Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Ivy, Shaman Runaway ❯ The Long Walk Home ( Chapter 26 )

 

The Long Walk Home

“Ivy! Wake it up, gal!” Isabelle hollered. “It's `bout lunch time, now git yerself outta that there bed! If I gotta pull those covers offa ya, I will!”

 

“I'm up.” I seethed. I had not slept well due to Hao keeping me up so late. I slowly clamored out of bed and down the stairs to see if there was any food. I stopped in the bathroom to clean up a little, but I was still in my pajamas (that I had stolen from Yoh) when I reached the dinning room table.

 

I stumbled into the dinning room and everyone was already eating lunch. The way they looked at me, I must have looked drunk. “Morning.” I managed to mumble before collapsing in the space between Jun and Yoh.

 

Yoh looked at me anxiously, “Are you okay Ivy? You don't look so good…”

 

Anna looked up from her coffee and sneered at me, “It's probably just morning sickness.”

 

I thought about glaring nastily at her, but decided to handle the situation gracefully, so I replied with a rye smile, “No. I was out late last night and am tired. That's all.”

 

“Of course you're tired. Partying with all those strange men must be exhausting, especially when you take them one after the other.” She bit back.

 

I refused to give in and lose my temper, so I simply replied, “No only one man last night; your fiancée. He's really good, if you know what I mean. I'm always tired after a night with him.” I ignored her after that and concentrated on my toast.

 

I could tell Anna wanted to kill me for even suggesting Yoh and me doing anything like that. I could also see out of the corner of my eye Yoh blushing, Jun giggling, and Ren sending death glares toward Yoh.

 

“Jun could you pass the butter?” I asked as if nothing had happened.

 

“I'll get it.” Ren offered as he came and sat down between Yoh and me. I silently laughed about my brother's concern.

 

Everyone in the room was silent; the tension was building. No one dared speak. I don't think they knew what they would say if they tired to start a new conversation. Thankfully a knock at the door broke the lingering quiet.

 

“I'll get it!” Trey and Jocko volunteered at the same time; they had been silently praying for an excuse to leave the room. The two jokers raced down the corridor to be first to open the door.

 

“Who are you?” Horo's voice could be heard in the parlor area.

 

A melodic woman's voice answered indignantly, “I'm dead, and I'm looking for someone. That's all you need to know. Where's Judo?”

 

I recognized that voice. I sprung up from my seat and rushed into the living room. Sure enough, when I got there, there was a woman an inch or so taller than me standing there. She had chest length, fawn colored hair, and onyx eyes. “Aikido.” I breathed.

 

“Judo!!” she called happily. We ran to each other and both started talking at the same time. Somehow we managed to understand each other.

 

“Judo?” Horo and Jocko asked, totally stumped.

 

“Her name.” Jun supplied.

 

“Her real name.” Ren added. “Judo Tao.”

 

Yoh and the others made their way into the living room from the dinning room. “If she's a Tao, how can she be—“

 

“—Shhhhhhh!!” Jun and Ren covered Yoh's mouth so he couldn't finish `Anna's sister?'.

 

Anna looked suspiciously at the three of them, “How can she be what, Yoh?”

 

“Uhhhhhh…nothing.” The poor shaman tried to smooth his mistake over. He received a threatening glare from his rightful fiancée. “What I meant to say was…if she's a Tao how can she not have a last name?”

 

Anna looked expectantly at my siblings. Jun and Ren quickly pieced together an answer that was remarkably similar to what I told The X-LAWS only leaving out the part about me being Anna's sister.

 

At the conclusion of the story Anna seemed satisfied with the answer (that, or extremely bored of hearing the story). About this time Aikido and I were finishing catching up.

 

“So how did you get away from Hao?” I asked, eager to hear a daring escape tale.

 

“Actually, he let me go.” She stated sounding as shocked as I felt.

 

“Why would he do that?!” I puzzled.

 

“I don't know. He just said some strange stuff and let me go.” My guardian shrugged.

 

“Like what kind of stuff?” I pried.

 

“Well…”

 

==Flashback==

 

I had been alone in the little hut all day. I'm not complaining, mind you; I like it when all of the Hao followers and the devil himself are gone. At sundown everyone returned to the campsite, and Hao came into his tent. I greeted him saying, “Well look who's back! The devil boy. I had hoped you dropped dead by now. Shame. Ivy's not coming back to you, so you might as well let me go.”

 

“You're right.” He sighed. “You're free.” He undid the spell he had placed on me that was keeping me from running away and flopped on top of his bed. He sighed again as I just floated there and starred at the obviously depressed fire wielder.

 

“What are you waiting for? Leave. Go find Ivy. She's staying with Yoh Asakura; here, you can even take this map. Find her and tell her I just want her to be happy whether she's with me or my brother.”

 

He sounded so solemn, so depressed, so…if I didn't know better, I would say he sounded lovesick. “Why are you of all people so depressed? You're the one who has caused the girl so much pain!!”

 

He rolled his eyes at me and shouted, “I didn't mean to, you stupid samurai!!! Now get out of here! I don't want anything of hers here. It will be easier to forget her when she leaves me for him again. Look Aikido, I love her, but I can't force her to love me back…not in the way I want her to love me. Just go.”

 

“You killed my parents; did you know that? I just wanted you to know before I left…” I inquired as I retreated toward the door.

 

“I know. I'm sorry. Now just go.” He sighed.

 

==End Odd Flashback==

 

“And that's pretty much what Hao said. He seemed sick…he was uncharacteristically depressed. He seems to be fading away with every passing day that you're gone…” Aikido summed it up.

 

“I actually feel sorry for the guy. You should go back to him, Ivy.” Anna stated coldly.

 

“I'm going for a walk.” I pushed past everyone else to get upstairs to change. As soon as I was in my day clothes, I rushed outside and started my long trek.