jaw dropped in perfect unison. "Boy..." Bankotsu managed to whisper out in a dry, death-bed type voice.
"...friend..." Ren finished with his own dark mumble. The two of them then turned to face HoroHoro simultaneously. They looked at each other from the corners of their eyes, then back at HoroHoro who blushed in an embarrassed manner but still grinning like a fool nonetheless.
"Y-Yeeeeah..." HoroHoro began through his smile, "About that... It wasn't really like that. Kagome-chan wasn't too into it, but she was fun to tease. I was just messing around and wanted an excuse to hug a cute gir-." Suddenly, he sensed a darkness that was unlike anything he had ever felt before approaching. He looked beyond Yoh and saw Bankotsu and Ren surrounded by nothing but darkness with their eyes glowing their respective colors.
"Boyfriend, huh?" Ren asked as he cracked his knuckles.
"That's something that we can beat out of him," Bankotsu stated while cracking his own.
Yoh's smile twitched, he raised his hands up in surrender and stepped out of their path of destruction, "I'm Switzerland," he announced.
HoroHoro went paled.
Ren and Bankotsu stepped closer.
Yoh tried to (nervously) laugh it off.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Was all that could be heard for miles.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Despite being based in downtown Tokyo, even the interior of the hotel was designed like one from the countryside. The lobby had a relaxing atmosphere that was created by hard-wood floors, wooden walls, and wooden chairs with purple back and bottom cushions for comfort. The boys sat around waiting in the lobby in their complimentary, pastel blue yukata that was held together by navy blue obi and complemented with cream-colored slippers. The girls had gone over their agreed upon bathing time. The five extra minutes felt like an eternity to them, but finally, the voices of their female companions began fading in from their designated changing area.
"I'm still amazed at how silky smooth your skin feels, Sango-nee~!" Pirika told her as she emerged first. The petite girl had her straight, blue hair tied up into high twin ponytails. She was immediately followed by Sango who replied to her with an unsteady chuckle
"For the last time, you don't have to keep mentioning it, okay?" The older teen used the most patient, calm tone that she could. HoroHoro could not help but note how much cuter she looked with her hair pulled up into a high ponytail, instead of her bun. She looked a lot less stiff and formal.
"No harm, no foul, right?" Jun asked Sango with a soothing, almost encouraging tone. The green-haired teen was wearing her tresses straight down, something that she only did when she was unwinding and ready to settle down the night. Ren found it odd since it made no sense for her to be tired and it was actually morning time.
Finally, Kagome emerged from the hallway. Her dark, wavy hair was pulled into low twin-tails that sat over her shoulders. "Sango-chan is kind of right~ We should talk about other things now," she suggested with a smile. All of the girls adorned the complimentary pastel pink yukata that were tied together by dark red obi along with the cream-colored slippers. With that said, the girls turned their attention towards the boys as they approached, but they paused mid-stride at the looks of them.
"O-Onii-chan!" Pirika cried out in a horrified tone, "What's wrong with your FACE?!"
"Oh, dear..." Jun murmured as she pulled a paper fan seemingly out of nowhere. "What kind of trouble did you boys get into?"
There they were- the boys of the group. HoroHoro sat hunched over in a chair, looking utterly defeated. He had a swollen cheek and a black eye. Yoh was a seat directly next to him, lightly patting his shoulder comfortably. A few chairs away was Mukotsu, who was patting the shoulder of Bankotsu, who appeared to be silently sulking about something. Finally, there was Ren sitting far from the rest of them, with his arms crossed over his chest and a pout-like scowl on his face.
"Eh-" Kagome blinked before her face contorted into one of deep concern. "Ren, what happened to you?!" She asked as she ran over to over him. Ren tried with all of his might to retain his scowl as he felt a familiar light flapping of butterflies in his stomach as the person of his desires approached.
