Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Ivy, Shaman Runaway ❯ Two Types of Poison ( Chapter 72 )

 

Two Types of Poison

“Master doesn't look well.” `I'm just so worried about him!'

 

“Shh…I know Opacho. He was acting very strangely when I talked to him in my tent.” `Why did he show such an interest in that poison? I have a horrible feeling about this.'

 

“When the girls and I talked to him he seemed…I don't know, but something about him was off.” `God I need a cigarette. Raphael better show up on time.'

 

“Mari does not like the look in his eyes.” `His beautiful eyes looked so dead…Oh how I want the old Hao back…'

 

“It's really not like him at all…” `I wonder if there's gonna be food after the funeral? I'm hungry.'

 

I could hear them, but they pretended that I couldn't. It was rather annoying to be walking right in front of a group of people, and have them talk about you like you're not even there. I resisted the urge to turn on my heels and yell `I can hear everything that you're saying you know! I'm not deaf!'

 

My followers and I were currently making our way to the Patch Church were Ivy's funeral would be. Everyone was dressed in black. Luca looked no different than he always did, but the Hanagumi girls were in more dressy type clothes. Kanna especially was dolled-up. We had had a hard time trying to find something black for Opacho to wear, but all in all, we had all found suitable black clothing.

 

It didn't take long us to reach the little Church on the hillside, and once inside, we found the Church was quite full of people. The Asakuras had come, and were over in their own little clump, mourning. Kino and Yohmei didn't cry, but their eyes revealed everything, all the sorrow they felt. Mikihisa was desperately trying to comfort Keiko. The Taos too were all there; they had brought with them 40 or 50 Jiang-si. Ran was sobbing in En's arms, and En was quietly shedding tears. Ching was over by Ren and Jun, trying to console his bawling grandchildren. Ren and Jun looked completely heartbroken. Anna was with Tamao and Pilika; all three were flooding their eyes out. The other boys were over sitting in the pews talking quietly, trying to be cheerful, but failing miserably. All the spirits floated freely around the room, conversing, but they just seemed so depressed and…well, dead. Aikido was buried in Amidamaru's chest, Chip was flying around aimlessly, and Isabelle was just off by herself in a corner of the room, brooding. A man I didn't recognize, wearing a black trench coat and mirrored shades got up and greeted Kanna with a kiss. `That must be Raphael…'

 

There was also a woman there that I didn't recognize. She was an inch or so taller than I was, and had long dirty blonde hair that reached down to her shoulder blades. She stood over by Ivy's casket at the feet end; the woman stared at Ivy, not taking her eyes off of my beloved for the world. The blonde's eyes were a dark hue, and they were filled with silent, guilty tears. I was pretty sure I had never met her before. Her clothes were worn, old, tattery things. She wore a long, tan trench coat-like cloak, and she had a faded red bandana in her unwashed hair. She would have been beautiful if she weren't so haggard. She was ghostly pale, and deathly thin; a frail weak shell of a woman. The poor thing had obviously been out on the streets, and hadn't eaten in a very long time. The woman looked about thirty, but she may have been just a bit younger or older. It was hard to tell with all the dirt and grim covering her pretty frame. Her guardian ghost, a water sprite, floated next to her.

 

My followers fanned out and separated into their different groups; mingling with the other mourners. I tore my eyes away from the strange woman, and next rested them on the younger half of my soul.

 

Yoh Asakura was sitting at the head of Ivy's casket, gently stroking her lovely face. His back was to me, so I slowly approached him. Just before I tapped him on the shoulder he greeted me, “Hello Onii-chan.”

 

I smiled half-heartedly at my other half. “You sensed me? I'm glad you've finally taken some initiative, and learned that little, Shaman's trick.”

 

“I've been taking my training very seriously now.” Yoh didn't look up from Ivy's face as he spoke to me.

 

“That's good, Otouto. You'll need to be strong when you merge with the Great Spirits as Shaman King.” I knelt down beside him and reached out to touch Ivy's cold cheek. I was a bit shocked to find it was still warm…and rosy. It was as if she was only asleep.

 

“Hao?” Yoh tore his eyes away from the heavenly angel to look at the demon beside him.

 

“Yes?” I didn't bother looking him in the eyes. `We have had this conversation before little brother. It won't end differently this time.'

 

“Have you decided how you're going to do it?”

 

I blinked a few times at his forwardness, but regardless, pulled a test tube out of my pocket. I held it low, trying to somewhat conceal it so that only he could see.

 

“How fast is it?”

 

“I'll take the whole bottle. I should be dead before anyone notices what I'm doing.” A small smile graced my lips as my finger slowly glided over Ivy's mouth.

 

“Oh…when are you going to do it?” I slipped the vial back into my pocket, and Yoh's eyes returned to Ivy's face.

