Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Ivy, Shaman Runaway ❯ Girls and Ghosts ( Chapter 16 )

 

Girls and Ghosts

“Hi!” I chirped. “What's your name?”

 

“T-tamao. It's an honor to meet someone with enough gall to run away from Hao and survive it.” She seemed to have a habit of inspecting the ground, painstakingly paying attention to the little detailed grooves in the floor tiles.

 

I put a big sappy grin on my face as I replied, “Awe, really, it was nothing! Thank you so much! By the way, I like your hairstyle. It's a nice length and everything, but is it naturally pink?”

 

“Yes, Miss.” Tamao blushed at the attention.

 

“Oh, call me Ivy! Only Opacho calls me “Mistress”! Actually I really don't like pink, but I think you're pretty none the less!” I said in a sing-songy voice.

 

“Yes…Ivy.” She looked up and gave a smile, which I returned, but then went back to looking at the floor tiles.

 

“Do I know you from somewhere.” I smooth British voice hummed next to my ear. I whirled around to see Judo's elegant older sister, Jun Tao.

 

“I wouldn't know where we would have met before; Hao really doesn't let me go out in public, or have friends outside of the people in his group. I would like to get to know you, though. You're really pretty. I wish I were tall and skinny like you. It's so difficult being short!” I dodged my sister's suspicions.

 

“Why thank you. My little sister used to say things like that all the time. Judo was obsessed with getting taller!” Jun started to tear up a little at the mention of her missing baby sister.

 

I felt badly for making my siblings worry so, but I couldn't let them know what had become of me, what horrible things I had done, and all the wrong decisions I had made. “Oh, so you're Ren's older sister! I've heard lots of rumors about the Taos. We can talk later and maybe I'll find out if some of them are true.”

 

Jun winked at me, and smiled I could tell she was plotting something. There was something about the way she smiled at me that made me uneasy. “Oh, yes. Well talk later, indeed.”

 

“Just where are you from, anyway?” a girl with long blue hair stepped up and inspected me. Her hair reminded me of Kanna, and I began to miss my Hanagumi sisters.

 

I had to think hard about the question before an answer came, “I don't really come from anywhere. I travel a lot, America, Japan, China, and I stay wherever.”

 

“Yea, wherever, alright! Wherever there's a man in need of company for the night!” Anna hissed under her breath.

 

I ignored her. “So what's your name?” I turned toward the blue haired girl.

 

“Me? Oh, I'm Pilika Usui, Horo Horo's little sister.” She responded pleasantly.

 

I looked her over and noticed her stylish headband, “So you too are an Ainu? Is that where you got that headband, in your village?”

 

“Yes! My mother made it. It's good luck.” Pilika spoke affectionately about her mother.

 

I sunk deep into thought about my own mother, and what she was like. I like to think that she and my father were good people, despite what they did to me. I like to think they were scared and confused. They had never had any experience with Shamans before, so why would they be accepting to the fact that their twin daughters were Shamans?

 

“Ivy?” I woke with a start as I felt Pilika's hand come to a rest on my shoulder. She looked worriedly at me. “Are you okay? You kind of just spaced out on us there…”

 

I laughed at myself and my stupidity; I had done it again! “Oh, I'm sorry! It's just that you mentioned your mom, and I was just thinking about mine. It must have been nice having a mom.” I mused.

 

Pilika raised an eyebrow, “Didn't you have a mom?”

 

I sighed sadly, “I had someone like a mom, but no one can ever replace your real mother. And knowing that your parents didn't want you, and thought you were a devil, just because you were different from them and normal humans. I wish sometimes that they would have kept me, but master Yohmei said that if they had tried to raise me as a normal child, I would have had thousands more “accidents” and a lot more people would have been killed.”

 

“Wait.” Yoh interrupted, “Did you say `Yohmei'? As in Yohmei Asakura?”

 

“Uh-huh!” I nodded vigorously. “Yes masters Yohmei, Kino, Keiko, and Mikihisa. I was a full time job for the Asakura family. I almost burned down their whole compound once. Horrible night that was.” I faded into another one of my `deep thought sequences'.