"Just the hot water getting to me, don't worry about it," He replied in a calm, dismissive tone. 'Just play it cool...' He told himself as Kagome knelt down in front of him. 'Play it cool...' He told himself again as Kagome's head tilted upwards and small hand raised in what seemed to be slow-motion. 'Keep calm...' Just when he thought that he would maintain his composure, Kagome's hand made contact. She cupped his cheek and her thumb gently glided over it tentatively.
"Your face is all red," She pointed out while continuing to lightly caress Ren's cheek, "Does that hurt?" She noticed that the red color of his skin deepened by at least five shades and panicked, "Oh no! It's like I burnt your face even more!" She cried out.
"Y-You didn't!" Ren said in an outburst as his hand shot up to grab hers away from his face before she could inflict any more emotional blows to him. "You just irritated the skin even more!"
From the sidelines, Yoh and Bankotsu shot HoroHoro looks of sheer outrage. HoroHoro laughed nervously and held up his hands, "Come on, guys... It's not like I planned for that to happen-!"
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Ren shot his older sister a rather sharp look as the rather large group of teenagers stepped inside of the room that they all would be sharing. She merely laughed heartily behind her hand and stated, as if she had read his mind, "Come on now, little brother! We're only staying here half of a day, so I thought that paying for two separate rooms would be such a waste~" The only other person who seemed bothered by the co-ed sleeping arrangement was Sango as she eyed HoroHoro with a warning glare that made him threw up his hands in surrender and laugh nervously.
Without any more complaints, the group of teenagers entered the room and began setting up the futons that they found in a small closet area. They set up the futons in a circle and began sitting down on the ones that they wanted. Kagome was amongst the first to sit down. She noted how quick Bankotsu was to plop his butt down onto the futon to her left. But what made her blush was when she looked to her right and saw Yoh giving her a somewhat cheeky grin as he stated, "Looks like we're neighbors, huh?"
She returned the grin and replied with more enthusiasm than Ren and Bankotsu cared for, "We are~ I feel so lucky~!" To Yoh's right was Jun, who was sending him and Ren very catty smiles on the sly. To the right of Jun was San, followed by Ren, then HoroHoro (who was a bit annoyed that Ren purposely parked himself between him and Sango while giving him a nasty glare), then Pirika, Mukotsu, ending with Bankotsu on Kagome's left. "Anyone else...magically not so tired anymore?" Kagome suddenly asked curiously. Somehow, it felt like being at a sleepover, where despite not getting any sleep, she was suddenly unable to from sheer excitement.
Sango smiled at Kagome and nodded, "I kind of get what you mean. I'm too nervous to sleep."
"We should play a game then!" Pirika suggested as she excited raised her hand as if she was answering a question. "How about Truth-or-Dare?!" She asked while looking at the faces of her companions for their reactions and approvals.
"What on Earth is that?" Ren asked while raising an eyebrow.
HoroHoro then burst in laughter while pointing at Ren, "Ahahahaha! What kind of rock did you live under to not know what Truth-or-Dare is?!" He asked between cackles while slapping his knees. "T-This chibi acts so high and mighty, but he doesn't even know about the basic of party game-"
"We don't know about it either," Jun and Sango chimed in unison with deadpanned faces.
HoroHoro then paled and shrunk away in shame, 'I blew it...'
"Ahah, well..." Kagome chimed in, "Truth-or-Dare is simply a game where you take turns asking the person of your choice 'Truth-or-Dare'? If that person chooses truth, then they have to answer any question of your choice honestly. If they choose dare, they have to do any dare of your choosing, or face a punishment. You can also be punished for refusing to answer a question," She explained. "It's simple but it can be a lot of fun, or chaotic," she finished with a chuckle.
"Okay, let's choose a punishment for those too chicken to do their dares!" Pirika said.
"Hmm... It has to be something that no one would want to do..." Kagome pointed out as they all closed their eyes and searched their brains for ideas.
"Oh, I know!" Pirika piped up, "If you don't complete your dare or answer a question, you have to sneak into the opposite sex's bath area!"