 

“I was thinking about doing it right now—“

 

“—NO!” Yoh grabbed my sleeve as he yelped. Heads turned to see what Yoh was yelling about. Yoh noticed the stares and let go of me, returning his attention to Ivy, and lowering his voice. “Don't leave yet. Wait until they close the casket and start the service. Stay with me just a little bit longer.” He looked up at me, his clear brown orbs that looked so much like my own, were brimming with tears.

 

“If it means that much to you, but promise me again that you'll take care of my followers when I'm dead.” I subconsciously wiped the tears from his eyes, and ruffled his hair.

 

“I promise.” He smiled happily back at me, but then a serious glint lit his eyes. “Hey Hao?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Maybe you should wait until after the funeral?”

 

“Why would I do that?” I cast him a suspicious glance out of the corner of my eye.

 

“Because I asked you to?” Yoh looked innocently up at me, his eyes begging me to give in to his request.

 

As much as I was tempted to cave in to my cute little brother's pleas, I couldn't. “Yoh…No. As soon as the service starts; that's my final decision.” I patted my other half lovingly on the head, trying to alleviate some of his pain.

 

“W-why? Can't you just forget about this whole thing? You're only fifteen! You've got so much of your life left! How can you just throw it away like that?!” Tears returned to the young boy's dark spheres, and he gripped at my clothing. “If you go through with this…I'll…I'll…I'll kill myself too!” His wet eyes burned with determination to stop me, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Yoh had always been like that: a self-sacrificing individual.

 

I carefully pried his fingers away from my clothing, and gently licked away his tears, hoping no one saw us. No one did; they were too preoccupied with crying to notice the deep conversation that was happening between my brother and me. Yoh jumped slightly as my warm tongue caressed his eyelids, but he didn't protest.

 

“Yoh, you're being a selfless idiot again. YOU are the one who is `only fifteen'. I am 1015 and some-odd years old. I'm supposed to be dead. My life is over, and there's no use to keep going. YOU have so much of your life left, and I have nothing. YOU would be the one throwing away your life. You are the one with the fiancée and friends and a family. You have a life, and a reason to live. Besides, if you and I were both dead who would look after my followers, and your pathetic group of friends? Now, promise me that you'll live a good life, and have tons of kids.”

 

“Hao…” Yoh softly mumbled.

 

“Say it, and do so quickly before I burn that pretty little face of yours like I did your father's.” I took his face in my hands and used my fire powers to make my hands heat up just enough to scare him, but not enough to actually burn him.

 

“I promise.” Yoh meeped.

 

“Good.” I let go of my brother and looked back down at the love of my life. Ivy looked so beautiful….Her hair flowed about her face, the little wisps framing her lovely face perfectly. Her hands were folded slightly placed one on top the other, resting on her stomach. She was in her normal day clothes: heart choker placed around her neck, and red hair tie on her left wrist, red tank top, black mini-skirt with black bicycle shorts underneath, and a new set of black leather boots in there with her. She even had on that ridiculously bright red lipstick, and her eyeliner tattoo was in place at the corner of her right eye. Her lips were slightly parted in a soft smile. She was gorgeous even in death.

 

“Yoh?” My brother looked up at me. “Do you think I'm crazy?”

 

“No. Why?” The younger of us cocked his head to the side and blinked stupidly at the sudden change in conversation topics.

 

“It's just…all the things people say to me…it makes me think that maybe something is wrong with me, and somehow somewhere along the line I lost my mind. I think my mind has finally given out on me, and I've just broken down.” I shook my head sadly and smiled ironically.

 

“Naaah! You're not crazy; you're just a little unwell sometimes. I don't think any less of you for it, if it helps.” Yoh treated me to his dazzling smile, and laughed off my questioning my mental health.

 

“I suppose you're right.”

 

“Of course I'm right! I'm always right!...I think…well, most of the time.” Yoh chuckled goofily, and his slacker's smile took over his face.

 

“Of course you are.” I rolled my eyes at my twin, and bent over to kiss Ivy gently on the lips. “They'll be starting soon, Yoh.” I informed my brother.

 

“I see…” Yoh's smile faded as the pastor came in and closed the coffin lid.

 

“We'll be starting now, gentlemen.” He motioned for us to take a seat in one of the pews. The wind outside picked up, and a gentle fall of rain started descending from the sky.

 

Yoh looked frantically at me, but I only smiled and pulled the vial from my pocket. I quickly removed the cork, and lifted the bottle to my lips.

 

A loud roll of thunder accompanied by a bright blow of lightening lit up the sky outside. I lowered the bottle and looked around the room when some started screaming: “Ouch!! Oh God it's dark in here! What the—owwww!! My head!! Hey!! Is anyone there?! Heeeeeeeeeeelllp!!!!! Let me out!!! Let me out this instant!!!!!” The voice became even more frantic by the second. “This might be a bad time to tell you, but I'm a bit claustrophobic!!!! Help me!!!!!! I'm going to run out of air, and then I'll die!!! Help!!!!!!” The muffled voice shrieked and cried, but no one did anything. I began to wander if I was the only one who heard the screaming.