 

Anna spoke up for the first time in several paragraphs, “So that was you that night! You conjured that enormous storm monster!”

 

“Let's not talk about it.” I solemnly stated. “Let's talk about you, Anna! You're an Itako, right?”

 

She glared at me, and I took that to mean `yes'.

 

“I noticed Kino's beads around your neck, so I kind of figured. I have a necklace just like that one you're wearing, except mine is white and bright red.”

 

Anna just rolled her eyes at me as I tried to make polite conversation. Talking to my sister was very discouraging.

 

“You know there aren't many of us, Itakos left. Muy triste, ¿No?”

 

No response.

 

“You know, Anna, we do look quite similar. If my hair was dirty blonde and I straightened it then we could almost pass for twins!” I awaited a reaction.

 

Finally one came. “I don't think so. You could never pass for me. You're too bubbly.”

 

“Oh, well, Anna. You're a lost cause today, but tomorrow we'll be friends!” I winked at her, and moved on to the guardian ghosts.

 

Trey ran up to me to show me his ghost: a small Koropokkur woman named Corey.

 

“Oh, my God!! You're soooo cute!” Corey blushed and smiled up at me. Finally, someone shorter than I am. “And so sweet!” I continued as I pinched her cheeks lightly.

 

“Like Shaman, like spirit!” Threw in Trey.

 

I nodded. “I definitely see the resemblance!”

 

Next I was shoved by Rio to meet Tokagero, the green lizard man thief. “Ooooh! ¡Verde! Es muy interesante.” I commented on his odd skin tone while wrapping strands of his beard around my fingers.

 

Anna rolled her eyes and sighed at my strange behavior. “She even flirts with ghosts!”

 

A purring sound originating from somewhere by my feet reached my ears. I looked around to find a jaguar looking up at me with the sweetest innocent look in his eyes. “Oohhh! Pretty Kitty! What's your name?”

 

“Mick.” Jocko supplied with a smile.

 

I pet the cat awhile before a small `ahem' was heard behind me. I turned around to come face to face with Tamao's ghosts: two small, fury, floating woodland creatures. One a fox, and one a tanuki.

 

“I'm Ponchi!” stated one.

 

“I'm Conchi!” stated the other.

 

“I'm Ivy!” stated I in a tone almost exactly like theirs. I tweaked the fox's ears, and rapped on the tanuki's massive stomach as I giggled to myself at their startled expressions. “What cuties!” I exclaimed as I hugged them tight to my breasts, which I think they enjoyed a bit too much.

 

A giant hand tapped me on the shoulder, and I dropped Ponchi and Conchi to talk to Bason, my brother's ghost partner.

 

“Excuse me, Miss, if you think me rude, but I do believe that my Bocchama and his neesan are correct, and that we have met you before.” Bason started, but I killed the conversation before it could progress any further, saying:

 

“Whoa! You're huge!! You must be really strong! Can I feel your muscles?” without waiting for a yes or no, I began to feel Bason's ghostly biceps and triceps.

 

I soon moved on to Jun's guardian Li Pailong, exclaiming like a crazed fangirl, “Ohmigod!! I have seen all of your movies!! I'm a huge fan!”

 

Pailong smiled down at me. (Yes, they're looking down on me again. Height is so cruel.) “I'm glad you enjoy the movies. Not many people still remember me and my movies after 17 years.”

 

“Well I do!” I grabbed Pailong and pulled him into a huge hug, followed by a kiss on the cheek, but I was soon distracted by a samurai warrior floating over in a corner of the room.

 

“SAMURAI!! ¡Qué divertido!” Yoh's ghost Amidamaru watched me in amusement as I circled him, checking out his armor and cool gear.

 

Amidamaru chuckled a little as he teased, “Have you never seen a samurai before?”

 

“Actually, I have a samurai. I was just comparing your gear to hers. She's a bit distant, but really is like a big sister to me. She lived around your time. Her name was Aikido. <An/ say it with me: Eye-key-doe>. Ever heard of her?”

 

Amidamaru stiffened at the name. “Yes. We were very close. Where is she now?!” he asked anxiously.

 

I shifted my gaze downward as I replied, “Hao has her. I'm sorry.”