"Eh-!" Many of the group's eyes shot open and paled when they heard that.
"NAKED!" HoroHoro added with a lot of gusto.
"Of course you'd add something like that, pervert!" Sango yelled as she grabbed her pillow and threw it directly at HoroHoro's face, effectively sending him tumbling onto his back.
"This is so stupid..." Ren grumbled as the remainder of the group agreed to the terms of the game. He stole a glance at Kagome who seemed to be among the eager ones to play.
"A couple of more rules, we don't want to bully anyone so no one can ask or dare the same person if they were asked or dared twice in a row!" Pirika announced to everyone. "Onii-chan will be the first to ask, and we'll take turns clockwise!"
HoroHoro grinned, "I'm first, huh?" He asked while rocking back and forth excitedly. He looked around the faces of the circle. He noticed how Sango immediately turned her face away his eyes landed on her. 'Think I'm gonna choose you, huh?' He thought with an inner smirk. 'Fine!' His brown eyes settled on Ren, who was right beside him, "Chibi, truth or dare?"
'Damn it,' Ren thought to himself. He sucked his teeth, feeling annoyed that he did not have more time to think about which option he would choose if anyone selected him. 'This moron will probably give me a Kagome-related dare just to mess with me!' "Tru-..." he then paused as another thought crossed his mind. 'But what if he asks if I like her?!' The world seemed to slow down as Ren felt a sense of dread creeping upon him. 'I'm trapped no matter what I pick! Dammit!' "DARE!" He blurted out.
That was when Ren looked at Kagome's rather impressed look.
Then back at HoroHoro's scarily wide grin.
Then back to Kagome's excited face.
Then back at HoroHoro's even wider grin.
Ren realized that he made a horrible mistake as HoroHoro opened his mouth, "I dare...
...you...
to...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...apologize for giving me a black eye!" HoroHoro demanded with fire in his eyes, "on your knees!" He added as his grin changed into a sinister, satisfied, smug one.
"I am the Tao heir!" Ren rebutted as he got in HoroHoro's face. "That'll happen in your dreams!"
Yoh then chuckled from his cozy spot next to Kagome and mused, "Maaaaan...I wish I was that confident in my body to accept that kind of punishment."
Kagome then nodded and added in, "Yeah, me too. I'd just die if I had to do something like that."
"..."
Ren went deathly silent.
Then to everyone's shock, he completed his dare without a hitch, albeit through clenched teeth and with an eyebrow that twitched angrily the entire time.
Next, it was Ren's turn to take the stage. He quietly scanned the faces of the other participants. Of course, the first person who popped into his mind was Kagome. He would never admit that he wanted to dare her to give him the lap-pillow service that she gave Sango earlier. 'I can't choose Kagome... I have to play it safe by avoiding bringing her up at all. If I hone in on her, others will do the same.' He looked over at Pirika and said, "Twin tails, truth or dare?"
Pirika's eyes sparkled at the prospect of being chosen so early on in the game, "Dare me! I'm not afraid of anything!" She challenged him.
"Hn..." Ren closed his eyes for a moment thoughtfully. A few moments later, a small smirk spread across his face as he looked at Bankotsu, "I dare you to sit on that guy's lap until your next turn."
"WHAT?!" HoroHoro fell over from shock, while both Pirika's and Bankotsu's jaws dropped in utter disbelief. "Don't force my little sister to do ridiculous things!" The older of the blue siblings yelled at Ren, who simply ignored him while responding calmly,
"The rules say that she has to do it, or she has to enter the men's bath naked," Ren then looked at Pirika and asked, "You up for it?"
Pirika blushed and glared at him with her fist clenched in a determined pose, "Like I said, I'm not afraid of anything!" She told him as she nearly stomped the few meters to Bankotsu. She looked down at him with the straightest, bravest red-stained face she could muster and said, "Pardon the intrusion!" before plopping down onto his lap before he had the time to react or respond. Little did the young girl did know, she plopped down with too much force onto the wrong spot, as Bankotsu was sitting crossed leg. Her petite bottom still managed to crush Bankotsu's most sensitive part between his legs.