 

Finally Yoh spoke up. “Am I the only one who hears that?”

 

“Where's it coming from?” Manta looked quizzically around the room.

 

“I don't know…” Anna murmured.

 

My mind had gone numb. I couldn't make sense of what was happening. I had all but forgotten about the deadly poison in my hand.

 

Another roll of thunder sounded outside, and the rain started to fall more heavily. A violent pounding and beating sound met our ears as the voice started to weep. “Heelllllllllp!!!!! Please let me out of here!!!!” The pounding became louder and louder. It seemed to be coming from the coffin.

 

Yoh rushed up to the casket, and opened its lid. Out tumbled Ivy's body. She landed with a decisive `thud' on top of Yoh.. “Owwwwww…”

 

“I-I-Ivy?” Yoh stuttered.

 

“YOH!!!” Ivy's tearstained face immediately brightened when she saw whom she was laying on top of. “YohyohyohyohyohyohyohyohyohyohYOH!!!” Ivy screeched between kisses.

 

The pastor looked on in terror at the girl who had come back from the dead. “I swear she was dead when we put her in the casket…”

 

“IVY!!!!” Anna rushed over and hugged her sister like there was no tomorrow. “Oh, Ivy!!!”

 

“ANNA!!!” Ivy screamed in delight. Anna pulled Ivy off of Yoh, and continued to hug her sister. “Hey, can you help me stand? My legs are asleep…”

 

When Ivy had regained use of her legs, she rushed about the room hugging and kissing and greeting everyone, including the Asakuras and the Taos. I think En almost squashed her with his enormousness, but she seemed unharmed. Jun had a hard time prying Ren off of Ivy though…Ivy greeted the Asakuras warmly and for the first time ever I saw Kino cry; she was so happy that her second favorite pupil was alive and well. Ivy next went over to my followers. She hugged everyone and cried and yelled at them all for plotting against her. She went over to that Raphael guy and smacked him, exclaiming: “You bastard!!! I love you!!” She jumped into his arms, and he only rolled his eyes and hugged her back, apologizing for lying to her. Ivy's ghosts surrounded her and hugged her and vowed never to leave her side ever again, and stuff like that. A touching reunion all in all.

 

Next the woman that I hadn't recognized approached Ivy. “You…You are Ivy Kyôyama, correct?”

 

“Yes? Who are you?” Anna came up behind Ivy and placed a hand on her twin's shoulder.

 

“And are you Anna Kyôyama?” The woman gestured toward Anna.

 

“I am.” Anna replied curtly.

 

“Anna, Ivy…I am so sorry for everything my cruelty put you two through. I know that it's impossible to ask for your forgiveness, but I just want to tell you that I understand now, and I truly am sorry.” The woman dropped to her knees in front of the twins.

 

Ivy blinked several times and threw a questioning glance at her sister. Anna raised an eyebrow and quickly studied the woman, sizing her up. “So just who are you anyway, and what did you do to my sister and me?”

 

The woman in question looked up at Anna's cold eyes. “I am Naomi Margaret Kyôyama. I am your mother.”

 

“Seriously?” A comment that stupid could only come from Horo Horo. “I thought that their parents abandoned them. What's she doing here, and how'd she know where to come, and if she's a human, why does she have a ghost following her?”

 

Naomi stood, but hung her head, refusing to look at her twin daughters. “I did abandon them. I was just a simple, close-minded human back then. Forgive me; I didn't know that the two of you were great Shaman. My husband especially was horrible about it. He refused to let me keep you. I suppose I could have fought harder, but…I loved him. He abandoned me several years ago when my own Shamanic powers manifested themselves. I'm a water elementalist. This is my guardian, Niva. I'm a pretty weak shaman, but…I can protect myself to a certain extent. As for how I got here: a man named `Luca' contacted me. He said something about his Master requesting him to contact me and invite me to my younger daughter's funeral.”

 

`Crap…I had almost forgotten I had told him to do that…I don't even know why I invited her…I suppose I just thought she deserved to see her daughter…Hmmm…I'm too flippin' nice for my own damn good.'

 

Luca stepped forward, and held out his hand for Ivy's mother to shake. “I am Luca. The one who instructed me to contact you was my Master Hao. He's the one with the long, silky brown hair.”

 

Naomi walked over to me and smiled thankfully. “Thank you so much. You don't know how truly grateful I am to you. If it wasn't for you I would have never seen either of my beautiful daughters.” She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

 

Needless to say I was shocked. I patted her on the back and muttered. “I'm the last person you need to thank.”