 

“Ivy?” Yoh had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “That's everyone.”

 

I smiled seductively, “Actually, I still haven't picked out what I like best about you, Yoh.”

 

The rest of the gang held Anna down, as she was about to tackle me and rip me to shreds.

 

I circled Yoh in a similar fashion to how I had previously circled Ren, looking him up and down. Surveying every centimeter. Yoh just looked at me, waiting for a sign of approval like the ones I had given the other boys. When I just starred at him even longer, he broke the silence between us and said, “Well?”

 

“I like your hair; it's so soft!” I started playing with and stroking his hair as Yoh fought back a blush. “And your headphones are definitely cool. What are you listening to?” I took the headphones from their owner's head and placed them gently over my ears. “Reggae…You have really pretty eyes.” My fingers dropped from his hair to trace his prefect brown eyes, “A nice nose…and perfect mouth.” My fingers ran across his nose dropping to circle his mouth. I leaned in closer to him so that our lips were fractions apart, but much to Anna's relief I pulled back at the last second. I stepped around so that I was behind him and placed my hands at the base of his neck. “Your neck's nice and proportionate too.” I started to massage his neck moving down to his arms feeling every muscle. “Broad shoulders. Strong, muscled, arms. Well-defined biceps and triceps.” I strutted around to face him, and inspected his torso. “Well-sculpted chest, and rock hard abs.” I nodded impressed.

 

I saw a bit of a worried look on Yoh's face as I slowly descended further down his body. Would I go that low? He must have thought. The answer was, yes. I would. Right down to his feet, leaving his pants zipper alone.

 

“I wish I had sandals like these. They're cool! I would have to wear pants with them though.” I moved up slightly to his calves. “Wow! Nice and tight calves! I wish my calves were that nice. Mine may seem nice and well sculpted, but you really don't want to see them.”

 

“And why would that be?” Yoh challenged.

 

I bopped him lightly on the nose with my finger as I replied, “Because I said so. That's why. I just don't feel that they're a very pretty part of my body. Now, where was I? Oh yes. I remember!” I smiled impishly. “Your thighs!” I quickly moved my hands from his calves to his thighs and gently felt of them. If the rest of the gang wasn't holding down Anna, she would have pounced on me and tore out my vocal cords.

 

“Even your thighs are prefect! What kind of training does Anna put you through?!” `Time for the big finale.' I mentally crossed my fingers as I reached down for his belt buckle.

 

“I really like the way you dress, Yoh! This belt is really nice!”

 

Yoh had turned bright red at my touch and now stuttered, “I-Ivy?”

 

“Yes?” I asked not taking my hands off of him.

 

“I have no idea.” He answered truthfully.

 

“They never do.” I smiled innocently.

 

“Wha—“ He couldn't finish his sentence. I had already wrapped my arms around his shoulders and trapped his lips in a lusty kiss. I could just see the jaws dropping to the floor. The whole group had been so shocked at me kissing Anna's fiancée right in front of her, that they had accidentally let her go. She didn't charge at me trying to murder me, for she was shocked motionless as Yoh started to kiss me back.

 

I only let him have a short kiss. Just to tease him, to make him want more. Then once he had had just a taste, I pulled away. “I think you're my favorite.”

 

“Of course he would be! He's my fiancée!” Anna stormed up to me and pulled me away from Yoh. “Listen here, tramp! I want you gone. NOW! Don't you ever come back!” I saw the fist coming in slow motion. It was just as if I were back with Hao. He always punched and hit me to punish me. It was only natural that I responded the same way to Anna that I had always responded to Hao. I ducked and stuck my foot out for her to trip over.

 

Of course she went flying with the force of her fist, and when she got up, she was less than happy. She looked like she would go for my throat at any minute. I believe she would have, if not for a little interruption.

 

“Anna, stop it! She has to stay! I'm begging you! I'll watch her and see to it that she doesn't get into trouble. I'll do anything; just let her stay Anna!”

 

I looked up at the pleading face with utter confusion. `What do you have to gain from me staying? Could it be possible you've figured it out?—no. You couldn't have. What do you have to gain?' I mused.