"ACK!" His face almost turned blue from the intense pain that 'Little Ban' cried out from.
Hearing Bankotsu's yelp caused Pirika to hastily whip her head around and asked with an innocent blink, "Are you okay? What happened?"
"D-Don't worry about it, Piririn," He managed to grunt out through the pain while patting her head. He tried to show her a reassuring grin but it definitely came off as forced.
Pirika blinked again as her blush deepened, "Piririn...? You gave me a nickname?"
"Mm," He gave a short nod as he turned his attention back to the game as it became Sango's turn. "It's cute. It suits a girl like you," He told her casually.
'C-Cute? Suits a girl like me?!' She asked herself inwardly as she felt her heart skip a beat at those words. 'So Jun-san and Kagome-chan were right...Even I can be cute to boys.' She thought to herself with her chest fluttery lightly. 'I'm cute to...' she looked up at Bankotsu's face, which she noticed to be quite handsome suddenly, '...him...'
Sango tapped her chin thoughtfully as she looked up the ceiling, wondering who to choose for her turn. Her eyes landed on Yoh and before she knew it, she called over to him, "Asakura Yoh-kun~"
"Eh?" Yoh blinked while pointing at himself as if there was anyone else in the room with that name. "You choose me?"
"Truth or dare?" Sango asked straightforwardly.
Yoh scratched his cheek as he looked at Kagome from the corner of his eye. "Ah...well..." He blushed when Kagome turned to him with an excited look on her face. He looked back at Sango, who was giving him an amused smile that he swore hid a devilish nature behind it. "I'll go with truth, since everyone else has picked dare so far," He explained, hoping that no one would catch on that he was too afraid to pick dare.
"What's your favorite thing about my Kagome-chan?" Sango asked with a smile that was becoming more and more catty as she saw both Yoh's and Kagome's cheeks burned bright red.
"Yoh, don't worry!" Kagome suddenly interjected, "You don't have to answer that!"
Yoh gave her a reassuring smile, hiding his accelerated heart rate behind it, "Don't worry. This question is only difficult because there are so many things that I love about you~" He told Kagome before tapping her on the nose.
'C-C-C-CRITICAL HIT!' Kagome screamed internally as her hand shot up to her chest, where it felt like her heart would jump right out. On the outside, Kagome merely nodded and smiled back, "Well, if you say so," she then turned her face away for a moment so that she could smile like an idiot without anyone seeing.
Of course, Kagome's reaction did not go unnoticed by anyone else. Ren gritted his teeth together at Yoh's shameless flirting that probably went under the radar as "best friendly statements". Bankotsu, likewise, shot death glares at Yoh, who was too busy, contemplating how he would answer the question to notice.
"Let's see..." Yoh pondered aloud. "There are a lot of great things about Kagome... She's sweet, caring, smart, determined..." He paused for a moment and chuckled a bit while scratching his cheek some more, "She can be a little feisty, but it's good in moderation unlike Ann-" The image of an angry Anna flashed in Yoh's mind. "Wait, let me rephrase that," He quickly recovered. The Asakura threw a pouty look at Sango and exclaimed, "Your question is way too hard!"
Sango chuckled when she saw how Yoh did not notice Kagome cupping her enflamed cheeks and squirming around in sheer ecstacy at his sweet, honest words, "You've got me there. Even I would have a hard time answering that one. Just pick the first thing that comes to mind."
"Hmmm..." Yoh hummed. "Well...I can't say this is my ultimate favorite...because a lot of her traits of equal but..." Yoh began to answer slowly. His tone slowing and cracking in its usual laidback manner. "Kagome is...very kind-hearted and accepting of all kinds of people. I think that's why I'm able to sit in this room here with you all," He surmised.