 

Ivy quickly relieved me of my discomfort by calling her mother's attention back to Naomi's twin daughters. “Anna and I have conversed, and we totally forgive you.” Ivy surrounded her mother in an organ-crushing hug.

 

“Really?! Oh I'm so sorry…Thank you so much.” Anna was soon pulled into the group hug, and the three women had a touching reunion. Naomi turned down Anna's offer to stay at Funbari Onsen when it opened, but promised to visit the girls on a regular basis. She said she would be staying in the Patch Village for a while. The older woman left the Church with a wide smile on her face, bidding her daughters `so long until next time!'

 

Yoh slowly approached Ivy, the fact that she was somehow alive again, finally sinking in. “Ivy…we need to talk. How are you alive? I could have sworn that you had died, and were already in Heaven.”

 

“Actually, this whole thing was set up by some meddling angels. That sword shouldn't have done enough damage to kill me, but like I said the angels arranged it so that I would die.” Ivy sent a glare over in Raphael, the Hanagumi, Luca, and Opacho's direction. “And those guys had a hand in everything that happened here on Earth while I was in Heaven. I suppose that it's okay though. I am alive after all.”

 

Yoh looked uncertainly between Ivy and Anna. “Ivy…while you were gone…I..I sort of realized that I…well…Anna and I…we…”

 

“It's okay, I already know.” Ivy smiled fondly at Yoh. My younger brother gaped at her.

 

“How…?”

 

“I've been watching you guys the entire time I was up there. They have this huge 60-foot tall big screen that they watch people on Earth with. I saw everything that happened between you and Anna.”

 

Both Yoh and Anna blushed. “E-everything???” Yoh's face looked like a ripe tomato.

 

Ivy blinked a few times, and raised her eyebrow at my twin and her sister. “Almost everything. I didn't watch you making out under the stars, if that's what you mean….Anyway, I never should have messed with your relationship in the first place. You two are made for each other. So, I'm off to travel the world in search for…I don't know, something. I haven't decided yet, but all I know is that Asakura boys are no good for me.” She winked suggestively at Yoh, bid farewell to everyone, and started to walk out the door, promising to visit often, and send postcards.

 

Everyone was sad to see her go. They all tried to make her stay, but she would have none of it. No one could stop her. I stayed back away from everyone else. She hadn't said a word to me. She hadn't even acknowledged my presence in the room. She hadn't greeted me, or waved goodbye to me. She hadn't even looked at me. She had no interest in me at all. She didn't care.

 

I looked down at my left hand. `The poison. Why not? I saw her; she doesn't care, so now I'm going to Hell.' I lifted the vial back up to my lips when no one was looking.

 

I hadn't even drunk any of it when someone slapped me, causing the bottle to clatter to the cold marble flooring. “Hao Asakura.” I looked up, and my eyes locked with two gorgeous onyx pools. They were on fire with hate, disgust, betrayal, and guilt. She looked mad to say the least. “You promised me you wouldn't.” She smacked me again. “Don't ever try anything like that again.”

 

“Ivy…” I rubbed my cheek subconsciously.

 

“Goodbye Hao.” She turned and walked slowly out the Church doors, not looking back.

 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raphael whisper something to Yoh, but I couldn't look away from where Ivy had just stood. `She's gone…She'll tour the world, find a new man, and settle down with him in Rome. I've lost her.'

 

A gentle nudge at my shoulder woke me form my nightmare. Yoh softly whispered in my ear, “Go after her, you idiot.” That was all it took. I ran full speed out the door and into the rain.

 

“IVY!!!” I called out as I exited the Church. She was nowhere in sight. “IVY!!!” I called again, but the one-way street was devoid of any people or ghosts. The only other way she could have gone would be over the cliff, but she had just come back from the dead, and I doubted she wanted to die again so soon. “IVY!!” I mourned. I had lost her.

 

“You don't have to call so loudly for someone who's standing right behind you.”

 

I spun around at the familiar voice, and found Ivy standing propped up against the side of the Church. The massive Church door had hid her from view when I had opened it. She had been standing there the whole time. “Ivy…” I couldn't believe she was there; standing right in front of me.

 

“Hello Hao.” She smiled weakly. “You didn't think I'd be that cruel as to come back to life, and not say hello, did you?”

 

Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks, mixing with the rain. I pushed her up against the Church wall and kissed her for all I was worth. She kissed me back, but not nearly with as much force and passion as I was kissing her with. She was weak and tired. I pulled away to admire her, and confessed, “I love you Ivy. Never leave me again.”

 

She smiled tiredly back at me, and was about to say something, but could only get out “Hao…I…” before collapsing into my arms.

 

“Ivy?!” I frantically checked her vital signs, but there was no need. She was only asleep. I picked her up and took her inside into the warm, dry, Church. The pastor got a spare room ready for her, but until it was ready, she lay peacefully asleep in my arms. “And that's where you're going to stay. Always.”