Kagome's eyes widened after hearing Yoh's word. She did not know why but hearing someone say those words...that she was kind...that she was accepting. It made her feel validated, despite not ever looking to feel that way. "Oh, Yoh..." She whispered as her hand landed on top of his.
"Ye-?" He turned to face her with a smile but the moment that her hand touched his, Yoh's heart skipped a beat. Everything and everyone in the room around suddenly disappeared in a flash of white light...
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
It was the picture of perfection. It was the picture of peace. It was the picture of pleasantness. It was mid-autumn. It was sunset. It was perfect. The sun was setting behind him, creating a blend of gold and pink as a backdrop for the empty temple grounds. Despite growing up as quite the slacker, his determination and fascination with this shrine overcame his dislike for the physical effort required for ascending the traditional, grandiose staircase that led to his distance. His dark eyes closed as he breathed in a sigh of content. This place was a perfect refuge from the bustling city. It brought him a feeling of tranquility that few other places in the world did.
He casually stuffed his hands in the pockets of his loose, dark green jeans and began to walk forward. His flip-flops made a distinct smacking sound against the cement ground with each step that he took. He walked past the usual tourist attractions of a shrine and headed straight towards the old, yet well-structured well-house. 'So she really does this everyday...' He mused inwardly at the sound of soft sobs and whimpers. He grabbed the parallel, double-handles of the twin sliding doors and pulled them apart. And there it was, yet again. That old, dried-up well where a raven-haired beauty wept and wept seemingly endless tears. He hoped that today would be the day that things changed. But alas, it was not today.
Their encounter played out similarly to their many others. He offered her nothing but smiles and chuckles as he wiped away her tears. Her pale skin would visibly stiffen at the physical contact and her cheeks would burn bright red. She would act defensively as if the touch of another person burned her. Sometimes she would catch him off guard with a killer slap for being too touchy and friendly with her, other times she would unknowingly make his heart flutter with by offering him appreciative smiles for his company. Today was one of the days when she smiled, and he treasured it, as much as he treasured all of their moments together.
The man could tell that the woman was lonely: the shrine's solitary, weeping guardian who was too dedicated to her duty and her attachment to the well to leave her home. Ever since he first looked into her blue eyes, he was captivated. And he had decided that he would convince her to run away with him, no matter how long it took...
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
"Yoh, are you okay?" Kagome's voice suddenly brought Yoh back from a place that he did not remember leaving to. "You kind of spaced out there," She whispered while giving his hand a light squeeze.
Yoh nodded and smiled, "Yeah, don't worry."
'What was that vision...?' He asked himself inwardly. 'An illusion? Or...a vision of the future?'
Authoress' Notes: And that concludes chapter 19! This was almost a full 20 pages, woohoo! I decided to cut it because the chapter would end up running over 30 pages if I included everything that I intended to! Welp, it should take less than 2 weeks to push out chapter 20 thanks to the encouragement of you all! I hope that you look forward to it! As usual, drop a line to tell what you liked or disliked!
Here is the link to the wonderful deviantart gallery where you can view the fanart that gave me my muse to finally finish up this chapter:
(slash)sweetlessly(slash)gallery(slash)71786787(slash)shaman-king
is pretty troublesome with links just go to deviant and fill the url using what the words that I provided above and replace the word slash with real ones! Don't forget the triple w's when creating the url and a [d.o.t.] after deviant art, but of course, replace the words with an actual dot~ good luck! Essentially, your url should be:
[w][w][w][d.o.t][deviantart][d.o.t.][c.o.m.](slash)sweetlessly(slash)gallery(slash)71786787(slash)shaman-king
It's a shame that we have to try to get around this ridiculous link filter! Hopefully, you all have knowledge of how urls work and can decode it from here!
Do note that this art was drawn by transcending love/sweetlessly! Not moi! I have no artistic talent! So please give them some love and support for being so inspirational to me!
Just omit the spaces and the link should work just fine!